by Tell Me About It
I really don’t care for the rip-offs at Sears — it makes my blood boil. I HATE THIS COMPANY AND WOULD SUGGEST IF YOU CAN … BOYCOTT SEARS.
Anyone know how to get ahold of anyone in management to actually complain, or do they care?
Latest … I had cashed in my points from purchases in time to get a gift card … hmmm. Well, I’ve been in the store many times but thought, no need to buy anything just yet. Don’t see any clothes for my daughter (who’s 2), nothing for me … “I’ve got this card, but why spend it right away”… anyway, the day I go to spend it last month and put it towards my already reduced purchase … won’t scan. Cashier contacts the office … is told that the card expired. If I had used it within a couple of months after expiry they still would have honoured it, but they couldn’t honour it now — too long. Heck. I had made purchases to get the points in the first place. What a sham. Have to say, wasn’t the cashier’s fault that she was set up and I tried to be calm with her. She was really a sweet helpful lady and told me that Sears is now owned by Chase Manhattan bank or some other financial company or other. I can’t remember. She really tried to help me as I racked up to her all the rip-offs Sears has caused me.
I really DO HATE SEARS for all the grief and monetary losses to them over the years. I would love to boycott Sears yet I’m a large woman and it’s still one of the only places I can shop (via catalogue) for any 1/2 decent plus sized clothing. They hold a monopoly on my home appliances too.
Mind you, I have recently discovered some very nice lines on the Shopping Channel and have moved some business that way.
Anyway, time and time again with Sears … THIS CUSTOMER IS NEVER RIGHT. My husband and I bought a mattress from them 9 years ago. Well, it popped a coil that went through the mattress. Guess what — they had to have record of the purchase — heck, it says Sears warranty on the mattress, why would I lie? Then, they had to send the “Bed Doctor” out to take a look and coaborate that the mattress did indeed have a hole in it caused by a spring. Well, I was to call — you know what I got from being told on the mattress that it was warranteed for 10 years — THE YEAR I BOUGHT MY MATTRESS (2000/2001) at that time the warranty was pro-rated. Therefore, for every year I’d had the mattress it decreased in value — I was eligible for all of $350.00 towards the purchase of a new mattress. And, they told me that they would tell the store that I would be coming in to make a purchase of a new mattress with that amount applied …. NOT. Would you believe, they actually had the audacity to call me back and see if I was going to use that money. (I can’t swear, but I’d like to here). Now, apparently too, the later models, there is no depreciation on a mattresses’ value. Or, so I’m told.
Other things: I had a service warranty on my washer and dryer — do you think they ever pay me a courtesy call to remind me that the year is up and they should do service … NOPE. When I read the fine print on my washer - the hose should be replaced apparently every 6 years — I told the appliance man — I wanted a new hose — (the machine’s 9 years). Then the company called to tell me the service warranty was expiring. Do you know what they were asking on a 9 year old machine — $240.00 bucks a piece I believe — that $580.00 for 2 items. I laughed at the rep. — can you imagine, I told her “for that money, I’ll be investing in a new machine when mine breaks down”.
What # are we up to … I got stolen , yup, I say stolen $500.00 by Sears. I was hhmming and hawing about going on a cruise (now this already goes back over 10 years — see what a bitter taste the company leaves in my mouth). Without knowing whether or not I had the vacation time available to take off, I inquired about a cruise. Well, the cruise would have been coming up. And, pushing sales gal, I let her convince me to up my Sears credit limit.  She informed me that if I gave the card number she would put in the request to hold a ticket on the plane, but NOTHING would be official until I came in to sign for the ticket. Well, that sounded okay because I couldn’t guarantee I’d get the time from my boss to go. As it turns out, I have to take a bus to get to the store, had changed my mind and when I get there, … what do you know. The tickets are already printed out in my name. I DON’T WANT THEM. So, what happens next, I’m charged the deposit fee. Now, in hindsig
ht, I realize that you can purchase items over the phone on your card, but the sales person had misled me to believe no transaction was going to be formalized until I was in. If that wasn’t enough — she wasn’t the one telling me it was a manager who really appeared to snicker. I was out the $500.00 deposit. (Mind you, my parents recouped me that since they were the ones who’d eventually talked me out of going and pursuing my opportunity to get the time off in the first place).
I HATE SEARS.
One final story — did you know that the same item in the store can be cheaper than the item in the catalogue. They don’t necessarily have to be charging the same price. I found this out when I went shopping with a friend. I got the exact T-shirt she had boughten in the catalogue cheaper and reduced for a price lower than hers. With the ticket incident still fresh in my mind, I told her not to let it rot and do something about it — somehow she succeeded where I always fail with this company and she got $50.00 back in merchandise coupons. Good for her, but made me even more ticked.
Please, don’t get me wrong, I always have a level head when I’m speaking with the staff. IT’S SUCH A COMPANY WITH SUCH A BUREAUCRACY AND I’M FINALLY RELIEVED AND GLAD TO GET MY FRUSTRATIONS OUT HERE IN A PUBLIC FORUM. Thanks for listening. I hope no one’s had it so bad with Sears as I have and hate them …my uncle even was employed with them for many many years. I’d love for them to set things right and replace the wrecked bed this time … what they can do without paper trail anymore on the cruise stuff isn’t likely, but at least to treat me as the very best customer.
Other suggestions of places to shop so that I can boycott Sears would be great.
Also, reading the comments about Wal-Mart. My hubbie has worked for them for over 14 years. They do listen to the customer so make a complaint to Head Office. Also, they would rather serve the customer than themselves. Sorry for the bad experiences. Not all’s true what you hear/see/read hear in Canada. What I will say those is some stories — PEOPLE HAVE NERVE and it only takes one or two to wreck it for everyone. My husband can tell a story of a person who (when the old policy was they would accept ANY returns, without receipt) of a person who literally had bought an outfit for Valentine’s Day and returned it day after Valentine’s … used. Of course, they even got their money because that was the policy!
Now, I always check receipts. As Cam indicated, a lot of stores will make scanning errors — I’ve caught a few myself. For this reason, as Zellers has, I often scan before I buy and I know where I picked up products, know if it looks like they’ll be a discrepancy and try to be a wise consumer.
That obviously doesn’t hold with my continuing to shop at Stupid Sears.
Love to hear comments about experiences with that store.
Judy Bailey says...
I hate Sears too so I got a loan from the bank - at a MUCH lower rate of interest than Sears 24%! - and paid them off. I now use my Capitol One Master card and I’m not restricted to whatever Sears has to offer. I can go anywhere the prices are lower - which is practically EVERYWHERE!
screamy says...
Not sure when or where this happened, exactly, but if it was in Ontario, call them back and point out that GCs are no longer allowed to have “expiry” dates as of October 1st, 2007.
As for the catalogue / in store prices, they typically have a disclaimer somewhere in the fine print indicating that the store price may differ. You wouldn’t have any recourse there, they can set their own policies for that.
Hope that helps.
JSAM_S MOM says...
I also noticed that almost every single item that you order through the catalogue is subject to a $2-$3 (and sometimes more, depending on the value of the item) handling fee. I live in a rural area and work about 45 minutes from home, so I don’t have a lot of time to go shopping in malls/stores. And it’s not a single fee for the entire purchase, it’s for each individual item in the order. I used to do 90% of my Christmas shopping online with Sears, but haven’t bought a thing from them online since I discovered that nasty make-a-quick-buck trick.
To Tell Me About It: Penningtons and Addition-Elle also now offer online shopping, and you can do your returns in store if you choose to, which is great.
Maria says...
I don’t care for Sears either lately. I received a baby gift from Sears that I tried to exchange for a bigger size. I didn’t have a gift receipt, but the tag was on and since I was doing an exchange, I thought it wouldn’t matter. I had to get a different colour sleeper since they didn’t have the exact one I was given. The cashier made me pay an extra $2 or so because I didn’t have a gift receipt. I had to take the lowest price it had been on sale just because of the colour difference. Duh! I wasn’t returning it, just exchanging it. I just didn’t understand the logic.
I worked there briefly about 9 years ago and they spent days in the training classes on customer service and how the customer is always right. They also spent A LOT of time training us on signing people up for credit cards. I’m proud to say I never signed anyone up in my short career.
bunnybuster78 says...
I dun like Sears either…their sale is suck (hardly over 50%) and the return policy is also suck (no return on sale / clearance iyems, exchange only within 1 / 2 weeks)… I can find any good deal there. I love the Bay more, I often find good clearance price there.
I received a $50 gift card as my wedding gift in september 2007.Not sure when my friend actually bought it (he probaby “regift” it),I didn’t use it right away as I didn’t need anything yet and thinking the gc should not expire as per new law. Sometime in end of March 2009 I bought something. The cashier said it’s expired early march 2009. I told her it’s not supposed to expire. She called the gc company and was told that the card I have is the old one, it did say it will expire in 2 years upon activation. But since it expired less than a month ago, they will put the balance back in the card. The only catch was: to use all the balance on that day!..and the store’s closing in 15 min. go figure!.. so i randomly picked baby item after unable finding something I really wanted and used my gc. 2 weeks later, I returned the item and got merchandise credit (new GC that will never expire)…lol
Kay says...
I had crappy experience with Sears Canada as well. We got a treadmill from sears which on the first try, got stuck. After a million frustrating phone calls, I finally got somebody come in and confirm that it wasn’t working and it wasn’t my fault. No, the guy didn’t know how to fix it. After atleast 10 more phonecalls, they picked it up and asked me to goto the store and pick another one. It took me a month to get a new treadmill…
steph says...
Sears is such a junky store now….I find clothes spilling onto the floor and everything crammed together. I bought a blouse recently, and found out that they were having another 50% off the next weekend. Sooo, I took the blouse back explaining that I just bought it the week before and asked if they would refund me the difference. They said NO but said that I could return the blouse and get something of the same value, but no cash or credit back on it.
jayshanny says...
I order lots of things all the time from sears and am only charged a one time $3.00 fee. It is per order and it is stated on the website. If you are being charged per individial item, I would demand a refund on the charges!
jo says...
yes….sears is frustrating!
my mom returned an item with a gfit card, but they still somehow gave her $20 less that I paid for the item…..she is older and did not want to argue and I don’t have time to drive there on the chance they will do something, so we just let it go…
They have also, several times, “lost” items that were sent to me - after they calle me to say I could pick the item up, they would then have no record of it after I got to the store!
John says...
SEARS as a credible merchandizer has slipped to the bottom and is barely alive to the world of consumer relations. Racking up points with them is just the beginning of a nightmare when you attempt to get them credited and then redeemed. If you are prepared to make dozens of phone calls and endure the endless referals you might get lucky; otherwise I suggest you save yourself the aggravation and take your business elsewhere.
Me says...
Talking about Sears, I worked at Sears Portrait studio a few years back and things were not pretty. We would sell portraits that were too dark, too light,to green, too blue, missing half the person, you name it. We had to charge customers full price while knowing that they could get free pictures or discounted picture. We would have ballots out for people to fill out for a draw and use those info for phone advertisemnts. I really hated doing that but needed the pay check.
As for the cashiers. I have total sympathy for them. I know a lady that has worked there for 15 years and only received $0.05 raise. The company does suck but try not to take it out on the people.
** If you realy need to talk to management they are ususlly behind the catalogue department. (Note: they are always ‘busy’)
Adrenalyne says...
I have a lot of Sears complaints as well, although I think the one that peeved me the most was a few years ago for my wedding I registered with Sears because most of my family is from a city that does not have another department store (I would have chosen the Bay if I could have). I received a $40 Roots Soap Dispenser that I registered for at my wedding shower - when I opened it up the pump was broken inside - I called and was told it should be no problem, the record of the purchase would be tied in with my registry. When I got there was told no I need the original receipt - and it was a gift from a family friend on my hubby’s side of the family that lived an hour out of town and I didn’t know the woman (my shower was the first I met her) So really am I supposed to call this lady, hope she has the receipt, drive an hour to get it to exchange this stupid soap pump. I was very disappointed because I went to order a new one (since it matched my whole bathroom set) and it was no longer available
I was not impressed at all.
A few weeks ago my 92 yr old grandmother went to Sears and purchased a new housecoat - she was very upset when she got home because there was a tear in it. The very next day my mother went to return it for her and was told it was a clearance item (seriously it was like $5 off the regular price) and that it could only be exchanged (they didn’t have any left in her size)and she would have to find something in the store at that price.
As a wedding gift my mom purchased us a brand new queen sized bed and frame. She paid the delivery, setup and removal of our old bed and when they came the guy started getting angry that our mattress wasn’t wrapped up (nobody at the store told us this) and said technically he shouldn’t remove it - I got really upset and they did end up taking it. Then the new box spring wouldn’t fit in our doorway so it had to be returned. We exchanged it for the split box spring and then when they delivered it they refused to assemble the bed for us even though we had paid for that service and had been sleeping on the mattress on our floor for almost a month. I didn’t win that battle either.
None the less I hate shopping at Sears…and this is just a few stories that stick out in my mind.
Brenda Shifflett says...
I understand these complaints. I recently bought a patio deck cooler for summer use this year. First off I had to pick it up and put it in the car myself. Then after taking it home and putting it together ( we all love this part) we found we were missing 6 main items to put the lid together. So I get on the phone to Sears before going to work. They assure me the missing parts will be shipped courier express. So I get home from work to a message on my answering machine saying now Sears will be sending out a replacement Patio Cooler ( I’m thinking at this point…they are nuts if they think I’m dismantling the one at home) and it will arrive in a week. Needless to say the long weekend was when I had ordered it for and we could not use it due to the missing parts. So the patio cooler comes in …the second one and we proceed to open it and remove the parts that were missing from my first order. Well this second patio cooler was missing parts also and it did not have one of my missing parts. The woman who was assisting me phoned the sears as they are just a small parcel pick-up store
and explained the whole mess in detail. She was redirected to 3 different people and finally they informed her that they would ship the missing piece directly to me. We shall see..
abfab says...
My family has been shopping at Sears since I was a child and (knock on wood) have never had any major issues with products or service… except one…
My parents bought a stove that starting beeping error messages all the time about two years after purchase. We’ve never bothered with the service plans as my father is pretty handy. this time though he wasn’t 100% sure of the part and figured it would be a costly mistake if he was wrong, so my mother called Sears service. She was shocked to find out that she had to wait almost a week for him to come because they were so busy. He walked in the door and without touching anything said it was a $300 electronic board that needed replacing. My mother told him that my father thought it was something else, but he said it wasn’t and informed her that even if he was wrong she wouldn’t be refunded for the $300 part he suggested. She asked how long it would take to fix and was told he couldn’t come back for another week!! My father didn’t believe the tech so he decided bought a completely different part from their parts department to install himself. As he was installing the part, he noticed a crack in the oven’s steam/hot air exhaust. He figured out that all the oven steam/heat was going into the control panel and ruined one of the thermostats. The stove worked fine after my father fixed it.
My mother was shocked to discover that she almost paid $300 for the wrong part and that due to the Sears tech’s lack of inspection the problem would have kept happening. She made several calls to Sears demanding her $65 service fee back, but after finally getting hold of the manager was told they would not refund her despite the incompetence of the Sears tech.
We will never again use Sears for any repairs. They contract the service out to underpaid workers who either don’t care or don’t have the experience to perform repairs properly.
Mikki J says...
I worked for Sears for 8 yrs, right out of high school, since I was 18. Worked for the call center in Regina. Thought it was a pretty good job, never realized that the $0.20 / yr raises were chintzy and then when they raised the starting wage, and never gave their “loyal” employees raises to match, we all lost out. Finally quit after they moved my awesome boss to another position (they called it a lateral move, but we all knew it was a demotion) and replaced her with a witch who treated me like garbage. But my mom stayed on and worked 12 yrs total, only to have them now CLOSING the call center and move all the jobs overseas (to the Phillipines I think?) — outsourcing they call it. How wonderful. I will never phone the catalogue again. They’re giving her a pittance for a severance, and get this… how much she is making now is how much I made 6 years ago WHEN I QUIT. How sad is that? And she is only getting it cuz she has over 10 yrs there. If she had say 9 1/2 yrs, too bad for you. No severance. Great way to treat all the employees (and poor old ladies who have worked on the phone for years and can’t do anything else) who have taken poor wages and no benefits for years. And after I left they messed with your employee discount too. Used to be 15% off everything. Then it was nothing off electronics, nothing off anything at the clearance center, and they keep changing it so who knows what it is anymore. No loyalty to employees makes for a bad place to work, which makes for a bad place for ANYONE to shop.
MA says...
I dare anyone to top this experience with Sears.
We have a Kenmore Elite fridge that is about 6 years old. A small plastic part on the bottom of the door broke. No problem we have an extended warranty - HA HA HA. After 3 weeks of waiting with a fridge door that is held on by masking tape, since this little plastic piece holds the hinge in place - Sears decided it would be too expensive to repair and forced a buyout. Plus since they are not the manufacturer, even though it’s their own brand, the service department doesn’t stock parts after 5 years. Manufacturers of durables by law must carry parts for at least 10 years. The only other alternative was that they would only refund the $97 paid for the extended warranty that year. We were told we should consider ourselves lucky to get a buyout. The key to the buyout is that they give you almost nothing for the fridge, in our case $500+ the $97 for the warranty.
It gets even better. We go to the store buy a new fridge (unfortunately Kenmore) for $1700 + tax in the last week of July. Don’t get the buyout money until they take our not so old Kenmore Elite fridge away.
They deliver the new fridge yesterday - not between 8am and 1pm as promised (hello Mr. Sears, but I would like to keep my job - this is the 4th time I waited for you guys), but after 6pm. The delivery guys are in a rush. As they put the fridge down a screw falls out of it. They tells us call repair. We wanted to unpack & inspect the fridge but they wouldn’t wait. We sign, but note the screw incident and that inspection was not yet complete. They take off like the house was on fire.
We take the stryofoam off the water dispenser.ice maker & there is a BIG GREEN X in permanent marker on the inside of the white freezer door. Call the delivery people who left only 5 minutes before - take it back it’s refused. It also didn’t come in the usual box or with all of its protection. Call 1-800-4myhome - wait 15 mins - we don’t repair big green X’s speak to customer service - wait another 20 minutes - only to have them hang up before a word is even spoken. Call the store - department manager is not in - store manager is very nice. Today we get a call from what must be the most arrogant and rude department manager. We explain that we purchased a new fridge, not a demo or refurbished one and the doors don’t fit, pieces fall off and there is this strange green X on the door. We want a new fridge - logical no?
She tells us it is Sears perrogative to replace the door, rebuild the fridge and do whatever they please & it’s our tough luck. If we want a new fridge (remember that’s what we paid for) Sears will only exchange it if we pay them about $400 more for depreciation of a fridge that wasn’t even 5 minutes old or plugged in when the problem was reported. If we don’t like it she will cancel the buyout and it’s tough. she stated you don’t seem happy with Sears service - so go elsewhere or pay $400 over the regular retail price for restocking fee.
I paid for a new frige and that’s what I want. Perhaps there is a lawyer out there whop knows if this is breach of contract. What happened to their recorded statement that if you pay with your Sears card (which I did) satisfaction is guaranteed.
Oh by the way, she did offer to have a repair man come and try to wash it off - I can tall you that doesn’t work.
By the way, I ordered a Kenmore elite convection stove & a dishwasher at the same time - all in stainless - and this is how I am treated. Not to mention I took extended warranties for 5 years on all of them for about $700. MY TOTAL SEARS BILL FOR THIS PURCHASE IS ABOUT $5,000 AND NOW THEY WANT ME TO LIVE WITH A FRIDGE THAT HAS A BIG GREEN X THAT THEY PUT ON IT FOR DEFECTS OR PAY THEM $400. OUTRAGEOUS.
I have been a customer for over 25 years at that store, but this is insanity. BEWARE no matter what Consumer reports magaine says - SEARS HAS CHANGED FOR THE WORSE.
Bill says...
