I bought a Kenmore dishwasher from Sears back in 2005 when we moved into our new house. We also bought a washing machine and an assortment of other things.
That was just 4 years ago. In that time, I have probably spent more than twice the cost of the dishwasher on... wait for it... service for the dishwasher, which seems to break about once every so always.
I don't remember my mother's dishwasher breaking. Ever. And it was made 35 years ago and lasted a good 20.
Sears came out in 2008 and fixed some mess. Then the warranty expired and they came out again last July 13, 2009 and I had to spend $250 on a new heating unit or motor or some mess. You would think it would work for a while.
Nope. A few days ago, the annoying green light started flashing again. Time to call Sears. Why they can't get it right is beyond me. I'm a single dad. I don't use my dishwasher that often. It shouldn't be breaking.
Only this time, I was told (by a woman who got caught off guard when I asked how she was doing) that my 90 day warranty had expired (a week before the dishwasher stopped working) and I would now have to be charged for the service visit and anything else that was wrong. You have got to be kidding me.
It's like I'm being punished for not buying the warranty. But I didn't think I'd need to after all the money I put into it last summer. The damn thing should keep working. And definitely for longer than 90 days!
There was nothing she could do. If I needed an appointment I could not be scheduled under the warranty calendar. I had to pay a service charge. There was nothing she could do. There was nothing her supervisor could do. It was over 90 days. Sorry, you're just SOL. Tough luck. It's a computer system. They designed it so there is NOTHING they can do about it.
Funny thing though. There IS something I can do about it. The customer. There is always something WE can do about it.
I'm taking my service business elsewhere. If I have to pay someone, I'd rather it be a service provider that will work with me and one who values my business. Not one who tells their employees to hide behind non-negotiable computer programs. Or one who refuses to make a long-time customer feel appreciated.
Is it that hard to treat your customers fairly?
Too bad, Sears. You just lost a customer.
Better luck next time. Though it won't be with me.
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