Over a year ago, I did a series of posts about Sears' awful customer service. My clothes dryer ceased to work. After a series of unfortunate events caused by Sears' absolute determination to place multiple layers of contact between the customer and the service person, the dryer eventually got fixed. It took something like twelve calls over eleven days to get a technician to darken my door. But Norman from A&E eventually showed up, fixed the dryer, and I was a happy woman.
This week, my dryer broke again. No heat. Drat.
Ironically, I had called Sears last Saturday, despite my vow to avoid them. They sent a coupon in a direct mail piece offering carpet cleaning. Our carpets really needed cleaning, their prices were terrific, so, what the heck.
I called that Saturday, they scheduled the cleaning for Monday afternoon at 1:00 - and they showed up three hours early. But they called first to make sure it was okay. The guy did a fantastic job. Since we were luckily ready for him, the early showing was not a problem.
That afternoon, the dryer ceased to heat. Feeling warm and fuzzy about Sears, the next day, I called for an appointment. They asked if I had run a load without clothes (me: "no") or cleaned the duct (me: "I don't know how, can you walk me through that on the phone?" Them: "No. We will make an appointment instead, since your dryer is under warranty.")
The very pleasant phone rep then made an appointment for my still-under-warranty dryer for today between 1:00 and 5:00. Last night, they called around 6:30 to remind me they were coming.
Today, the technician called around 11:00, ahead of his 1:00-5:00 appointment, and the conversation went like this:
Me: "Hello?"
Technician:" Hello, this is Sears. We have a service call scheduled for your house today between 1:00 and 5:00."
Me" "Yes - for the dryer. I'll be here. "
Technician: "Well, we're not coming."
Me: "What?"
Technician: "We're not coming. Can you be there tomorrow between 1:00 and 5:00?"
Me (steaming, because we are so clearly, again, not a priority for them): "Someone.will.be.here."
Of course, it is Friday, and we do have plans for Friday night, so we shall see if Sears and their local representatives FUBAR this repair like they did last time. I find it jaw-dropping that service guys think that customers find it easy to set four hour blocks of time on hold for them multiple times, on short notice. As a consultant, I bill by the hour, and even though I can do *some* work at home, their disdain disrupts my business.
I guess Sears doesn't care whether we continue to purchase Sears appliances or the warranties - or the local guys they use don't care. Either way, I am interested to see what happens tomorrow. But I am going to blog this again, with hopes it has a happier ending than the last marathon.
PS: I checked to see if Sears has a Twitter account. I found one with 102 followers and no tweets. If you know of a way to get in touch with them besides their tortuous phone service, let me know.
Showing posts with label home repair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home repair. Show all posts
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sears puts the cuss in customer service - day 10
Tonight I spoke with Marco of Sears' truly, putridly, execrably bad customer service. As you'll recall, ol' Bob with the Texas twang told me that if I called the night before service was scheduled, anyone on the Sears phone support team would be able to see the routing and tell me what number I would be in line. Kai also affirmed that when she told me she would call me back after 6:00, when she could see the routing. Of course, she never called back and anything Sears phone reps say is suspect, but I decide to press on.
Alas, Marco denied that he could see the routing. Senor Marco, of Sears' incredibly cavalier and cruddy customer service, told me that he could only commit to the technician being here between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. When I mildly inquired why two other people told me he would be able to see the routing, Marco told me that "In really weird cases we can do that. But,normally, we can't see the routes."
I asked if he was in "kitchen," since Bob implied he was in a special group. Marco says "I am in phone service. That is all there is."
I politely asked for customer relations. Marco informed me that they closed two hours ago. Now, when I called last week, I spoke to customer service at 8:20 p.m. Apparently, their hours have changed.
I say, "So, you cannot see the routing, and there is no way to escalate my call so I might be able to narrow this down?" According to Marco, there is nothing I - or he - can do.
Perhaps Sears' support does have new hours. Perhaps Marco is just riffing, because there is clearly no script for Sears' woefully decrepit customer service.
I have to admit, I love the "we can only see the routing in really weird cases" line. That is surreal both for its lack of logic and the utter disdain for me, the soon-not-to-be-a-Sears customer.
Alas, Marco denied that he could see the routing. Senor Marco, of Sears' incredibly cavalier and cruddy customer service, told me that he could only commit to the technician being here between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. When I mildly inquired why two other people told me he would be able to see the routing, Marco told me that "In really weird cases we can do that. But,normally, we can't see the routes."
