Sears Warning: DO NOT buy appliances from Sears

On March, 18, I purchased a brand-new HE washer/dryer set from Sears/K-Mart. I purchased delivery and installation with the machine. On March 22, the installer team arrived, hauled away the old washer and dryer, and supposedly tested the machine. I live on an island where houses must be elevated, so my laundry room is on the 2nd floor, above the garage. Since I had been several weeks without a washer, I was very excited, and washed a load as soon as possible. Bad idea. When I went outside, I saw a large puddle of water seeping out the garage door. When I opened the door, I found a large puddle of water (approx. 3 ft in diameter), as well as a large spot of water soaked drywall on the ceiling, directly under where the new machine had been installed. I immediately called the 800 number to report the issue and the damage to my home. Sears was unable to send anyone out until Friday the 26. I specifically told them that Sears had caused significant damage to my house, and that I needed them to send their insurance adjuster. They asked me to move the machine to look for an issue. I explained that I was disabled and physically unable to move the machine, which is why I had purchased delivery and installation services.

The 26th arrived, and a Sears van arrived at my house, 45 minutes after the 2 hour window they had given me on the phone. Instead of sending any type of adjuster, Sears had sent out another team of installers. I immediately showed them the damage. They responded that they were merely installers and would not do any kind of damage report. They verbally reported that a hose had been incorrectly installed, but they were sure that a leaky hose would not cause that degree of damage. When I asked who was going to come to assess the damage to my house, they called their supervisor to try to find out. The supervisor told them no one was going to come out to assess the damage; it was my problem and I would need to file with my own insurance company. I immediately called the 800 number. I told the customer service associate that instead of sending out an adjuster or a technician, they had merely sent out installers who had done nothing to help me with my issue. The associate informed me that the 1st associate had failed to initiate a claim, and he gave me a claim number. He assured me that the installation team would report the damage when they returned from the job, and told me they would call me back with additional information. He also told me they would send the proper personnel out the following day. I asked to speak with a supervisor. I was on hold for 30-40 minutes before the associate returned to the line to say no supervisor was available.

Saturday morning, another two people arrived. These 2 individuals could barely form a coherent sentence. I asked them if they were technicians or insurance folks, and they told me that they were just installers. They spent less than 5 minutes at my house, saying there was nothing they could do. I again called the 800 number, and they assured me that I should stay home, and that a technician would come out sometime that day. The technician arrived several hours later, and told me the machine was fine, but that my drain was blocked. He told me to call a plumber to assess the hook-up, and this was clearly not a Sears issue.

After wasting an entire Saturday (the 1st Saturday that it was sunny in months), I went back to the store that sold me the machine. The store manager and sales person spent about an hour on the phone with Sears and got no where. They assured me that they would try again Monday morning, during normal business hours. He called me early Monday morning to report someone would be coming out to assess the damage later that day. About an hour later, he called me back; no one was coming out. He said that the installers had reported there had been no installation issues, (despite the fact they had told me that hoses were not properly connected the first time,) and the technician on Saturday had said that my plumbing was the issue. So, as far as Sears was concerned, the case was closed. Sears told him that they had sent 3 people out, and that was more than they needed to do to resolve my issue. I needed to have a plumber come out, at my expense, to fix whatever the issue was.

The plumber came out today, and he spent several hours assessing the issue. The plumber's diagnostics showed that there was no issue whatsoever with my drains, pipes, or plumbing. He also said that the locations of the water damage (directly below the washer) was indicative of a washing machine issue, and in fact, was no where near where the drain pipe ran. The plumber's conclusion: my hook ups could not have caused the damage, my drain was fine, and I had no leaking pipes.

So, after spending about $1000 on a new washer/dryer, I am left with damages to my house that will exceed the cost of the appliances. I am left with a plumbing bill that adds another hundred dollars plus to my costs. I have a major mold issue developing in my house as well. Sears will not do anything to help me resolve the issue in any way. I can't get the old appliances returned, and if I try to return the new ones, not only will they not refund my delivery/installation costs, but I will have to pay a restocking fee.

I went to Sears when I needed new appliances because of Sears' stellar reputation. What did I get for it? I have spent literally 4 full days trying to get the issue resolved. My health is suffering. I am left with a destroyed laundry room floor and garage ceiling, an ever worsening mold issue, and absolutely unacceptable service from Sears. I have spent over a week trying to escalate this to a corporate level, to no avail. I am highly allergic to mold, and I have a stress-exacerbated disability. I have had nothing but elevated stress since the first set of installers left. I am still without functioning laundry appliances, and instead am left with a floor that may fall through any day. When that happens, I fully expect the response to be that THAT damage is not covered under my warranty.

I will share my experiences with everyone I know--stay away from Sears at all costs. You will be left with damages that far exceed the costs of the appliances to mitigate, and Sears will flat out refuse to do anything to help you. Just because Sears assigns you a claim number, do not believe that will get you anything. Be smart--call in your own professionals before allowing Sears to let the issue get worse. They will close your case and leave you worse off than you were before choosing to give Sears your money. Instead of an appropriate and timely response, you will get migraines, large bills to "verify" what you already know, and a "We didn't do it" response from Sears, despite hiring 3rd party professionals to verify that the damage was, in fact, Sears' fault. Do not waste the hours trying to resolve it through the channels Sears' suggests like I did. Read through the "MySears.com" forums BEFORE shopping at Sears so you are spared the heartache of having to post your own story of woe, echoing all of the others on their own forum. Don't waste the time and energy trying to accelerate your concerns through either the store or through the 800 number unless you actually like headaches. Do not expect Sears to send honest representatives out to address the issue, and ask for everything they say in writing. Be aware that spending money at Sears may leave you in a worse position than you were to begin with.

Sears' old "stellar reputation"? Well, that reputation is history, as far as I can tell, and in no way represents the "new" Sears. Every thing is outsourced, and Sears will not do anything to stand behind their subcontractors work. You will get robo-calls, asking you to complete a customer service survey. At the end of the call, you will be asked if you want a call back. Do not hold your breath waiting for that call back. I am still awaiting my call-back, and as of this minute, am unable to speak to a supervisor or anyone in corporate.

I will tell you all something--I know who I WILL NOT call to address my home damages--Sears Home Improvement Services. In fact, after this experience, I will never set foot in another Sears as long as I live.