On Tuesday, Nov 16 I recd an e-mail from Sears advertising an appliance sale. I was interested in a Steam Washer and Steam Dryer. The prices indicated they were in effect until Thursday, Nov 18. On arrival at my local Sears Store (Brunswick, GA) I was advised that the price quoted was only a limited number of items and that they had meet their limit. They did offer to sell other similar units at close to twice the price.
I contacted customer service and was advised that the price was valid and that I could order the items on-line and have them delivered. I did so. That order was made on 17 Nov. An e-mail acknowledging the receipt was recd. Later in the day, I recd another e-mail that the order did not process properly and that Customer Service would help me with the problem. After contacting Customer Service, The order was placed again the following day on-line (Order number 182927*). A confirmation e-mail was recd that the order was accepted and a delivery date was scheduled (21 Nov 10)
On Sat evening, 20 Sep 10 I recd a call from Sears confirming the delivery date, time and items ordered. The date/time was confirmed for 21 Nov 10 between 9:45 and 11:00 am.
On Sunday 21 Nov 10 at about 9:30am I recd a call from Sears (a call center in Texas). The caller asked if anyone had called about the delivery. I advised they had not. The caller advised that the delivery had been cancelled due to the unavailability of dryer parts. They could not advise any further or when the items would be delivered. Attempts to get any information from the caller proved unsuccessful. I tried to contact customer service only to be told they were not able to advise anything at all because the System was unavailable and they could not say when it would be available. I asked how it was that someone could call and advise the delivery was cancelled if the information was not available. They advised that delivery was on a different system and gave me a number to talk with someone delivery
On calling delivery, they said the delivery had been cancelled because parts were unavailable. The earliest next delivery that could be made would be the following Sunday next week. I asked why the washer could not be delivered as there were no parts missing. They could not offer any reason. On asking to speak with a supervisor, I was told the same thing. The supervisor advised that I could speak with someone from the warehouse that may have additional knowledge. They could not give me a number to call; rather they advised they would contact the warehouse and have some one call. No one had the courtesy to even return my call.
To compound the situation, after multiple attempts to cancel everything ordered and just shop elsewhere, my credit card was charged for the original order of a washer and dryer, service agreements and accessories as well as the second order for another washer and dryer with service agreements and accessories. So now Ive been billed a double order. Multiple calls to customer service received varied responses depending on when I called and who I talked to. Most varied widely. Here is a sampling of the responses:
The order for the washer/dryer could be cancelled but the maintenance agreement could not. The maintenance agreement was a contract and could not be cancelled.
The first order could be cancelled, but the second was in progress and would have to be cancelled later.
The order could be cancelled, but I would have to contact the credit card company to see about having the charges removed.
The dryer had been cancelled but the washer was scheduled to be delivered. They would try and contact delivery people to cancel.
After contacting credit card company, they could not correct without something from Customer Service
After re-contacting customer service, I was advised it was a credit card company issue.
I would like to see if anyone from customer service with Sears would have to courtesy to inquire about these events and to see what has caused this decline in service with the company. While I am aware that this order, or lack of, will not have much effect on the company as a whole, and that the loss of my business and that of as many of my friends and family and I can influence, I wonder if anyone in your corporation still practices any form of Customer Service.
As items are replaced or others needed, Lowes, Best Buy, Home Depot or other retailers will be utilized. Encouragement for as many people as I can possibly influence to shop as well will be done and the events described above will be made know in any platform of media and I can utilize. Id like to see if anyone from Sears Customer Service would make the effort to inquire further. Also, I would like an e-mail address and company mailing address for the following member of the Sears Holding Corp Senior Team and Board of Directors:
W. Bruce Johnson, Interim Chief Executive Officer and President William C. Crowley, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer Scott J. Freidheim, Executive Vice President, Operating and Support Businesses John D. Goodman, Executive Vice President, Apparel and Home James H. Haworth, Executive Vice President and President, Retail Services Michael D. Collins, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Dane A. Drobny, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary William R. Harker, Senior Vice President William K. Phelan, Senior Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer
The only response to the request for the e-mail address was that they could not be given out. I was given an address to the corporate headquarters for Sears Holdings in Hoffman Estates Ill. Copies of this correspondence was sent to Sears via certified mail to each of the individuals listed above. Sometime in the coming weeks, I received a call from a representative from Sears Blue Ribbon Service. I was given the name and phone number of an individual who was to be assigned to my situation and would be a single point of contact for all issues. Numerous calls and e-mails were exchanged over a time frame and ultimately the orders were cancelled and the charges were removed from my credit card.
Through out the entire process, every person in every state and country I talked with concluded their conversation with were sorry for your inconvenience thank you for shopping at Sears. A good majority of those were difficult for me to understand due to a strong foreign accent. I am sure that Sears as well as other larger corporations utilize call centers in other locations to handle the volume of calls coming in. Most of the operators in these centers did not appear to have any link or access to other data bases used by Sears (ie, Orders, Delivery Info, Etc). Also, it seemed that an unusually high percentage of calls to Customer Service were met with a response indicating that computers were down and I would have to check back in a number of hours. I find it odd, from a business standpoint that a corporation with the size and complexity of Sears would allow such large amount of down time with their IT systems. Equally as odd I find it peculiar that there is little or no communication between the different divisions/department of the corporation (orders, customer service, delivery, etc).
I am wondering if those in a position to influence these processes are aware of how well the system functions or if the problems are not being made known to them. I think the thing that I find most disheartening is the lack of response on so many levels of a company that Ive grown up with.
All other appliances in my home are Sears, Kenmore or Elite products. (Refrigerators, large ovens, mowers riding and push, countless power and had tools, electronics along with maintenance agreements) I have shopped at Sears since as far back as I can remember as did both my parents and most of my family. I have never seen such a lack of Customer Service from Sears or any other company Ive shopped with. While you may consider this an isolated event and a series of failures with this order, it is an almost duplication of events I experienced several months ago in the purchase of a large flat screen television.
In conversation with friends, co-worker and other acquaintances, it appears that others have experienced similar problems.
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