OLD SEARS "free appliance" thread - ignore this one and post in new thread!

[Cybordolphin]

Can the lower price be from ANY store? Can you compare to an online etailer?
Is this good for only certain appliances?

I need a new fridge and microwave.. COOL!
Thanks.

 

[Insomniac]

Keep in mind it is not free. You get a Sears Gift Check, not a refund. This is aimed at people who were going to purchase appliances anyways.

Also, how do you find out what items are part of the challenge? This is the first time I heard of this challenge. My washer and dryer isn't doing to well (20 year old Kenmores) and it would be nice to buy a Washer and use the Gift Check to buy a Dryer. That would be a great way to get 50% off!

 

[hychka]

I guess I wasn't clear.

After Sears wouldn't honor its "satisfaction guaranteed" policy without waiting until the eve of a Small Claims Court hearing, I made it a personal thing to only buy from them IF I couldn't find something better or at least as good for less money. That's my personal Sears challenge and it has worked real well for me .... except I can't beat their Christmas Craftsman screwdriver sale.

Those of you who would be "satisfied" with a range that would require a $600 repair after glass dish fell out of a child's hand (about a ten inch drop), well, that you're out there proves that there's a sucker born every minute.

 

[mateasmom]

Okay, so how similar do the items need to be?? Can the item be on Clearance at the other store?? For instance, there is an over the range microwave on clearance at Walmart.com. It does not look like any of the models that Sears sells, but it appears to have all the same features. Would this match?? Or does the comparison need to be between for instance the Kenmore over the range microwave, and the identical item with the original manufactures name (Kitchen Aid, Sharp??). How do you find out what items are being price matched?

 

[unrequited]

I can't believe people are ganging up on someone who wanted to have his warranty actually honored. If my monitor dies after a year of use (it did), and it has a 3 year "no questions asked" warranty (it did), then I would certainly expect the monitor to be replaced for free (it was).

Let me just say that Sears service sucks. I would never buy from Sears, and I wouldn't suggest that anyone else do it either. Here's a true story of my own:

One day, I happened to see a nice Sony stero at a local Sears. It was a little expensive, but I figured that since I was buying it at a local retail store (Sears, no less), I'd get superior customer service and support. Wow. I sure was wrong.

This stereo was a gateway to hell. I put in my favorite ten compact discs, played the stereo for about a week, and it broke. I sent it to the Sears repair center, where they managed to "fix" it by smashing it open and retrieving all of my compact discs, except for the most difficult to find disc of all. Okay, I thought, I'll just load it up again... it must be safe to use this new stereo. Well, once again I was wrong. It didn't last more than a few days before I had to send the stereo back to the Sears repair center, where it languished for quite some time, again. In fact, I had to call Sears in order to remind them that they had my stereo! They told me that they forgot to fix it. Whoops.

Well, you can probably guess what happened next. The stereo broke again within weeks of me receiving it, and I told them to keep the stupid thing. I swore to never shop at Sears ever again.

Unfortunately, I did shop at Sears again a month or two ago, after several years of avoiding the stores. My experience was horrible, to say the least.

Don't shop at Sears. Don't reward their legendary bad service. They've already been sued many, many times for their pathetic attempts to get out of honoring warranties. Just read the newspaper.

 

[SinMen]

If I accidentally threw a hammer at my monitor and broke the glass tube, I wouldn't expect any company to honor their "No questions asked" warranty.

BTW, are the challenge items on their ad? Couldn't find any yet.

 

[Crucial]

I personaly like their pricematch policy. Just find a better price online print out the page and bring it in. I got a $299 sony DVD player for $229 this way. Works everytime.

 

[AAjax]

Well I quess some people are allways right, even if it means ripping off a retailer by means of threat, .... Funny how these peoples kids never learn how to deal with anything cause its never their fault, allways someone else to blame/or is responsible...

On topic found some killer deals on open-box washers, will most likely will pick up one of these and not mess around with the price match deal, found a really nice whirlpool for 189$ only a small dent on the front, and I dont mind...

 

[Souka]

So, other than handing out thousands of dollars, what does Sears gain from this promotion?????

 

[SinMen]

I guess they are banking on the theory that you will not be able to find it cheaper anywhere.