I asked if he was in "kitchen," since Bob implied he was in a special group. Marco says "I am in phone service. That is all there is."
I politely asked for customer relations. Marco informed me that they closed two hours ago. Now, when I called last week, I spoke to customer service at 8:20 p.m. Apparently, their hours have changed.
I say, "So, you cannot see the routing, and there is no way to escalate my call so I might be able to narrow this down?" According to Marco, there is nothing I - or he - can do.
Perhaps Sears' support does have new hours. Perhaps Marco is just riffing, because there is clearly no script for Sears' woefully decrepit customer service.
I have to admit, I love the "we can only see the routing in really weird cases" line. That is surreal both for its lack of logic and the utter disdain for me, the soon-not-to-be-a-Sears customer.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
One week and eight calls later, no repairman has darkened my door
I called Sears at 4:20 p.m. today to see what the status of my repair was. They've changed their login procedure so it took me two calls to get through. Now when you call and say "repair" it asks you if you want to know what time your repairman is coming. If you reply "yes," it will tell you your repair job is scheduled between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. So, since I already knew that and there were 23 minutes until my window expired, I had to call back.
On the second call, I was forwarded to "Randy." He told me that the repairman was at site six and I was site seven. He hastened to add that he did not know how long it would take the repairman to get through at site six. I asked him why I was last on the list yesterday and last again today. (Perhaps those who complain are booted to the end of the line - at this point, I'd believe anything.) He said he did not know, but he did inform me that the repairman had two more stops after mine, which mean there are two other unfortunates with spiraling blood pressure and non-working Sears appliances on the Front Range tonight.
I explained to Randy that, just like yesterday, I had to go pick my son up from camp and so I would not be here when the mythological Sears repairman arrived. I told him that we would have to reschedule since I had plans. He told me that the repairman might appear any time, which, by implication, means I'd have to leave my son in camp until the repair was complete. Unlikely.
I asked again to change the appointment, and he told me he would have to send me to the "clothes dryer" department. That was another new wrinkle in the endless hunt for the mythological repairman to honor the worthless extended warranty. So, off I went into hold land.
This time, I apparently landed in North America somewhere near Texas, and I spoke with a retired guy named "Bob." He had a reassuring twang and a folksy way of calming down irate customers like myself. He told me that if I would just hang on, the repairman would arrive. No can do - I love my son, and don't want to pay late fees to the camp for a lackadaisical Sears repairman who is apparently entranced with site 6 each day.
Bob then said the repairman could come back after I picked my son - late tonight. Now that is new - why was that not on the table last night, when I did not have plans? I had to turn it down tonight, because I did have plans, and, unlike the nonexistent Sears repairman who may never visit my house, I honor my commitments.
So, Bob offered to send him tomorrow. I said no, I had pre-existing commitments I was no longer willing to cancel for the whimsical Sears repairman. Ditto Monday. So, Tuesday, we will begin again. The same repairman - I did ask for another, but was turned down- will come out to my house between --- all together now -- 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. I will get a call narrowing the time frame down the night before. The technician will call the morning of to make sure we have a firm time. Oh, Bob. You had me going with that down home accent, but you're selling the same KoolAid as the rest.
I patiently explained how my very recent experience differed from his idealistic outline. Bob insists that the technicians can see the routing the night before. I said that may be true for some, but I could give him the names of the ones who could not, both in line management and in customer relations. He was puzzled, he said, since he had old-timers familiar with the system calling him starting about seven every night to ask him when they could expect their repairs the next day. He added all he could tell them was what number they were, but that gave them enough of a general idea that they could plan their day.
So, if you are silly enough to buy Sears appliances after reading all of this, and you somehow decide that an extended warranty makes more sense than lighting your money on fire and enjoying the glow, call Bob in "Kitchen" when things inevitably go sideways and your repairman is delayed by the desperate housewife at house 6. Bob says you cannot ask for him, but Sears folks say you cannot do lots of things - and the things they say you can do never materialize. So, ask for Bob and give him my regards if you get through.
