Another unhappy customer

I read your post and had to laugh, as the same thing happened to me, but at another large Hardware Store. I found an item they said they did not carry, and took it up to the clerk.  He then told me I did not explain what I wanted very well and had the wrong name and was not very friendly about it either.  That was when I put the item in his hand, thanked him for being so sweet (I am sure he is still scrathching his head) and left and went to Sears to buy it. A few pennys more, but I was satisfied.  I do not know if this can be attributed to part time holiday help or what, but help should be considerate and knowledgeable and above all, courteous.

I sincerely apologize for the experience you had in that store. I know that is very frustrating. I'm sure if you contact the local store manager at that store, they would be happy to address the situation :)

Why bother? Nothing is ever going to change at Sears. I see post after post about horrendous customer service whether it be in the store, online or calling for a repair, etc, etc...

Sears is going downhill FAST and I for one will not stand in it's way. What I experienced in my original post is not one isolated case that can be solved by a phone call to a manager. It is the direction that Sears is headed and has been for quite some time. This was just the straw that broke the camels back in my case and I won't let it happen again, because you won't find me in Sears again.

I'm sorry for the way you were treated. The only way to fix the situation and help "guide" us to the customer service level you expect and deserve is to make it known to people that can do something about it. A good start would be the local store manager. I'll pass your experience over to your local store manager and see what can be done. If you would like, you can PM me your phone number and name and I'll let the store manager know how you were treated and see if the manager can give you a call back. :) I'm just doing my best to help you out with a situation that shouldn't have gone the direction it did.

Sears customers should be treated with the "customer service level EVERYONE expects and deserves" without having to be "guided". It's just plain old common sense.

So my store manager talks to the three clerks in this store and tells them what happens. This doesn't come close to taking care of the horrible customer service within the ENTIRE company.  This should be an issue taken up at the coorporate level, not the local one. 

Not every person in America who has a problem at Sears takes the time to post it here or anywhere. But with the number of unhappy customers on this website alone, you can be sure that Sears is losing business every day.

It's not secret that people are much more vocal about negative experiences than positive ones, so it's hardly surprising that that's what you see here. I give Sears credit for addressing it head on -- I don't see many other competitors with a similar site. I mean, seriously, do you think Lowes is the pinnacle in customer service? IMO it may be the best merchandised in some ways, but I find their service to be worse (I find their employees are overburdened so they say "hi" and then practically sprint by you before you can ask a question) than Sears or Home Depot, which is why I frequent Sears and HD more. But, with giant chains, it can often come down to the manager to the store, too. I'm sure all three have room to grow.

ConcernedConsumer said…

Sears customers should be treated with the "customer service level EVERYONE expects and deserves" without having to be "guided". It's just plain old common sense.

So my store manager talks to the three clerks in this store and tells them what happens. This doesn't come close to taking care of the horrible customer service within the ENTIRE company.  This should be an issue taken up at the coorporate level, not the local one. 

Not every person in America who has a problem at Sears takes the time to post it here or anywhere. But with the number of unhappy customers on this website alone, you can be sure that Sears is losing business every day.

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Well this is where I'll step in and have to disagree with you.

It's obviously NOT common sense since there are Customer Service positions in EVERY company out there for situations like this. People mess up, people get things wrong, and that's why we have a job. In a perfect world, there wouldn't be any need for customer service.

Besides, one store experience does not speak for the company as a whole. It could be that specific associates need coaching/training/disciplinary action in order to get the hint and do things right. My local store is nothing how you describe yours. I'm sure many others can agree with me.

All I'm trying to do is show you "common sense" and an exceptional level of "customer service to EVERYONE'S standards" and show you that I care and that I'm trying to right a wrong.

Take it or leave it. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.

My opinion.  Not talking to a manager about a situitation allows the problem to continue and in that case it aslo it can be a result of lack of customer feedback.

Speaking of which you at the same time should make effort to see the manager when a person (of any company not just sears) obviously goes out of their way to serve you in an exemplary manner. I hate to pu this one on sears employees but perhaps they should be tested on merchandise availble in a section they work in on a regular basis.  For example  one of the largest grocers in texas requires its checkers to take a regular produce test.   

Its not hard to do. even if you must jot a note and find out where in the store to deliver it.

OK I will ask a dumb question.... Cant' a clerk/associate put a name of the item in the computer and will it not bring up a host of items that the store sells such as this? OR... don't they (associates) have stock books for their departments?  I doubt seriously anyone could remember every item that a particular department sells unless they have been there for quite some time.Yes, mistakes happen, so if the person wants to go to another store he/she should and apparently did.  It happens at other stores too, not just Sears. I can attest to this.  Let the associates know of the problem and I suspect it wont happen again.

There is a way to get a picture of an item, on the Internet, if the item is sold in the store AND the Internet, with the Internet Terminal about 12 feet away from the Registers.

Sometimes you just need knowledgable department employees.

With the increased turn-around of employees, this is a difficult thing to accomplish for SHC.

And, apparently, the employees that were queried had never "stocked" the floor.

Hearing protection can be found in the Division 71 Lawn and Garden area, specifically in the Chain Saw Accessories section.

The "ear muff" design hearing protectors are also sold in the Division 9 Tools, Safety Equipment area, below the Safety Glasses and to the right of the Drill and Screwdriver bits display.

There are also the foam ear plugs available near by to the earmuff type hearing protectors.

That was way faster than an Internet lookup...

I agree with baitedandswitched :) You can't fix something if you don't know it's broken. Expressing your experience with the store manager will definitely change things. I've sent a couple emails to store managers from experiences people on this forum have had and I have posted the responses they have sent back. If you read those, you can definitely tell that you wouldn't be wasting your breath in expressing yourself to have this situation fixed. It's in the interest of both SHC and the customer.

By the way, AdamO...this IS the internet. LOL! It's good to know that you know your store like the back of your hand ^_^ It's a life saver to us all, customers and associates alike. :)

Feel free to forward my post to the store manager. All the information that he will need is there. I have no employee names to give you, so contacting him directly will do no good on my part. Maybe it will cure a small problem for a short time, but as soon as those employees move on to their next jobs, the problem remains.

You have to understand that this is not my first problem with Sears. I have a house full of Kenmore products that are failing me one by one. We bought them after we moved into our house 7 years ago, so they are all 7 years old or less. This particular problem at this store is just indicitive of Sears in general. Please go through this discussion board in all areas and you will see that I am not alone in my disgust with Sears.

I agree with CC in regards to system wide deficiencies.

I get the fact that it is probable negative comments far outnumber the positive. I also see that not all employees are as incompetent or rude as some. I can't argue that some issues involve customer negligence or ignorance.

The fact remains, the products you sell and the service after the sale directly reflect on the company as a whole. If people are able to afford a MPA to address unforeseen issues, they can be a wonderful asset. But consumers who have gone through a good part of their lives remembering how the Kenmore brand once stood for quality and reliability are noticing now that it is a thing of the past.

My vehicles have become more reliable and efficient over the years as the cost went up. Why has the Kenmore name and quality been allowed to nosedive along with the customer service that used to stand behind the product after the sale.

 Lowes may not be the answer but they or the smaller in town dealer will get my future business on big purchases.