When my refrigerator quit working, I was scared. I had, of course, just gone to the grocery and I wasn’t sure I could afford another in time to save my food. I work a minimum wage job and two part-time minimum wage jobs in order to make ends meet. I am divorced with two small children and I am a part-time college student.
I went to Sears in Paducah, KY to see their selection. I explained to the sales associate I needed certain height and width specifications; 67 ¼ ” maximum height. He showed me a model and claimed it was only 66 15/16” tall. He also showed me the spec card on the front of the refrigerator, which matched what he said. Fortunately, I was able to get together enough money to buy the refrigerator that day. However, they could not deliver it for two weeks, and they charged $65. I was willing to pay the extra because it would obviously not fit in my car, but I could not possibly wait two weeks. I could not afford to eat out every meal for the next two weeks, plus we have refrigerated medications. I borrowed a truck and came back to pick it up.
A young man and girl brought out the refrigerator on a dolly. As he was going over a curb, he let it come off the dolly and fall into the truck. The impact caused four quarter sized dents and a 12” black mark across the side of the refrigerator. I asked the girl what she intended to do about the damage. She never said a word and turned around and walked back into the store. We never saw her again. The young man continued trying to get the refrigerator to the truck, but he dropped it again allowing the door to hit the truck. It slightly bent the bottom of the refrigerator and put a small dent in the door. I went in to find a manager. At this point, I was in tears. I was told by a manager they would give me $50, take it or leave it. I felt forced to take it, plus, it was Halloween and my girls were waiting for me to get back to go trick or treating. The divorce has been hard on them and they depend on me to be there for them.
Once I got it home, my dad and I got it unloaded and into the house. When my girls got back, my youngest noticed it was the wrong refrigerator. She noticed the freezer opened out, instead of pulling out; it was a bottom freezer. That’s when I noticed it was going to be too big to fit into the hole, under the cabinets. They had given me the wrong refrigerator. I measured it and it was over 68” tall.
I immediately called the store. The sales associate I spoke with remembered me needing certain specifications. He said it must have been labeled wrong. He also said no one was there that was authorized to make a decision regarding this matter, but the manager would be in at 8 am for a mandatory Sunday meeting, and that he would call me. The entire conversation took about 3 ½ hrs, on and off, while I should have been enjoying trick or treating with my girls. They were confused and I think I scared them because I cried most of the night.
Sears did not open until 1 pm on Sunday.By this time, I had already spoken with customer service, twice. During the conversations I was told Sears does not make pick ups, only deliveries. They would pick up the old one as long as we bought another one from them.
Once the store opened, my boyfriend went to see what he could do. I had a meeting out of town and could not go. They told him I could bring it back and they would apply the purchase price to another one. However, the only one available was $300 more. I can not get the truck again and I can not afford another $300. Since I cannot bring it back, I can’t get my money back, which means I can’t go buy anything else. They told him the manager was not there, but he had left instructions for everyone in case we came in. My boyfriend asked why the manager hadn’t called like we were told, but no one knew. He was asked to call me again Monday.
I have cried all weekend and this has scared my children and they have cried all weekend. All I am asking is for Sears to bring me the refrigerator I thought I was buying. I feel they either tricked me into buying a refrigerator at lower price knowing that once I found out I couldn’t use it, that I would not have any choice but to buy a more expensive model, like bait and switch, or they switched my refrigerator with another one and will not admit it. They only claim they misrepresented the refrigerator specifications.in the meantime, I’m sitting here crying, looking at a refrigerator I can’t use, wondering what I’m going to do next, and still waiting for the manager to call me.
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