Sears HVAC technicians in Newmarket Ontario
Absolute zero for customer service if you ever have a problem with an air conditioner purchased at Sears.
Twice I’ve had HVAC techs come into my house with an unreal amount of attitude. Neither have fixed a simple problem.
The latest one attempted to charge a $120 service fee that nobody at Sears customer service has ever heard of. The technician left the house, slamming the door because my wife called Sears customer service to verify the charge.
I still can’t believe it.
The attitude is obviously tolerated by Sears management because we’ve had problems both times we’ve had a tech come to our house.
Tech number three comes tomorrow .
Sears has obviously lost it’s way.
I would strongly caution against anyone making a significant purchase from Sears that may require a service technician. If you have any problems that require service, you are going to go nuts trying to get Sears to deal with it.
Rheanne says...
I cant even begin to explain my hatred for Sears.. Its just screw up upon screw up upon screw up, and even when you finally do get them to compensate you, they somehow manage to screw up that too (like being charged interest on a FREE item….)
Breezer says...
We spent 4200 before taxes in Sears for new appliances as we are new home owners. We bought them a few weeks ahead and had delivery for the day we were moving in. Well they were supposed to be there between 9am-1pm so I sat around waiting for them while everyone else did all the work moving our stuff. 1pm rolls around and they say they are running late it will be here by 4:30 pm. well 4:30 rolls around. It will be here by 6pm because it’s on the truck and they have to deliver whatever’s on the truck already because it can’t be left on the truck over night. Well guess what.. it’s 6pm, there are no appliances, there is nobody answering the phone, and it’s Saturday… Well Monday rolls around and we finally get to talk to someone and we get our appliances that afternoon. We already had free delivery because we spent so much there, it was only $60 anyway. But guess what they offered us as an apology.. free delivery? ugh. they gave us another $40 off I belive it was.. woo hoo should I do cartwheels now? That doesn’t even cover the food gone bad from not having a fridge or stove to cook it on, and it doesn’t cover the frozen food and it doesn’t cover the take out we had to eat for 2 days. Not to mention I sat around ALL DAY on saturday waiting for them when I could have been helping move, and sat around all day Sunday just in case and then again on Monday.. What a waste of my time. Their customer service sucks too. The girl on the phone was rude and the Manager in the store was a D*CK, he offered us $20 … really? Are you kidding?
Also… Sears Mastercard was charging me for insurance that I never signed up for. The lady on the phone never gave me a choice to say no to it, she said it’s just automatic and no charges will apply if I pay my bill. She never said it had to be paid in full at the end of each month. I pay my credit cards every couple of weeks so they are not always at 0 at the billing day but I never have to pay interest on them so why this insurance cost? The girl on the phone when I called to ask tells me it has to be a 0 balance on the billing day. PPfff like I have time to keep track of the billing day every month. Cancel my card.
KEL says...
SEAR - I will never shop at again or my family . We purchase a front load washing machine . 6 Weeks after the warranty expired the machine broke . The Sears CS wanted me to spend $80.00 for a sears repair man to come look and then repairs & labour after that . I had the machine repaired for $125.00 through my own repair man and was pleased with the work . Sears was contacted and they would not even resolve with a partial refund . No warranty - no repair . PLEASE THINK TWICE WHEN BUYING FROM SEARS , as others have suggested . NO SERVICE , NO STANDING BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT - BRUTAL WAY TO DO BUSINESS .
I will never purchase from sears again .
Lana says...
I am totally disgusted with Sears Canada. They will not even do a exchange or store credit on defective merchandise without a sales receipt. I bought shoes (Sears brand) and the heel snapped in two only a month after I bought them. I charged it on my sears card and thought because I had done so that they could look up my sale and see that I did infact purchase them. The product is defective, there is no question that it was their merchandise because it was their in-store brand and still they would not exchange or credit me for their (crappy) merchandise. If you do not agree with the cashier and ask to speak to a manager they will not come down, they talk by phone to the cashier who just states again that they need a sales slip, information that you again get from the cashier because the managers hide away some where and will not come and speak with you face to face. At the cash I left the faulty shoes, the new shoes that I was trying to exchange, and my sears credit card (I will never again shop Sears Canada and am telling everyone I can to avoid them because a store is only as good as there customer service/exchange policy and SEARS CANADA SUCKS. I truly hope that enough people get sick and tired of dealing with them and stop shopping with them. MAYBE THEY WILL CREATE BETTER POLICIES WHEN THEIR BOTTOM LINE IS AFFECTED. PERSONALLY I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM HAVING FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES.
JimmyL says...
Worked for Sears for 3 weeks and then was told there was not enough work to keep me, so let me and another fellow that had been there a year both go. My
personal thoughts of Sears is that they suck big time and I will never step foot in a Sears Store ever again in my life as well never buy from them again and I would recommend others to do the same.
Ellia says...
Wow, I wish I had found this before!
My fiance and I bout a queen mattress and box spring set from Sears. I was dubious of Sears, as I’m American and the Sears in the States doesn’t sell furniture (it’s more of a discount store), but the showroom at the Eaton Ctre was nice and the sleep department had a good selection. Now, my mom works in furniture in an American chain, so I am very aware of commission and how hard salespeople work. We purchased the mattress Aug. 2nd, to be delivered and assembled the following Friday. Great!
Well, come delivery day, the box spring does not fit up our narrow stairway. So we had to order a split box spring, and wait another week for it to arrive. That’s fine–it’s not the delivery guys’ fault that it didn’t fit. They left the mattress and frame with us.
So, Delivery Attempt 2: the guys go to assemble the bed, and they take out a separate box with the glides in it, except there are only 3 glides, not 4. It even states on the box that the quantity is 4. ?!?! The guys are as confused as we are. Someone on another delivery must have needed that 4th glide and taken it out of another pack, but how the hell did that get overlooked and sent out to us? They couldn’t assemble the bed without it. So, for 1 puny little plastic piece, I had to call the Delivery Svc line AGAIN, be put on hold, and schedule yet another delivery date for the guys to come back out and assemble the bed frame.
Ten days later (today), after waiting all day for them, the guys show up. Or, rather, I get a phone call from a delivery svc contact who asks if I’m even home? Or can I possibly let the guys in? Now, I’ve been waiting all day for them to come, no one knocked on my door, and they didn’t call ahead and check in with me like the other two times. I go outside to find a business card on my stoop. The guys were about to leave! I said, Hi! The one guy didn’t respond, just says into a phone, “No, no, no, she’s here. Yeah, she’s here.”
The guy comes over to me, hands me a box, and then starts to leave. I said, “Wait, you’re supposed to assemble the bed for me!” He says that he has not been told to do so. Now, I would assemble it myself (I don’t care), but it states clearly in the Sealy warranty AND on the side of the bed frame box that mattress warranty is nullified if you put the frame together yourself. So the two guys come upstairs and are clearly aggravated. They rushed through it (they didn’t seem to know as much about it as the delivery guys in the past, as one guy was instructing the other on how to do it), and basically the shape is not a rectangle. One end is narrower than the other. I tried to tell them so, but they insisted it was fine, and tried to force the box springs into place. They all but hightailed it out of there. One of the box springs didn’t go down all the way because they put the bolts into two different notches. It was a simple error that they could’ve fixed, but instead they piled the box springs and mattress on and took off.
If I didn’t know firsthand the customer service that Haverty’s (where my mom works) gives, I wouldn’t be so appalled. But I am. The Haverty’s delivery crew are paid well, deservedly so, and they work hard. They don’t make mistakes, and I GUARANTEE you that I would not be waiting for my bed to be assembled one month after the fact. It’s so frustrating because I’m scheduling my workday to be home for these giant windows of time on 3 different occasions. This is all the more frustrating because we spent over $2000 on our bed. I can’t believe these jokers can even stay in business!
Please, PLEASE don’t get your mattress at Sears. What a terrible experience.
dale b says...
well i hate sears the most.my wife has worked for sears canada for over 20 years.she got sick last week took her to emergancy the Dr made her take off work for a few weeks as she can hardly move she sleeps 18 hr a day and is very sick.the f–king sear makes her get up everymorning even days off to phone in sick even though she gave them a DR note that she was to be off for a while. everyday they phone her about a problem they are having now we get a call they are only paying her for 5 sick days and she will have to wait 15 weeks for short term disability. my wife has mised over the last 20 years of full time employment 4 sick days.now they gave her a new schedual when she comes back every weekend shift.i think they are trying to get her to quit now as she is one of the long time employes that makes 17.00 a hr. cant wait for them to go bankrupt and it sound like they may be by the end of the year..so anybody making a major purchase buy somewhere else there will be no warrenty when the go bankrupt just a heads up sear canada treat there workers like crap and you know what they say about crap it rolls downhill towards the customer boycot sear .all there call centers are now off-shore
Emporium "Damned Negative" says...
I can honestly say, I was a Sears dude, from years gone by but the stock, store policy, store banner and store ethics have changed so dramatically in the past years….is it that Sears wanted to own the world when they bought out Eaton’s of Canada?
We used to buy our tools, our household items and clothing at Sears but this conventional method doesn’t work anymore.
Most recent was a monetary layout of $6000.00 for leather seating plus taxes and delivery. Then more recently still a layout of over $2000.00 plus taxes and delivery for a new laundry set.
Firstly, Sears gave everyone around me such a horribly damned time, as the Natuzzi leather seating was literally falling apart in the first few months of use. There were so many telephone calls and no activity happening, when I finally decided to take on this case myself. Every single incident was notated while I was shuffled from one person to another and every single person told me help was on the way, though, this was a flimsy method Sears used, to try to get me off the phone.
I became more demanding and with each demand, I had already further educated myself on the Sears policies, though, the leather seating came with an automatic 10 year warranty. I “knew” the persons I was speaking to at the Sears store were not managers and I demanded managerial material to speak to - then the phone would go dead and I’d need to restart the ritual over and over again.
This ordeal would go on for shy of 4 years total, as Sears had full intentions of losing me in some gutter somewhere - never to honor the warranties - and another excuse, a technician needed to come and access full damages on the leather at least 4 times, and a technician had only been over 2 times to the date. I was astounded with this ill-willed information, so I demanded higher echelon authority and to executive level. I even went to the store where the seating had been purchased and any sales staff simply walked away from me, not giving two hoots but I followed these sales staff right up to another potential customer, and advised such potential customers to keep their wallets locked and shop elsewhere, as I was unable to get my furniture dispute rectified and they would experience the same if they purchased through Sears.
The scenario of approaching customers became a frequent, as the more Sears screwed me around - the more customers I would approach. It got to the point where the Sears associates would just stand behind the safety of their sales counter, as they knew I was on a mission and I was not about to give in, unless, Sears wished to rectify my $6000.00 problem.
100’s of phone calls later - mostly just messing with my head - I told Sears my mission would get more intense. I told Sears if they wished to mess with me, I had the full authorization to mess with their operations. I had already done ample homework to realize Sears had themselves registered with the BBB and other operations. I had also found out Sears was losing money by the millions - mostly due to their inept customer service and follow through. I also knew Sears had no choice, but to, sell their infamous Sears Tower in Chicago, to pay off enormous debts.
Sears also operates ‘ALL’ their furniture repair services through Paramont Furniture based in Richmond, B.C. This too, is another crazy house and the repair people via this operation don’t have a clue what they’re doing.
Finally, I delved into the program deeper and deeper to find Sears had ’so called’ mostly female management, Sears was operating their upper echelon management via Belleville, Ontario and this office detested my phone calls.
I would finally get telephone calls of many confusing types - calls stating my Natuzzi ensemble would be looked into most quickly, while another ’so called’ manager would tell me such information was being fabricated by my own self…..so, I started to TAPE the telephone calls for confirmation and recorded witness towards!
My case ended up being the 2nd longest case in Sears history, with well over 100 pages of data, though, I also informed the TV Media and other Media how Sears was treating me, but, also many other customers undoubtedly.
A complaint which started in March of 2005 was finally rectified in May of 2009. In a time, when the end buyer desires to pay more to supposedly get better for the buck spent, Sears continues to deliver the worst nightmares to the end customer.
Literally, Sears is the most expensive store out there. Sears does commit themselves to price match but not before lengthy deliberation.
The overall mismanagement within the Sears operations leaves so much to doubt - I have since spoken to Sears technicians, to find out even grander issues and where such technicians are supposed to charge any customer service fees, even when a product is within its warranty range.
———————–
And then I bought a Whirlpool Washer/Dryer set….price matched to Future Shop/BestBuy. I had barely had the set for a month, when the Washer began to leak….always a puddle of water on the floor. A technician did arrive some 6 or so hours later than the specified time slot but, I thought to myself, okay…..here we go on a rampage again.
The Washer did get repaired, when the technician told me, “I am really supposed to charge you for this call, as we’re supposed to tell you whatever is necessary, that the technical call falls outside of a warrantied issue.” I looked at this technician, and asked him - “And from what planet do you come from, as I have warranty, and I will put Sears through a much grander means of frustrations if you think you can charge me the $65.00 you’re asking for.” I furthered my comments, by stating, I wouldn’t offer another red cent for the goodwill of Sears as I didn’t need the horror of Sears anymore…..enough is enough!
So, this technician then told me - “Well, we’re supposed to tell each customer whatever story might work, in efforts to reclaim more money from the customers, as Sears is losing so much money and they don’t wish to honor their warranties anymore…….that we as technicians are connected to a phone system within Sears, making it sound as though we are a huge department and deliriously busy but we are only 4 technicians serving all of the Greater Vancouver Region.” This technician then told me how horrible they got treated by Sears, that Sears would be more pleasant towards such technicians who managed to collect additional monies back from unsuspecting customers, how they managed to collect some $2 million dollars a month back from clients, though, the overall loss was closer to $5 million and how they were constantly being told to “milk” the customers for all they could - to make up a leaner Sears bottom line.
I told this technician, I could care less if Sears went bankrupt yesterday, today or tomorrow as my last & final purchase had been made via Sears and the dozens of reasons why I would never return as a customer.
———————————
I have read the consumer reports above and it’s astounding how this company can still exist. Since Sears had lined their pockets with loot from the CHASE MANHATTAN BANK in the USA…..they still have some gambling/wiggling room again.
Though I live very close to one of Sears largest stores in Canada - I now see this store mostly empty - the exception, the cosmetic sections. Though this store has 7 floors, they have already closed off 3 floors permanently and I see another floor closing soon.
Sears delivery is ‘all’ contracted out and these delivery people don’t care one bit. Prior to my deliveries, I contacted Sears and told them I would be monitoring the deliveries, with the use of a camera, to ensure no ridiculous bumping around, to ensure no scratches and to do an ‘all around’ camera shoot, prior to the goods making it to far past my porch, before being put into place.
My eyes are wide open to the mismanagement of Sears and, through our own means, have already created a circulation of the grand Sears dilemma’s and what to watch for, yet, shop elsewhere since Sears is so full of bull.
Sears is not a Canadian company so why support them? Sears has never ever been a Canadian company so why shop there?
Do note: Sears does operate under http://www.sears.ca but this does not make them Canadian. Also note, Sears operates under a vast variety of banners which the public is not supposed to know about……folks, do your homework online but also ask questions of the Sears staff themselves….you will be mightily surprised how horribly Sears staff are treated.
SHOP SAFE, BE SAFE AND DON’T WORRY - THERE ARE STILL COMPANY’S OUT THERE WHO DO CARE! SEARS IS NOT ONE OF THEM……………..
An Amused Employee says...
I find it funny that you vent about all the bad expreinces that you had with Sears however your quick to depefend Wal-mart. I have to tell you that I have worked for Rogers and know sears and now understand how people think. When you have a bad experience with a company your quick to turn your head away from them and go with the Competition. Just because a few people had a bad expreience with Sears doesn’t mean that everyone will, Maybe they had a bad expreience at Wal-mart and will never shop there ever again. Grrrr it makes me so mad at the way people like you think.. I understand that you can get upset but you don’t give any thought to the person on the other end of the phone when you sitting there yelling at someone for something they have no control over.
Just as you have horror stories about expreiences that you had a places like sears I can tell you wrose one’s that I have had to deal with from customers who think they are better then you just because you work in the customer service department. I hate to tell you all that we are people with a job just like you and if it wasn’t for us you wouldn’t have anyone to wait on you hand and foot and listen to your whining.
As for the tech getting sick…for one I have been on the end of having to call those customers who we can service because we don’t have a tech that we can just drum up for you just because you took the day off. We don’t enjoy calling you to let you know that we can’t be out that day. For one you have to hate for a tech to call you and let you know they are not coming in. Sears doesn’t have a bunch of techs waiting around looking for work. There is only so many techs with so many hours in the day to work. YOUR NOT ONLY PERSON WHO WAS CALLED THERE ARE MANY OTHERS!!!!!!!
And Just so we are clear I’m not defending any company even the one I work for we all know that EVERY company has it’s problems (even Wal-mart). Just when you have deal with a customer service rep think about them as a person not a punching bag. We don’t enjoy it and it kinda makes us want to help you even less. we like to help every customer however we would be more in kilined to help someone who is not screaming at you. Haven’t you ever wanted to do something just because they told you not to, it works the the same way. Screaming will get you know where.
Fed Up says...
I have not shopped in Sears for a year now because of the absolutely horrid service in the ELECTRONICS department of the Sears at Kingsway Garden Mall in Edmonton. The really awful salesperson named LAURIE even refused to get the manager when I demanded to speak to him.
Here is a tip for wise consumers: instead of spending money in Sears, just flush it down the toilet. You won’t get any less for your money this way, and you won’t have to even talk to anyone in Sears to do it.
MN says...
Sears remains alive solely due to its relationship with Consumer Reports. Specifically the Kenmore brand. It is a remnant of a different time, and due for euthanasia.
My 2 year old dishwasher will be set afire in front of one of their stores very soon, with a large sign ablaze in the night proclaiming “Damnation to Pirates, Thieves, and Retailers who refuse to back their products”.
Problem now is - where to get a new one? The entire major appliance industry is rife with mediocrity and despair. There are only a handful of manufacturers left who get branded out to the Sears, Lowes, HomeDepots of the world.
We have allowed this problem to be created by allowing the Walmarts, Sears, Canadian Tires, Zellers of the world to dictate the market by dictating the price and availability. The Best Deal in Town has led us now to The Only Deal in Town. We all suck.
Lester Gester says...
I worked for Sears Canada for over 14+ years and now receive a huge pension of $131.88 per month.
The company has been going downhill very fast since the US took over most of the Canadian operations in the early 90’s.
I never make purchases from Sears Can stores as I can very easily purchase the same or equivalent product for less at many other retailers.
Their Risk Management group attempts to quieten angry customers with “gift coupon” for less than the defective products.
The Sears Can repair service is now probably the worst in the retail industry.
I now shop at Staples, Best Buy, Future Shop, Leon’s, Home Depot, Home Appliances (Stone Road Mall) and many, many other better choices than Sears Canada.
Dump your Sears-Chase card for other cards - you will not be sorry!
Bob says...
I just had another bad experience with sears Canada, after I spent 20-30k buying appliances, clothes , extended warranties etc. I had a small complain to their customer service and for 2 months NO ONE took the responsibility to help me. I keep calling and I get all kinds of sweet answers like we will call you back, we sent priority e-mail to the store… When I finally got fed up I told them that I’m upset and this can’t go on anymore like that. I can’t believe what their good customer service did. Simply hangup the phone on me. I tried to complain again through their e-mail home@sears.ca I got no reply back.
I will cancel my Sears card and they won’t see a penny from me or my family anymore because of their great customer service.
Sears Worker says...
I would have to agree with an amused employee. I have worked at Sears for about two years now and most customers do not have bad experiences, it’s just the people that talk about their experiences are the ones that have negative ones. I have had many customers who wanted something different than I originally tell them. If customers are nice about it, I will give them what they want, but if they are rude, I won’t. I certainly do not get paid enough for people to take their frustrations out on me. And most Sears employees are the same. Treat these people with respect and they will treat you the same, even if some of the rules are frustrating, if you are kind to the employee, you will more than likely receive kindness in return.
