26.6.07

An Open Letter to Sears (AKA Sucks)

Dear Sears,

Here is why I will never, ever order another appliance from Sears
again.

Several weeks ago, I placed an online order for a refrigerator and
a dishwasher. My credit card did not go through. I received
several emails to this effect. When I resubmitted the credit card,
it went through. But even though the purchase was successful I
continued to receive emails AND phone calls to tell me that my
card had been declined.

Then I received a call to tell me that the dishwasher was out of
stock, even though the website clearly said that it was IN stock.
This call came at 8 in the morning. The caller was not even
apologetic.

We scheduled a new delivery date. Shortly thereafter I received
another call, to say that the dishwasher was still not available
and could not be delivered for another four days. Good grief,
Sears! If something isn't available, don't you think you ought to
say so on the web site BEFORE someone tries to buy it?

Meanwhile, on the day that the fridge was supposed to arrive, I
waited all afternoon for the delivery and into the evening. No
one called me to let me know where the delivery was or even if it
was still coming. The delivery was ultimately an hour late. When
it arrived, there was no way to tell whether it was exactly what I
ordered or not because the order number I received did not
match up with any number on the fridge itself, and THERE WAS
NO DOCUMENTATION WITH THE ORDER. No receipt, nothing.

Just now, I have received a call from your automated service to
remind me of my dishwasher delivery on Friday. I could not
complete the call because your robot thinks I ordered TWO
dishwashers, not one. When the robot tried to connect me with a
live operator in order to fix this problem, I was disconnected. I
called your customer service center and the woman I spoke with
confirmed that I have only ordered ONE dishwasher but she was
unable to confirm that this screwup with the phone system,
which is YOUR FAULT, will not result in a missed or further
delayed delivery.

You ought to be better at what you do. Next time, even though
their products are more expensive
, I will be ordering my appliances
through an established local company, Wickford Appliance, as
they are known for their excellent customer service and the
remarkable absence of idiots on their staff, which is more than I
can say for you.

Never again,
Diane Greco

UPDATE: I cancelled my order and got a better one, same style and IN STOCK, for less at Wickford Appliance. It's coming on Monday. Hooray!