Sears is AWFUL - NO HELP WITH WATER HEATER THAT IS LESS THAN 90 DAYS OLD

Yeah, I hate the whole phone transfer thing. Yesterday, I was on the phone for an hour with some company where I specifically requested not to be transferred to marketing because I needed to talk to another departement but they still transferred me over there, which meant I had to call again at the main line.

I haven't had a bad experience with calling Sears yet, but I think big companies often have employees that just don't care because they know you can't find them. There should be some way to attach personal responsbility, like some sort of report center for bad calls where if enough people complain about a rep somebody would review them or something.

Ohh, next time you have any issues you should try to post your problems here first. From being on the boards awhile I notice that they constantly have people reading here and the guys who respond here seem higher up and from corporate and not just some call center, they seem to be able to get stuff done. Sometimes it seems they respond even faster than phone calls.

Thanks, I found this board by accident when I was looking for the best way to add the bleach to the system.  I was also hoping someone from Sears monitors these boards so I can further complain...thanks for your advice

Hi FormerEmployee-Welcome to MySears.  I will send your issue on to SearsCares, they are a customer service escalation team who helps out on the site.  Check back on the post in the next day or so, to see if they have responded.

It is disheartening to hear, that being a loyal customer you would give up so easily on Sears after this experience.  You not only seem to have been a customer for years, but, also working for them, you know they provide the best product, and have some of the best people working for them. I hope you give Sears another chance knowing all of that.

It's too bad you have to go to this website for attention on a problem, but at least they listen....however, as I pointed out through my experience, there is a total lack of ownership from Sears...they constantly "move" the problem to another person, and there is "no one" that follows up to ensure you were handled timely and accurately. An open problem ticket should remain open on each customerproblem and only closed with a "receipt" from the customer (simple callback).....it's a simple process, but I sense that won't happen here...too many handoffs and no one "closing the loop".....

Here is the best part of my sagga.  They apparently scheduled a tech to come to my home for today!! Isnt that special...wait, I told them I was unavailable today and would perfer a Saturday appointment. That today (August 7th) was not possible for me...  I just recieved a call from the tech who is on his way to my home...AND I'M NOT THERE!!  Let's all give it up for Sears adn the wonderful listening skills, what I wouldn't give to hear the recording of my conversation with these folks...does anyone know if those records are possible to obtain?  I'm guessing not cuz Sears would look even better!  Anyone want to take bets that Sears says its my fault for not being home and they won't reschedule the appointment?? 

I think the root of the problem is accountabiliity. If one person knew their job was dependent on good customer service they would do a good job and make sure it's handle. But since there's not really a name to a service or a way to report bad actors there's no one person who really cares.

I think your ticket system sounds like a great idea...yous hould put it on the ideas section or if you don't want to I will sometime!

I think I have a better one...how about a technician arriving to fix my refrigerator that was returned to Sears 3 days earlier....I loved the look on his face!!

Feel free. to use the idea...in my prior life I created processes and systems for a living...so I am not just making this up....it works...it gets to the accountability point you suggested..each person handling the problem ticket has to record their name, and how they handled the ticket...so later some analysis can be done to see what really happened.....unfortunately or fortunately people do a better job when they know they made be held accoutable for their actions...it improves performance, helps suggest training needs, and improves overall teamwork....it's simple and it works!

I think the root of the problem is accountabiliity

Actually, its sulfur in the water. The well may need to be "shocked" with bleach too.

 To formeremployeeMAD,

 I've been reading this thread and I can see the frustration with what has happened, and we would like to get some information from you about this. Being disconnected is not acceptable by any Sears standard. We do welcome your input as we cannot fix what we don't know about, and we constantly strive to better our performance with our customers when they do have to call in with a problem. We do coach our employees to areas of opportunity when something like this happens and you should not have been transferred around like that. Of course your front line customer service representative will not have the technical knowledge to be able to answer this question. You would have had to get to our technical assistance folks who should have been able to address this. At your convenience, please contact my office at searscares@searshc.com so that we can help. Please provide a contact phone number and the phone number the water heater was purchased under (if different than the contact phone number) and we will call you directly. In addition, please provide the screen name (formeremployeeMAD) for reference to this issue, and we do look forward to talking to you soon.

 Thank you,

 Brian J.

