I filed a BBB complaint against Sears today!

[econoaddict]

My grandpa was a housing contractor. He built a house for someone one time, they called him up months after moving in telling him the paint was peeling off the walls. He went over and the house was like a tropical jungle. The humidity couldn't have been higher. Looked around and founf that the morons had disconnected the dryer vent so the damn thing was venting into the house. He asked them why the hell they did that. They told him they didn't want to waste all that heat, letting it wnet out. He told them it was their problem. They called the BBB and complained. The BBB called my grandpa to get his side of the story. He told them what happened. They agreed that it was the homeowners fault.

BUT..then the BBB asked him to repaint the house anyway to make the homeowners happy.

Grandpa told them to get f-ed.

I put a waterpump on a guys car once, many months later he had a coolant resevoir start leaking from a crack. He filed with the BBB and they actually expected me to fix it for free.
Not one time did they want to hear our side, they expected us to just bow down and give in or...............pay them to become a BBB member then they said they would hear us out.
Sounds like extortion to me, this is the only BBB complaint we have had in 10+ years and they list us as a shop to avoid like the plague

 

[Shocker]

I got a funny feeling that the 30 days on the receipt was for the purchase, not the layaway.

Sears does a 30 day match on purchases, but the layaway rules are 14 days.

They guy at the counter stuck by the rules he knew. Should have talked to the manager instead of flying off the handle.

 

[jmh21586]

I put a waterpump on a guys car once, many months later he had a coolant resevoir start leaking from a crack. He filed with the BBB and they actually expected me to fix it for free.
Not one time did they want to hear our side, they expected us to just bow down and give in or...............pay them to become a BBB member then they said they would hear us out.
Sounds like extortion to me, this is the only BBB complaint we have had in 10+ years and they list us as a shop to avoid like the plague

Yup, it's just a Mafia like organization. Pay for protection.

 

[bry@n]

I had great success with filing a BBB complaint regarding sears.

In the edn, just like I told them, I got my way. Be diligent.

 

[TA^Guy]

All this over $25. How much gas do you use on every trip to the store? How much is your time worth? How much did you spend on that meal?

I guess I am just past the point in life where I let every little thing stress me out.

It's not about the lousy $25, it's about the principle.

If it says 30 days on his receipt then he should be entitled to his 30 days.

If they won't stand by what they print on their receipt it's not a company I would give my business to.

 

[Ign]

Sears customer service does ****.

Go to a local sheetmetal shop and give them the specs on the counter top you want. They should have - or be able to get - stainless 2b or 4b finish, as well as more, and of course in any thickness you want.

You'll almost surely pay more, but you'll support a local shop that employs local skilled labor, not high school dropouts at Sears - and you'll get a better product.

 

[m289271]

The bottom line is you had a problem with a minimum wage employee and you didn't ask for the manager. That's your fault.
I worked at a Sears Hardware store part time about 15 years ago and we were told to always follow the company line. When the customer asked for the mgr he ALWAYS gave the customer what he wanted.
One guy came in with a broken Montgomery Wards brand sander and insisted he bought it at Sears. Guess what, he got a brand new Craftsman. A pissed off customer buys once, a happy customer keeps coming back, and that's where the money is.

 

[Cameronl]

It's not about the lousy $25, it's about the principle.

If it says 30 days on his receipt then he should be entitled to his 30 days.

If they won't stand by what they print on their receipt it's not a company I would give my business to.

The OP never said anything about a receipt. The only thing he said about 30 days is, "The agreement says no adjustments after 30 days of layaway date! " He didn't clarify what this agreement was. Was it verbal from the original lay-away guy? Does he have anything in writing? The written policy on the website about layaways specifically states 14 days. So does their policy on outright purchases.

I'm just saying I can't pass judgment on Sears until we know where John got 30 days from. I can't assume the receipt said anything. If he has anything that says 30 days, then yes, Sears owed him. Otherwise, it looks like a big misunderstanding to me.

