Topic: My poor customer service experience at Sears

[Cord]

So I bought a mower from sears.ca and picked it up at a local Sears a week ago. When I went to use it the second time I noticed a puddle of oil on the garage floor. So, today I took it back to Sears. There was no problem returning it.

However, I didn't really want to return it, I wanted to exchange it for one that hopefully wouldn't leak. "You'll have to accept a refund and then order another one from the web site," I'm told. Really? But there's the exact same one for sale right over there. "Well, we should be able to do an exchange if the price is the same." Unfortunately, the price on the floor is $70 more than on the website. "I'm sorry, but we can't match the web site's price, you'll have to order one from the web site." But that is ridiculous. "Well, I shouldn't do this but let me check when it will be going on sale in the store....ah, it will be on sale for the same price as the web site next week." But I'm here right now. "I'm sorry but you'll have to come back and buy it next week."

 

[safristi]

 SEER_ SUCKER looks good on ya...Summertime and I'm...... is this  Take A # COMPLAINTS SITE

[Cord]

You know that a retail operation has lost its mind when policy dictates that a customer goes home with their cash rather than in exchange for the products that the store sells. 

Sort of a bizarro store.

[random006]

You know that a retail operation has lost its mind when policy dictates that a customer goes home with their cash rather than in exchange for the products that the store sells. 

Sort of a bizarro store.

Kind of a reversal of the usual nightmare where they won't give you your money back and only offer an in-store credit instead.   I admit it's almost Kafkaesque in its implementation but I must say that I prefer being forced to take my money than the opposite.

[The Mighty Duck]

  Bizarre!  We handle internet returns the same as if they were bought from a brick and mortar store.  Which can be a PITA, because we're a smaller outlet and don't stock all of the stuff the online store does, but that's life...

Doesn't Sears have price matching?  You'd think they'd be able to match their own website's price!

[quadzilla]

You could have got the one in the store and just went back for a price adjustment next week. I know if shouldn't have to work that way but its one way around it.

[Julie]

Wonder if it has something to do with their on-line and "bricks and mortar" businesses "competing" with each other per say, like the bricks and mortar Chapters vs. Chapters.ca.  So they can't sell you the model on the floor because it would mean the brick store would take a loss while paying higher overhead.

Quad's solution sounds good. Sometimes though, when I go back for a refund (because I notice the price has dropped since I bought it and it's still in the "returnable" period), they'll say "no". Then I'll say, "Okay, I will return this one. Then I will head over there and buy that one." Then they relent.

[rrocket]

Costco rules for returns.  I buy much stuff from there simply because their return policy is the best in the business.

[mmret]

Costco rules for returns.  I buy much stuff from there simply because their return policy is the best in the business.

IIRC they used to have a 6 month return policy on computers.

So wide open for abuse....pretty sure its 90day now.

[UmroAyyar]

I've witnessed same behaviour from The Bay, Sears and Canadian Tire. Sorry Sir, you must Return it and then buy again. I had to go home without buying.

[Zoo]

What a strange situation. To Sears' credit they did give you the refund. Why they can't price match somehow is beyond me. I wonder if we will see more weird stuff like this as internet retail grows.

[aquadorhj]

Not exactly the same, but similar situation happened a while ago to me.. by Sears, too!.

I got their brochure in the mail, and exercise equipment I had in mind was on sale, so I call local Sears(4 or 5 in all) to check inventory..  and they can't tell me whether they have it, because apparently, the brochure is for their internet store and item numbers don't match.. 

I was pretty confounded...  I mean, why would any sane management people want to keep two separate inventory numbers for same item..

nuts.

[tpl]

I can't top your tales of woe but:

We bought a Panasonic Microwave from  Sears  18 months back.
Recently it died.
Sooooooo I looked up Panasonic repair shops and took it to one in Kitchener.
Aha! they said. Sears does not buy the warranty from Panasonic so take it to a Sears repair place.
So I went off the the local Sears repair depot in Cambridge and they said.  Yes sir we will fix it.
After a week I called: waiting for a part. After two weeks not quyite ready but it will be done the next day.

I go over there.   The microwave is not done although there is an expensive looking PC board with it and they say.
" We don't fix these here, you take it back to the store and they replace it"
 So I go to the store which is near home.
They immediately  say yes we will give you a new one, we will have it in next Tuesday ( this week) and I have a new one now.

Three weeks!    I would not have minded the trips at all if the repair depot had immediately told me to take it back to the store.

The weird thing.   I now have a brand new microwave but the WARRANTY is not two years it is just the remaining 8 months from the original purchase.