On the second call, I was forwarded to "Randy." He told me that the repairman was at site six and I was site seven. He hastened to add that he did not know how long it would take the repairman to get through at site six. I asked him why I was last on the list yesterday and last again today. (Perhaps those who complain are booted to the end of the line - at this point, I'd believe anything.) He said he did not know, but he did inform me that the repairman had two more stops after mine, which mean there are two other unfortunates with spiraling blood pressure and non-working Sears appliances on the Front Range tonight.
I explained to Randy that, just like yesterday, I had to go pick my son up from camp and so I would not be here when the mythological Sears repairman arrived. I told him that we would have to reschedule since I had plans. He told me that the repairman might appear any time, which, by implication, means I'd have to leave my son in camp until the repair was complete. Unlikely.
I asked again to change the appointment, and he told me he would have to send me to the "clothes dryer" department. That was another new wrinkle in the endless hunt for the mythological repairman to honor the worthless extended warranty. So, off I went into hold land.
This time, I apparently landed in North America somewhere near Texas, and I spoke with a retired guy named "Bob." He had a reassuring twang and a folksy way of calming down irate customers like myself. He told me that if I would just hang on, the repairman would arrive. No can do - I love my son, and don't want to pay late fees to the camp for a lackadaisical Sears repairman who is apparently entranced with site 6 each day.
Bob then said the repairman could come back after I picked my son - late tonight. Now that is new - why was that not on the table last night, when I did not have plans? I had to turn it down tonight, because I did have plans, and, unlike the nonexistent Sears repairman who may never visit my house, I honor my commitments.
So, Bob offered to send him tomorrow. I said no, I had pre-existing commitments I was no longer willing to cancel for the whimsical Sears repairman. Ditto Monday. So, Tuesday, we will begin again. The same repairman - I did ask for another, but was turned down- will come out to my house between --- all together now -- 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. I will get a call narrowing the time frame down the night before. The technician will call the morning of to make sure we have a firm time. Oh, Bob. You had me going with that down home accent, but you're selling the same KoolAid as the rest.
I patiently explained how my very recent experience differed from his idealistic outline. Bob insists that the technicians can see the routing the night before. I said that may be true for some, but I could give him the names of the ones who could not, both in line management and in customer relations. He was puzzled, he said, since he had old-timers familiar with the system calling him starting about seven every night to ask him when they could expect their repairs the next day. He added all he could tell them was what number they were, but that gave them enough of a general idea that they could plan their day.
So, if you are silly enough to buy Sears appliances after reading all of this, and you somehow decide that an extended warranty makes more sense than lighting your money on fire and enjoying the glow, call Bob in "Kitchen" when things inevitably go sideways and your repairman is delayed by the desperate housewife at house 6. Bob says you cannot ask for him, but Sears folks say you cannot do lots of things - and the things they say you can do never materialize. So, ask for Bob and give him my regards if you get through.
Other complaints about Sears' bad customer service
Since I am stuck at home, I thought I'd Google "Sears bad customer service." There are 39 stories that use that phrase, from sites like ripoffreport, blogasm, epinions, and my3cents.com.
Shockingly Bad Customer Service - Appliance Repair - My Home
Posted By: Darwyn on My3cents.com on 4/22/2008; Location: CA
More Bad Customer Service: Sears Seriously S**ks June, 2008
This article claims the individual tried to call Sears' CEO and was told he has neither voice mail nor email. Their issue is that they ordered an item online and were sent a damaged floor model. The hoops they're jumping through are much more frustrating than my relatively small issue.
They provide an Executive Customer Service number: 1-800-549-4505. Someone says in a follow up post that Sears' CEO has been ousted.
Sears customer service information from an employee (from 2004) and a complaint from a customer about the relentless calls to extend the warranty Location: CA
(Incidentally, we have extended warranties on all our Sears appliances. That was clearly a mistake)
In fairness, here is a positive story about Sears' customer service, although the theme seems to be keep going until you get to the right executive to fix your problem.
I think this guy sums it up, though. Here is a teaser:
Shockingly Bad Customer Service - Appliance Repair - My Home
Posted By: Darwyn on My3cents.com on 4/22/2008; Location: CA
More Bad Customer Service: Sears Seriously S**ks June, 2008
This article claims the individual tried to call Sears' CEO and was told he has neither voice mail nor email. Their issue is that they ordered an item online and were sent a damaged floor model. The hoops they're jumping through are much more frustrating than my relatively small issue.
They provide an Executive Customer Service number: 1-800-549-4505. Someone says in a follow up post that Sears' CEO has been ousted.