 

[whoopini]

Hey guys, before we give hychka too much cr*p, let's keep in mind that Sears had a warranty SPECIFICALLY ON THE GLASS for this product that was seperate from the oven. If they didn't want to cover breakage, what is the warranty for? Scratching? Glazing? Is that any less the fault of the person using it? Additionally, Sears has a seperate warranty for "customer satisfaction". If hychka wasn't satisfied because a drop of a glass from 10 inches broke the glass, and it was under warranty, THEN THE WARRANTY COVERS IT. And to be honest, i think this is reasonable. Ovens are in the kitchen, they are supposed to be made durable.... certainly enough to withstand a 10 inch drop from a kid. In fact, they are supposed to be MADE to have pots and pans put on them... and it shouldn't have to be a gentle process. While unethical, you could smash it with a hammer and still have it covered. But he wasn't being unethical. He was dissatisfied because the expense of repairing the item was ridiculously overpriced, and the item was ridiculously fragile. Yeah, there are too many lawsuits in the US, but what's a person to do? Go in and steal a new stovetop from Sears? Wave a gun at them and tell them their repair prices are ridiculous? No.
I have no sympathy for Sears for offerring a warranty they never intend to satisfy.

 

[bigbootydaddy]

unrequited

you are mad because you bought a bad product?? sears doesnt make anything...ANYTHING. they only seel others products. they took it back time and time again. do your homework before you buy a product.

i used to work for sears. i know their repair service sucks. heck i argued with them half the time. thats why they started subcontracting out their water heater installs, garage door openers, and delivery service. their service centers are literally swamped with repairs, because people abuse products. the ppp they offer for 10 percent cost gives you full replacement, normally a year or two. no questions asked. yeah, buy an air purifier, kill it a couple days before a year ends, bam, new product, and its the latest and greatest. real moral.

you know, sears started hiring a lot of teens like myself, before i quit, mostly teens ran all of hardware. we knew more about our stuff than anyone in the entire home depot. maybe the mens section sucks, but everyone i knew in brand central (appliences) and hardware KNEW what they were talking about.

ok im done, had to defend my bros still working at 1067 in houston. 'cept for that one guy who tried to hit on my cousin.

 

[bigbootydaddy]

<< SPECIFICALLY ON THE GLASS for this product that was seperate from the oven. If they didn't want to cover breakage, what is the warranty for? Scratching? Glazing? >>



almost all appliances came with a &quot;cosmetic damamge&quot; warrenty for X amount of time. but i dont know what the specifics are when you drop something on it, its different when you go up to your washer and run into it with you knee, or open the door to hard and hit the water heater (which is what i got all the time...arg...uniformed people, the outside is NOT the tank holding your darn water!!).

But when actually dropping something on it, i guess clumsiness doesnt count. i would have repaired it, but would have thought twice before writing the order.

COMMISSION sucks!!




<< Additionally, Sears has a seperate warranty for &quot;customer satisfaction&quot;. >>


???????????????????????????
no they dont. nothign in writing, it is purely technical. 30 days money back guarantee has its limits if product is obiviously abused and then return, or used and returned, or pitch to a kid swinging a baseball bat and returned for a cheap laugh. they want customer satisfaction thats why you can get away with any return. keep it up and abusing stuff, and you'll then see their intentions, when its too late and they are so leanient anymore.


BTW, KENMORE isnt a manufacture, the water heaters are made by rheem/state (cant remember, one of em)
and the appliances are whirlpool...i think...maybe

 

[whoopini]

Bigbootydaddy,
Actually, I was referring to hychka's second post which referenced Sear's customer satisfaction guarantee. These are fairly common with vendors. However, let's get something straight.... It's not much of a guarantee if they aren't guarantee-ing anything. I am not sure of Sears policy, but if they do have a clause or a satisfaction guarantee, then they must honor it... even if it is an implied guarantee. And if they call it a satisfaction guarantee, even in writing in the store... then guess what... it's a little more than implied.
As for the people that say, &quot;Well is it my (the vendor's) fault that YOU bought a bad product? Research your product before you purchase!&quot; Well, I say they are right, you definately research your product. But do you want to have to research tensile strengths of glass of x amount of thickness before you purchase it, hell no... and neither do I. I know what an oven is, I know what it does, and it's general durability should be. If I'm wrong... then guess what... I'm dissatisfied, and if the vendor has a guarantee, then he's gotta help me out. In this case, I agree with hychka that this glass stove was too fragile, and too expensive to repair. What's the pont of view of the vendor, that I'm not REALLY Dissatisfied? I just bought this thing, brought it home, installed it, and abused it so that it broke so I could return it? Whatever...

