Sears Horror Story: an open letter to CEO Bruce Johnson

Dear Mr. Johnson:

The following is an account of our attempt to buy an appliance from Sears which may give you some insight into the reasons your sales have tanked and your shareholders are losing their shirts.

On January 26 we ordered a 27” Frigidaire stacked washer/dryer combo from the Carlsbad, California Sears store. A guy named Augie was the salesman. He did a fine job of explaining the terms of the sale and the delivery service. Since we were having our bathroom remodeled, where the unit would be installed in a closet in our tiny condo, we advance-ordered delivery for February 15.

When the remodeling job was completed a week earlier than expected, I called to move up the installation date, as Augie told me I could do. We were disappointed to learn it could only be moved up one day, to the 14^th, since our old washer no longer worked. But we accepted that when we were told that was the best Sears could do. Since the 14^th fell on a Sunday, I did ask to make sure they made deliveries on that day of the week. I was assured they do.

On February 12^th I called the delivery service number to confirm the new delivery on the 14^th and was alarmed when the automated voice system told me there was no record of our order based on our telephone number. After I was transferred to a human representative, I became even more alarmed when she informed me that they had our delivery day rightly scheduled for the 14^th, but the order was for the installation of a dryer only. When I told her that was not correct, she put me on hold to check with someone else. After waiting ten minutes, I gave up and called salesman Augie at the store. He assured me that the washer/dryer combo would be delivered as promised and that the sales slip only says “Electric Dryer Kit” to distinguish it from the gas model. The slip does not indicate it is half of a washer/dryer combo.

That seemed odd enough to me to ask to speak to Augie’s supervisor to register a complaint about the confusion. His supervisor Denise called me back promptly to explain further and agreed with me that the sales slip is confusing and that the customer service people should be better trained. She assured me the washer/dryer would be delivered as promised on the 14^th and to await a call from the delivery service the night before to confirm the time of installation.

The evening of the 13^th we received an automated call telling us the appliance would be delivered the following day between the hours of 3 and 5 and to prepare for the delivery. On the 14^th I spent my Sunday afternoon removing two doors from their hinges and pulling out the old appliance to make it easier for the delivery people to install in the small space.

After waiting until 5:30 on the day of the scheduled delivery, I called the delivery service again. This time the person I talked to told me she had no idea why it was not delivered on time, but she thought she’d seen a note that the appliance “could not be located in the warehouse.” I asked to speak to her supervisor, so she put me on hold.

After waiting ten minutes, I gave up and called the store again. The person who took my call said he’d check on it and call me back, which he did in about five minutes. He said the delivery had been rescheduled to February 16 and that we’d get a call on the 15^th to confirm the time. I told him if the machine were not installed and operating by the 16^th we’d cancel our order and ask for a refund. He readily accepted that.

Later that evening, I called the delivery service number once again, just to double check on the delivery date. Once again the automated voice system did not recognize an order with our telephone number. When Rocky, the representative came on the line he assured me that our electric dryer would be delivered as promised on the 16^th and to expect a call confirming the time of delivery on the 15^th. I didn’t bother to ask if we’d get both the dryer and the washer, since it was clear he had no idea it was a combo.

It’s now the morning of the 15^th and a Sears representative, who didn’t identify herself, called to tell me the manufacturer had not delivered the machine to the warehouse and that she had no idea when it would get there. She assured me I’d get a two-day notice before the installation.

At that point I simply said goodbye, canceled the order and bought a Maytag from the local Home Depot, who promised a free two-day delivery and installation, including the haul away of the old machine.

I realize that losing a mere $1,222 sale doesn’t amount to much for Sears, but if our experience is any indication, the future doesn’t look bright for you in this competitive economy. When I told Augie’s supervisor that your customer service is “killing you,” she just nodded and said, “I know.”