My situation began on April 12, 2008. A Sears service technician came out to my home and informed me that I needed a new compressor for my central air conditioner. I was told that Sears does not carry parts or buys them. The technician had to order the part which I then had to receive at my home. He also had me pay about $1,200 for the majority of repairs (parts and labor) in advance. It was not until May that the part arrived and another technician came to my home.
The second technician, different from the first one arrived at my home and began his visit by arguing with me that he should not be the one to have to install the new compressor because someone else ordered it. He was surly and even told me that the other technician had probably sold me a part that I did not need. I did not know how to respond. Eventually, he installed the compressor but said it would not work because a new capacitor was also needed. He told me a capacitor should have been ordered with the new compressor. This second technician used my phone and, after some time, told me that he had ordered the part and would install it on the following Saturday. He promised me he would have it fixed. This was a lie.
On the following Saturday, a third technician arrived at my home and, after I asked him about the capacitor, informed me that the technician before him had never ordered any part. This technician then told me that he would try and check around at a parts store to get the part and install it on that same day. I sat in my house, where it happened to be almost 95 degrees that day, and waited the entire day. At the end of the day and after making numerous calls to Sears service, no one would help me. The third technician called me about 5:00 PM and said that he would have to order the part and that, once again, it was my responsibility to receive the part. After a few days, I also found out that this technician had not scheduled a next appointment to install the part. So, when I received the part, no appointments were available for installation and I had to wait an additional week.
We are now talking about a little over one month since the initial service appointment.
When the part arrived and I called Sears service for an appointment, they informed me that I would have to wait until the end of May to get the part installed and see if the air conditioner will even work. I explained to them that this is an open work order and that my work project should take precedence over new projects. I say that, if someone has paid for the work, you should honor your commitment and get the job done right. The service people did not seem to agree with my sense of fairness and professional responsibility and when I asked to speak with a supervisor or manager, I was hung up upon by the operator.
When the fourth and fifth technicians came out together for the next appointment, they could only get the compressor to start by installing a booster with the new capacitor. This indicates a possible problem to begin with. At this time, they charged me for the balance of my bill, about $750.
The air conditioner worked a couple of times but then it stopped working and has since not started. I made another appointment with Sears. This is now the middle of June (2 months since my initial call). I was given an appointment two weeks later.
I decided to contact an outside electrician to troubleshoot the problem. He informed me that the compressor had defective windings and needed to be replaced. He felt that Sears should take responsibility and not make me wait.
In the meantime, two terrible heat waves have hit the Los Angeles area. I had to go out to a hardware store and buy two portable air conditioning units. My cost is now somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,500 and I still do not have a working air conditioner.
I tried contacting customer relations at Sears by both e-mail and phone. My e-mail messages are answered by a form letter that tells me to call them. When I call, I only get an operator who does not understand my problem and tells me to simply make another appointment for service. In short, no one takes responsibility and no one tries to get the job done right or in a timely manner.
Read Next Complaint >>
