It is difficult to convey to anyone under the age of 50 how important Sears was to working class Americans FOR GENERATIONS. The Sears catalog was the source of gifts, home furnishings, furniture, clothing, tools, appliances...you name it. And before there were millions of Master Cards and Visa cards, your Sears Revolving Charge Card was the tool than enabled buying the cornucopia of stuff that you simply didn't have the money to buy with cash.
Their interest rates were shocking, even by the standards of the day. More than 20%, compounded monthly; most customers paid more in interest than they did for the stuff, by the time their accounts were paid off pursuant to their Final Wills and Testaments.
But while Sears was a mainstay for working class Americans, selling everything from baby diapers to HOUSES, Sears Customer Service was always THE WORST. Their attitude was, "You can't go anywhere else, so fuck you!" THey came to your house when they damn-well pleased, and don't you complain about it, or they will re-schedule your ass for a couple months down the road.
I have no idea about the connection between the entity that is using the "Sears" name these days and that old retail behemoth, but I've recently been reminded of how they made me feel so often in days gone by.
A few years ago my giant SEARS freezer finally gave up the ghost, after thirty years of me renewing their Sears Maintenance Agreement on that old turkey. I probably paid for that freezer three times over with my annual Maintenance Agreement renewals. But regardless, after three different Sears tech gave up on it they gave me a store credit for a new Freezer ($500). Cool. Well in Sears' deteriorated state, there was only one Sears appliance store within a hundred miles of my house, and I trekked on down to the Sears store in Washington, PA. They didn't have a comparable freezer (I knew I would have to pay more than $500), so I chose a refrigerator-freezer, and had to endure an hour-long begging session with the "District Manager" to allow me to buy a refrigerator-freezer instead of a freezer - which they didn't have. Done.
A couple days ago, the refrigerator crapped out, while the freezer is doing great. IN fact, I put a thermometer in the fridge and it read 72degreesF after a couple of hours.
So I Googled "Sears Appliance Repair" and was hooked up ON LINE with an organization called "Sears" that operates in my area. Detailing the problem for their chat feature I was told that they had an appointment available for next March (7 months hence), or the day after tomorrow! Of course, I checked Block B, and was assured that I was signed up for a service appointment TOMORROW (8/24), which would be confirmed by a storm of E-mails and text messages. Right.
But here's the thing: The Service Rep (who will charge a $139 diagnostic fee) will be at my house at "PRECISELY 0800-1700." According to my math, that information corresponds to a "window" of NINE FUCKING HOURS. I reviewed the storm of communications and the Sears website for a phone number which I could call to get a slightly smaller "window" for the visit of the Service Rep. No dice. The closest I came to an avenue of communication was a CHAT feature, but the CHAT feature was expressly limited to the five specific forms of inquiry they are prepared to address, one of which involves cancelling my appointment and the others result in even more money going to SEARS - whoever that is.
A little while ago I got yet another text message from "Sears" asking me to either confirm the appointment or cancel and reschedule. I responded with a message - in the clear - asking, "WHEN IS THE MOTHER-FUCKER COMING, EXACTLY?"
No response from "Sears" yet.
While I am retired, I really didn't plan to set aside the entire day waiting for "Sears" to arrive. Indeed, I have done that very thing in the past, and been sorely disappointed when THAT M-F never showed up. So between my wife and myself we plan to be at or near our dwelling house during the entire window, with a worst-case possibility that Sears will call or text me that s/he is standing outside my door, and I will have to drop whatever I'm doing to get my ass back home.
Does anyone else treat their customers this shabbily? I am reminded of the last time I took my Saab to the dealer's shop.
Their interest rates were shocking, even by the standards of the day. More than 20%, compounded monthly; most customers paid more in interest than they did for the stuff, by the time their accounts were paid off pursuant to their Final Wills and Testaments.
But while Sears was a mainstay for working class Americans, selling everything from baby diapers to HOUSES, Sears Customer Service was always THE WORST. Their attitude was, "You can't go anywhere else, so fuck you!" THey came to your house when they damn-well pleased, and don't you complain about it, or they will re-schedule your ass for a couple months down the road.
I have no idea about the connection between the entity that is using the "Sears" name these days and that old retail behemoth, but I've recently been reminded of how they made me feel so often in days gone by.
A few years ago my giant SEARS freezer finally gave up the ghost, after thirty years of me renewing their Sears Maintenance Agreement on that old turkey. I probably paid for that freezer three times over with my annual Maintenance Agreement renewals. But regardless, after three different Sears tech gave up on it they gave me a store credit for a new Freezer ($500). Cool. Well in Sears' deteriorated state, there was only one Sears appliance store within a hundred miles of my house, and I trekked on down to the Sears store in Washington, PA. They didn't have a comparable freezer (I knew I would have to pay more than $500), so I chose a refrigerator-freezer, and had to endure an hour-long begging session with the "District Manager" to allow me to buy a refrigerator-freezer instead of a freezer - which they didn't have. Done.
A couple days ago, the refrigerator crapped out, while the freezer is doing great. IN fact, I put a thermometer in the fridge and it read 72degreesF after a couple of hours.
So I Googled "Sears Appliance Repair" and was hooked up ON LINE with an organization called "Sears" that operates in my area. Detailing the problem for their chat feature I was told that they had an appointment available for next March (7 months hence), or the day after tomorrow! Of course, I checked Block B, and was assured that I was signed up for a service appointment TOMORROW (8/24), which would be confirmed by a storm of E-mails and text messages. Right.
But here's the thing: The Service Rep (who will charge a $139 diagnostic fee) will be at my house at "PRECISELY 0800-1700." According to my math, that information corresponds to a "window" of NINE FUCKING HOURS. I reviewed the storm of communications and the Sears website for a phone number which I could call to get a slightly smaller "window" for the visit of the Service Rep. No dice. The closest I came to an avenue of communication was a CHAT feature, but the CHAT feature was expressly limited to the five specific forms of inquiry they are prepared to address, one of which involves cancelling my appointment and the others result in even more money going to SEARS - whoever that is.
A little while ago I got yet another text message from "Sears" asking me to either confirm the appointment or cancel and reschedule. I responded with a message - in the clear - asking, "WHEN IS THE MOTHER-FUCKER COMING, EXACTLY?"
No response from "Sears" yet.
While I am retired, I really didn't plan to set aside the entire day waiting for "Sears" to arrive. Indeed, I have done that very thing in the past, and been sorely disappointed when THAT M-F never showed up. So between my wife and myself we plan to be at or near our dwelling house during the entire window, with a worst-case possibility that Sears will call or text me that s/he is standing outside my door, and I will have to drop whatever I'm doing to get my ass back home.
Does anyone else treat their customers this shabbily? I am reminded of the last time I took my Saab to the dealer's shop.