Also, at least where I work, the customer service is excellent. The majority of my co-workers have the customers best interest in mind. They want to find the customer what they need, not what will make the biggest sale. Most of the problems are not with front-line staff, yet we are the ones that have to deal with the wrath.
Karen says...
I am at my wit’s end with Sears Canada service in Ottawa…how many times is acceptable to get a dishwasher fixed? I would say that we average 4-5 service calls per problem and a time period of over 2 months, plus missing 1/2 days of work to accomodate each one of their visits, plus inevitable no shows at least one/per problem where the part is missing or someone calls in sick. SO multiply that many issues with at least 7-8 separate problems…the machine may be a lemon but we pay for a service contract and they cannot fix the machine…..any ideas? we have talked to “CORPORATE” customer service and all they do is confirm that an appointment is booked to “fix” the problem….ENOUGH!!! We have asked for a new machine but the Service Manager in Ottawa turns down the request…OF COURSE..because he will be identified as running in incompetent organization!!…THe Dishwasher Service Saga War against Sears has now moved up a notch….Thank you for listening to my RANT
Evy says...
Dec 11 2009 A REAL Sears Horror story
Sears, it seems, are too big for their britches now and don’t give a damn about their customers.
In 2002 they botched up a roofing job at my house.(Sears Home Central, Ottawa). The attic ventilation they installed all wrong. Now my shingles are cooked, curling and breaking. I also get huge ice dams in the winter and water dripping in.
A Sears rep who came to see it in July explained the problem to me and said it was entirely Sears fault and that they would fix the ventilation and reshingle at no cost to me.
But since then, all I get from the installation manager is the runaround. He keeps trying to hoodwink me into settling for something less than was contracted for–Maxi Vent system. The Maxi has very strict requirements, and Sears don’t want to comply.
If you need any home improvement done, don’t call Sears, whatever you do.
You Should Try Working There says...
All I have to say is it’s not much fun working for this company
they constantly change their return policies and rules seem to vary
depending on the manager. For example now if you have purchased a
clearance item (red ticket item) you should only have 10 days to return
it….OR if you have a regular priced item or a item on sale you have 30 days
if you pay by cash, debit, visa, master charge ect. and 90 days by Sears Card or Sears Master Card. (FINE good straight forward in fact pretty generous)
So we retail floor people and cash desk people are told to enforce this policy and because it’s our job. (Sigh) BUT when a customer doesn’t agree we have to call a manager….depending on which manager you get on any given day…..they will over rule the policy right in front of the sales person….because they don’t have the backbone to follow the policy. It feels like you are in trap…..follow their policy and do your job you get ragged on by upset customers (some rightfully so many others are scammers with bad returns) only then to be forced to call a manager who then takes the side of the customer….making you feel and look stupid…..even worst sometimes the manager will make you do the return under your work number (so if it is a bad return that if information is track against you!!! I have now refused to do it anymore and I force the manager to do it themselves….which they aren’t happy to do LOL)
cam says...
wow!!!! the person above me jsut expressed perfectly my situation! i work at SEARS capilano and everything he/she says is 100% true.
i'm a sears employee, too... says...
my biggest complaint with sears - and i think this is at the root of all complaints from employees and customers - is the company’s poor hiring practices. sears is a master at putting people in management and corporate head office positions who are under-qualified.
to secure a management or head office role, you must know someone within the company who can pull some strings, and/or you must not be too knowledgeable nor have too high a level of education. to the former point, at the store which i work, favoritism, cronyism, and nepotism is the going hiring policy. and to the latter point, the less knowledgeable and less educated you are, the greater the likelihood, sears believes, you’ll stay with the company, and the less the company can pay you. the result? a corporate head office and management body full of people illegitimately in influential positions, and who aren’t very smart. and hence… chaos!
Xstatics says...
HELLO,
I most definitely agree with the negative posts about Sears, and am an ex-employee who used to work at Sears in Vancouver. Sears tends to hire the sort of people who are easily intimidated/influenced by Managers. I have worked for Sears for nine years, and have noticed new employees (whether it be new immigrants to Canada or High School students) sometimes get more hours than long-term employees because they are oblivious to how treacherous some managers can be. The post earlier about Head Office is 100% accurate and SEARS promotes the most uneducated idiots out there.
They only give a raise of about 5 to 10 cents a year (if you’re one of the lucky ones).
If you would like to complain, I think this address will yield results:
National Customer Service Centre
c/o President’s Office
500 College st. East
Belleville, Ontario
K8N 5L3
Phone: 888-473-2772
Fax: 613-391-3047
email: home@sears.ca
I got this address from the Sears Canada website.
Evy says...
Re botched roofing job by Sears—
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpBJYlTPIsY
I made this little Youtube video using pictures of my roof and attic, and the vent manufacturer’s instructions. It spells it all out very clearly. I think the public needs to know about this crap. Check it out
I sympathize with you Sears employees and I believe you. Their bottom line is the almighty dollar and they don’t care who they hurt.
Evy says...
Btw, I’ve been dealing with Corporate Customer Service til I’m blue in the face. They just take the local manager’s word that they are not responsible for this mess, and are trying to cover his ass.
Have a look at my video and judge for yourself
Andy L. says...
Bought a refrigrator late December 2009 and have been having Humdity problems ever since. Call for service and get a waiting times of 8 in the morning to 8 at night. They say no way to narrow it down. This has happened a couple of times. At what age is Sears working ? With todays techno, that is the best they can do ? Just amazing. My frig is still not working and we are getting the run-a-round. I guess we will need to take this public. Never again will we buy similar type products from SEARS. Maybe elsewhere is worst, don’t know but SEARS has lost our trust. We bought from SEARS thinking to get some kind of service but we were miss-inform. I guess we thought SEARS was what it use to be. Bye Bye SEARS. SEARS IS NOT THE SEARS !!!!!!!!!! WILL THINK VERY HARD BEFORE BUYING FROM SEARS. I WILL GO OUT OF MY WAY NOT TO BUY FROM THEM.
Evy says...
BBB Rating for the last three years
Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of F on a scale from A+ to F.
Reasons for this rating include: (These are only the complaints filed with BBB)
638 complaints filed against business
11 complaints filed against business that were not resolved.
Failure to respond to one complaint filed against business.
Business Contact and Profile
Name: Sears Canada Inc - HO**
Phone: (800) 973-7579
Fax: (416) 941-4793
Address: 222 Jarvis St
Customer Complaint History
BBB processed a total of 638 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total of 638 complaints closed in 36 months, 337 were closed in the last year.
These complaints concerned :
26 regarding Advertising Issues
- 7 - Advertised price not honored
- 3 - Advertised product not available
- 1 - Advertised terms not honored
- 3 - Advertisement did not disclose all conditions required to take advantage of an offer
- 2 - Advertisement misrepresented a product
- 2 - False or unsubstantiated claims in advertisement
- 8 - None of the Above - Advertising Complaint Issue
45 regarding Billing or Collection Issues
-17 - Failure to correct billing errors
- 2 - Failure to substantiate charges
- 1 - Improper collection practices
-24 - None of the Above - Credit, Billing or Collection Complaint Issue
- 1 - Unauthorized credit card charges
15 regarding Contract Issues
- 4 - Failure to honor a contract or agreement
- 10 - None of the Above - Contract Complaint Issue
- 1 - Unauthorized changes to the contract or agreement
51 regarding Customer Service Issues
- 16 - Failure to provide promised assistance or support for products or services
- 3 - Failure to respond to phone calls or written requests for assistance or support
- 3 - Inappropriate behavior by customer service personnel
- 29 - None of the Above - Customer Service Complaint Issue
31 regarding Delivery Issues
- 4 - Late delivery of products
- 11 - Non-delivery of products
- 1 - Non-delivery of services
- 15 - None of the Above - Delivery Complaint Issue
116 regarding Guarantee or Warranty Issues
- 18 - Disputed warranty coverage and/or terms
- 1 - Failure to honor money-back guarantees
- 41 - Failure to honor service under the terms of warranties
- 3 - Failure to provide promised written warranty or guarantee
- 53 - None of the Above - Guarantee or Warranty Complaint Issue
107 regarding Product Issues
- 67 - Defective, damaged, or incorrect product received
- 40 - None of the Above - Product Quality Complaint Issue
58 regarding Refund or Exchange Issues
- 11 - Failure to honor promised refunds, exchanges, or credit
- 14 - Failure to honor refund, exchange or credit policies
- 33 - None of the Above - Refund or Exchange Complaint Issue
111 regarding Repair Issues
- 39 - Delayed completion of repair
- 2 - Failure to honor a repair estimate or agreement
- 14 - Improper or inferior repair
- 48 - None of the Above - Repair Complaint Issue
- 8 - Repairs resulted in additional damage
12 regarding Sales Practice Issues
- 6 - None of the Above - Sales Complaint Issue
- 1 - Sales presentation did not disclose complete pricing information
- 2 - Sales presentation misrepresented the product
- 1 - Sales presentation misrepresented the service
- 1 - Sales presentation used dishonest sales practices
- 1 - Sales presentation used high pressure methods
66 regarding Service Issues
- 7 - Delayed completion of service
- 2 - Failure to honor service estimate or agreement
- 24 - Improper or inferior service
- 26 - None of the Above - Service Complaint Issue
- 6 - Services resulted in additional damage (exp. Damaged product during shipping)
- 1 - Unauthorized service
These complaints were closed as:
361 Resolved
- 193 - Company resolved the complaint issues. The consumer acknowledged acceptance to BBB.
- 166 - Company addressed the complaint issues. The consumer failed to acknowledge acceptance to BBB.
- 2 - Company offered a partial (less than 100%) settlement which the consumer accepted.
11 Unresolved
265 Administratively Closed
1 No Response
another employee says...
do the math…….none of the above categories include any possible definition of cust non satisfaction, what are they??
Out of 640 complaints over 36 months, how many customers have purchased from sears? Over 200 stores nation wide for 3 years ! only 640 complaints and 275 complaints that did not fit in a category “none of the above”
http://www.bbb.org/kitchener/business-reviews/department-stores/sears-canada-inc-ho-in-toronto-on-17067
Customer Complaint History
When considering complaint information, please take into account the company’s size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm’s responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
BBB processed a total of 640 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total of 640 complaints closed in 36 months, 339 were closed in the last year.
These complaints concerned : see above…
These complaints were closed as:
362 Resolved
194 - Company resolved the complaint issues. The consumer acknowledged acceptance to BBB.
166 - Company addressed the complaint issues. The consumer failed to acknowledge acceptance to BBB.
2 - Company offered a partial (less than 100%) settlement which the consumer accepted.
11 Unresolved
11 - Company failed to resolve the complaint issues through BBB voluntary and self-regulatory process.
266 Administratively Closed
246 - BBB determined that despite the company’s reasonable effort to address complaint issues, the consumer remained dissatisfied.
17 - BBB determined the company made a reasonable offer to resolve the issues, but the consumer did not accept the offer.
3 - BBB determined the company provided proper verification that indicated there was no obligation to resolve the issues of the complaint.
1 No Response
Dorothy Fielding says...
I have recently had a terrible experience with a Whirlpool dishwasher made for Kenmore (Sears’ brand). It failed after 18 months due to a design flaw the Sears repair man admitted to. The filter at the bottom lets items into the motor. They would not honour their warranty. I waited weeks for calls back from their local service department and was then told at their 1-800 number that the local service department would never call me because they had closed my repair (for which I paid $114). This dishwasher was a “Best Buy” in Consumer Reports. I did my homework, but to no avail. After much frustration I have gone elsewhere and bought a Bosch dishwasher with a different filter method that is a better design. I’ll never darken the door of Sears again.
MadAtSears says...
I have been in the same boat waiting for call backs that never come, in fact, I decided to do a video about it.
I have noticed that Sears does not seem to care about the hundreds of blogs I have seen complaining about things. I have decided to take a different tactic - a catchy rap about my various problems with Sears on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj9NnUocvtw
I think some media attention would turn up the heat.
EmployeeatSears says...
I work for Sears. Believe me your comments are noted by the store associates. Sears has a forum where employees can post their questions or concerns over issues they are having and the problems they want fixed.
I can tell you that Sears MasterCard problems are largely caused by JP Morgan Chase who is responsible for your issues as Sears has outsourced responsbility to them.
I’ll agree with comments about Sears promotion policy and head office. Tends to be run by morons that earn the big $$$. While the poor suckers at the bottom (myself included) are forced to have our wage frozen year after year, after the cut your health benefits, sick days, vacation time and pension contributions.
another employee says...
Unfortunately the sears forum mentioned, only offers politically correct answers about how sears is changing to meet the needs of the business by being more inline with its competitors. IE wage freezes, commission reductions, health benefits re organizaton.
Trust us, those who work at sears, the sales associates, we’re just doing what we have to to pay our bills just like everyone else in the world.
Do you think I want to take your crap b/c your dishwasher broke out of warranty??? Call corporate cust service see if they care.
Those who attempt to return merchandise that is out of warranty do not have a leg to stand on. Why should ANY retailer return defective product that is clearly out of warranty?
Dorothy Fielding, you made an informed decision to purchase a “best buy” product and I guess that magazine also told you not to buy the warranty b/c it’s a waste of $$$$. Enjoy your new dishwasher, I hope it’s another Consumer Reports Best Buy.
Evy says...
To “Another employee”—
We don’t know how many legitimate complaints are never taken to the BBB. Probably thousands.
According to my lawyer, the BBB is useless at resolving complaints. That has also been my own experience. So how many complaints sent to BBB are labelled “resolved” when in fact they are not and the customer is left doubly frustrated? My experience also.
During my complaint to BBB, they first approached Corporate Customer Service, who forwarded the issue to the Ottawa installation manager. He lied his way through it. BBB does not investigate anything, they simply accept his explanation. Case resolved and closed. Don’t bother with the BBB.
another employee says...
Your probably correct about the uselessnes of the BBB. I’ve no experience with the BBB, but if it is a government run organization then your statement of the BBB being useless is probably correct.
Evy says...
For the record, now that I had the roof redone by someone else, and at my cost, here’s an update. It also shows the latest available BBB report on Sears Canada…….UGLY !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wawPUUCukfc&feature=channel
The original video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpBJYlTPIsY&feature=channel
SEARS_RIPPED_ME_OFF_2 says...
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR I Hate sears too!! I too received a GC and used it last in May 2009 when I tried to use it on baby stuff (never really shop there as u can tell and I waited to be pregnant for 2nd time to shop there) this last December to find out that it’s expired as of October 28th “WHAAAT!!?!?!?” I worked retail for 10 years now and even a smaller (compared to sears) retailer always went out of their way to please their customer when we found out the customer either lost or misplaced their GC. We try to locate it or reissue a new one or let them use the gift card even afte expiry …but now GC arnt’ even supposed to have an expiry date. the lady tried calling the ‘credit’ company but they did NOTHING.. I want home and called HO customer service and let me tell you the lady on the phone was RUDE AS HECK!! I started off explaining the situation and asked for a 1 time exception as I was not aware of this 2 yr expiration date, the B$%& talked to me like I was a child and repeated “SORRY the Gift card has an expiry date and there is nothing I can do… like I said there is nothing I can do” in such a demeaning tone! I WAS FURIOUS! and vowed I will never give them my business …they stole my $50 bucks!! I hope they SINK!
Amused Insider says...
I work at the warehouse and yeah, it’s a joke. The quality of incoming merchandise is crap — I’d rather send it straight back to source than to stock. When the manager is shown a problem, the suual answer is “Send to stock. let the customer decide if it’s a problem.”
Well, customers have decided. They are shopping elsewhere and I don’t blame them. let Sears close down and die!
I don’t shop there — can’t afford to. Nothing worthy buying anyway. And look at the staff and managers…the brands a lot of them wear are not Sears brands.
francine says...
“I was not aware of this 2 yr expiration date”
My gawd are you a child that needs someone else to do everything for you. *I* as not aware. *I* did not spend my gift card before the expiration date in TWO YEARS. *I* am the one to blame.
DO you get it????? This is YOUR fault, not the stores.
You people beed to take some personal responsiibility for your own lives
Alex says...
Wal-mart has settled for $27 million a case in which workers for the company in California were accused of dumping hazardous chemicals
http://www.ecanadanow.com/business/2010/05/08/wal-mart-settles-dumping-case-for-27-million/
Jo B says...
Do not purchase earrings form Sears. They cannot be returned even if they were not worn. Makes it very difficult to buy as a gift for someone !
francine says...
Everyone knows you cant return earrings! DUH!!!
Jo B says...
The point being…they were never tried on. DUH !!!
underwear says...
Due to hygenic reasons, items that may come into contact with your DNA are non refundable. How would you like to wear my underwear that was too small? pretty gross !!! check the back of your receipt and that shall be your next course of action.
Evy says...
SO LONG, SEARS CANADA
This may explain why they don’t give a sh*t about their customers, or the company….
According to the Globe and Mail, Apr 23, 2010, Sears Holdings in the US are on the verge of buying out Sears Canada within a few months.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/markets/streetwise/so-long-sears-canada/article1544851/
underwear says...
big blue doesn’t give a shit about the peons at the store, this respect is reciprocated at the store level as well. What ever methods to obtain $$$$$ is the most important rule. Just win baby, (sub win for make $$)
To: "Tell Me About It" says...
I hope you get to read this… because I have to say that your efforts to be a “wise customer” needs improvement. Not all warranties are the same. The point is to figure out what the terms are BEFORE you make your purchase and not complain about it after something goes wrong. It makes no sense to blame Sears or any other company when you choose not to educate yourself. (BTW I don’t work for Sears) Most of your complaints could have been averted if you had done your homework.
That being said, you really didn’t get ripped off with your mattress. After 9 years your mattress popped a spring and you got a $350.00 credit towards a new mattress. What did you expect??? Your warranty was probably expiring within months - did you think they would just give you a brand new one for nothing??? Again… you’re suppose to read the warranty BEFORE you buy an expensive item. Also, by your own admission you said you are a “large… plus sized… woman” - so it would make more sense for you to look into a problem like a broken spring before you buy your next one, instead of blaming Sears for it.
frank says...
Have a job offer in appliance sales at sears. 5 years experience. What is the average monthly income.
to frank says...
If you dont sell any thing $0, and about 4.5% of everything else. If you’re from the brick you dont lose your commission if you alter the original price. But dont believe your interviewer if you’re told you can make $65-80K per year.
A department that sells roughly 7 million $$$ a year. Divide that amount by 10 ppl on the floor ($700,000), by 52 weeks($13,461) by 4.5%($605). That $605 per week before tax, deductions, etc..
but if you think you can sell 15 % more than the average person that will give $1,005,000 by 52 weeks at %4.5. That $865 per week. then deductions….remember that is gross sales with out returns, adjustments sor cancelled orders, which would end up costing you close to about %10.
to frank says...
again 865 @ 52 weeks equals $44, 980 before deductions, etc….now with a general deduction rate of about 28%, taxes, benefits, and any other reason for a deduction will give you a net total of $32,385 divided by 26 pay periods equals roughly $1,250 every 2 weeks
corporate business credit card says...
extraordinary website. I have honestly appreciated it!
Elzbieta says...
Oh Boy! Where do I start?
Let me say that I and my family been buying from Sears close to 30 years. All my appliances, beds, clothing are from Sears. I hated Eaton’s (old people store),Despised Kmart (glad they’re closed if only the can do that with Zellers and Wal Mart…) Liked Sipson and Towers and Woolworth and Woolco….The “good old days” where one could really shop around.
Sears used to to be great company. 22 years ago, I bought a bed cover with fancy pillows just for decoration. A year later I decided to wash it and the white turned yellow in places. I took it back to Sears (Brantford, Ont) without the receipt. I was given the option of replacing or refund. Since they didn’t have the exactly one, I took CASH!
