Christmas Trees & Decorations Discussion Board

Christmas Tree

monkey0713 — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 20:35:05 GMT

I have a beautiful Trim a Home tree, 8 in one ,7 ft , from Kmart but the control unit has gone out. I would like to order a new part. No one seems to know where I can call. Help!!!

Just Cut tree...what to do when a row of lights go out?

thistleter — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 17:33:45 GMT

Our Just Cut tree just lost light in a horizontal row of lights...about four tiers up. I've checked the plugs but they are all in tight and working. Any suggestions as to what to do?

Country living tree with multi function lights

CathyZoeckler — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 03:25:38 GMT

Sears item #07177339000

Mfr.model W14L0074

Country living tree with multi function lights

Kevin-Pace — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 06:46:46 GMT

The branches on the bottom section and middle section are hinged, the branches on the top section are permanently attached and bent down from the center when the tree is shaped. I've never seen the words "crush resistant molded tips" anywhere in regards to any of the trees so I can't comment as to whether they do or do not have that but they are better quality branches than I've seen on some bargain trees.

Which particular tree are you looking at? I should be able to be a tad more specific if you can give me the tree's name.

Country living tree with multi function lights

CathyZoeckler — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 05:32:01 GMT

Please help! I'm shopping online for a Christmas tree - I don't have a Sears near my home. The description and specs are not very helpful. Do these trees have crush resistant molded tips? Do they have hinged branches? Thank you for any help!!

stopping a Martha Stuart tree from rotating

VivianeCase-Fox — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:38:12 GMT

Is there anyone out there that can tell me how to stop my Martha Stuart tree from rotating. I use it every other year and the last time I did something and I got it to stop rotating. This year we can't find the instructions so I don't know what to do. It's about 4 years old, bought at K-Mart and it is also pre-lit. It is really a hassle to get all the lights to work but we finally figured it out. Now all we want is to get it to stop rotating. casefox@yahoo.com

Martha Stewart Pre Lit Christmas Tree

MatSciMan — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:43:45 GMT

Wait until you experience the fuse light going out in your GE Constant On lights. See my post on a related thread about pre-lit trees.

SORRY, pre-lit tree

MatSciMan — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:40:08 GMT

I have now owned 3 prelit trees that I bought from Sears. Two of these were the Santas Best brand with the GE Contant On lights. Lately these seem to be called Never Out. The lights are warranted for 3 years, the tree for 5. The problem is that these light strings contain at least one, usually 2, unremovable bulbs that serve as fuses. When one of these lights burns out as it eventually must, it takes at least half of the string with it! In my experience with these 2 trees, this usually happens just before or just after the warranty expires. When the first one goes, others will follow regularly. I replaced 2 strings in early December, sent gratis, even though technically out of warranty, and now I have 2 more strings half-out.

Santas Best will send you free replacement strings during the warranty period and charge you $10-$15 each afterward. For the first tree, they actually sent pre-strung branch sets, for much more money! I can promise you that it will take several hours to replace a string properly, thereby defeating the convenience of owning a pre-lit tree.

As an engineer, I see no need for these fuse lights. There are fuses in the plug. To me, these seem to be solely designed for planned obsolescence! I did a web search and one fellow has a proposed repair. Search Google for this article. His comments support my earlier statements and he could find no evidence that this special bulb really was so special. Actually, I think there is a faster, cheaper and easier way to repair these. If you can, during the warranty period, file a claim to get a free set of lights and set them aside, or buy one string, if you are out of warranty. In my case, I am considering cutting out the fuse light and replacing it by soldering a standard socket in its place. With one string, you should have plenty of standard sockets to do this each and every time that you need to.

I would prefer not to do this until the lights are out of warranty. I connot recommend this approach since it will subvert the UL rating, but since the plugs are fused, I'm pretty sure that there is no fire hazard as long as the wires are properly insulated

One can question the ethics of making a false defect claim, but I question the ethics of making a product so blatantly designed to fail in order to sell replacements. To me this has significantly degraded my opinion of both the Sears and GE brands. I paid nearly $500, on sale, for my 9 ft tree in 2006. I think I should be able to get more than 3 trouble-free seasons from it. BTW, I disposed of that first tree, 7.5 ft, last year and replaced it with a new LED tree. I'm curious to see if there's a time bomb built into THAT system.

7.5 Wakefield Slim Christmas tree

teachercreacher — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:51:04 GMT

I am looking for an owners manual for the 7.5 Wakefield Slim Christmas tree. I purchased the floor model and did not receive a box or manual. I love the tree and want to know the recommendations for how to best care for it so that it lasts for many years. Any help would be appreciated.

Martha Stewart Pre Lit Christmas Tree

AdamO — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 05:41:42 GMT

Try a GE tree.

My GE tree has been working for several years now.

Of course, it never "comes down"...