Senior Case Manager

Sears Cares

Having had a similar problem with being constantly transferred, disconnected, and given various phone numbers to call, my guess (and it is just a guess) is that Sear's CSRs performance is probably based upon how many calls they take a day rather than how well they serve an individual customer. I have seen this time and time again with a number of companies; you can almost tell when the mandate is to 'hurry up, take more calls' as opposed to 'take as long as you need to handle this'...it's really very sad. 

Sears would do well to steal the manager of  Logitech customer service, the first CSR you talk to will spend as long as necessary to help you with your problem, if they transfer you, they make sure they got you to someone who can help you, and they are dealing with $40 computer mice and keyboards, not appliances that cost thousands of dollars.

When a customer posts here, Sears is very good at jumping in and handling the issue- but the underlying problem never seems to be addressed, and that is WHY do so many people have to repeatedly post about the same problem with customer service? It never seems to be resolved.

Had the Sears Power Miser 12 (50 gallon) installed on 7/30/09 (yes, less than 2 weeks ago). I am now calling for the third repair in less than two weeks. What a lemon. Won't buy Sears brand again, and should have noted the bad review posted by someone else (there was one good review, and one bad for this model). Today, after calling for repair #4, I was authorized to have a replacement. It won't be a Sears brand, I guarantee. Also, when calling, I was transferred around to seven (7) different locations to handle the repair request. The last one wouldn't give me her location, but am quite sure it was out of the country. I now am going to the local Orange County Sears to pick out a different brand for replacement. They did install a new gas valve, but the unit still isn't staying lit. Submitted by T. (Snoop).

I am a SHIPS sales rep and hear these kind of problems often, when in the home building the VALUE of doing business with Sears.  The most common issue is the customer service and time it takes to get issues handled.  Not the tech's or the in store rep's, its the CS phone center.  I try to defuse each of these by listening and understanding the frustration, and explain,"its not the norm, sorry it happened to you and I will forward your experiance to management". Then move on with focusing on the great customer service thay will get with SHIPS.

 I also, have a good friend and neighbor who has felt this frustration and recived very poor CS for a refrigerator thay have had to have tech's out to repair 5 or 6 times. Some for the same problem.

In my opinnion, its an area that needs to be looked at and more follow up given to the customers using the 1800 FOR MY HOME customer service. 

I have been in the Sales & Service busness for 24 years, and I do belive Sears is overall, at the top of the list when it comes to the customer needs.  It just needs to be monitored and rewarded from the top....down.  An advisery commitee from all levels of the CS arena would also help keep the issues in prespective, as long as open communacation is encouraged.

GWMC

Bakersfield Ca.

somtimes our products fail.  If you are not satisfied with your purchase you can return it to Sears, Kmart, or TGI for a cash refund.

~DEE

Ouch too bad exemployees only bought Sears products...I am sure you have a problem with previous employeers but I do not. This experience has caused me to have a problem not my time at Sears.  I truly enjoyed my time at Sears while I was in high school but as we grow we move on to different jobs so no, "rampower" ex employees dont always have a problem

I am not satisfied with the product but was told by the lovely Sears Representatives that I cannot return the product or get a new one until someone comes to look at the unit...I am unsatisfied can I have my money back?  I will drop the unit off at the local Sears?  Can I tell them you sent me?

Hi,

 I'm building a new house and was going to buy two 50 gallon water heaters from Sears.  After reading these comments I'm having second thoughts.

Hi Mimomma-Welcome to MySears.  Here is a link to many, many reviews on the water heater you are condsidering.  As you can see, the majority of them are positive:

http://www.mysears.com/search?q=50+gallon+water+heater&target=MySears

Hope that helps in the decision making process!

Did the bleach treatment work?  The only reason you had a rotten egg smell was due to hydrogen sulfide bubbling out of the hot water.  More often than not the source of the hydrogen sulfide are sulfate reducing bacteria, "Desulfovibrio."  If you are in an area with sulfate-rich water (i.e.  -- gypsum), then the bacteria are living on it.  Also, there has to be some organic matter in the water for them metabolize.  Finally -- and this is the bad part -- the bacteria have an obligatory requirement for iron.  That means if you have a galvanized water system, the bacteria will attack and eventually perforate it.  Oxygen is poison to Desulfovibrio.  Better than bleach is peroxide.  In any event, make sure the system is vented to prevent overpressuring due to gas release. Good luck.  BTW, I bought a new Sears HW heater in January; it failed today.  Bought it from "a guy" so I guess that means Sears won't honor the warrantee.

-- Jay