No questions, no problems….That was THEN!
NOW…I bought front loaded wash-machine in Brampton (about 1.5 hour drive from my place, one way)because of the larger store & selection. The guys loaded on my pick up. Fine.
Came home, plugged the thing in…it wouldn’t work.
I’ll spare you the numbers of (POLITE!!!) phone calls, PROMISED AND CONFIRMED DATES for the tech to come, only to be cancelled out in the last moment.
After 4 weeks, I loaded the washer on, drove to Brampton,Ont. and dumped it at the receiving gate. Went to the store and CAMLY asked for my money back. Well…. I got load of B.S Like all the people before me. I refused to leave and wanted my money back, saying I have load of wet laundry sitting on the floor and I want my money back, NOW, and I got it.
I got it.
This is for those CUSTOMER SRVICE BITCHES…
Don’t whine to me about you’re B.S. As far as I’m concerned, if you book MY appointment, you should know the schedule. YOU WORK there, not me.
I AM WAISTING MY TIME waiting for some uneducated ass***e, while you are getting payed for YOURS!
Customer Service is just that, SERVICE! and…if it wasn’t for customers, you WOULDN’T HAVE a job in the first place.
Over the most recent years I have unpleasant experiences with customer service over the phone. There is only SO MUCH B.S one can take after repeating the story over and over, from one department to another, EVERY DAMN TIME! How stupid are the people?
You thing you have it taught???? After a while I was sick of my own voice because of incompetent bitches like you!
So there.
Here is another thought…All Sears employee should get together and think of a way to get better tratment and so on. People go on strike, you can too. By telling the rest of the world how shitty your job is , it’s not going to help you!
Frankly, I don’t care about your problems (work related) when I am pissed at the whole world for being taken in money and time-wise. MY TIME is just as important to me. I DON”T GET PAYED FOR SITTING AROUND TALKING TO YOU, OR…BUNCH OF YOU. GET IT?
Anyway, thank you for listening.
I like clothing at Sears because it’s better then anywhere else. FOR ME.
Babalue Sanchez says...
Elzbieta, I suggest switching to decaf!!! Oh and also to use spell check in the future. k thanks bye!
to elzbieta says...
Judging by the way you type and probably speak, it appears that you have a difficult grasp on the Queen’s English. Relating to your profanities and poor spelling skills. I will assume that you failed to read the installation manual.
Did you remove the four shipping bolts from the rear of the washer. That’s more likely the reason why you fried your washer and no one wanted to drive 1.5 hours to diagnose a user malfunction.
my washer has been making weird noises since I bought my washer, yes I installed it myself, YES I KNOW HOW TO INSTALL A WASHER !!!!! …..uh what shipping bolts? …..well the saleperson didn’t say anything about shipping bolts……
Elzbieta says...
Thanks for pointing out MY faults. Feeling better now?
As for the “queen’s English” …Canada FINALLY got liberated from the throne. You can attack me all you want. I won’t stoop to your level and rant on. I’ve said my peace and that’s that.
By the way, I knew about bolts. I happened to actually READ instructions on anything I purchase. I work too hard for my $. The machine was leaking like a sieve and…the bolts were already removed when I brought it home. So..Sue me!
Have a happy life!
micron says...
Sears ain’t what it used to be and neither are the tools. I live in a city with a population of 500,000 and we no longer have a parts depot either of the 3 local stores. The nearest parts depot is in a city with a pop. of 113,000 (2010) and is 43 miles away, so it costs $6.99 to ship to your home (IF it is a MAIL-ABLE part) and takes a week to get it. Lard help ya if they send the wrong part (has happened to me). Add all that to the fact that experience with the tools you buy from Sears will soon teach you that they are only good enough for the weekend warriors. If you disagree, then you’ve never had a real good table saw, planer, router or jointer. I won’t be buying much in the way of appliances or tools from Sears anymore.
to elzbieta says...
The moral of the story is, you buy a used car and it breaks down, return it to the dealer, they return your $$$.
I guess that’s why you hate sears so much, they returned your $$ to you, must be a real shit store to purchase from, escpecially when they return your money on a product that states “no returns” on the bill.
Next time don’t buy someone elses problem and buy new. Give the commission to the fellow selling these machines new in the box, and not to some pimply kid that just got his first job.
Dina says...
I returned my vacumn three times for the same problem and each time they did not fix. The last time was off warrenty so they will not fix (even through they failed twice already).
sears Edmonton parts are currently holding my vacumn as hostage for money. They want me to pay them for looking at the machine, even though they refuse to fix it.
It is obvious i will have to charge them with theft, report them to all consumer protection organizations, and the BBB. If they all fail, then i will take them to court to collect on every last thing i can. Including the damages the vacumn has suffered while in their care.
NEVER BUY FROM SEARS-THEY WILL NOT HONOR WARRANTIES an, in my case, repair techs are incompetent.
Maxima Sarp says...
No matter what people tell you, quality is something you can’t disguise.
Liz says...
Yes, I am started to hate SEAR CANADA,..I hope they go bankrupt soon..
They scam you with the protection agreement they will not follow through
..When you buy any cleareance item is a final sale…what a joke.!!
.If you do not use your Sears points within 12 months you lose them!! scam scam!! The quality is very poor and their service is bad bad..who needs Sears anyway!!!
We need more competion!!
dont worry B happy! says...
in response to JSAM_S MOM coment no you are not charged for every item in the order. you are only charged a fee the whole order not each individual piece. and if you need to reorder that item in a bigger|smaller size just let the person know its a reorder and they will waive the shipping fee which i do believe is $3. the return policy is not hard to figure out. if its purchased on a sears or searsmastercard its 90 days. any other method of payment is 30 days. which is pretty good considering most places its only 14.
Elaine says...
Sears Duct Cleaning Warning!!!!
It all began with an innocent telemarketing call from Sears offering duct cleaning which I thought was perfect timing especially after we had just finished a major reno (hardwood floors, painted entire house and finished basement) and wanted our home to be dust-free and pristine for our young family of two boys ages 3yrs and newborn.
The morning after the duct “cleaning” the nightmare began when I noticed my baby’s face having soot around his nose and mouth upon waking up in his crib. Checking on my 3yr old he too had it around his nostrils.
I was perplexed as to what could possibly cause this? Looking around his nursery I noticed the corners of the wall which met with the ceilings had a dark shadowy look. Climbing on a chair to take a closer look I touched the wall and my fingertips were black. My instinct was to start washing the walls; but, the grimy soot was everywhere: walls, ceilings,doors draperies, window panes, furniture, all soft surfaces including inside of drawers–I was overwhelmed as every single room in our house was in the same condition–soot everywhere on dishes, sofas, rugs, everywhere! However, I still did not know what caused this and as the situation may adversely affect the health of my children, not to mention the disaster zone my newly renovated home was in I had to act quickly so; we contacted our insurance company and they immediately sent over an inspector who took samples off of the hard and soft surfaces for analysis. They asked about recent renovations and home adjustments and they were 100% sure that the Sears Duct cleaning caused the loosening of oil build-up in the ducts to be blown throughout our entire home!
Thankfully, the insurance took care of the situation and our entire home was re-painted, a cleaning crew of six people washed every nook and cranny including contents of closets, kitchen cabinets and drawers…furniture and rugs were taken away for steam cleaning. We were told that Sears would be sued for the cost through the insurance company. But most importantly, our little boys were given a clean bill of health by their pediatrician,thank God!
Moral of story: If you cannot carry the item back to the store for a refund do not buy from Sears! Outsource important home products and services from specialty dealers and having good homeowner’s insurance helps:)
MK says...
A horrible company to work for, and horribly managed.
You’d be further ahead working at Tim Hortons or McDonalds.
They treat and work their employees like dogs; pay minimum wage; stress customer service and high pressure their sales staff yet don’t provide the support; the requisite amount of employees on the floor to achieve such, all departments are chronically understaffed - and make their employees and department leads the scapegoats for their gross management ineptitude. This is a company that does not deserve the public’s loyalty.
Don't buy Kenmore, don't shop at Sears says...
Sears has lost the concept of what made them successful in the past, and that is standing behind their products and being customer focused. That is what created loyalty in past generations, but that loyalty has been destroyed for many people over the past few years. My story is similar to others. Bought 6 new appliances 2 years ago. Within the first few months, the rubber gasket around the front load Kenmore washer door shredded spilling water everywhere. It was replaced under warranty with the requisite two tech visits and two week wait, plus a last second cancelation (separate story). Same thing happened a few months later. Same process, wait a few weeks, a few visits etc. This time I was assured by the customer service rep that the gasket was found to be faulty and that Sears have updated to a higher quality part. When I asked the tech about this he just laughed and said it was just the same flimsy part. Needless to say, a few months later the same issue. Once again fixed eventually. A month later, and a few days after the one year warranty period, it happened again (4th time in just over a year). I called as usual, explained the situation, but was told I was out of luck as the one year warranty was up. When I gave the history and reminded them that the part in question was only a month old and should still be covered they said they would cover the part but not the tech visits. I escalated to a “supervisor” explained again my case stating I was a 25 year loyal customer etc, she finally said she would cover it as a gesture of good faith. When the tech arrived a week or so later, he said he knew nothing of this and would not fix it without payment. He said I could call Sears and they would reimburse me for it based on the agreement. Paid around $150, called Sears. Guess what, no record of any calls. I asked if calls were recorded as is standard for most large companies. Nope. Asked to speak to someone, given a customer care e-mail. Sent a note. The person responded in broken English, not understanding the message. I reiterated. Still didn’t get it. Re-reiterated. Still nothing. Asked to speak to someone else, told that she was empowered to make decisions on behalf of Sears so no one else could help. When I asked whether they were willing to lose me as a customer over this, they said I could do whatever I wanted. Afterwards the same part tore again, had it replaced by a non Sears tech the next day. As of last weekend the motor stopped working. Piece of junk. Having paid way too much into this oversized paper weight I went to Lowe’s and bought a new machine. Throwing away a two year machine (which was not cheap to begin with) is ridiculous financially and environmentally. Time for Sears to go back to servicing their clients and products. I have not bought anything from them since this started, and will never enter their doorways again. Not that they care but in that time I have made several purchases that in the past would have been made at Sears, i.e. two flat screen tv’s, snow blower, patio set, garden shed etc. Save your money and sanity, shop elsewhere.
Sally888 says...
Guess im the odd one out. I love Sears. For the most part I’ve had little problems throughout the years. We’ve bought all our apppliances from them and knock on wood we’ve been happy. The only things I find highly annoying are them pushing their sears card left right and center and the people who call about appliance warranties.
Namali says...
Don’t you people know the economic problems the whole world is going thru????. We are not out of this horrible recesion. But You want Sears employees to go on strike and risk not be paid !!!!!
this is SEARS CANADA, and you want to boycot a Canadian company that gives work to more than 10thousand people??????
Instead of ranting like this why havent any of you WRITE, YEs WRITE, your complain letters and MAIL them to SEARS.
Take them to their offices …. be YOU who change them…
why are any of you asking for their employees to do anything????
TAKE THE LEAD and DO something yourself !!!!!!!!
MaggieB says...
Namali, I wrote a letter of complaint after I was denied a 25% discount advertised on the Sears website (when I tried the promo code on checkout I was refused). I phoned Customer Service and was told the 25% didn’t apply because my “price” ended in 97 cents. That wasn’t a limitation stated on the website and I told her that but she just kept repeating “that’s our policy”. A good month after I sent my letter I got a phone call from customer service telling me that the 97 cents explanation was wrong and that the reason I didn’t get the discount was that it only applied to items from Sears Outlet. There was a tiny reference to a website address on the discount page, but when you click “Start Saving Now” all the items are there and there is no distinction made between “Outlet” items and regular items. Again, when I pointed out to her that I clicked the “Start Saving Now” button and did a search for bed frames, up came the bed I bought. She also kept repeating “That’s our policy”. I asked her for a written reply for Sears reasons for refusing the discount and she told me they never give a written answer. After the call, I decided to make a formal complaint to the Ministry of Consumer Relations (Ontario) but while I was filling out that complaint, the customer service person called me back to tell me that if I want a written reason for not obtaining the discount I need to send a new letter to their Privacy Officer. When I explained to her that the Privacy Officer’s job has nothing to do with customer service, she told me “I don’t know anything about any of this. I’m just telling you what they tell me to say”. I have filed my complaint with the Government and they have acknowledged it. What else can I complain about? Well, I ordered the bed frame in late July. It’s now mid-September. For weeks I begged Sears to give me a 4 hour window for delivery as that is what is required by my condo and they refused over and over. Two days before the delivery they phoned to say the bed frame wasn’t coming. They told me they relied on their supplier to say items were “in stock” on their website and it wasn’t their fault if the supplier misled them. They told me they couldn’t say when the bedframe would ever show up. Then they called and offered me (again) a 6 hour window. When I explained all I had been through the first nice person at Sears offered to make a “special delivery” with a 4 hour window. Wonderful! However, the “special delivery” was an hour and a half late, after my service elevator was no longer mine - I begged my building to let them up and I succeeded - better very late than never right? Well they dumped the boxes and started to walk out. I said “Wait a minute. Your website states you will assemble the bedframe”. They told me they don’t do that. When I told them I didn’t want to sign the delivery slip because I had been told that the frame would be assembled (I have a physical disability which is why I need to buy items on the internet), a large frightening man loomed over me and very threateningly told me that if I didn’t sign his receipt he was taking back my bedframe. I finally signed but described how they were late and had refused to help a physically disabled older woman. My bedframe is still in my bedroom, unpacked and unassembled. After a 45 minute call last week when the delivery men refused to help (they actually laughed at how upset I was), another person (the second nice person at Sears) told me that someone would come this week and assemble it. I will believe it when it happens. She also told me that the delivery people lied to her as well and said they never assemble the beds but she went on the Sears website and confirmed that they clearly must assemble the bedframe. Once I get the bedframe assembled, I may try another letter of complaint but this has taken so much out of me I’ve been bedridden for many days. Is this really worth ruining my health for? So I did what I needed to do and I can only hope that the Ministry agrees that their website is practising a form of “bait and switch” but I have doubts that I will ever receive my discount or an apology for how I have been treated. I will never purchase anything from Sears again. If the many employees want to keep their jobs, they need to speak up to Sears about how they are being forced to deal unfairly and rudely with customers. They are part of the problem. They should (may I quote) TAKE THE LEAD and DO something themselves!!!!!!!
Employees says...
The employees at Sears can’t do anything about corporate or managers - corporate and managers are worthless sh@@s - employees get paid squat = no commission - no benefits - few to no hours - Sears only wants 16 to 18 year olds who stand around texting and talking on their cell phones - because they will come in with their friends and appply for credit cards - and that is all Snears cares about is credit applications and protection warranties - unless you work at this cr@@ company you have no concept of the backhand dealings that go on. It is nothing but a hedge fund - with a bunch of lawyers figuring out ways to scam employees and customers anyway they can. NOTHING is right with this company. NOTHING!! If an employee isn’t diddling a manager or related to them - the employee won’t last long in the company - they reduce your hours to next to nothing - treat the employee like poop until they walk - and the managers don’t care - because there are a thousand people who think they can begin working for this company and rise to the top - IF they diddle a manager. Cashiers are taught to lie to get credit applications and PAs - employees are taught not to take no for an answer. If you write a check at Sears - you are agreeing to credit - look at the back of your check to see what is printed on it. When you give your name, email and cell phone number - you are agreeing to credit. The company is scum. It isn’t the ethical employees faults - they can’t do anything about it.
Chris hates Sears says...
I used to love Sears. Bought 26 major appliances from them in the last 11 years and a lot of clothing, furniture and household goods. I guess I never realized how bad they have become because I never had to return anything until last week. I bought a soap dispenser on clearance for $14.99 at a location far away from my house. It was defective so I took it back to the Sears at Markville Mall near my home. They told me to go back to the location I bought it because they didn’t have it. Because I bought it on clearance, they would not exchange it and will not give me store credit. So I told the manager it costs more in gas to go there than it cost for the soap dispenser. I spend thousands of $$$ at Sears and this is how they treat a loyal customer. Why can’t they put it on a gift card that I would have to use at Sears. The manager tells me “that doesn’t matter”. I called the customer service line, wasted 1 hour with them and was told the same thing. The asked the lady on the customer service line if my request was unreasonable. She said no but she can’t help me. So I will never ever shop at Sears again, NEVER. My loyalty “doesn’t matter” to Sears. So now they don’t exist to me! If this is what they do over $14.99 I can’t imagine what can happen if I have problems with a major purchase. I guess I was lucky in the past because I didn’t have to return anything. I guess I was the perfect customer. There are a lot of stores out there with better customer service, better selection and better prices. Goodbye Sears, I won’t shed a tear!
Sam says...
I am in agreement with all of you!
I’ve been without a stove for over 2 months now. We purchased the stove in 2007 for 1500$, and have had nothing but problems with it! We’ve had to replace the control panel on it more then 8 times. Now, it broke about 2 1/2 months ago and we’ve been without an oven since then! We couldn’t host Thanksgiving, we bought a bushel of tomatoes which went bad, and a bushel of apples that is going bad. They’ve told us repeatedly that they’re ordering the part, but they keep ordering a washing machine timer - and show up with it. When we call them back, they ask US what part we need! Finally after much work and many many calls to the corporate office, we’ve been offered a buyout… they’re willing to give us 500$ for our next purchase, after we’ve spent 1500$ on the stove, and over 2000$ in extended warranty coverage so we could avoid problems like this…
oh and the stove still won’t be fixed for another 3 weeks… if they can get the part.
JO says...
SEARS! Scores 5/5 as a top bad company. Have you ever tried to call them on the phone? Oh, that is so and so department, let me transfer you .. unfortunately we dont deal with but I will transfer you. And when you finally get someone, they just choose not to listen. Ya, keep talking to the wall and good luck!
Sears sucks 5/5!
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Bee Ess says...
The Canadian end of SEARS is one of the most horribly managed companies out there. The head office managers as well as the regional managers have their heads so far up their collective butts, they’ve forgotten what the retail industry is all about.
Case in point. A relative who works in Toronto at the one of the stores and leads a department there was just informed (as were all stores in Toronto) that they must reduce and cut back the hours for their sales stuff effective Dec. 1. Except this is the busiest time for the retail industries, leading up the Christmas. Why would anyone in their right now, cut hours, cut staff during this time? It puts the existing staff under incredible pressure along with increased demands that they cannot keep up with (can’t be in cash and sales on the floor at the same time), and will cause havock in customer service, resulting in consumers leaving the stores rather than waiting for ridiculous amounts of time to pay for goods, and, encourage shoplifters.
The only possible explanation for cutting staff across the board during the busiest retail period of the year, is that SEARS CANADA is about to go bankcrupt/out of business, and they want to ensure the shareholders have at least something.
BOYCOTT SEARS this holiday season and send a message to the incompetent morons that run this organization.
Jennifer says...
Bought a TV on no interest/no payment for a years. Did end up to it in full cash at a counter and nothing was filled to my card. I swear to good I DID PAY the lady.
Big Bob says...
I’m so confused Jennifer, I don’t have a clue what happened with you and Sears
Brett says...
Tried to buy a Sole F85 treadmill from Sears December 29th, 2010. We were given an original shipping date of Feb 1, 2011. My wife phoned the customer service center the morning of the 1st and was told that the treadmill was scheduled to be delivered some time that day. The treadmill hadn’t arrived by 4:30 pm so my wife phoned and was told that the delivery date had been changed to Feb 4th. This upset her a bit as she had stayed home the whole day but there was little we could do; she could not get an answer as to why the treadmill hadn‘t come. Feb 3rd we received a call from out local Sears saying that our product would be delivered the next day. My wife waited at home again, the treadmill did not arrive by the afternoon so she called the customer service center and was informed that treadmill was now supposed to be delivered on Tuesday Feb 8th. This was incredibly frustrating, we phoned the local store and the customer service center a few more times, they expressed regret but they did not seem to be able to tell us what had happened to the treadmill. We were told that it was to be delivered on Feb 8th and that it should arrive at our local Sears on the 7th. We called our local Sears on the 7th and no treadmill had arrived . We called through to the customer service center and we were told that they would place a trace on the location of the treadmill and phone us back. Never heard back so my wife phoned them at 5 pm our time. We were told that it looked like our treadmill had arrived at our local store in January but it was mislabelled with another persons name so they sent it back. They offered to order us another treadmill but they said it would be March 7th before it came in. We cancelled our order.
