Rant: Bad luck with sears.com (again and again and again)

[jkeyser14]

This is a long rant, I'm just rather frustrated by my latest experience and I don't expect everyone to read it or care. I order from sears a lot because I like Craftsman stuff, it's made in the USA, and the price is right. I've also been burned multiple times with things missing because things come poorly packaged and boxes damaged. I've been told multiple times in the past by customer service that they'd send me a replacement item and it's never come. But it's always been for something small like a screw driver or allen keys, so I've always given up and let it be. This time is different however since it's not a small purchase (to me at least).

My most recent order from sears.com was on 1/30 for a 299 pc socket set. Sears shipped it the next day and UPS showed a scheduled delivery on the 8th. Due to our blizzard it showed out for delivery and then "emergency conditions beyond UPS control" for every single day from the 8th to 22nd! So I came home to my box today and immediately started to fear the worst. There was tape all over the box. And I mean lots of tape. And even with all tape, there were still holes the size of quarters in three of the box's corners with sockets clearly visible and no longer in any packaging. I should have stopped there and just returned it. Instead I opened it and spent two hours sorting sockets and going through the item list to see what was missing. 25 items missing... No suprise seeing as how Sears packaged 51 lbs of sockets (listed shipping weight, not close to actual) in a single thickness cardboard box with no padding or reinforcement. The box had ripped along every side before being mummified with tape. I called sears and the first customer service rep hung up on me. I'm guessing it was an accident but I was actually relieved because the guy had a horrible accent and I was having a hard time understanding him. So i called back and the next customer service rep I got said they were going to file a complaint with UPS and after UPS inspects the package and accepts responsibility I'll get refunded. They said I don't need a return label and that I should just leave it outside and UPS will pick it up. I don't believe that at all because I've had a package damaged before (from New Egg) and I still had to get a return label from them to throw on the box. I'm also not holding my breathe on getting refunded quickly because UPS has quite a long time to inspect the package before they make a decision on the claim and I'm sure they'll blame sears for improper packaging and send it back to them anyway. Meanwhile, sears customer service rep told me I had to re-order the set and they would give me the same price I paid before (with free shipping), but I couldn't order over the phone with her, I had to call the sales department. So I called the sales department to re-order and then get told that they can't adjust the price and instead I have to pay full price and they will retro-actively apply the credit . They said it will take 3-5 business days for the reimbursement to show up on my credit card. That's BS because they price match and can definitely adjust prices. Either way I'll wait a couple weeks (they told me it would 3-5 business days) and see what happens. If the issue doesn't get resolved to my satisfaction I'll go to my credit card company next and have them cancel the order. I've been documenting the names of each customer service rep, their employee number, and when I talked to them so if they try to screw me on this I'll have my proof.

 

[Ed_EOD]

The last order for some wrenches I got from sears was packed great. They were wrapped in bubble wrap and in a smallish box. That box was in a bigger bow with probably 6in of popcorn around it. I was quite surprised when it showed up and didn't know what it was the box was so big.

Maybe I got the employee of the month or something.

 

[TireTracks]

I bought one of the on sale 26 piece sets of combo wrenches at thanksgiving time. It showed up in a huge ( 3ft by 2ft by 2ft) box, full of packing peanuts.

And some of the wrenches had dents in the open end( happend before they were chromed, cause they had some chrome on them), sharp edges on the open end, and come have crappy chromeing and polishing. I've kept em because they work, and the sharp ends have worn down. But i wasnt happy that my money bought me damaged stuff.

Oh and the igniton wrenches have "nubs" on them, from being cut with a plasma torch or punched out of sheet steel, not forged like my dads, and they have a weird seam running around on the sides in the chrome.

 

[DARKSCOPE001]

i dont know dude that seems fishy to me. now granted i wored at fed ex for about 4 months and i gota tell you that packages were thrown. kicked. steped on. climbed on. punched and in all other ways of putting it abused so idk if you can blame sears. also keep in mind that most of the little kids working at fed ex and ups are little shits that come from the streats (at least they were where i worked) and if they see something worth stealing they will pocket it and stick in in there boots or places the guards wont pat when they go through the metal detector. and i really find it hard to beleive that there was no internal packing but thats just because my 302 piece kit came with the metrics and standards wraped speperately. they packaged them by drive size and deep and shallow if i were you call back because ups doesent pick up the package as far as i know and see if you have any better luck also just a question? why didnt you get it from a local sears?

 

[jkeyser14]

and i really find it hard to beleive that there was no internal packing but thats just because my 302 piece kit came with the metrics and standards wraped speperately. they packaged them by drive size and deep and shallow if i were you call back because ups doesent pick up the package as far as i know and see if you have any better luck also just a question? why didnt you get it from a local sears?

They were grouped in sets inside of plastic bags, but most of the bags had split open at the seams. When I said packaging, I was referring to peanuts, foam, or anything to take up empty space and keep the sockets from flying all over the inside of a large box that could have fit five 299 pc sets inside. I didn't get it from a local sears because they were running an online sale and I had a coupon code for an additional $30 off. Plus, the closest Sears to me is 30 min away, so it's more convenient to purchase online (when they run free shipping deals).

 

[jkeyser14]

I just wanted to provide an update. Sears today sent me a notice saying they'd be refunding my original purchase (not UPS) and I should see my account credited within the next 30 days. Obligatory pictures of the replacement set attached. I'm surprised at how many empty slots are left on the Hansen trays... Guess I have a few more tools to buy Also, as you can tell from the pictures there's only one socket that needs to be drilled out a little to fit over the peg.

