A few weeks ago I post my rant about the problems I was having with my 3yr old refrigerator that I bought from Sears. I decided to declare war on Sears after getting the run around on the three separate occasions that the frige had failed. I wanted a new frige; the one I had was obviously a lemon. They said that I had to have four separate parts fail within a 12 month period, and only then would they consider a replacement.

Well, earlier this week I had a Sears service tech come out and he determined that the frige was unrepairable. Apparently there's a coolant leak in the liner which can't be reached, so it can't be fixed. Per the terms of the maintenance agreement I purchased last time I had a problem, if they can't fix it, they have to replace it.

Last night my wife and I went to Sears to choose our new fride. We had to fight with three different managers and their inept sales staff to get a reasonable settlement. Apparently they felt our $1600 frige was only worth $500. Neither my wife nor I would let up until we finally got them to give us a credit equal to the value of our current model.

We did not get another Kenmore Elite. Instead we opted for an Amana bottom freezer model that's been getting really good reviews. Plus Amana has one of the lowest ratings for large appliance failures. The price was the same as the credit, so it was a wash.

The moral to this story? Sometimes extended warranties / maintenance agreements are a good thing. Had I not purchased one last year, I would still be fighting with Sears because the frige was out of manufacturer's warranty, and whether the leak was a manufacturer's defect or not would have been questionable. The tech thought is was, and probably the reason for all the previous problems I've had. For $75 I saved myself $1600, plus they pay for my lost food.

The second lesson, be relentless with these idiots. It is their lot in life to screw you out of your hard earned cash. Be nice, but be stern, and stand your ground. Any information you volunteer can be used against you; never give them too much information.

So I'm getting a new frige, unfortunately because I chose a specific model and would not be talked into one of their special models, I have to wait until the beginning of May for it to be in stock. It's not a big deal now that the immediate issue has been resolved. The next potential battle will be when they deliver the new frige. If it's the wrong model, or not stainless steel, or damaged, I'm going back on the offensive. Once it's in my house chillin' then my war with Sears is over.

I'm glad it worked out for you...let's just say, I undersetand your frustrations.

Let me apologize on their behalf...(store people can be, let's see...not very helpful)

had the same runaround with our POS GE Profile...biggest piece of garbage...we are selling it with the house and buying another one with the new house...since GE and Kenmore are in cahoots with each other,..makes sense both are shitty...STAY AWAY FROM THEM...

had the same runaround with our POS GE Profile...biggest piece of garbage...we are selling it with the house and buying another one with the new house...since GE and Kenmore are in cahoots with each other,..makes sense both are shitty...STAY AWAY FROM THEM...
GE has one of the highest rates for problems from Consumer Reports. Everything I've read bout them has been pretty bad. You're wise to stay away.

Victoly! May death come swiftly to your enemies. :D

I'm glad it worked out for you...let's just say, I undersetand your frustrations.

Let me apologize on their behalf...(store people can be, let's see...not very helpful)
Thanks. Do you work for a big box retailer or something?

Not at the store, but I've had my run-ins with those store people and I was pretty upset about their "foolishness"

I work in claims, when a customer has damages because of an installer or product liablity.

A few weeks ago I post my rant about the problems I was having with my 3yr old refrigerator that I bought from Sears. I decided to declare war on Sears after getting the run around on the three separate occasions that the frige had failed. I wanted a new frige; the one I had was obviously a lemon. They said that I had to have four separate parts fail within a 12 month period, and only then would they consider a replacement.

Well, earlier this week I had a Sears service tech come out and he determined that the frige was unrepairable. Apparently there's a coolant leak in the liner which can't be reached, so it can't be fixed. Per the terms of the maintenance agreement I purchased last time I had a problem, if they can't fix it, they have to replace it.

Last night my wife and I went to Sears to choose our new fride. We had to fight with three different managers and their inept sales staff to get a reasonable settlement. Apparently they felt our $1600 frige was only worth $500. Neither my wife nor I would let up until we finally got them to give us a credit equal to the value of our current model.

We did not get another Kenmore Elite. Instead we opted for an Amana bottom freezer model that's been getting really good reviews. Plus Amana has one of the lowest ratings for large appliance failures. The price was the same as the credit, so it was a wash.

The moral to this story? Sometimes extended warranties / maintenance agreements are a good thing. Had I not purchased one last year, I would still be fighting with Sears because the frige was out of manufacturer's warranty, and whether the leak was a manufacturer's defect or not would have been questionable. The tech thought is was, and probably the reason for all the previous problems I've had. For $75 I saved myself $1600, plus they pay for my lost food.

The second lesson, be relentless with these idiots. It is their lot in life to screw you out of your hard earned cash. Be nice, but be stern, and stand your ground. Any information you volunteer can be used against you; never give them too much information.

So I'm getting a new frige, unfortunately because I chose a specific model and would not be talked into one of their special models, I have to wait until the beginning of May for it to be in stock. It's not a big deal now that the immediate issue has been resolved. The next potential battle will be when they deliver the new frige. If it's the wrong model, or not stainless steel, or damaged, I'm going back on the offensive. Once it's in my house chillin' then my war with Sears is over.


When I was younger, I worked at Sears for a few years...you can return anything to those guys if you bitch hard enough.