Very frustrated with Sears:
1) The full value of the treadmill was billed to our credit card for the last 5 weeks. This means we will pay some interest for something we never received.
2) My wife stayed at home from 9-5 for two days. This was a waist of time.
3) If someone had investigated what happened to the treadmill on Feb 1st it could have saved a weeks worth of frustration.
4) We were told our reorder wouldn’t arrive until March 7th you would think that if a company made a mistake that they would do everything possible to get the item to the customer as quickly as possible. Must be able to get this product from the manufacturer quicker than this.
You may see this same message on other sites I’m trying to warn as many people as possible.
Lee Senter says...
I have had it with these morons at Sears.
I bought a Kenmore Elite fridge, stove and microwave with warranty for over $4300 and had the delivery men come to my house, watch me at the door and then drive away. I called sears and they told me my door had been tagged because I was not at home. I told them that I watched them drive up and then drive away they pushed it off. Admittedly the store manager did make good onthe incident with a substantial discount.
Well we now go back and by a five seater leather couch with a new bed. Well they arrive to deliver, refuse to wear booties to be provided and were so rude that they made my wife cry. I called National headquarters and was told that my wife was “too weak”. When I repeated this the lady on the phone said she could still hear me and hung up on me.
If thats the way they treat someone who has spent $10K in two months they are hopelessly screwed.
NEVER SHOP AT SEARS AND EXPECT TO RECEIVE A DELIVERY BY A PERSON WITH CLASS because it won’t happen.
Debbie says...
Well, I have read thru most of these postings and there is nothing that truly surprises me. I worked for Sears for 19 years started with the company at their Location in Woodbine Store 1320. I went up the corporate ladder quickly seven store later and a regional position - I finally had enough and left.
I cannot believe that I stayed that long, don’t get me wrong I made life long friends but the higher you go up the worst you get treated and the more wrong doing you see.
They are all a bunch of worthless pieces crap and unless you are in bed with someone in their Corporate Offices on Dundas St. you are replaceable.
Sears is not the same company.
Sears Sucks For Everyone says...
I’ve worked at the Sears Belleville call center for five years. I have heard every complaint above and then some. If you think your experience is bad, just wait until you receive a “mispicked” item. A “mispicked” item is when an item is labeled wrong. So, instead of getting a fridge, you could get a headboard. Or, instead of getting a purse, you could get underwear.
Sears as an employer is awful. At the call centers, they shift people around all the time, they underpay everyone, and they “merge” jobs. So, instead of doing the job you were hired for, you’re now Delivery/Customer Service/HVAC/ETC for the same amount of money. Raises are crap (10 cents to 25 cents a year). And they even froze wages for a while. They closed down the whole Regina call center and laid off almost all of the catalogue people in Belleville to outsource to the Philippines. The rules and regulations change on a daily basis, and you’re constantly being reprimanded for not following the new rules when you haven’t been told them. People’s hours vary; you could be part-time working 40 hours a week during Christmas, and then after Christmas you can be working eight hours in two weeks. And don’t get me started on the Philippine employees - they have taken over catalogue sales. Try calling them. You’ll think your order was put through, but because they don’t know what they’re doing, the employee will VOID the order instead. Or they will purchase six couches instead of one. It is CUSTOMER SERVICE that has to deal with those repercussions. The management doesn’t even try to take employees’ opinions before making major changes in the system that make your job 10 times harder. And on top of that, everyone is paid so poorly whilst being yelled at all day by customers that they don’t really give a crap about the job. What EVERYONE says is that they like the people they work with, but NOT THE JOB.
To you customers:
- TO THE GIFT CARD LADY: a “Sears Rewards Card” is not a gift card. It is accumulated through points that can be redeemed for rewards back. It does have an expiry date and probably always will because Sears and JP Morgan Chase are money-grubbing buggers.
- TO THE DELIVERY COMPLAINTS: Sears hires outside companies to do its deliveries. The delivery system is the biggest piece of crap ever. I worked in the delivery department customer service. The drivers will just not show up; they will lie; they are supposed to have a description of the house, so sometimes they will just do a drive-by to write down the description; the trucks break down A LOT and don’t even tell customer service sometimes; the delivery trucks will not be running some days, but the company itself is closed so customer service will not be able to get a hold of them to find out if they’re delivering or not. EVERYTHING ABOUT IT IS MESSED UP. And just TRY to put in a complaint about property damage. It is the delivery companies that handle that part, so enjoy waiting six months to a year for the money or repairs. Or, being given the runaround because the companies changed since your items were delivered and no one knows how to put the claim through in that situation.
- TO PEOPLE WHO ASKED FOR MONEY BACK: Customer service is only authorized to give you back so much money. IT IS NOT THEIR FAULT. It is Sears’s policy. The rep will get fired for offering any more than that. Also, if your purchase is small, Sears will DO NOTHING FOR YOU. Sears actually has a policy about how much to give/what they are allowed to do for you depending on the amount of your purchase.
- TO STORE COMPLAINTS: Stores have one set policy, but don’t expect the stores to follow them. Some stores don’t even read the policy. Go online to Sears.ca and read the policy and point it out to them. Customer service can also help you, but expect a lot of run-around because again (see above) Sears is greedy and wants to help customers as little as possible.
- TO THE GUY WITH THE FRIDGE DELIVERY COMPLAINT: I would like to advise you (albeit very late) that Sears’s first policy is to repair instead of exchange. YOU ARE ALLOWED TO REFUSE A REPAIR. The CS rep will still try to goad you into a repair. STILL REFUSE. Then they will do an exchange. Ask for managers if someone still refuses. It is policy that an exchange be allowed if the customer refuses the repair. Also, the delivery drivers (see above complaints on them) ARE SUPPOSED TO make sure that the item is not damaged or defective. If the item is, you can either accept it and wait for a new one, or refuse and wait for a new one. The drivers ARE SUPPOSED to go back and pick up your defective item. Getting them to do so is the impossible part.
TO ALL OF YOU: Communication in Sears is 100% terrible. An employee is NOT ALLOWED to help you if it is not his/her department. That employee can get fired for helping someone. Most people aren’t given access to all of the systems to even TRY to help you. So yes, you will be transferred. Yes, the stores will defer from catalogue, from online, and from store to store. One place will have one policy, and another another. You will be told one thing in one department, and a completely different thing in another. Service is terrible because SEARS MAKES IT TERRIBLE. They do not even try to make sure each department/division of Sears communicates and know the policies. And they don’t pay employees enough to look it up for themselves.
So, I say this to you: DO NOT - I REPEAT, DO NOT - SHOP AT SEARS! DO NOT WORK AT SEARS! DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH SEARS! ESPECIALLY NOT PARTS & SERVICE AND DELIVERY. THOSE ARE, BY FAR, THE WORST DEPARTMENTS EVER.
Lisa says...
A company as huge as Sears ought to have top notch customer service/billing/delivery arrangements. Browsing through the thousands of complaints online was a real turn off today. The Better Business Bureau has been alerted by me.
mobilt bredband says...
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Jason Ballard says...
Point Redemptions are awards and do expire after 1-2 years. Working for Sears for over 10 years I see them bend over backwards to insure people are happy, but I guess you cant make everyone happy.
We all have the same policies in each store I have worked in 5 stores and there all the same. Unless an individual store is going out of their way to give you an extra deal it should all be the same.
There is a Presidents line that can be obtain from the store operator to esculate complaints. Sears is just like any large departments store; they all function at the same level to insure they protect their bottom line. This is a Corporation…. The Bay, WalMart, Zellers, and on…
Braden says...
I hope the following can help prevent at least one person from ever purchasing anything, especially furniture from Sears Canada.
We purchased a number of Natuzzi leather furniture items to furnish our basement. The problems started with delivery - almost a week late. Beyond that, the delivery people would not move the furniture into my basement even though we paid for delivery so I had to enlist my own help to get the furniture out of the hallway of the main floor and into the basement.
It wasn’t too long before the leather started to separate from the foot-rest when the recliner was extended on 2/3 chairs and the sofa. I took it upon myself to just fix it… pulled out my staple gun and problem solved. The real problem started a month or so ago and the hardware for the recliner in the sofa is broken leaving the sofa back always in a reclined position. This furniture gets used only every couple weeks or so whenever we watch movies and I would think that a sofa that is only two years old with minimal use would last longer… especially given the cost.
I submitted a request to Sears online to have someone come out and look at the problem and fix it. I was told there is nothing Sears can do because it was no longer under warranty. Well guess how long the warranty was expired before I reported the problem… yep… 1 WEEK!!!
Again, I complained about how ridiculous it was that they would not stand behind a very expensive product that was only a week beyond warranty. I am told there is nothing they can do and that they have to follow their procedures and policies.
If a company is not willing to look at least a little outside the box and stand behind the product they sell then they should not be in business. The service has been pathetic and rude and this is a huge slap in the face considering the dollars that were spent there only a couple years ago. I will never purchase a single item from Sears and I will do my best to let everyone I can, know that Sears will take every opportunity they can to back out of doing the right thing no matter how much or little you spend.
Clarence Burrall says...
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nits says...
sears delivery is a joke! poor customer service suppose to deliver my mattress between 8 and 12! didn’t show up until 6 30 that evening had to wait around all day, called customer service no one could tell me what time the driver would arrive, will never shop with sears again!!
POffTom says...
So I order a bedroom set from Sears which they delivered on time. However, the two dolts that brought the boxes left a 12 inch scrape on one on of the walls and I mean take-the-paint-off kind of scrape. I managed to get an old 7 foot dresser removed the day before without as much as a scracth and these two brainiacs were working with only a 6 foot box. One of the boxes containing a night table was brought in upside down contrary to the “this side up” markings. They then left all the furniture in boxes even though their website indicates under standard home delivery options that items will be uncrated and packaging would be removed from the home. When I pointed it out to one of the dolts he said that is an extra charge to do anything more with the items. The core delivery service info on their website also stated that bed frames would be assembled. Afte two days of being put on hold, disconnected,transferred between customer service, service, delivery dept, and catalogue service departments I was told that assembly of a bed frame applies to only if you buy a set of bed rails. When I pointed out that you need to have a bed frame to support a headboard I was told it was not aplicable. As for the uncrating and removing of packing materials, the customer “service” rep said they don’t do it for ready to assemble furniture. I told her that it is not RTA but full furniture where she conceded that they should have removed it but was unable to send anyone to do it. She refunded the delivery charge of $65 but I am stuck with having to repaint a wall and cut up lots of cardboard and take it to the dump at my expense. Sears, Never Again!
Patton says...
I worked in Sears (Calgary) as a Department manager for Childrens Wear. I quit after two months because of the Store Manager. They are not fair with either the employees or the customers. Some Incidents which will make other customers aware;
Incident 1
One day I came to office on my off day. The store manager asks why did you come today? I told there was a customer issue who purchased a crib and one of the part is defective. The supplier (Delta) is in US and were closed for the long week end and had reopened only today. I promised the customer that I will call them and arrange the part so I came in.
My store manager says, Why are you doing that? you should give the customer the toll free number and ask him to talk the company.
what!!! you sell and when there is a problem you wah your hands?
it is $400 crib.
Incident 2
Customer orders a play pen which was on good deal. It was supposed to arrive on 18th. After two weeks customer does not receive any call so he calls back and asks us (call is diverted to sales, the new system is that customer calls will not be directed to dock to reduce the pay roll hours in dock)
I see that shipping is arrived on 18th but item missing in store.
Customer comes with his pregnant wife and asks me to replace with a similar product (only color is different) since I am new I ask the store manager what to do.
He says so impertinently “the deal was on the other product not this one” I can give you a discount for the screw up but you ave to pay additionally.
The customer was a Doctor and was so pissed off by the rudeness and unfairness. The store manager gave two choice if you want the alternate pay more or we will give your money back. If you want you can go to BBB and complaint (beleive me this what he said to the customer “if you want you can complain” means you dont care.??)
I was thinking why did i involve this ass”"le store manager when I myself could have done it, now I take back the customer to the floor and aks him to give me one day to solve, he asks me what can I do?
I told him I will find that missing product or will convince my store manager to give this product in further discount. The customer said I know you are trying to help ok I will pay 50% of what he asked let us finish this here.
So i start ringing the sale. When the a****le store manager pops up and asks teh customer “so what have you finally decided” he said this gentlemen (me) we agreed to a compromise of 50%
just in order to save the face of my store manager ego i told him “I didnot inform you that it is the same product but different color”
he told in that case give it for free! (why cant you do that before ass***le? you do it now to show that you are more poerful than me?)
I saw frequently the store manager use one term
“cover your ass”
they will give in to you if thier ass is not covered
if they think thier ass is covered they wont mind if you are an employee or a customer trying to shove a log….
they are just existing to cover thier ass
dont shop in sears unless you really have some strong reason
Mr. Delivery says...
Ask that your delivery charges be refunded.
Patrick Montana says...
SEARS Canada, a Modern Day Sweat Shop
As a telephone sales representative you will have the privilege of earning $10.50/hr
Sears assign a target sale of $100.00/hr
What a justice?
A ratio of almost 10 to 1
They calculate how much time you spend in the phone talking to a client and how much time you take to update the client’s file.
They do not want you to spend too much time in the washroom, or walking around or getting a coffee.
They warn you that your lunch break extended by “2 minutesâ€
They hire “high power†slave drivers, with big whips and magnificent and Gestapo tactics and ideas on how to improve the productivity of the work force as SEARS need more and more of the public’s money at the same time that they do not supply an adequate service.
Their emphasis is on selling at whatever cost, but do not fulfill any promises made to the customers
Patrick Montana says...
SEARS DO NOT KEEP THEIR PROMISES “NO LEMON POLICYâ€
To attract consumer’s cash Sears Canada claims, during contacting clients to sell extended warranties/protection agreements as they call them, as well as in writing in their contract that:
If the customer have 3 major repairs in one year and/or if Sears technicians can not fix your appliances during three visits in the same year, Sears will exchange your appliance with a new one.
Sounds great doesn’t it?
DO NOT BELIEVE IT!
I have received calls from customers who had Sears Service technician repair a washing machine 7 times during the same year without success, the technician calls for the replacement of the washing machine, but Sears will not do it.
Another lady had a problem with her washing machine since June 2011, they ordered the wrong parts, two months later she still without a washing machine.
Sears customer service representative told her to use a “Laundromat†to wash her cloths.
Patrick Montana says...
SEARS DO NOT HONOR THEIR REBATE PROGRAMS
I received several complaints from customers who were promised one form of rebate or another yet they never received them
SEARS believe in making great promises to attarct your money but they will not deliver on their promises.
SEARS promise, in writing, to compensate customers $250.00/year against food loss if the customer buys an extended warranty on a fridge or a freezer.
Those who purchased such warranties and have submitted a claim had to wait from January to August 2011 and their claims are yet to be settled.
Patrick Montana says...
CBC Market Place & SEARS Canada
I contacted CBC MArket Place program twice:
05 January 2011
05 April 2011
I contacted one of the show producers:
Megan Griffith-Greene
She asked me to call her and I did speak with her for about half an hour, then when I haven’t heard back from her I wrote her the following letter
Here’s what I wrote:
It has been a while since we spoke last; I thought of writing to you and giving you an update reference the subject concern:
1.Although the script calls for mentioning to client that in order to redeem their coupon they must purchase at least twice the value, “NO ONE†ever states that on the telephone to the clients.
2.Most of the telephone operators continue to deliberately lie time and time again in saying:
?Sears will give you your money back, instead of stating the fact that sears will reimburse the value of the purchase before taxes only and not in a cash form, rather in a coupon form
?You can buy anything in the store, NOT TRUE, clients can not buy electronics.
?None of the telephone operators state that it is the customer’s responsibility to call Sears within 90 days from the expiration date of the agreement to claim their coupon.
?None of the operators mentioned that the refund will be lost if the customer does not call within 90 days.
3.Although there are those who are responsible for listening on telephone operators calls, never at any moment those listeners commented on lying to clients.
4.On several occasions, I have reported to various supervisors that a coworker is telling lies on the phone; the supervisors’ response was that those responsible for listening will catch them.
5.One supervisor, Ms. Santini stated clearly at the morning meeting to everyone in the morning shift “we do not want you to tell the client that he has to spend twice as much to recover his coupon’s valueâ€
6.Since 95% of the employees in a shift are part time workers, we do not have a fixed assigned place to sit at, rather, first come first served basis, this arrangement allowed me to sit next to various other employees who constantly lie to clients for a complete 5 or 7 hours shift.
7.I attempted to remind people that the clients do not get there money’s back and the clients can not buy anything in the store, they shrug these kinds of comments as if they were totally irrelevant.
8.As we discussed earlier this is about $125K/day of operation (6 days a week) from 9:00 AM till 11:00 PM and yes, there are usually cancellations, mostly due to those who take the time to read thoroughly their contract.
9.Some telephone operators take advantages of the older clients, they border on verbal abuse they attempt to scare them as if they do not take this coverage, their appliances will fall apart and that there is nothing they can do about it.
10.I personally have received several complaints as to how bad Sears’s service is and how they do not honor their warranties, several customers stated that they will never deal with Sears again.
11.There are those who listen on the calls (Nathalie is one of those listeners), but there are no comments against lying to clients and it seems that all methods are encouraged as long as sales keep pouring in.
Megan; I have no vendetta against Sears. I witness injustice being done day in and day out, I am still working for Sears. I do my best in telling the customers the truth and it is their decision to purchase or not, I do not apply pressure or attempt to influence their decision in order to make 4% in commission on sale prices before taxes.
I would like to stay anonymous, I do not seek fame, power or fortune, but I would like to see justice done and to see the Canadian public educated about such injustice.
I do not know of any other place to voice my concern except to CBC Canada, I understand that Sears Canada is an advertiser at your station and that is a factor to consider, however, I believe you do have a responsibility to the Canadian consumer to tell them the truth. PLEASE.
The work force is composed of newly arrived immigrants, mostly Middle Eastern and Haitian, in addition to great number of student who are trying hard to make money.
Those do not have any incentive to tell the truth, I feel bad for them, but this is not the right way to earn money, in my book.
The work force, most of them do not care if they constantly lie to the public.
I am a true minority, maybe I am alone in this, and however, I do feel that I am right, I am willing to testify as I am the only one who complains about these injustices.
I would like to do the right thing and I sincerely hope that CBC Canada is willing to do the right thing for the Canadian public as well.
Call evenings if you would like to discuss this further
Patrick Montana says...
DO NOT BUY PROTECTION AGREEMENT
Protection Agreement, What Sears operators will never tell you over the phone while attempting to sell it to you:
1.Q. What is the criterion to qualify for the payback coupon?
If you have made 0 claims (including Annual Preventative Maintenance check ups) throughout the duration of your Protection/Repair Agreement, the customer will be eligible for a coupon for the full price paid (less taxes) of the plan that was purchased.
2.Q. Is there a minimum purchase required to redeem the Protection Agreement coupon?
Yes. The coupon must be redeemed on any one transaction being at least twice the value (excluding taxes) of the coupon.
3.Q. How long do I have to redeem the coupon?
You have 90 days following the expiration of your Protection/Repair agreement to redeem your coupon.
4.Q. Can the Payback coupon be used at any Sears location?
The coupon may be redeemed at any Sears department store, Sears Home store, Sears Décor store, Sears Appliance and Mattress store, or Sears Dealer store.
5.Q. Are there any restrictions to coupon redemption?