This is why MOST vendors CAN'T have a guarantee! (And SHOULDN'T have one... thus the REAL value of the guarantee!) Otherwise, every Joe Schmoe could have one! &quot;I guarantee you that these cheap *ss knockoff Oakley's are just as good as the real ones!&quot; .... Riiiiiggghhhht. Or an implied guarantee &quot;These SMOakleys are just as good as the real ones!&quot; And according to you, it's up to the vendor to decide whether he should keep his guarantee... talk about a conflict of interests!
Also, keep in mind that if the vendor has a satisfaction clause or even an implied clause, they DO have responsibility, BECAUSE THEY SHOULDN&quot;T BE SELLING SOMETHING WHICH IS BAD! That's what their guarantee MEANS! Sheesh. What the heck is the use of a satisfaction clause if you just say, &quot;Well, you SHOULD have been satisfied because you SHOULD have researched it!&quot; The onus of not selling products which dissatisfy is taken by the vendor, thus HE should be the one doing the research on the product.
Now, I agree... this type of thing can be abused on BOTH ends. Someone can return an item that they had no intention of being satisfied by, because they didn't want the item (using and return or abuse and return). And thus that would not be applicable to a written or implied guarantee, but that's up to an OUTSIDE party to decide. Thus the small claims court...

Maybe what we SHOULD be saying is that Sears shouldn't offer a customer satisfaction guarantee (30 day implied OR written) if it doesn't intend to consistently satisfy it's liability caused by that offer.

BTW bigbootydaddy, I know you worked at Sears, and policy's may not be the same at all their stores (??), but just go check out www.sears.com front page for the link to their WRITTEN satisfaction guarantee.

&quot;Find a lower price?
We'll match it!
Sears Low Price Guarantee. If you find an identical branded item priced lower at another store, Sears will match that price.* Just call Customer Care at 1-800-349-4358 or email webmaster@sears.com at the time of your purchase, or up to 30 days after the sale.

No Hassle Returns
No hassle returns. If you are not completely satisfied, you can return your purchase to any Sears store or send it back to Sears.com.*
Click on the Customer Service link at the top of the page for specific details.

Satisfaction Guaranteed
or Your Money Back
Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back. Sears has always stood behind our products. This pledge applies to any products purchased on our website.
*Excludes Wishbook, Parts Direct, &quot;Sears presents...&quot; and Sears licensed partner websites.

 

[POKEMAN]

yeah I also returned a computer a few years back (wow over 5 years now)anyway it was my first computer (packard bell 486-50 or something like that)I wanted to upgrade to a faster video card,the onboard chip sucked and I could not add the card that I wanted so I returned it to the store and after I put up a stubborn fight that I did not get what the product sheet stated (something about local video bus ?) and the computer expert there agreed that I could not install that particular card they refunded my purchase price in full after I used thia for over a year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HEY SPEC411 WHERE ARE YOU ?more info please
very interested in the challenge and I also am looking for a hot water heater too bad you did not post earlier(I could have used info on that)

 

[hychka]

Can't resist adding some more to this ... hee! hee! ...

In our community &quot;Satisfaction Guaranteed&quot; isn't implied; it's written in orange lights on the side of the Sears store.

And, as a token of good will to some here, I have to admit that Sears guarantees, the freebies that come along for a year on most anything of size, are among the very best offered by retailers. In my bad experience I just ran into a guy who had &quot;burned out,&quot; was really outragous by everyone's account, and retired soon after my troubles were sorted out.

However, let me repeat, Sears prices are high. If you put a little effort into it, you can beat Sears pricing on anything at any time. I certainly have time and time again, first out of spite and now because it makes good shopping sense.

And, I find good retail prices on hotwater heaters at Lowes or &quot;wholesale&quot; thru my plumber.

 

[babycakes]

Hi all,

I looked through my sunday sale papers for the Sears sale paper and the info is in the sale ads. You will find one on the sweepers page 21 and also on the 2 dishwashers they have on the next page. It says this:

Take the Kenmore Challenge
We're so confident that when you purchase either of these dishwashers, if you find another brand of dishwasher with all of these features at the same or lower price, we'll give you the dishwasher FREE*

Then the fineprint below on the page:

Kenmore Challenge excludes other Kenmore products, military PX, internet retailers, mail order, closeouts, clearance, one-of-a-kind items, reconditioned items, competitive service agreements and extended warranties. See stores for additional Kennmore Challenge information and a complete list of features. Refund does not include delivery or installation charges. Offer good for 30 days following the date of your Kenmore purchase during this promotion. Refund thru mail-in rebate. Total capacity. Dishwasher and microwave prices are for black. White for all other appliances, unless otherwise indicated. Colors, connectors, ice maker hook-ups and installation extra.

Just writing what is in the fine print.