 

[ket-tek]

You couldn't just buy it and immediately return it for a full refund, then buy it again at the cheaper price? Save $20. I didn't realized companies actually charged a layaway fee.

that's what I was thinking.

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

I don't see where the OP has a leg to stand on, based on Sears policies. Does seem like a lot of hassle though...

 

[babyman1737]

It's not about the lousy $25, it's about the principle.

If it says 30 days on his receipt then he should be entitled to his 30 days.

If they won't stand by what they print on their receipt it's not a company I would give my business to.

You don't understand, it doesn't say 30 days on his receipt. The layaway policy says 14 days in black and white. I think it's absolutely hilarious when people file claims against a company's black and white rules like this.
14 days is 14 days. It's hard to say that in another way.....2 weeks?

 

[jklingel]

How can I get laid away? That's all I want to know. Oh, yeah; and good luck to the original poster. What was it all about, again?

 

[Vinko]

unfortunately the BBB is a joke.

I've gotten satisfaction (i.e. money returned) from certain shady-business-practices by using the BBB.

Good luck in your quest against Sears!

What I don't get is why one of the worker bees decides he has to be on the side of Corporate, especially if the rules plainly state that you've got 30 days from start of lay-away date if prices change

 

[Vinko]

All this over $25.

Just in general:

I sort of admire someone who has the tenacity to duke it out over $25. That's how business gets you -- just wears you out. How many small little things like this go on. It adds up to a lot of green for a business. It's like certain fees added to statements. You can get them off, but they're counting on a lot of people not bothering.

 

[Striker]

There is some very good advice in this thread. One thing I've learned from running my own company is to never take what a low level person says at face value (especially when money is on the line). The best course of action is to always refer back to the agreement or legal documentation that you signed. It lists all your rights and obligations.

In hindsight the OP should have thanked the sales person and then asked for a manager. The manger and the OP could have gone over the agreement to clear up any misunderstanding. If the agreement says pricematching within 30 days is allowed I'm sure you would have received a refund for the difference. If it said only 14 days for pricematching the manager might have made an exception and given you the difference as a courtesy. As the old saying goes, "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar".

My next few sentences unfortunately won't earn me any brownie points with the OP. When it is all said and done you were the one who signed a legal document that defined the terms and conditions of your layaway. It's not Sears fault that you didn't understand the agreement. However I do acknowledge the employee should have been better trained, but that's for another thread.

In the end you signed the paperwork. You're expected to uphold your end of the bargain just like Sears. It was your choice to cancel the layaway and the agreement stated the terms for canceling. You agreed to the fee. There is no way around it.

Now in my opinion the best course of action is to calmly go back to the store and speak with the manager. Explain the situation to the manager including the mix up on the terms of the agreement. Be polite and honest about it. More than likely he or she will be understanding of the situation. You might just get your workbench at the lower price with your cancellation fee refunded.

If you don't get your money back chalk it up to life experience. This would be a very good lesson on why you read the fine print on agreements before signing them.

 

[BackAgain]

It would have been much easier to appeal to the store manager. It probably would have been less of a hassle, you would have got what you wanted in the first place, and it would have saved a lot of time and headaches.

Just because you put "manager" after someone's name, doesn't make them any less stupid or useless. Sears blows, as a corporation, and all the stores are managed in a similar style - that is, ********.

Last summer they had a deal with several peices of equipment and said if you can find the same thing for cheaper anywhere else, we'll give it to you free. I did exactly that - I bought a pressure washer for $299, and found a BETTER, with better specs, at Lowes, for a lower price. Took the ad into Sears expecting my free pressure washer - they wouldn't honor it because the Lowes pressure washer wasn't exactly the same - it was better. Basically their "rules" said it had to have a craftsman logo on it to qualify for the deal.

Anyway, I demanded to speak to the manager, out came some 25? year old, completely unprofessional idiot. I looked at him and said "NO, I WANT TO TALK TO THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON HERE RIGHT NOW!" and he said "that's me". I explained how ridiculous they were being and exactly how illegal false advertising is to him and got a phone number for "headquarters" when I demanded to know who made these rules. They never returned my multiple calls.