Yes. The coupon will NOT be accepted at Sears Outlet/Liquidation stores, or towards any purchase of electronics, purchases in licensed departments, purchases of services through Sears Home Central, or purchases through Sears’s catalogue or on sears.ca.
6.Q. How do I receive my coupon?
The customer must call 1-800-361-6665 following the expiration of their Protection/Repair Agreement. The coupon will then be mailed to the customer.
NOTE: It is the responsibility of the customer to call for coupon redemption.
7.Q. What if I don’t receive my coupon before the 90 day redemption window?
After the 90 day redemption period, the coupon amount will be forfeited.
8.Q. What if I forget to redeem my coupon?
ANY unredeemed coupon amounts will be forfeited without notice to the customer.
9.Q. Can I receive cash for the value of the coupon?
No. The coupon ahs no cash value and cannot be applied toward previous purchases.
10.Q. Can I use the coupon toward Protection/Repair agreement renewal? No.
11.Q. Can I use the coupon to make a payment on my Sears Account? No
Associate Related
12.Q. Is this payback feature available on ALL Protection/Repair agreements? Yes except HVAC
13.Q. Is the payback feature available on both 3 and 5 year agreements Yes
14.Q. Will there be a price increase to the Protection/Repair agreements for the launch of this trial? Yes. Some pricing inconsistencies will be addressed as well as some small price increases.
15.Q. Will the point of sale certificates be changing?
No. During the trial period, you will use the same point of sale material. An addendum to the terms and conditions on the POS material will be sent to the store before the September 1, 2009 launch date. Please insert this supplement in to your POS certificate
16.Q. Will ALL corporate store channels be participating in this trial? Yes.
17.Q. Will the payback feature be offered on Protection/Repair Agreement renewals? No.
18.Q. Will the payback feature be offered through the telemarketing centre should the sales associate not sell the Protection Agreement? No. Sales associate has the FULL advantage to sell
19.Q. What if a customer purchased a Protection/Repair agreement before the launch of the payback feature and would now like to exchange their PA?
A. Customers calling within 30 days of purchasing a regular Protection/Repair agreement will be redirected to the store. However, it must be made clear to the customer that the pricing for the Protection/Repair Agreement will have changed.
20.Q. Will the customer be reminded if the payback features when they call in to book a service call? Yes. Q. Does a warranty call disqualify the customer for coupon eligibility? No.
Patrick Montana says...
SEARS CANADA Customer Service Managers Can’t Handle the truth
If you work for this lousy so called shame of a business run by idiots and retarded society drop outs who failed in all they tried except this losers paradise, don’t tell them that customers are unhappy due to no-service and/or the poor services they received from SEARS Canada, don’t tell them that customers are unhappy with demented customer service, they will consider your comments as “negativityâ€
They rather shoot the messenger than admit to the reality and the truth of the lowest quality service on the face of this earth, the lack of understanding of what the real problems are. They believe that if they hide their head in the sand, no one will be able to see them and if they ignore the problems they will go away.
If you google Sears Sucks, you’ll get 390,000 results and dozens of web sites listing endless horror stories, SEARS CANADA you have FAILED MISERABLEY!!!
SEARS CANADA Customer Service Managers Can’t Handle the TRUTH!!!!
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Reem says...
I hate sears too. I bought an upright fan in toronto and then had to return it in ottawa because I found the air on high speed wasn’t strong enough. So I went to return and they refused saying it was open and they had to charge me a 20% re-stocking fee. Yes, there were signs in the Ottawa store regarding their return policy, but nothing in Toronto so like what the heck. The manager came and told us the same thing. We are like this doesn’t make sense, how am I supposed to know what it is like before buying it since there is no floor model. She said she can give me the full amount on a sears card but will expire in 1 year. I don’t buy much from sears so I refused. I then went to another store and re-packaged it exactly as it was when I got it. I told him it was unused and I found it at a cheaper price elsewhere and he returned it no questions asked. I don’t like lying but this is absurd and I know to never shop there again.
Patrick Montana says...
Quebec customers are smart
SEARS is having hard time selling “extended warranties†and “protection agreements†to Quebec residents, as they are one of the best educated against consumer fraud thanks to consumer protection TV shows on the French channels.
DO NOT BUY:
Extended warranties from SEARS
Protection agreements from SEARS
They’re worthless; they’re not worth the papers that they printed on
Patrick Montana says...
Sears used to “promise†to have an “annual free inspection†associated with the Protection Agreement or the extended warranty programs to entice consumers to buy.
NO MORE
SEARS finally figured out that these promises are useless, customers were having hard time getting SEARS technicians to honor these inspections, in addition to these inspections are meaningless to begin with, so now it is over:
NO MORE FREE ANNUAL INSPECTIONS
Patrick Montana says...
1. Although the script calls for mentioning to client that in order to redeem their coupon they must purchase at least twice the value, “NO ONE†ever states that on the telephone to the clients.
2. Most of the telephone operators continue to deliberately lie time and time again in saying:
-Sears will give you your money back, instead of stating the fact that sears will reimburse the value of the purchase before taxes only and not in a cash form, rather in a coupon form
-You can buy anything in the store, NOT TRUE, clients can not buy electronics.
-None of the telephone operators state that it is the customer’s responsibility to call Sears within 90 days from the expiration date of the agreement to claim their coupon.
-None of the operators mentioned that the refund will be lost if the customer does not call within 90 days.
3. Although there are those who are responsible for listening on telephone operators calls, never at any moment those listeners commented on lying to clients.
4.On several occasions, I have reported to various supervisors that a coworker is telling lies on the phone; the supervisors’ response was that those responsible for listening will catch them.
5. One supervisor stated clearly at the morning meeting to everyone in the morning shift “we do not want you to tell the client that he has to spend twice as much to recover his coupon’s valueâ€
Patrick Montana says...
I have no vendetta against Sears. I witness injustice being done day in and day out; I am still working for Sears. I do my best in telling the customers the truth and it is their decision to purchase or not, I do not apply pressure or attempt to influence their decision in order to make 3% in commission on sale prices before taxes.
The work force is composed of newly arrived immigrants, mostly Middle Eastern and Haitian, in addition to great number of student who are trying hard to make money.
Those do not have any incentive to tell the truth, I feel bad for them, but this is not the right way to earn money, in my book.
The work force, most of them do not care if they constantly lie to steal the public’m money and feed it to SEARS.
Patrick Montana says...
SEARS DO NOT HONOR THEIR REBATE PROGRAMS
I received several complaints from customers who were promised one form of rebate or another yet they never received them
SEARS believe in making great promises to attract your money but they will not deliver on their promises.
SEARS promise, in writing, to compensate customer’s $250.00/year against food loss if the customer buys an extended warranty on a fridge or a freezer.
Those who purchased such warranties and have submitted a claim had to wait from January to August 2011 and their claims are yet to be settled.
Patrick Montana says...
To attract consumer’s cash Sears Canada claims, during contacting clients to sell extended warranties/protection agreements as they call them, as well as in writing in their contract that:
If the customer have 3 major repairs in one year and/or if Sears technicians can not fix your appliances during three visits in the same year, Sears will exchange your appliance with a new one.
Sounds great doesn’t it?
DO NOT BELIEVE IT!
I have received calls from customers who had Sears Service technician repair a washing machine 7 times during the same year without success, the technician calls for the replacement of the washing machine, but Sears will not do it.
Another lady had a problem with her washing machine since June 2011, they ordered the wrong parts, two months later she still without a washing machine.
Sears customer service representative told her to use a “Laundromat†to wash her cloths.
Patrick Montana says...
Sears as an employer is awful. At the call centers, they shift people around all the time, they underpay everyone, and they “merge†jobs. So, instead of doing the job you were hired for, you’re now Delivery/Customer Service/HVAC/ETC for the same amount of money. Raises are crap (10 cents to 25 cents a year). And they even froze wages for a while. They closed down the whole Regina call center and laid off almost all of the catalogue people in Belleville to outsource to the Philippines. The rules and regulations change on a daily basis, and you’re constantly being reprimanded for not following the new rules when you haven’t been told them. People’s hours vary; you could be part-time working 40 hours a week during Christmas, and then after Christmas you can be working eight hours in two weeks. And don’t get me started on the Philippine employees - they have taken over catalogue sales. Try calling them. You’ll think your order was put through, but because they don’t know what they’re doing, the employee will VOID the order instead. Or they will purchase six couches instead of one. It is CUSTOMER SERVICE that has to deal with those repercussions. The management doesn’t even try to take employees’ opinions before making major changes in the system that make your job 10 times harder. And on top of that, everyone is paid so poorly whilst being yelled at all day by customers that they don’t really give a crap about the job. What EVERYONE says is that they like the people they work with, but NOT THE JOB. And definetely not the supervisors who lack in education and manners.
zed purlins says...
speak soon
STELL says...
UNBELIEVABLE!!! has anyone ever gotten through to their “Customer Service” Department!! I have literally spent the whole day waiting for on the phone for a customer service rep to pick up the phone which tells me that they are FLOODED with calls because their appliances are CRAP! it also tells me that they don’t care about their customers! I’ve been waiting ALL day for a Repair man to get here to fix my faulty KENMORE fridge which I highly recommend AGAINST purchasing! I have wasted so many days waiting for the Repair man to show up. He was supposed to come between 10 and 2. He never showed! WOW! Aren’t they respectful of their customers? BEWARE! Do not buy from Sears; it will cost you in lost income. Their policy states they don’t compensate for lost income… of course not, they’d be bankrupt! Who knows how many millions $ (cumulative) their customers have lost in income (taking days off) waiting and waiting. They really need to clean up their act.
Needanotherjob says...
I work at Sears and I hate them. The only thing that they care about is “rapid credits”. We are hounded by our managers to get people to open up credit cards that they can not afford. Many employees do lie to get them just so they can get $4 for each one that you open, or to keep team leads off of your back. As for policy, if you make an ass of yourself at the counter, then you usually get whatever you want. I try to treat everyone the same and go by the rules, but if a manager is called they don’t want to be bothered and just give in…which makes me look like a fool after I have just spent 20 minutes saying NO!!
flor says...
As for the expiery of the rewards card. Yes it can expire. It is not a gift card but a rewards cad. There is a diffrence. As for Chase Bank owning Sears. BS. They don’t. They manage the credit card part.. thats it.. The rewards points are still Sears owned, (allthough Chase has always been good to me, and given me points Sears did not. They just dont have acces to the rewards cards, so I suggest if you got short changed on points, call Chase) as well as the store. All Chase does is give credit. If you got charged too much… call sears. If you have a problem with the rewards card… Call Sears rewards department (on back of card)… If you got charged interest when you should not have been (I.E. special plan. Buy now pay later etc) call Chase (number on the credit card)
Needanotherjob says...
FLor, you are mistaken, Chase owns ALL of Sears Canada not just the credit portion. Which is why the return policies changed when they took over.
joi says...
Sears do SUCK… has anyone noticed the amount of interest one has to pay on a purchase. they are ripping off the consumers with what they are calling daily interest calculations. I am ina battle with them over an interest accumaltion of $2.84. It might seem trivial, but the account has been cleared even before the billing date or due date and they have the nerve to send me a bill with an outstanding amount. The service reps that they have on staff, don’t know what customer service is all about. As with any canadian company that has been taken over by a US company, check out the level of customer service and you will find the standard very poor.
Sears is a SCAM says...
I WISH I had seen this forum BEFORE i purchased a dishwasher from Sears. I was under the impression Sears had the best C/S in the country and they stood by their products. NOT SO.
I bought a Kenmore (made by Bosch) dishwasher in May 2011. By August 2011 it just stopped working completely. I called C/S on August 21 and was told I had to wait a week for a technician. The day he was supposed to come I get a call saying they “overbooked” and I was to wait - not a day but another WEEK.
He comes and says its the control panel and the water pump. He’ll be back IN A WEEK to fix it. He comes again the following week and says he has the wrong part. We have to wait ANOTHER WEEK for him to come back.
From this point on we wait 3-4 weeks for him to come because Sears can’t get their act together and continuously cancel our appointments. Its a new excuse every time - the tech was sick, we overbooked, they “just can’t get one out there”. Each time we find out the day of. I spend 20 min at a time on hold waiting to speak to the c/s. I’m told i’m on a “do not cancel” list but they cancel. It’s a joke.
Their reps are rude. I was told by one rep that waiting 4 weeks for a repair is “actually quick for Sears”. I was also told by that rep that I was taken by the Salesman because “Bosch isn’t very good”! Can you believe it?
Finally the tech comes to fix our dishwasher on October 4th and claims it is complete. Not a week later it is not functioning! Same problem as before. He didn’t fix it. Do you think Sears c/s cares? NO!
I call and am told they will send someone out to fix it. I have to wait a week of course! There is no rush on my item (even though I’ve been waiting since August!). They WILL NOT send a replacement, that’s not their policy. They choose to prolong the process and fix the item (and continue to fix it if it breaks) as long as the tech says it can be fixed. That’s their policy!
When I asked, “what if this was your dishwasher and you had spent $600 only to wash dishes for 2 months, how would you feel?” Her response: “I’d be ok with. I have a broken washer and i just go to the laundromat and I don’t mind!” Really! Is that what Sears expects? We buy an appliace and hope it works but if not, that’s ok too! It’s crazy!
So now I’m waiting for the tech to arrive for November 2nd. I won’t hold my breath that he’ll show up, and if he does I doubt he’ll fix it. Sears is such a scam. They don’t care about their customers, or at least not me.
When I told them I would never purchase another item from Sears I was told, “That’s your choice”. They don’t care about us. I’ve never experienced anything like this before.
Walmart as so much better. I bought a vaccuum cleaner their. Had no receipt and it was used for 1 year. It stopped working. I sent 1 email to c/s and received a phone call that week. The manager said he would give me half of my money back to give toward another vacuum. It was wonderful because I had no proof I bought it there but they still wanted to accommodate me. That is caring about your customer.
After countless phone calls to customer service, 2 emails to their c/s department and 2 hand written letters to corporate customer service, I have yet to receive any care or concern from this pathetic excuse for a company.
I WILL NEVER SHOP THERE AGAIN! BUYERS BEWARE!
Fystrated customer........... says...
Purchased through Sears catalogue three pairs of slippers. Was charged 1.25$ twice and 11.75$. Was not impressed with their customer service…..
Lots of bla,bla,bla,… but made no sence. Have distroyed my famous sears credit card and hope more do the same………
PS RETURNED ALL THREE PAIRS OF SLIPPERS……
Bait & Switch says...
Just finished getting off the phone with Sears “Customer Service” after yet another catalogue order arrived as a ‘bait-and-switch’. I bought a pair of winter boots, received a cheery confirmation e-mail assuring that the item was in stock, and when the box arrived there was a different pair of boots inside and — to add insult to injury — they weren’t even the same size. The only similarity was that they were brown. And what a surprise — Sears “Customer Service” advises that the original boots I ordered are no longer in stock.
This sort of bait-and-switch approach — substituting one item for another — has happened twice before in the last 12 months. Super freaking frustrating. Why not simply call or e-mail the customer, and advise with apologies that the original item is no longer available? Disappointing, maybe, but far less of a pain in the a$$ than having to deal with ‘Customer Service’ and return items, haggle for the return of the shipping fee, etc.
Fool me once, shame on me; fool me twice . . . etc. Lost my business.
swagaholic says...
Sears Holdings Corporation owns Sears Canada Inc.
NOT chase bank.
Rose says...
I agree that Sears, along with many other companies, have huge rip-offs. Most of the stock at Sears is vastly overpriced and it’s overpriced so that they can have it continuously on sale so that consumers believe they are getting a good deal when really they aren’t. Being that I work for Sears, I can tell you I am no fan of the politics that are involved working for them.
That said, and this is not in their defence but so that you are informed: It has now been made against the law to put expiry dates on gift cards and this has been in effect for, I believe, 2 years. HOWEVER, this does not apply to rewards cards. Rewards cards are just that: Rewards cards. They are NOT gift cards. When you redeem your points at any Sears location, you are given, not a gift card, but a rewards card which says directly on it that it expires in 6 months. I always tell the customers this when I issue them. I can’t speak for other cashiers. However, whether or not you are told about this, it is perfectly legal for Sears to place expiry dates on these cards. You MUST use them within 6 months, and Sears does not have to, and nor can we, extend the dates on these cards for you.
Sears is not owned by Chase Manhattan. However, Sears financial cards are handled by Chase Manhattan. If you have a problem regarding your financial card or wish to know your balance, you must call them. Sears employees cannot handle these problems for you.
It is recommended with any purchases you make, no matter where you make them, that you keep records of your transactions. You may feel as much as you want that you are being ripped off by Sears when they tell you they are unable to return an item or honour a warranty because you have no proof of purchase BUT you must see things from the company’s point of view. The company is a regular victim of fraud and theft. It must protect its own interests. Many people have and do take items to the till that they have not purchased and try to return or exchange them. Many people try to return items to the store after they have damaged them. I have had customers try to return things to us that were not bought at any Sears location. Myself and other employees do what we can to work with customers who seem to have a legitimate problem and express patience and understanding in our limitations. With manager approval, we can sometimes do a no-reciept return, but this must be done with consent from a manager and we cannot return full price. You may be angry that Sears couldn’t honour a warranty due to the fact that you did not have a reciept, but you also need to be level-headed and realise that this is not a matter of Sears trying to sham you. Keep your reciepts and we will do what we can to help out.
Sears Catalogue and Sears stores are essentially two seperate entities. The stores do not carry the same stock as the catalogue, and vice versa. Prices and availability will vary.
All Sears should have something called the Voice of the Customer. They are slips of paper where you can leave comments and review the customer service you were given today. You can ask for them at any customer service desk. These are handed in to management. Of course, your paper may not make it to management. I would suggest if you have a problem with a particular store, you look up the number and ask the receptionist to put you through to a manager so you can discuss your complaint with them.
In regards to your experience with Sears Travel, I would definately say that you were misled, and in that situation I would recommend making a complaint. I would have spoken to a manager and requested compensation, or filed a lawsuit. Be aware, though, that that issue was the fault of the person who misinformed you. Don’t blame Sears as a whole because of one employee.
You could probably look for contact information for Sears higher-ups. If you are polite and discuss your problems without being aggressive, repeated mentions of a problem may overtime get a response. I don’t know, because I don’t work at that level. I would let them know that for best customer service they need to stop cutting back employee’s hours, have more people out on the floor, and provide employees with good pay and benefits.
Rose says...
“The management doesn’t even try to take employees’ opinions before making major changes in the system that make your job 10 times harder. And on top of that, everyone is paid so poorly whilst being yelled at all day by customers that they don’t really give a crap about the job.”
Patrick, I so agree with this comment. I get abused all day by angry customers and I always just want to tell them, “Excuse me, I make minimium wage and work part-time. Go yell at someone else and like, no, it’s not my job to pick up after you while you throw clothes all over the floor.” Gets me so angry some days.
And as far as the rules always changing. Just see me rolling my eyes. I’m not a fan of this new black and white rule we’re doing for the holidays. Everyone went out and bought black and white tops then got told that we have to wear a solid white shirt with solid black. After everyone already bought new clothes, we were told that cream isn’t actually white, but we can wear something called “winter white.” Yesterday was the first day it went in effect and do you know what I wore? A men’s extra large dress shirt I bought for a dollar in clearance. I’m a 97 lb. lady so you can imagine what this looked like on me. Yes, I did it just for kicks.
Stefanie says...
I can’t believe how much I hate Sears. We had a carpet cleaner that worked fine. Sears called us to tell us our warranty was about to expire, would we like a free maintenance on our unit? We politely declined, and they called us again. We thought – what the heck, it’s free, and clearly they want to give it to us. Yeah. They gave it to us…
That was on June 9, 2011.
August – we called Sears requesting a status update on our unit. They said a part was on back order.
September – same thing.
October – same thing.
November – same thing.
This was when I started to get mad. (Am I being unreasonable?)