[Marc_]

Sometimes I wonder if it is just that policies are not communicated or overlap and cause confusion.

Before Christmas I was at Petsmart buying my regular supplies for my two cats (litter, food, treats), probably about $50 worth of stuff.

We went to purchase a feeder-gold fish.  I had my twin 4 year olds with me, and we have done this before.  The feeders usually live for about 6-9 months and then we get another (this would have been our 3rd).

The girl at the fish counter asks if we have a filtered tank, I say no, we have a fish bowl.  "I am sorry sir, we can not sell you this fish, gold fish need a filter to live a healthy life". 

It is a feeder fish, bread to be fed to some other larger fish.  It costs (if I remember correctly)  $0.27!!!!

So I ask for a manager.  (my boys are upset at this point).  Manager comes over, tells me the same story.  Something about people returning feeder fish because they die within the 30 day warranty period.

So, I hand her all the stuff I had in my hands, I remind her that I have been shopping there for years, and will not return unless they sell me the $0.27 fish.

She said no. 

We went to Pet-Valu.  That is now our regular store, and yes, they sell us feeder fish.

[Zoo]

We went to purchase a feeder-gold fish.  I had my twin 4 year olds with me, and we have done this before.  The feeders usually live for about 6-9 months and then we get another (this would have been our 3rd).

The girl at the fish counter asks if we have a filtered tank, I say no, we have a fish bowl.  "I am sorry sir, we can not sell you this fish, gold fish need a filter to live a healthy life". 

It is a feeder fish, bread to be fed to some other larger fish.  It costs (if I remember correctly)  $0.27!!!!

Strange. Then again I will give the store credit for trying to look after the animal's welfare. I worked in a pet store in the late 1980s in Ottawa and these scam artists had no concern at all about the state of the animal's lives. The ladies that worked during the week were scared of rodents so unless I came in on my own time (or one of the other part timers) the mice, rats, hamsters etc went without food! Some other awful stuff that I won't get into happened as well. What is funny about this though is that these are "feeder" fish and so for many of them they will be gone within 30 seconds or so of their entrance into their new "home". FOr that matter I wonder how many of their mice, rats, rabbits etc get sold to people with large snakes?

Don't be so cheap, buy your kids a regular goldfish and a filter, jeez, I have had an aquarium since I was 7 (40 yrs now) and I have had the same 3 fish for 21 yrs - yes, 21 years!
Call me a bleeding heart, but feeder fish are still fish, devoid of nice colour and/or fancy fins is their crime, but still fish. I am not a buddhist but I treat any animal with respect.

Hmm. I blame pet retailers for this one. How many betas (Simease Fighting Fish) are sold with tiny little bowls? They still sell fish bowls with no filtration don't they? You would be amazed how many people are unaware of the need to leave water for 24+ hours or more to get rid of the chlorine in the water or to use tablets so as not to damage the fish. I had a goldfish bowl growing up and my fish never lasted more than a year or two. Maybe I would have fared better (and the fish as well) if I had of had a nice 10 gallon tank with filtration.

[Zoo]

That is really cool! Thanks for the info on the Betas! Even though their name suggests a tough fish I was always careful to keep them out of most other tanks as the other more aggresive fish would attack them and take bits of their fins off. Some of the varieties of Tetras could be rough on other fish.

I have forgotten almost everything I learned from working with fish way back when. I would still love to get a modest sized tank to learn again and eventually get a nice salt water set-up. My wife has no interest in it though.

[initial_D]

A lot depends on the tilt system / point of sale system, even if the clerk is willing to help, he might not be able to.

I like the story of the feeder gold fish, franchise trained staff sometime are too stiff and have no ability to think.

[The Mighty Duck]

So, I hand her all the stuff I had in my hands, I remind her that I have been shopping there for years, and will not return unless they sell me the $0.27 fish.

Personally, I'm happy to see customers who act like that go.  Whoever coined the phrase "the customer is always right" obviously never met any real customers.    The sense of entitlement to have whatever you want however you want it because you're a customer needs to go.  All the more when we're talking about live animals.  A fish may well be bred to be eaten, but does that automatically mean it should not have a decent life while it's still alive?   

[tenpenny]

Personally, I'm happy to see customers who act like that go.  Whoever coined the phrase "the customer is always right" obviously never met any real customers.    The sense of entitlement to have whatever you want however you want it because you're a customer needs to go.  All the more when we're talking about live animals.  A fish may well be bred to be eaten, but does that automatically mean it should not have a decent life while it's still alive?   

For some real amusement, go to

notalwaysright.com

and read the stories.

[safristi]

...GO....FISH.......................