Sears customer service information from an employee (from 2004) and a complaint from a customer about the relentless calls to extend the warranty Location: CA
(Incidentally, we have extended warranties on all our Sears appliances. That was clearly a mistake)
In fairness, here is a positive story about Sears' customer service, although the theme seems to be keep going until you get to the right executive to fix your problem.
I think this guy sums it up, though. Here is a teaser:
"What really sets Sears apart, however, is their ability to be so consistently bad at customer service up and down the line. Recall that at this point I have had bad service from a service technician, a saleswoman, a manager, and a customer service rep. But Sears was just getting warmed up."
Sears brand, the old reliable, is certainly not what it used to be.
Sears bad customer service, part four
It is 8:20 in the morning. I forwarded my home phone to my cell while I took our son to camp. Unsurprisingly, Sears did not call as promised first thing this morning.
"Lloyd" takes my information again. I am intrigued that their process requires me to give my name, phone and address every time I speak with them. He asks me for my zip code and informs me helpfully that I live in Castle Rock, Colorado.
He sends a message to the technician telling him I have called six times and asking him to contact me. We shall see what transpires today. I did, against my better judgment, cancel all my appointments today, because I have to get this clothes dryer fixed.
"Lloyd" takes my information again. I am intrigued that their process requires me to give my name, phone and address every time I speak with them. He asks me for my zip code and informs me helpfully that I live in Castle Rock, Colorado.
He sends a message to the technician telling him I have called six times and asking him to contact me. We shall see what transpires today. I did, against my better judgment, cancel all my appointments today, because I have to get this clothes dryer fixed.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Sears bad customer support, part three
The manager did not call, so it is now 8:10 and I am calling customer support again. The automated customer service system told me I was asking about the appointment scheduled from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. tomorrow. Uh, I guess so.
I spoke with Ellie and asked for customer relations.
8:10...Please wait...
8:11...Please wait...
8:12...Please wait...
8:13...Please wait...
8:14...Angelina answers. She says she cannot see the routing to see when the technician will be here. She asked if I could stay home tomorrow from 8:00 until 5:00. I told her I could not cancel my business appointments at 8:00 at night, and that I did not have a lot of faith that the repairman was going to show up. I added that I had asked Kia to find out if the technician could be here between 2:00 and 5:00 when I would be here. She asked if I could wait until someone called me first thing in the morning to tell me when the repairman would arrive (sound familiar?). I told her that was the fourth time someone promised to call me from Sears and I had little faith I would receive a call.
She said that all they could do was email the service person. (I am sure the support center is not located in Denver) So I cannot contact the local technician directly, and customer service cannot contact the local technician directly.
So, at 8:26, the sagae for today is at an end. The support guy is probably finished with dinner at his house, ignoring his email, and enjoying a cold one. Tomorrow, I suspect I will begin the battle to get my worthless Sears warranty refunded and find a competent, responsive local repair person who communicates with his customers. In the meantime, there are wet clothes strewn all over my house ,and my opinion of Sears, a company where I used to really love to shop, is severely diminished.
I spoke with Ellie and asked for customer relations.
8:10...Please wait...
8:11...Please wait...
8:12...Please wait...
8:13...Please wait...
8:14...Angelina answers. She says she cannot see the routing to see when the technician will be here. She asked if I could stay home tomorrow from 8:00 until 5:00. I told her I could not cancel my business appointments at 8:00 at night, and that I did not have a lot of faith that the repairman was going to show up. I added that I had asked Kia to find out if the technician could be here between 2:00 and 5:00 when I would be here. She asked if I could wait until someone called me first thing in the morning to tell me when the repairman would arrive (sound familiar?). I told her that was the fourth time someone promised to call me from Sears and I had little faith I would receive a call.
She said that all they could do was email the service person. (I am sure the support center is not located in Denver) So I cannot contact the local technician directly, and customer service cannot contact the local technician directly.
So, at 8:26, the sagae for today is at an end. The support guy is probably finished with dinner at his house, ignoring his email, and enjoying a cold one. Tomorrow, I suspect I will begin the battle to get my worthless Sears warranty refunded and find a competent, responsive local repair person who communicates with his customers. In the meantime, there are wet clothes strewn all over my house ,and my opinion of Sears, a company where I used to really love to shop, is severely diminished.
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