I called 3 weeks ago, and talked to someone who was going to ‘expedite’ the missing part – aka (and the representative agreed with me on this when I called her back after she failed to call me back…) that some piece of paper work got misplaced and my unit was collecting dust in some back corner of a warehouse. I suggested that Sears offer me a free carpet cleaning of my home to make up for the 5.5 months I haven’t had a steamcleaner (we have dogs, and we DON’T let stains accumulate when they happen. However, bottle stain removers don’t work as well), as well as having the unit delivered to my house as opposed to having to pick it up. They said they would call me back.
They didn’t.
At this point, I have been on the phone with more employees than I can count. (Only one of these reps has been any kind of help, and it’s not even their department that covers this). I have been offered a gift certificate for $50 – which was originally supposed to be $25 – and that’s it. No follow up of delivery from the people who DO deliveries, incredibly rude staff for the most part, and I was transferred from carpet cleaning, to customer service to the cell phone of a carpet cleaner technician today – while trying to reach some form of manager. It was so frustrating I actually started to cry – which was, of course, humiliating.
I will never. Ever. Buy anything from Sears again.
I will cancel my long distance plan with Sears.
I will cancel my credit card with Sears.
I will tell everyone I know about my horrible experience with Sears.
I will make sure that people don’t go through what I went through.
Hours of my life have been wasted by Sears. Here’s $50 for your trouble.
Screw you, Sears. Screw you.
PS – when I talk to someone (if they call back…) tomorrow, I will tell them about this website and make it clear that this comment is up on this website.
I hate Sears.
Disgruntled Canadian says...
I have a warning for anyone who is considering purchasing a bed from Sears. Dont waste your time when it comes to the supposed provided warranty. We had purchased a Memory Foam King size bed ($2400.00 CDN) and after three years the bed areas were degraded and there was a 2.5″ depression on the sleep contact spots from my wife and myself. After calling Sears to check their amazing 25 year warranty they sent an individual out to inspect the issue. WE were contacted by thier illustrious warranty department and told there was not any warranty offered due a stain on the mattress……..again, sleep country will stand behind their producdts so yes dont waste your efforts.
Disgruntled ex customer, Calgary Alberta
Minority says...
WoW. I seem to be in the minority here. I have purchased furniture, appliances ..etc… you name it.. from Sears for years, and the only item I was not pleased with was the microwave I recently purchased.. meh.. thats my fault for going with the cheap model, and could have happened at any store.
years back, my son when he was quite little, decided he wanted to see what was in the arm of our living room chair at that point it was about a year old .. so he cut into it with scissors.. we had taken out a warranty on it, and they honored it completely.. and yea, I told them exactly what happened… they replaced the chair with a brand new chair. no questions asked. had a crisper drawer break on my new fridge..and a problem with the seal.. guy was out and had it fixed right away.. same with my washer.. I just recently renewed extended warranty on my washer and dryer and I did it because I have had nothing but good experiences with their technicians..
No issues with my mattresses either.. my son is now using our first matress.. mint condition and 11 years old! we just had it replaced last year and the employee that helped us pick it out was patient and courteous. Not sure where you all are shopping, but no problems in the Ottawa area.. tip on mattresses.. cover them up.. buy a water proof mattress pad.. saves you alot of grief..
No issues with returns either.. ever.. In fact, I have a pair of boots and slippers due in on Friday.. I will try them on at the pick up centre and if they don’t fit.. I send them back.. no biggie..
DB says...
On Sunday Dec 17, I ordered a dishwasher from SEARS was on sale. I ordered it on the phone. The saleslady noted on their system to call customer on cell when the machine arrives on Wednesday Dec 21. I got no call on Wednesday or Thursday. On Friday I went to the store with a flyier in hand that advertised better deals for Boxing Day, with the thought that I would change my order. The saleslady told me that I would have to pay a restocking fee of 10%, and then return on Monday to order the other dishwasher. I got upset that the service as I knew it was so lousy. I talked to the store manager and she would not budge. The manager gave me number to call claiming she had no authority over their faulty return policy. I told the the machine was never in my possession, and they charged my credit credit card when order was made and from there they count 72 hours to return an item. I only requested an exchange for the better deal.
I called the number and the lady told me that it’s up to the store, but they will put a request to have my $50.00 returned with the condition that I buy another item. I don’t think that I want to buy a dishwasher from Sears anymore, but the lady on the phone she informed me that it was a condition to return my money. I have a bad taste in my mouth. I do honest work to earn $50, I am so dissapointed. SEARS stole $50 from me.
This is outregous and unacceptable.
Patrick Montana says...
SEARS, the end is near, Sears stock down 23%, Sears announced the closure of 120 stores
Sears, what goes around comes around
Sears slaes forces are robbing people out of their money and providing lousy or no service in its place, Sears people lie to their teeth about so caled “protection agreement†or “extra warranty’ or “maintenance agreement†that are not worth the papers they printed on.
Sears pay their sweat shops labourers $10.50 an hour and insist that they make at least $100.00 of sales per hour, if the customer refuses to purchase you have to “counter argue†at least twice and the “Gestabo†style ignorant/retarded supervisors have to listen 5 times at least per week to their associates and criticise their performances time and again.
Sears gift cards expires in 6 or 12 months, it is written in fine prints on the back of the card contrary to Canadian laws, but most customers are robbed of their hard earned cash each and every day by Sears such that Sears can steal their money.
Sears work environment is a perfect loosers paradise, any ignorant uneducated unemployable person can push telephoe sales at Sears and lies over the phone to customers and sell them lies and deceiptful fabrications to make a lousy 3% commission to suplement their lousy $10.50/hour.
Sears tell you if we can’t fix a “major problem†with an appliance that has a so caled ‘protection agreement†or “extra warranty’ or “maintenance agreementâ€, that if they can’t fix it Sears will exchange the appliance with a new one NOT TRUE
Sears tell you that you get your money back if you do not use the service NOT TRUE
Sears tell you that you can buy anything in the store NOT TRUE
Sears tell you that every thing is covered under your “protection agreement†or “extra warranty’ or “maintenance agreementâ€. NOT TRUE
Sears takes first prize on employing the most incomptent work force ever assembeled on the face of the earth, the best liers/slave drivers/ignorant/uneducated are promoted to supervisors and get paid $17.00/hr to teach other how to lie and make sales under false pretenses.
Sears the end is near, the time has come that you disintegrate like a parasite you and your dishonest workers are.
Patrick Montana says...
Sears to close 100 to 120 Kmart, Sears stores
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Sears Holdings Corp. plans to close between 100 and 120 Sears and Kmart stores after poor sales during the holidays, the most crucial time of year for retailers.
The closings are the latest and most visible in a long series of moves to try to fix a retailer that has struggled with falling sales and shabby stores.
In an internal memo Tuesday to employees, CEO and President Lou D’Ambrosio said that the retailer had not “generated the results we were seeking during the holiday.”
Sears Holdings Corp. said it has yet to determine which stores will close but said it will post on http://www.searsmedia.com when a final list is compiled. Sears would not discuss how many, if any, jobs would be cut.
The company has more than 4,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada. Its stock fell $7.88, or 17 per cent, to US$37.97 in Tuesday trading.
Patrick Montana says...
The store closures do not apply to Sears Canada Inc. (TSX:SCC.TO - News), the U.S. retailer’s Toronto-based subsidiary which has been streamlining and making other moves under a new leadership team to help reverse recent losses.
Last month, Sears Canada laid off about 70 employees at its head office in downtown Toronto as the retailer works to overcome a loss of nearly $47 million in its latest quarter.
In the U.S., Sears Holdings’ revenue at stores open at least a year fell 5.2 per cent to date for the quarter at both Sears and Kmart, the company said Tuesday. That includes the critical holiday shopping period.
Sears Holdings said the declining sales, ongoing pressure on profit margins and rising expenses pulled its adjusted earnings lower. The company predicts fourth-quarter adjusted earnings will be less than half the $933 million it reporter for the same quarter last year.
Sears Holdings also anticipates a non-cash charge of $1.6 billion to $1.8 billion in the quarter to write off the value of carried-over tax deductions it now doesn’t expect to be profitable enough to use.
Sears said it will no longer prop up “marginally performing” stores in hopes of improving their performance and will now concentrate on cash-generating stores.
“These actions will better enable us to focus our investments on serving our customers,” D’Ambrosio said.
The weaker-than-expected performance reflect what analysts say is a deteriorating outlook for the retailer.
The results point to “deepening problems at this struggling chain and renewed worries about Sears survivability,” said Gary Balter, an analyst at Credit Suisse. “The extent of the weakness may be larger than expected but the reasons behind it are not. It begins and some would argue ends with Sears’ reluctance to invest in stores and service.”
The company has seen rival department stores like Macy’s Inc. and discounters like Target Corp. continue to steal customers. It’s also contending with a stronger Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, which has hammered hard its low-price message and brought back services like layaway, which allows financially stressed shoppers to finance their holiday purchases by paying a little at a time.
The tough economy hasn’t helped, either. Middle-income shoppers, the company’s core customers, have seen their wages fail to keep up with higher costs for household basics like food.
But the big problem, analysts say, is Sears hasn’t invested in remodeling, leaving its stores uninviting.
“There’s no reason to go to Sears,” said New York-based independent retail analyst Brian Sozzi, “It offers a depressing shopping experience and uncompetitive prices.”
Sears Holdings Corp., based in Hoffman Estates, Ill., said that the store closings will generate $140 to $170 million in cash from inventory sales. The retailer expects the sale or sublease of real estate holdings to add more cash.
Sears Holdings appeared to stumble early in the holiday season, as it opened its Sears, Roebuck and Co. stores at 4 a.m. on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Rivals including Best Buy Co., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Toys R Us opened as early as Thanksgiving night. Sears stores had opened on Thanksgiving Day in 2010. Kmart has been opening on Thanksgiving for years.
A hint that trouble might be brewing came in mid-December when Sears Holdings unexpectedly announced that 260 of its Sears, Roebuck and Co. locations would stay open until midnight through Dec. 23.
Kmart’s 4.4 per cent decline in revenue at stores open at least a year was blamed on diminished layaways and a drop in clothing and consumer electronics sales. Part of Kmart’s layaway softness likely stemmed from competitive pressure. Wal-Mart had said that its holiday layaway business had been popular. Toys R Us expanded its layaway services to include more items. Kmart’s grocery sales climbed during the period.
Sears cited lacklustre consumer electronics and home appliance sales for its 6 per cent dropoff. Sears’ clothing sales were flat. Sales of Lands’ End products at Sears stores rose in the mid-single digits.
Sears Holdings said it also plans to lower its fixed costs by $100 million to $200 million and trim its 2012 peak domestic inventory by $300 million from 2011’s $10.2 billion at the third quarter’s end.
D’Ambrosio acknowledged in his internal memo that criticism over Sears Holdings’ performance was likely to come, but that the company was prepared for the days ahead.
At Sears Canada, the company said its recent job losses affected some middle and senior management. In total, the company has more than 30,000 employees, of which about a third are full-time staff.
The Canadian retailer has made major changes to its executive team in an effort to overcome lagging sales in recent quarters as more consumers opt to spend their money elsewhere, and retailers ramp up competition ahead of the entry of newcomer Target Corp. into the Canadian marketplace.
In July, the company brought in Calvin McDonald, a former executive at Loblaw Companies (TSX:L), to take the reins as chief executive.
Sears Canada also hired Steven Goldsmith, who worked as executive vice-president of the online division of Limited Brands Inc., to come in as its executive vice-president of merchandising.
Sears Canada posted a net loss of $46.6 million in the three months ended Oct. 30, down from a profit of $20.8 million a year ago. On a per share basis, losses were 44 cents compared to a profit of 19 cents. Same-store sales fell 7.8 per cent over the same period last year.
The company, which is 92 per cent owned by Sears Holdings, has 196 corporate stores, 280 hometown dealer stores and 1,700 catalogue merchandise pick-up locations across Canada.
It also operates 108 Sears Travel offices and a country-wide home maintenance, repair, and installation network.
With files from The Canadian Press
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Linea Strom says...
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RateMyEmployer.ca says...
Sears Canada:
http://www.ratemyemployer.ca/employer/employer.aspx?empID=841&l=en
Joe says...
I HATE SEARS CANADA. I want to start by saying that this has been the worst customer service experience of my entire life!!! I got jerked around by Sears too many times. I bought a sofa on December 1st, they ran out of stock and couldn’t deliver the sofa until January 28th. I take the 28th off to wait for the sofa, then get a call on the 28th about my sofa not even being in their distribution center, and that it would take at least another 2 weeks! So 2 more weeks of watching TV while lying down on the floor. I call the salesperson in Brossard (Micheline whatever her last name is) who sold me the sofa to voice my displeasure, and she promises I will be compensated and will contact me back in 3 days to let me know if they can expedite the delivery. Three days pass, and I never get contacted. I eventually decide I want to cancel my order out of principle, and I travel from Toronto to show up in person at the store because I’m getting nowhere via telephone. I ask Micheline what happened to her promise of compensating me, and contacting me to resolve the problem. She has the audacity to lie to my face and claim she never said she would call me. Alas, this was just one of too many lies Sears made to me over the course of this hellish experience. Two weeks later, my reimbursement never appears on my Visa. I called last week to ask what the story was, and they told me that they had just processed it the day before, and should appear within 48 hours. I’ve been calling them for the past 2 weeks, and I keep getting the same answer saying “oh, the person you spoke with was mistaken because they didn’t have the right access in the system - the payment was actually processed yesterday and you’ll see it within 48 hours”. I still haven’t received my money. Is this some kind of sick twisted joke??? This is easily the worst customer service experience I’ve ever had in my life. I will never set foot in a Sears store again. And I will tell my story to every single person I ever meet to ensure nobody I come across ever sets foot in a Sears store again. I will ensure Sears Canada goes bankrupt. This has now become my life’s sole purpose.
Sem says...
Sears Club Points Redemption cards expire 6 months after redemption and there is a large sticker on the front of the cards that specifies that. Chase is the financial company for Sears Credit Cards which would also indicate they have set the expiration date for points redemption reward cards not Sears. Sears is currently undergoing major changes which include lowering prices on approximately 5000 products and also focusing on better customer service. Every store does have it’s own staff and personalities will vary. Unfortunately, this will cause variations in customer service per store
RateMyEmployer.ca says...
Patrick Montana says…
December 28, 2011 at 1:55 pm
The store closures do not apply to Sears Canada Inc. (TSX:SCC.TO - News), the U.S. retailer’s Toronto-based subsidiary which has been streamlining and making other moves under a new leadership team to help reverse recent losses. …
HA HA HA, more lies from Sears!
Sears Canada to close three stores
http://business.financialpost.com/2012/03/02/sears-canada-to-close-three-stores/
Sears Canada:
http://www.ratemyemployer.ca/employer/employer.aspx?empID=841&l=en
page23 says...
does anyone actually know the address for complaints about a sears location. I have looked everywheres even asked at a sears store and was only given a phone number which is no good. Who does one actually write tooÉ
Cecile says...
While I understand how Sears can definately screw things up, I also realize that there are many positives. I am an employee of Sears. I have had my number of issues as well, but I also see the way my co-workers serve there customers and how I treat mine. I have the highest respect for the direction the company is going and how much the associates and store management go to bat for the customers. The new CEO Calvin MacDonald is really taking the store in a more customer oriented direction and that wouldn’t be happening if the customer complaints weren’t being given the highest priority. If anyone has read the latest survay on the worst company for service in Canada, you’ll notice the top three are WalMart, Canadian Tire, and Zellars. I have never had a good experience at these stores, there staff know absolutely nothing and thats if you can find someone to begin with. Sears has staff available everywhere. I wish people would not go on and on about pointless stuff and saying how much they hate a company. Truely, if you’ve had this many problems, why even bother? And yet you keep going back? Why? And, in a footnote, the points redemption cards are not gift cards, and there is a sticker right on the front, not printed in small writing, saying that they expire in 6 months, just read it!
Janet Bingham says...
I hate, loathe and despise Sears. In October of 2011, there was a bra sale at the Belleville store. I puchased four bras and paid cash. It was very busy, with little space to move around and so regretably, I did not take the time to open the boxes to make sure that the bras inside where the same ones that were illustrated on the box fronts. That was my mistake. When I arrived home, I found that two of the bras were correct but the other two were not only different bras but the wrong sizes. The following day I returned to the Belleville store with my receipt and explained what had happened. The girl at the cash said that Sears was all sold out of the bras that I wanted, but they were on order and would arrive within two weeks. She filled out a form and gave me a slip to pick up the bras. I was told that I would be telephoned. When I hadn’t received a call in three weeks, I telephoned Sears and was told that the bras hadn’t arrived yet. I called twice during the following two weeks and was once again told that they hadn’t arrived. Each time that I called, I kept a record of the dates, times and people whom I spoke with. When I continued to receive this message by the New Year, the Sears rep became very agitated with me and said that I would be notified when the product arrived in their store and not to bother calling them. Finally in March (5 months after the original purchase) I received a call from Sears saying that my bras had been ‘misplaced’ and I had 10 days to pick them up or they would be put back on the shelf. The following day, I turned up with the slip that they had given to me and said that I wanted either a refund or a credit voucher. I had already purchased two bras elsewhere. I was told that I could have the bras if I paid for them. I told them that I had paid cash originally and they had put that in their records when they gave me the slip to pick up the bras that were supposed to arrive two weeks after. The girl said that there was no record that I had paid cash and either I paid for the bras or they were going back on the shelf. I told her that I had called many times and had the names of the personnel whom I had spoken with. She became quite snippy and said that there was no record and I wasn’t receiving the bras for free. Of course this was in front of a lineup of customers. I was so angry, I told them that I would never deal with Sears again and so I left.
My husband and I left the store and went into Zellers. As we were going IN the door, an alarm went off. I was asked to go to the customer service area and dump the articles from my purse. This was in front of a number of customers. I was most upset and said that I obviously hadn’t taken anything from their store, because the alarm went off as I was walking IN to the store not OUT of it. Of course my purse was clear. The woman in charge asked if I was wearing a new bra. It was one of the bras that I had purchased at Sears. She said that oftentimes, new bras have tags in them that should have been cleared by an ID machine at time of purchase. I told her that when I had bought the bra at Sears it didn’t buzz when I went out the door after purchase, so why would it be buzzing in Zellers? She said perhaps they didn’t have a machine or it was broken at Sears. Nothing surprises me about that store from hell.
When I got home, I checked the bra that I was wearing and sure enough, there was a small ID tag that should have been either decoded or removed.
A week later, I received a call from a Sears rep who said that she wanted to hear my side of the story re the bras that I said I had paid cash for. I told her and she was very polite and said that she would send me a gift certificate in the amount of the money that I had paid for the bras. I also told her about the situation in Zellers and the alarm going off. By this time, we were both in good moods and laughing about the experience. She said that sometimes small tags are placed in the bras at the factory in order that women cannot wear them under their clothing and then leave the store. However, the Belleville store does not have a machine that will buzz. Also she said that the cashier was supposed to check all boxes to makes sure that the right bras are in the right boxes at the time of purchase. Customers oftentimes switch things when they are putting them back in the boxes. I thanked her profusely for her assistance and candor, but when the gift certificate hadn’t arrived almost three weeks later, I stopped in at Sears Belleville and spoke with the women behind the women’s wear sales desk. I asked for the rep by name, but they didn’t know who she was. Finally one of the clers said, well that is the name of so and so, perhaps she was the one whom you spoke with; she’s not available. They asked me what I wanted to see her for and I told them. The girl who had made the original mistake was there and suddenly there was a distinct frost in the attitudes of the employees.
I wrote a note to the good rep and decided to try and diffuse the frigid attitudes by telling them about the Zellers situation. Immediately the girl became defensive and in front of a lineup of people (yet again) told me that I had not been wearing a Sears bra. None of the bras sold by Sears had a tag in them. I told her what the Sears rep had told me but she refused to listen and argued that I had NOT been wearing a bra from Sears.
