SEARS HOME IMPROVEMENTS PRODUCTS

I did not like anything about the service. They did not do a good job. They did not arrive on time, they did not put a full effort into it. All of a sudden, they just left.

We weren't prepared for the high-pressure sales pitch from the sales guy, but were lured by the $1250 gift card towards our new appliances.  In hindsight, we should have just said no, and gone with a local contractor.

Once work started, it seemed to go fairly smoothly.  The sub-contractor who completed the tile backsplash was particularly good.  Our countertops looked great, but had a couple of holes in the Quartz that Sears had to come fix.  We like it overall, however you can see a seam on the island countertop, something that we were not expecting nor told would be a possibility.  I guess that's our fault for not researching before deciding.

We had a contractor's lock box so that we didn't have to be home waiting for contractors every single day.  The project lead apparantly did not do a great job of relaying this information to the sub-contractors.  We had at least one instance when work was stalled because no one was home - even though we had left explicit instructions with the project lead on how sub-contractors could gain entry.

We found communication from the project lead to be lackluster at best.  IF we got a return phone call, it was mostly from his secretary - as if he didn't want to be bothered, especially when we were calling him out on his poor communication with his sub-contractors.

Finally, payment was difficult!  We asked for a phone call with an exact dollar amount, and address to which remit payment.  We did not receive this phone call.  Instead, about a week and a half later, I received a curt email - again with NO payment amount, and NO address to which to remit payment.  REDICULOUS. 

We are SO HAPPY to be DONE with Sears.  While we are happy with the final product, we were not happy with the road to get there.  We are MUCH happier with our local contractor who is fully renovating our bathrooms!

Sears installed two zones of Carrier AC in my cape cod home in 2004. We had ductwork and they installed new high efficiency Carrier blowers (fan coil) and condensers. The install went fine and the price was OK, but we have had problems with these systems ever since! We purchased their extended warranty and service plan ("Master Protection Agreement") and therefore had to use their service people. The second year, the front was not getting cool on our first 90 degree+ day. That year they replaced one part of the condenser. Two years later, the AC quit in the front and they replaced the other major part of the condenser.

Next, we had annual service performed and one of the guys cracked the internal drip pan on the front unit. It leaked into the fail-safe external drip pan, but unfortunately it was not installed correctly and three weeks later it finally overflowed, damaging my kitchen ceiling (the blowers are in the attic). The insulation inside the unit was soaked, too. The service guy they sent to fix it said the insulation would dry in a day or two...it did not! It took days and days to get them to replace the insulation (heaven knows what kind of mold would have grown) and months to get them to pay for the water damage to my ceiling. Needless to say, they never admitted to breaking the internal drip pan to begin with and I have watched service guys carefully ever since.

The next year, the fan motor went on the same unit and it took a week and a lot of phone calls by me just to get the darn part (that's the short version)! We did some research and discovered that the return duct they installed was inadequate for the unit and that was most likely why it was failing all over the place. It took two years of trying to work with Sears "executive offices" to resolve this, partly because the case manager kept changing due to employee turnover. In the end, they paid for the correct size return duct to be installed.

So here we are 7 years later and the fan motor on the rear blower just failed. My "Master Protection Agreement" just expired and when I called offering to renew the darn thing (you have 30 days to do so to maintain coverage) they told me it expired two years prior. Ironically, I had received a phone call at the start of the month soliciting me to renew the agreement! I sent scans of the info to the "service specialist" who promised to resolve it the next day and never heard back. We decided to hire someone else to repair the darn thing and I emailed the service specialist to say "forget it." THEN he told me he was "out sick" and "sorry" and "yes, you really did have a service agreement that just expired we can renew and repair your unit."

The biggest problem with Sears regarding repairing AC is that there are several different systems--scheduling, dispatch, warranty, parts, etc.--and one system does not know what the other is doing nor do they have the same information in their computers. It's insane! I have had good service on appliances (washer, dryer) but I will never let them touch my AC ever again. I also probably will not buy Carrier ever again.

Some points that others should be aware of include that the handling of lead-based paint was not done properly. The siding installers had to remove siding near painted window framing, and they didn't do anything to prevent lead-based paint chips from contaminating the soil around my house. My contract calls for the installation of several pairs of shutters, and although Sears completed the siding installation before Oct. 13, 2010, the shutters have not been installed, and no one has explained why not. I have left messages for the District General Manager, Steve Ward, the District Product Manager, David Haines, and Jeff Dunn. I spoke with Quiana S. about the mistakes needing to be cporrected, and she said she would mention my situation to David Haines. No one has tried to fulfill all of the provisions of my contract. Another issue is that Sears was supposed to install at least 18 square feet of siding and insulation. However, in January, 2011, I received a notice from Sears about a tax credit for just 14.25 square feet of insulation. My insurance company now is withholding the difference between what Sears charged for the siding and what the insurance company wants to pay for it. I will upload pictures.

Although the project coordinators were professional during their conversations with me on the phone, the overall quality and skill level that I expected from Sears or their representatives, fell short of the most minimal standards. Sears has lost a loyal customer. Sears' reputation amongst my family, friends and neighbors is quite tainted. After seeing first hand the work performed, I don't think that they will be hearing from anyone in this zip code ever.

THE SALES PEOPLE WERE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE VARIOUS FEATURES OF THE APPLIANCES I CHOSE FOR MY NEW KITCHEN. THE PRODUCTS HAVE BEEN GOOD, AND I ENJOY USING THEM. MY KITCHEN IS COMPLETELY NEW AND WONDERFUL.

Our overall experience was terrible. I will never use Sears again for anything. We hired Sears because we thought it was a reputable company. We told them we wanted a Carrier unit they installed a Kenmore unit. Apparently the salesman told us Carrier and wrote down all Kenmore serial and model numbers on the paperwork unbeknownst to us (bait and switch). We had to argue with the contractor they hired to install the system the way the salesman promised. We had to fight with Sears to get the Carrier unit we ordered and ended up having to pay extra. The salesman was not helpful. The Sales Manager, John Goodman was rude to me and my wife. He was abrupt and not willing to take any responsibility for the negligence on the part of Sears. It took nearly 4 months to resolve this matter. I had to get the BBB and the Attorney General involved.

Very fast and efficient. They said they would call and set up time and also needed to make sure someone over 18 would be there during installation and showed up on time.

THE TIMING WAS BEYOND EFFICIENT, WITH ONLY TWO WEEKS OF WORK TIME WITHOUT A KITCHEN. THE WORKERS WERE CONSIDERATE OF OUR HOME AND METICULOUS ABOUT THEIR WORK.

THE GENTLEMAN THAT CAME SEEMED VERY NICE AND WE HAD TO MAKE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT FOR MY SPOUSE TO BE THERE TOO.