We called the customer service number on our sales receipt within hours of receiving delivery and installation of our new Kenmore Elite refrigerator. We were given a service appointment for 3 days hence. The Kenmore had been delivered, our old refrigerator removed and the new one installed on time, and was running, but I hadn't been home to inspect it, and my husband who was home but busy, hadn't noticed the lighting problem. The delivery men were in and out quickly. The service repair day arrived but as it wore on and we'd heard nothing, we called to inquire as to when to expect them. The person on the phone said we weren't on the schedule. There was no record of our even having called. We had cleared our busy day to be home. Imagine our frustration and unhappiness. We called back and tried to reschedule, but were given a run around, shunted to various phone operators and yet, after having to explain our situation to 4 different individuals, some of whom barely spoke English, none seemed to be the right person to talk to. At one point we asked that a new replacement product be brought out to the house to replace the defective one. We were told it was obsolete and discontinued !!! We had been told this was a brand new model when we bought it.
We called our salesman Ken Davis [at home, on his day off] who had asked us to call if we had any questions or issues. He got on his home computer and checked, telling us what we knew, that our new refrigerator was a current model, not "obsolete" like the man on the phone had said. And yes, we'd given the correct model #. Ken suggested we come to the store the next day where he could work with us and try to get this resolved using the store resources. We did.. he found that the exact color we wanted was on back order, but we could have any other color in stock delivered or even go with another similarly priced model in the desired color if we preferred, even if it was a bit more expensive or a different brand. We really liked the model we'd picked out, so the salesman made some calls to a "special" Customer Solutions representative who promised to get a repairperson out to our home within 2 days, and if the repair could be made simply, without tearing the appliance apart, would be be satisfied? If not, we could trade out the refrigerators at no cost to us.
Today, on the appt. day, Greg the repairman called to let me know he was coming. He was right on time, went right to work checking it out, found the problem, fixed it without difficulty and ran through the entire operation to make sure all was well. He made me smile too, which after our ordeal was a pleasant relief.
So.. bottom line... the salesman and repairman were top notch and couldn't have been more helpful. Regular Sears customer service is seriously flawed however. They seem to have calling centers that don't know what one hand or the other is doing. The "Customer Solutions" number [1 800 479 5899] , however, tackled the issue and made things right. Customers shouldn't have to resort to secret "solutions" and endure the run around and incompetence we experienced at first ... but I'm awfully glad some people within the company are geared to customer satisfaction.