The public relations in that place is totally pitiful. In effect, they had suggested on two separate occasions in front of a lineup of customers that I was not telling the truth. It was humiliating for me and a disgusting display of poor manners and lack of consideration for a customer.
I did finally receive the gift certificate and wrote the PR rep and thanked her. Whether or not I will use the certificate is highly questionable. Sears does owe me the money but the prospect of shopping there in whatever department leaves me cold.
Katy Bell says...
Sears is for old people. After the baby boomers die, they will close.
Martin Gagnon says...
Hello My Name is Martin Gagnon and I work at the Sears Home Store Victoria BC in Major Appliances. Heres My New Vision of Sears and work Hard to Satisfied Every Customer i Talk Too everyday not just during the sale but after sales also.
Our Vision is My Promess to You.
If you haven’t been to Sears lately, you’ve missed the changes we are making
to ensure that your shopping experience in our stores is exceptional.
One of the most important changes is a renewed mission to provide Sears customers with the better service you deserve.
This journey begins with an improved return policy that includes a satisfaction guarantee. As well, all 30,000 associates across the country are making a renewed commitment to you that “we’ll do our best to do what’s best for you.â€
At Sears, we are committed to creating lifelong relationships built on trust. Our guarantee is a reflection of that commitment. So we invite you to help us exceed your expectations. Visit any of our stores, check your Sears receipt for feedback options and please let us know how you think we’re doing.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Sign:
Martin Gagnon
Sears Home Store
Victoria BC
Major Appliances
(250) 380-7100
David says...
Sears return policy SUCKS. My wife 2 bought a dresses before leaving on a holiday. She asked me to return it for her. But even with a receipt all tags I can’t return it because I have my own credit card on out joint account and it (like all credit cards) has it’s own number. And Sears will only return it to the EXACT card it is bought on. ( or so they say) I guess no one buys gifts at sears to sent through the mail or currier.
The only option they give you is leave you credit card with the person you want to return it while on your vacation (Not likely) or take a gift card which means you will never get your money back, but have to spent it in a store with a HORRIBLE return policy.
On my last surprise trip I bought my wife a complete wardrobe at Sears, as she would not be able to pack for the trip (it was a surprise). Never again will I shop at Sears. I will only shop at store that allow returns with receipts. Not Stores that make it as difficult as possible FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS to feel satisfied with buying products from their store.
Dave says...
are you saying that you wanted to have money returned on a different Credit card number on the same account.
Let me tell you as i work for bank in credit card division
1) any merchant location in this case Sears can never know that the 2 cards belongs to same account.
2) this is the biggest fraud in the credit cards that the money goes on different account.
3)Any and every retail merchant clearaly states in their return policy that money goes back in same tender by which it was paid.
4)you could have insisted the clerk at the Sears to put the money back in the same card number by which you paid. the money would have gone back in same account.
I this in this case the clerk at Sears did absolutely right. And i have been shopping at Sears pretty often and i find that the pilicies of Sears are one of the most customer friendly specially the convinience of returning the merchandising at any cash point instead of waiting in stupid return line which is the practice everbody has except Sears.
RateMyEmployer.ca says...
Cecile says…
March 28, 2012 at 12:36 am
If anyone has read the latest survay on the worst company for service in Canada, you’ll notice the top three are WalMart, Canadian Tire, and Zellars.
I’m a strong believer in the fact, that a large successful company will have more customers and therefore more complaints. Sears can’t be at the top of that list because it’s stores are void of customers. This is part of the reason why we’re down to 30,000 employees, as pointed out by Martin Gagnon.
Martin, I’ve seen your letter plastered in a few places, having to sign this joke of a promise does not bring in customers, especially when the spelling and grammar are so off. Nothing to be proud of, it represents busy work from people who are grasping at straws.
Sears Canada:
http://www.ratemyemployer.ca/employer/employer.aspx?empID=841&l=en
Aly Roy says...
Hey, I don’t know where you’re all coming from some of you !!!
for I do NOT find anything wrong with Sears. Canada…
Returning merchandise is no problem !!!
When you have a warranty on different appliances there’s no problem
to get Sears to fix it….or get a new one !!!
So, what is your problem really ?????
I’ve been dealing with Sears Canada for almost 40 years !!
Yep, my friends .
Vonnie says...
I went to our local Sears here in St John’s, Newfoundland and had an unpleasant shopping experience there. We intended to buy a Heys Luggage of a specific design that was clearly marked as 65% off. However, when we got to the cashier, the amount that was taken off was less than 65%. The attitude of the young female cashier was less than helpful. First, she tried to convince us that the discount was 65% off, only after we used a calculator in front of her did she conceded it wasn’t. After being prompted by us politely, she reluctantly picked up the phone to call someone in the dept. That person confirmed that the sign did say 65% off for that design, but because they were on clearance, they could take anything UP to 65% off. That didn’t make sense to us, since the sign was quite clear and we had checked with an associate before coming to the counter. The cashier then said you are still getting x percent off, so… as if implying the discount was sufficient already. We chose not to purchase the luggage and she seemed surprised. As we were leaving, I saw her saying something to the next customer shaking her head while taking down our discarded luggage. In addition to not honoring their posted discount, the cashier’s attitude was unprofessional. Based on this experience, I will not shop at Sears again.
Charles says...
Sears, what a Joke. Used to be an ok company, no longer.
Firstly they ripped me off $90. They phoned me a couple years back around April and asked if I wanted to extend the warranty of my snowblower, I was ready to say no, when he stated it is on special for $79. So I said ok. Imagine my surprise when I phoned for service 9 months later in January when I was told it was out by a couple months !! ( the steering was not working ). I stated last April I just renewed so I’m good for three more months, they said no it ran out a couple months ago, what you bought was a pro rated warranty. I explained I was not told this and that if I was I would never pay for a warranty that covers summer months only and expires before winter, the phone person said, yeah I hate when they do that…..
Secondly, Jan 23rd 2012 my dryer needed repair covered by warranty. Repair guy came ordered parts, a week later found out one piece was missing to do the repair, unfortunately it is no longer orderable. I called sears they initially said we will replace it, week later I called again after not hearing back, and was told the same, but I would get a call back confirming, week later nothing I call back and am told no we do not replace items and it will be a buyout only. Looonnnng story short after two more months of me constantly calling and being told I have to wait for a buyout team member to call me back ( there is no one to speak to in authority apparently ) I ended up buying one myself. After another months or so eventually they said I will get a sears card for the buyout amount, over a month later and still nothing.
They will not get another penny out of me or any of my friends I told the story to. The 1-800-469-4663 is a waste of time waste of employee salary. They are paid to do nothing but lie to you.
RateMyEmployer.ca says...
“Target Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plan to hire tens of thousands of workers in Canada over the next two years, increasing pressure on domestic retailers from Sears Canada Inc. to Canadian Tire Corp Ltd.
Target, whose housewares and low-priced clothing have drawn Canadian cross-border shoppers to its U.S. stores for years, will take C$397 million in sales from Sears Canada…
Sears Canada spokesmen didn’t return phone calls placed by Bloomberg News seeking comment.”
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1220627–target-s-hiring-spree-in-canada-poised-to-roil-retail-market
RateMyEmployer.ca says...
“Aly Roy says…
for I do NOT find anything wrong with Sears. Canada…”
DELUSIONAL!
M says...
Gift Cards at Sears have never expired and never will, its the points redemption card that expires and store credit you have a full year.
As for the points….they are free. They dont have to give you anything for your purchase, alot of stores dont have anything. So its nice that you can earn and redeem. Working in retail myself, I know how IMPORTANT customer service is, so try to give them a break, its not there fault for following policy ( I know some employees out there give them a bad name) they do there best….its a tough job. My own experience Ive had people come up to me and just start yelling at me…..for no reason at all…and unfortunalty we just have to take it and we are only human. I have actually cried from a customer being so mean and talking down to me at work like I wasnt important.
As for the warranty on your mattress….it is required to do a check. You are covered most times….as long as your following the right care. (Example your warranty is void if you bend your mattress….actualely says on the warranty card) so they have to check to make sure nothing was done to wreck the mattress on purpose….because unfortunatly there are people who like to work the system.
As for your catologe and sales floor being different prices. The catologe WILL MATCH THE SALES FLOOR PRICE in most cases. Think of it this way. The catologe is printed then shippped to stores waaaaaaayyy before the store gets it (if they even carry it on the sales floor) You cant re-print a catologe every time an item goes on sale. The book is final haha. Sometimes the catolog is more because they have to order the item in. Where as the floor comes in bulk. Also…..prices change all the time…things get re-priced up and down as per corporate. A million things to consider. Understand with the handling fee….they are ordering in the item just for you. If cost money to have these things sent to stores. And your not even required to keep it when it comes in…you can just turn around and return it….then they have to pack it up and send it back. They spend all that money..and alot of the times dont end up making the sale so now they are in the negative. Its a business….if they didnt charge….add that up and consider how many sears stores there are. AND your little mall stores dont have the option to order something…you get what you see on the floor with them. So really….its an extra service you should be thankful is available to you.
I cant say anything about the cruise…..that doesnt seem right.
Also the Sears financial Mastercards interest rate is 19.99% and the regular card is 29.99%…..soooo the first one is pretty low and normal.
Its hard to compare one Sears to another…every store has different employees. To say Sears is horrible….have you found this at many different Sears stores? Or is it just one local store you are visiting? Our sears store is great, awesome service, very nice workers!
Charles says...
Going to Sears is fine.
Your screwed if you need repair or have to phone the call center people that you must talk to when you have a problem. That is why Sears is failing and will go bankrupt.
Out of more than 35 different people I talked to at the 1-800-469-4663 number only three times did someone ever call me back. The call center people themselves are astonished at the fact it is over 6 months and still not resolved. I’ve been lied to well over 10 times that something was done, only to find out weeks later it has not been done, no sorry no nothing just we will expedite it for you sir. Expedite = Sears + 4 months wait.
The Gift card that was supposed to compensate me for the dryer that is under warranty and cannot be fixed was supposedly sent over two months ago to me. Several calls over the two months, and now I’m told it was not processed, so we will process it.
What’s different this time ? nothing ! I can say with utmost certainty that after a couple more months they be oh ! that’s strange, should have been there by now, we will process that for you…
All the above is with one product a dryer that cost $1300, Still under warranty and they offer $300.
The Snowblower is another story of Sears call center scamming me for an $80 extended warranty that only covered me from April to October ( 6 summer months ) expired before winter!!! so I found out when in February when I called for service, they said it was out by 3 months ? I said no, it is covered until April as I extended the warranty, they said no, you were sold a pro rated warranty of 6 months from April !!
When I questioned it stating I’ve never been told that, and that warranties are yearly. She stated “yeah, I hate when the do that”. So apparently I’m not the only one who complained about the scam.
The part I needed for the snowblower Sears wanted $180.00 plus tax ( the steering for the chute ). I ordered it from the states Sohares lawn and garden I think is the correct spelling, Came within a week, it was identical to the one on the snowblower and cost me with duties and taxes just under $90 !!!
annonamous says...
I worked at sears northhill in Calgary worst job I’ve ever had I was a department manager. Words cant describe how awful it was. They treat everyone like dirt. The loss prevention team treats every employee like a criminal. The Assistant manager in charge of housewares hardware and electronics is a cow, she has no idea how hated she is in that store,I called her cunt Dracula because shes a cunt that sucks the life out of everyone around her the most 2 faced back stabbing witch I’ve ever met her office looks like the city dump and she smells like dog. upper management treats everyone in the store like crap the reason the store looks the way it does is because of a few reasons there is aspestis throughout the building,major cut backs on hours and because the staff is treated so bad there is no buy in and the staff don’t care. The company hires everyone at part time if you get 20 hours a week your lucky reason being is to save money on having to pay employee benefits. The employee discount sucks and your not allowed to purchase anything marked down or you will be terminated. They treat there customers like crap the whole Sears card is a joke the reason staff pushes it so much is because they have a quota to make its 2012 shop somewhere else and let the company go down if customers could see how the product was handled in the back rooms they would never step foot in a Sears again. If you think your getting good prices on Sears days or scratch and save think again next time your buying what you think is a new trend don’t just look at the price tag and brand tag hanging off the sleeve look at the tag attached to the garment 9 times out of 10 they don’t match they send old stock back for rebranding what a joke.
Mattress Hell says...
I really wish I had looked this website/blog up before my boyfriend and I purchased our mattress from sears.
We went to sears looking for a mattresss. Layed on multiple beds and found a nice firm mattress. we asked if it would be fine to have it on a box spring that we already had. Sales agent says it will be fine, just the length of the warrenty will decrease. No problem.
So we pay roughly $700 for just the mattress.. big sale apparently..
We picked up the mattress on Aug. 6th, I alone slept in the bed one night and there is a dip. thinking it is just me I wait until my boyfriend gets home from camp to try out the bed and check it out… Yup, the bed is not as good as the one we layed down on and the dip is definitely there. So I call customer service and they tell me I have 30 days to return the bed. Perfect. I also got told someone from the store would call me. so I get a the call and they tell I have 3 options. Option 1. Comfort exchange - this would be good however I found a cheaper mattress set somewhere else - same price, includes box spring.. Option 2 - Furniture medic to come look at the mattress then I can return the mattress - Okay.. lets check that out.. My back is killing me from this mattress so what ever I can do to return it the better. I am in so much pain I request that the furniture medic come out as soon as possible for I am not sleeping, I am almost in tears. It needs to go. the lady says no problem contact customer service.. SO I do. customer service tells me I have to wait 2-3 days for the medic to call me to set up an appointment! WHHHATTT?!?!! I explain how much pain I am in and im very unimpressed.. all I got what ” Im sorry to hear that, however there is nothing I can do. You can (option 3) return the mattress right away with the fee of $75″ … Okay so let me get this straight.. I am in pain due to a sears mattress and I HAVE to pay $75.. in what world does that make sense.. I got told if I had called within the 72 hours I would have been able to return it for free. I explain how the sales agent didn’t make us aware of that and I was not told by customer service yesterday when I asked about returning the mattress… In return the new customer service rep I was dealing with tells me that is my fault. I should have asked.
I am so turned off of Sears I will never make another purchase there again.
I am not sure what I am exactly going to do. Right now I think it would be better to just cut my losses and just pay the $75 to return the mattress.. Maybe print up some flyers with all these complaints and just scatter them around the store before I leave. How is this company still in business????
I will never ever recommend sears to anyone. they aer such a joke.
Charles says...
Just an update on my situation waiting for the Sears Gift card. Since it’s been a month.
Still no gift card, August 23 2012 it’ll be a total of 7 months.
Anyone want to make bets it’ll be into 2013/2014 ?
Ok I get it, Sears believes in the myan calander, everything resets and all the customers screwed over by sears will be deleted !
Joyce says...
Don’t even get me started here about how much SEARS SUCKS.
Just spent 4 months of haggling with probably at least 14 staff members, the last being Frank Dinatollo, Western Ontario District Sales Manager.
I managed to get an $800.00 credit toward a $3000.00 purchase for 3 months of grief and hell, which nearly ruined my credit rating.
I have been a long long time customer of Sears. NO MORE!!!! NEVER AGAIN! I have been soured beyond belief with rudeness and incompetence that is shocking, to say the least. RUN FROM SEARS!!!!
Joyce says...
Don’t even get me started here about how much SEARS SUCKS.
Just spent 4 months of haggling with probably at least 14 staff members, the last being Frank Dinatollo, Western Ontario District Sales Manager.
I managed to get an $800.00 credit toward a $3000.00 purchase for 3 months of grief and hell, which nearly ruined my credit rating.
I have been a long long time customer of Sears. NO MORE!!!! NEVER AGAIN! I have been soured beyond belief with rudeness and incompetence that is shocking, to say the least. RUN FROM SEARS!!!!
Charles says...
Hey Joyce, how did you get the $800 credit !
Reason I ask as I have been waiting close to 4 months for the #359 they promised me. For those following my last few blogs here I phoned them today and was told it still has not been processed, but it will be processed ? I asked her to look back in my file the last few months where I was told this same info on 5 other occasions, she is like yeah I see that, I don’t know why nothing is done yet, but I’ll send an email and ask for it to be processed, I asked what is differnet this time, and who can I speak with to get this resolved, she said they cannot give out any numbers, names or emails ! she then said maybe the delay is due to they cannot normally go above $250 credit, so maybe because it is $359 it is over their limit.
That is hilarious ! Sears has a credit limit of $250, funny they had no problem taking my $1400 for the dryer, which they depreciated by $1040 over 2.5 years to tell me they will give me $359 for it since there are no parts available to repair it.
BUYER BEWARE with Sears………… You were warned !
Karin says...
I wish I had seen this site before my son called Sears for repairs on his stove. I would have advised him not to use Sears. I have been a Sears customer for years. NO MORE!!!!!! My son is just starting out with a place of his own and the appliances came with the house. The oven part of the stove just stopped working. They called Sears for a service call and was told it would be $80. The repair man came and spent some time looking at the oven. When he was finished he said the oven was not working and would cost over $400 to repair and it would be better to to just buy a new one. He then presented my son with a $160 bill for his time. His time to look at the oven and tell my son something he already knew. THE OVEN WAS NOT WORKING. After many e-mails and phone calls to Sears Customer Service we received no help what so ever with a full explanation of the charges or a satisfactory solution to the over priced charge. I am telling everyone I know not to purchase anything from Sears anymore. In fact I just purchased a new built-in oven, microwave and trim kit and I did not go to Sears. The other company was so helpful and very reasonably priced.
Enrico Kro says...
Thank you everyone for all your input. I was shocked to read about Sears and their treatment of customers. This has just stopped me of many major purchases.
Ron Bungay says...
I too have noticed a change in Sears these past few years, as I always found sears one of the best retailers in Canada for great customer service….but now it must be ranked at the bottom. I had an issue with a snow blower and it was really bad only 1 1/2 years old and said after my experience with them from managers to employees especially the customer service people on their toll free number (should lack of customer service) i said never again will i purchase any appliances. Now i have come to the conclusion not to purchase anything from their store. I would rather pay more money elsewhere than give them the satisfaction of using them. I’m I proud of myself recently I bought a new fridge and washer and dryer which a few years ago would of been from sears now my adult children can see the lack of customer service in sears so they too now buy from local stores rather than sears. at last piece of mind and great service is now being taken over by local stores yay……no more stress no sears
Ron Bungay says...
hey people target is coming to canada yay yay yay the hell with sears people spread the word about your sears experience whenever you are with a group of people they might tell others of your experience and drive them to another store before they get stressed out and purchase items from this hated business called SEARS.
flolvefax says...
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matt says...
Don’t buy any maytag appliances from sears. maytag sells their warranty to sears and then you end up with a nightmare to get it repaired.
judith says...
After reading some of the problems others have had with their kitchen ranges purchased from Sears,it makes mine seem rather trivial. BUT.
The oven on my range has to have the temperature set by using an oven thermometer. The range indicator is about 25 degrees off. After putting anything in to cook, the temperature will fluctuate up to 50 degrees, often burning the bottom of baking.
A secondary issue is that when the oven is on, the top front of the stove becomes so hot that it can’t be touched.
I have had 3 service calls. The first technician said that there was not enough insulation, heat loss everywhere and no safety cover for the light; he suggested replacing the temperature guage, temperature guide, and someting else I can’t make out. He did come back and replace items.
The next technician basically said that the first guy was incompetent and that the oven just needed resetting, the oven was performing as it should. On his second visit he just babbled on (and on) in the same vein. He said I shouldn’t use an oven thermometer as they are tremendously unreliable.
When I complained to Sears (yet again) they said that they were very sorry, but they stood behind their technicians and that the oven was “working as it was supposed to”. SO.
Sears admits it makes and sells faulty products and that we, the consumers should just shut up. I don’t think so. For me, this is not over. Will keep you posted.
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