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How satisfied are you with this retailer?

  • Extremely Satisfied

    Votes: 8 20.0%
  • Somewhat Satisfied

    Votes: 13 32.5%
  • Somewhat Dissatisfied

    Votes: 5 12.5%
  • Extremely Dissatisfied

    Votes: 14 35.0%

Review: Sears

19K views 36 replies 25 participants last post by  cabinboy 
#1 ·
The purpose of this thread is for Digital Home members to review and relay their experience buying consumers electronics at Sears.

This thread is strictly for reviews and is not for discussion. If you have any questions about what belongs in this thread, then please this thread prior to posting.

When you post, please try to include the following information:


  • What product or service you purchased.
  • Approximate timeframe you ordered the product
  • What location you dealt with if it’s a company with many stores or service locations
  • Your overall level of satisfaction
  • If you had a positive experience, please explain what made it such a positive experience.
  • If you had a negative experience, please read our guidelines below.
 
#28 ·
Over the phone I declined Sears extended warranty. Well today I received the extended warranty offer again by mail. The offer includes a very brief description and the last sentence in bold reads: "Complete terms and conditions will be sent to you upon purchase of contract." So basically you are to accept the contract with unknown conditions and then you will receive the details of the contract you accepted. Funny and sad, but true. I found it strange that they are pushing so hard a money-back extended warranty, which is to give back full purchase price of the extended warranty if I don't make any claims. Well this explains Sears's sneaky strategy: http://www.moneysense.ca/spend/money-back-extended-warranties-have-a-catch
 
#31 ·
I bought an extended warranty from Sears on my $2000 GE range.

The numbers around the dials wore off with regular use and cleaning (the control panel is at the front on the slide-in range). The part was $350, but covered under the $250 extended warranty after 4 years.

I generally don't buy extended warranties but in this case it paid off.
 
#30 ·
Sears Canada is writing the book on value subtracted retailing

Ahh, Sears: surely to be the next national department store obituary following Eatons and Zellers.
Echoing the sentiments by others, Sears Canada is altogether digging its own grave. I remember how Sears used to have a stocking parts depot just down the street from the department store on Fairway Road in Kitchener. It was fantastic in its heyday: knowledgeable staff, excellent cross-referencing resources, and they often had supply chain connections that rivalled most other appliance/power tool/small engine parts suppliers. Often, I was able to get repair parts and literature special ordered even for non-Sears products that were deemed discontinued elsewhere. Then, one day in the late '90s, some bigshot at head office no doubt had to justify their existence, and rather than stay the course, decided to close down the parts facility, sell the land to developers, and move it to a brand new building inconveniently hidden within an industrial park in nearby Cambridge. And, of course, just this year, the suits threw in the towel and shut all those Sears repair places down nationwide, under the infinite wisdom that relegating it to a single cashier desk within the department store would somehow suffice. Now, thanks to some MBA-totting executive, they even charge a ridiculous fee of something like $3 to $7 just to process a parts order for a customer, even when you're going to come back and pick them up at the store, yourself. Gee, great way to alienate customers, eh! I guess they have to find a way to pay for unnecessarily relocating their distribution warehouse from Belleville to Toronto. I have zero incentive to ever return to Sears for parts; you're not even "allowed" to call the parts depot, only the outsourced 1-800 customer service call centre. :rolleyes:

It's also amusing how they just give up on certain areas. Like Hudson's Bay, Sears used to have generic restaurants in their department stores, and then hastily closed them down a few years ago. Did anything substantive fill the space where the cafes once were? Nope. Depending on the store, they either just drywalled in a new backroom stock area, or they shoved existing stale inventory into that area like luggage items.

Once upon a time, Sears Canada made a big deal of their Craftsman brand; nowadays, it seems as though they're intentionally killing it off. I recall "Tractorama" days being a recurring marketing event, back when Sears Canada actually sold a large complement of lawn & garden power equipment -- I'd find it hard to believe that Home Depot, Lowes, etc. fragmented the market so much that Sears decided to just abandon it. And yet, this appears to be what's happening.
I can even remember when the Kitchener Sears store used to have an automotive repair garage, and I think ran a gas station, too; all long gone, even though nothing profitable has replaced those lost value-added services. Recently, a quiet decision was made to convert the [much newer circa 1996] Cambridge Sears to an outlet store, essentially cramming it full of unsold merchandise pulled from other stores. Whose brilliant idea was it to put the junk stock inside one of their newest locations, while leaving the dumpy Fairview Park Mall location continuing to deteriorate? That Kitchener store has been there since the mall opened in the 1960s, has never had a proper renovation, and even smells funny inside.

And I don't understand how it's sustainable to have two separate Sears appliance/mattress 'Home' stores in Kitchener alone. According to handy online municipal building permit records, Sears spent $2.1 million just to build the Gateway Park Drive 'Home' store in 1999, and $700,000 just on interior finish work for the 'Home' store at the Sunrise Shopping Centre in 2005. You gotta sell an awful lot of furniture just to breakeven with those startup expenses! :eek:
 
#32 ·
^^^^
So, they had your $250 for 4 years. Lessee now... 350 - (250 + interest) would be less than $100. How long will that new panel last and will the extended warranty still be in force?

The biggest joke was when I bought a CO & smoke detector from Home Depot last spring. They offered a 9 year "extended" warranty on something that already came with a 10 year warranty!
 
#33 ·
I've been chasing Sears Canada since November trying to get a replacement part for a vacuum that was purchased in August. They have cancelled my order for no reason and have given me numerous shipping dates and have shown a level of incompetence that was incomprehensible to me until now. Everyone that I talk to is extremely sorry for all of my issues and continues to do nothing about actually solving the problem. I will never buy anything from Sears Canada ever again.
 
#34 ·
I've always had pretty good luck with Sears. I've bought two kitchen's worth of appliances in the last eight years and only one minor problem with a dishwasher, which Sears service took care of pain-free. I always wait for sales and I think I did well for value.

I recently ordered some bedding online and it arrived on time and as advertised.

I also buy the occasional clothing item there and have never had a problem.

A few observations:

- A couple of posts in this thread mention Sears' practice of artificially inflating prices so they can discount them for "sales". Unethical? Certainly, but hardly unique to Sears. I worked for Macy's in New York years ago and I remember price change instructions coming in to mark up merchandise by 100 percent the day before a 50 percent off sale.

- Sears Canada is still far and away better than Sears US. It's a shame the latter is sucking the life out of the former to stay afloat.

- Sears is the only middle class game in town now and they're dopes for not taking better advantage of that. Walmart: no thanks. Hudson's Bay: only when there's a major sale.
 
#35 ·
Last May (2014), I ordered a part for a gas weed eater from Sears. They called me today, nearly a year later, to indicate the part had arrived for pickup at their parts depot. Insane delay. I'm definitely not happy.
 
#36 ·
A previous poster says that Sears is good for bedding and clothing and I will certainly not disagree. My problem is with anything that may require after the sale service. I continue to get excuses and the runaround from Sears Canada service in regards to a simple replacement part for a canister vacuum that is covered under a five year warranty and broke less than three months after purchase. I'm starting to believe that I won't receive the part during the warranty period and will finally be told that the warranty is over and they can't help me out. I will never buy anything that might require me to need after sale support from Sears Canada again.
 
#37 ·
Last year, against my better judgement we purchased a Natuzzi sofa/love seat and sure enough, after a few months it began to sag. Exchanged it for a Marano couch set without any problem and are now completely happy.

Also, purchased a Beautyrest mattress last week and found it too firm for our liking so exchanged it for the plush model without any problem. Very pleased with Sears....so far.
 
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