My model tree is only 4-1/2 feet tall, though.

Martha Stewart Pre Lit Christmas Tree

Katkmw — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:41:55 GMT

No more MS trees for us!! I bought 2 a year ago - one for me and one for my 80-some year old parents and neither one of us have trees with lights that work. Two-three strands out on both trees. One strand went out after several days of working. We've tried everything listed here and still no luck.

Martha Stewart Pre Lit Christmas Tree

PARAWLINS — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:19:10 GMT

After reading other remarks, I do not feel any better. This was my second year for my beautiful pre lit Martha Stewart Tree. Needless to say, I can not stand Martha but I broke down and bought her tree. Good price, good deal, good for XXXX. They should have kept Martha locked up, maybe then we the public would not be suckered in to making more money for her with her worthless merchandise. Same problems as other, LIGHTS ARE OUT AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED. What a crock. P.A. RAWLINS, GARFIELD HTS., OH.

SORRY, pre-lit tree

MikeyRocks — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:38:11 GMT

sorrytree, not sure if you'll get Martha to respond but I"m sure somebody in customer care will

SORRY, pre-lit tree

AdamO — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:28:40 GMT

Don't stand down-wind from that thing.

The smoke from the artificial "needles" may be toxic.

You weren't talking about burning it indoors, in your fireplace, I hope?

Look at the pretty colors...

SORRY, pre-lit tree

sorrytree — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 01:36:33 GMT

I want to duplicate the guy in the "pissed customer" blog. I went as far as to take off all the pre lit lights and did my best to replace, all but the topper. It all worked, for the first time, now in my 3rd season. However, a week after it was up the top section went out. It is a piece of crap and I also will not by any Martha Stewart products I can help it. Someone who can not back up there product does not get any more of my hard earned money. I also tried to call the 800 numbers with no luck, I would just like a response to all these bad blogs, from Martha herself. My tree was $200.00, for this amount of money, I expected a better product, I burning it after it comes down this year.

Martha Stewart Pre Lit Christmas Tree

kandymankeith — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:05:01 GMT

This is the third year using this tree & up to now, no problems. This year I'm noticing patches of darks spots in the tree where three or four lights in a row are burned out. In fact the other night I sat there and watched three of them flicker & go out. Now the mid part of the tree is dark. We tried calling the 800# on the box, but it's no longer in service. We called Kmart who informs us they no longer carry MS Christmas trees! A visit to MS's site on the web gave us no further information. Now what are we to do? I understand a bulb or two can blow out & be replaced, but we can't find any to fit this stupid thing. We paid over $80 for this tree thinking we'd have it for 5-10 years. I have light sets from the 60's that still work, why doesn't this modern crap withstand the test of time? And no recourse? If anyone finds out who you can complain to, please post it here. We are so upset with our half dark tree!!!

Martha Stewart Pre Lit Christmas Tree

lovemartha — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 03:33:54 GMT

I have two Martha Stewart trees, both purchased at Kmart. I only have instructions for one of them, which is older than yours (Frost HIll, purchased Dec 2004). If you still have your instructions and the little pack of replacement bulbs that came with it, see if you also have any little metal bar-type pieces, about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch long (they should be in the bag with the replacement bulbs). If we have similar trees, those are the fuses, and since replacing the bulbs hasn't worked, it might be a fuse that needs to be replaced, and how to do that should be explained in the instructions. Good luck and happy holidays.

Martha Stewart Pre Lit Christmas Tree

lovemartha — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 03:22:52 GMT

Don't know what type of tree you have, but I have a 6-1/2 foot one called Frost Hill, purchased at Kmart in December 2004. This will be my sixth Christmas using it. On my Assembly Instructions, there is a drawing/diagram showing the TOP section (labeled Section A) being connected to the MIDDLE section. It also shows the BOTTOM section (Section B) being connected to the MIDDLE section. The MIDDLE section's plug (on my tree it's a thick black cord with a large plug at the end) is then connected to the power source. That's what the instructions for my tree show, anyway--not sure if your tree is the same. There should be tags/labels with the letters "A" and "B" on them, unless they've been torn off. If assembling it this way doesn't get the lights working, it could be a bulb loose within the holder that needs to be adjusted, or a blown fuse. If you don't have the spare replacement bulbs or little metal fuses that originally came with the tree, I'm not sure what you can use to fix it. But with an entire set or sets being out, it might be that the way the sections are plugged in isn't correct. Good luck and happy holidays.

Martha Stewart Pre Lit Christmas Tree

anonymouslady — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:27:48 GMT

go buy a new tree and then put the broken one in the box and return it and get your money back!

Martha Stewart Pre Lit Christmas Tree

houdiniphile — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:28:25 GMT

Maybe it's time for a new tree. In my profile I took lots of tree pics and they start under $50! and no, I don't work for Sears or KMart.