The only ones I noticed for the Challenge is the vacuum and the 2 dishwashers. I don't know about the others.

Hope this helps. I am thinking about trying this myself. I have noticed these before but like someone else mentioned the draw back is you have to buy it first and then do the challenge.

Sharon

 

[echozero]

has anyone found any specific items at any specific stores that will work for this? i'm having trouble matching stuff up exactly, and matching things so they're &quot;sorta close&quot; is hard too. any ideas?

 

[whoopini]

Any specifics of the kenmore models available for this week?
I would think Costco.com would be a good place to check out. They usually have really good prices on appliances and this type of stuff, and it's local, so you can go in the store to buy it and bring the receipt over to Sears for the gift certificate if it works...

 

[Evadman]

Ok guys... since we seem to have gotten off topic anyway...

I think that Home Depot has to have the best Cust Satisfaction Warantee / Guarantee anywhere. I work there and these are all true stories that happened at my store while I was working there.

Our waranteeis above our door on a 4 foot tall sign that hangs from the ceiling. It says &quot;Welcome to The Home Depot. All Purchases made at The Home Depot are fully waranteed for as long as you own them regardless of supplier warantee.&quot; This is why we get this crap back.

1. For Christmas this year we got back 7 Christmas trees which is preety sad considering we only sell live ones.

2. We have taken back many doors that customers have installed incorrectly or damaged on installation. ( I am the DH in the Millwork Dept so I see them all. ) This week we got back a double door that the customer specified the incorrect door to hoave the handle. ( That was about $1100 ) We also got back a door where a cust used that spray foam to install it ( Even though it says on the can of Great stuff not to use on doors and windows ) The door bowed from the pressure and wouldn't open. ( that one was a cheep steel one about $230 )

3. Last year a customers house flooded while he was on vacation and wrecked his new pergo flooor that we installed. Guess what. He got a new floor. ( Don't know how much )

3. Just when I started 2 years ago we replaced a door for a customer. This one you won't believe but thats ok. ( it is true. trust me. ) A customer in South Barrington ( a VERY rich community ) Bought a Cherry door from Feather River. This was a Double door with 2 sidelites and a trandsom ( The window kinda thing over the door ) This door was over $13,000. Well, the Lady that bought it had a daughter, and was teaching her to drive. That daughter missed the garage and smashed in the door. Well, here comes this rich annoying #$%^ complaining to everyone that her damn door was a piece of crap that broke. We ( the Millwork Dept) that were sorry but that was not a door defect DUH! and that we couldn't do anything for her. So then she called Ben Hill. ben hill is the customer service dept of Home Depot for customers to complain to. Well anyway, alt he end of this we ended up splitting the cost of a new door. Damn lucky #%!%#

As for the story that a Home Depot returned car tires for a lady may or may not be true. I have yet to get a straight answer ont that one.
Anyway, All this happened and i have seen it with my own Eyes. HD Says that it only gets back anout 1/2 of 1% of what it sells but that is bull. Oh well. At least the customers don't annoy me to much.

And ys I am a real HD Employee. If you are ever really bored go into a HD and press #727 on any black phone on any rack or desk. Then speak clearly into the phone.

&quot;Welcome HD shoppers! We have a Hot Deals section today in the tool Dept. For the next hour only you can get a cart, Yes a full cart, of tools for only $100. Fill it up! Nothing is excluded. Product must fit in the cart fully to qualify.&quot;

Let's start a stampeede!

 

[RiceDiGiZ]

wow thats cool

 

[SinMen]

Some claim Satisfaction Guarantee, I call it abuse. Ram a car into the door and get it replaced? Kwad, looks like what you said is actually true. And that's why we need to look for bargains. Imagine without the abuse, we might all be able to see some lower prices.

 

[Cybordolphin]

And I still don't get the deal.....
Thanks for the bedtime reading though guys.

Looks like the fine print kinda narrows it down a bit. Forget it.

Ah well.... the &quot;FREE appliances from Sears&quot; got me.

 

[spec411]

I hope noone minds, but this thread got WAYY off topic talking about cutomer service, so Im going to start a new thread and change this threads title...the new thread will be dedicated to getting free appliances via the &quot;challenge&quot;

new thread here:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=40&amp;threadid=377827

 

[Nutzo]

When I was a kid we had a neighbor who, once a year, would go into a local grocery store (different one each year) and slip &amp; fall on something, usually in the produce department. She would then act like she hurt herself &amp; threaten to take them to court. They would always give her a few hundred to settle out of court, and she would use that to take a vacation every summer.