 

[sanddrag]

Sears today sent me a notice saying they'd be refunding my original purchase (not UPS) and I should see my account credited within the next 30 days.

30 days!? That's far too long for something like that. They should have never required you to even purchase it again.

 

[NAYLOR]

I have bought two sets of wrenches from Sears in the past. Both times I had a great experience since both sets came with bubble and in a double wall box. Truth is, bad packaging happens. As long as Sears made it right I wouldn't stress too much about it. You never know, maybe the carrier had more to do with the damage than Sears.

 

[Skin]

i always do in store pickup. its free and if they have it in stock i just pick it up that day.

and i wouldnt hold sears at fault completely either. Any package that spends nearly a month in the hands of any shipping company is going to be pummeled to hell and back.

By the way for future notice, UPS inspects on site, they dont take the package back for inspection. And never open a box that has holes in it. Either decline it out right or take it to the UPS office and open in there so they can watch you inventory the items. If things are missing that is the only way they'd accept responsability and/or the package back for RTS otherwise it would come out of your pocket if sears didnt step up.

but anyway, yea, store pickup if you can, especially on big/heavy items.

I've also had great luck with their reps via email if you fear talking to someone you can understand in india.

 

[egdede]

I'd consider sanding the peg down instead.

 

[a390st]

From my experience with ordering from Sears, the package is generally huge in comparison to the contents, and the interior packaging is either perfect or destroyed. The problem with their packing peanut usage is that when the interior plastic bags break, your tools go straight to the bottom with no protection.

 

[rhastings80]

About 2 months ago I ordered a snow blower off sears.com that was listed in the Craftsman Club. The snow blower was normally like $800.00 but was listed for $299.99. I ordered online via sears.com with store pickup and then later found out the local Sears was refusing to honor the price even though the charge had hit my credit card and I have the pickup slip with me. I did get my money back and also filed a complaint with the FTC. Lets just say I will no longer order any appliance for home delivery or anything with store pickup. If its not in my hands and on the self I won't waste my time with them anymore. Just not worth the hassle.

Guess I should also add this was a nation wide price error that they wouldn't honor. There are 1800+ comments about it on Slick-deals. http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1786668

 

[Skin]

About 2 months ago I ordered a snow blower off sears.com that was listed in the Craftsman Club. The snow blower was normally like $800.00 but was listed for $299.99. I ordered online via sears.com with store pickup and then later found out the local Sears was refusing to honor the price even though the charge had hit my credit card and I have the pickup slip with me. I did get my money back and also filed a complaint with the FTC. Lets just say I will no longer order any appliance for home delivery or anything with store pickup. If its not in my hands and on the self I won't waste my time with them anymore. Just not worth the hassle.

Guess I should also add this was a nation wide price error that they wouldn't honor. There are 1800+ comments about it on Slick-deals. http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1786668

Regardless of what you may think companies are not obligated to honor price mistakes and especially so when said price mistake would cause them to lose hundreds of dollars out the door. There are exemptions in most every retailers TOS agreement that states this. Its a simple fact that its going to happen a lot with the advent of online ordering.

 

[wbclassics]

Are you sure that Sears isn't using "price mistakes" as a viral promotion effort? It happens SO OFTEN on Sears.com that I've come to the conclusion that their pricing mistakes are deliberate, purely driven to increase their exposure across a set of products AND get enough people to buy that product knowing that a certain % will cancel orders when the price is changed and that a certain % will still be OK with the corrected price.

 

[Skin]

i think you're giving sears too much credit. no i do not think they are a bunch of marketing geniuses but instead believe that they have people working on the net side who simply make mistakes. They arent complete morons as well. Why would you intentionally do a price mistake and piss off hundreds of customers when you can just as easily do a legitimate loss leader to generate sales and interest in the weekly flyer and say "limited to 5 units per store".

 

[rhastings80]

Hi Skin,

I can see your point. My compliant is I ordered online with my credit card went to the store with my printed receipt and wasted about 2 hours with driving and talking to folks at sears.com on the phone and in the store. Also it took them over a week to credit my credit card back the money. That's why I'm done with Sears. This also is not the first time this has happened. If I were Sears I would have honored what was sold but then sell no more at that price. With all of the bad PR this got on Slick-Deals it has to hurt them more I would think.

Regardless of what you may think companies are not obligated to honor price mistakes and especially so when said price mistake would cause them to lose hundreds of dollars out the door. There are exemptions in most every retailers TOS agreement that states this. Its a simple fact that its going to happen a lot with the advent of online ordering.

 

[Skin]

Hi Skin,

I can see your point. My compliant is I ordered online with my credit card went to the store with my printed receipt and wasted about 2 hours with driving and talking to folks at sears.com on the phone and in the store.

I agree that is some bad PR, they should of gave you a giftcard with a $10-$20 balance on it for your trouble.

 

[crewchief888]

ive got to the point if i cant have it in my hands and see it with my own eyes first, i wont buy it.
i needed a new welding hood, and had narrowed my choices down to a couple of hoods i spent last friday morning checking various welding supply houses in the area, comparing prices. and checked prices online. i ended up ordering a new miller online, because of the $35-$50 price difference. if i hadnt actually touched and seen them, i would have ordered a hood that i wouldnt have been happy with in the long run.

 

[jkeyser14]

I'd consider sanding the peg down instead.

It's easier to throw it in my lathe and run a bit through than it is to be careful sanding down a plastic peg without breaking it.