I was back within half an hour to return the pressure washer, only to find they don't really know what "returns" are. They have no return/customer service desk. I had to wander around and find an employee and tell him I want my damn money back. He looked confused like nobody had ever returned anything before and took me to some small room with a door that said "employees only". Inside there were a couple of people crammed in with messy desks, apparently they handle returns.

As I left with my cash in hand, the same salesman tried to sell me something else. I looked him right in the eye and said "I don't do business with companies that practice false advertising!" and went on to explain how "good" he was at his job...

In short, I will never return to sears again, unless I'm there to burn it down. They have a company wide ******* policy.

Unfortunately the power the BBB has, has very little effect on Sears. Maybe a mom and pop shop, but not Sears.

 

[bazzateer]

Last summer they had a deal with several peices of equipment and said if you can find the same thing for cheaper anywhere else, we'll give it to you free. I did exactly that - I bought a pressure washer for $299, and found a BETTER, with better specs, at Lowes, for a lower price. Took the ad into Sears expecting my free pressure washer - they wouldn't honor it because the Lowes pressure washer wasn't exactly the same - it was better. Basically their "rules" said it had to have a craftsman logo on it to qualify for the deal.

OK, assuming you are considerably older than the 25 yr old you mention (otherwise why mention his age? ) is this really the first time you've encountered this sort of offer/deal? In my experience the 'money back if you can get the same thing cheaper' offers have always related to the same product. That is why it says "same" as opposed to "similar".

 

[BackAgain]

(otherwise why mention his age? )

He wasn't old enough to work his way up the ladder to a manager position. He was barely old enough to shave. Even if he was 125, he was still stupid, and there's no way around that.

My point is that Sear's isn't very careful about who they hire, even managers.

 

[bazzateer]

Even if he was 125, he was still stupid, and there's no way around that. My point is that Sear's isn't very careful about who they hire, even managers.

Fair enough, I think we've all probably encountered similar

 

[southpier]

but how many times have you came out on the long end of the stick?? this was a one time incedent and usually doesn't happen like that. remember the air hose reels last year at lowe's being clearanced for $23.99? i bought one, had it laying around here for months and took it back. couldn't find the receipt, they scanned it and gave me a $79.00 credit.... worked for me.

but isn't that dishonest?



or just "stickin' it to the Man"?

 

[Stuey]

I was back within half an hour to return the pressure washer, only to find they don't really know what "returns" are. They have no return/customer service desk. I had to wander around and find an employee and tell him I want my damn money back. He looked confused like nobody had ever returned anything before and took me to some small room with a door that said "employees only". Inside there were a couple of people crammed in with messy desks, apparently they handle returns.

haha, I went through that once before as well - I had been wanting to return a catalog-only screwdriver.

I went to a Sears Essentials, they said they couldn't do the return since they were not a full Sears store. Then I went to a full Sears store, and everyone yoyoed me around until they sent me to the HR offices for the return. The person who handled my return also signed for the mail that the USPS guy brought in while I was there. Strangest return experience ever.

but isn't that dishonest?

or just "stickin' it to the Man"?

If it's done knowingly, it's dishonest and I'm fairly certain it's illegal as well. There are quite a lot of people that do practice this often. If it's done unknowingly or by accident, then it's not as bad.

 

[rikmeister]

best place to rile is with your states consumer protection agency. it is free. you just have to call and fill out a form. some have the form on line.

 

[nehog]

...My hard feelings were from a bad experience 30 year ago near my home town. The people in charge then are dead and gone. I guess I kinda need to let it go....

Dang, that's some good advice for all of us. Holding bad feelings over a long time is never productive.

But I'd have just taken the item, and then immediately returned it. Much easier to do it that way. And, yea, I've my Sears story too... Ordered, for delivery, some garage door opener extensions online. Deliver to store. They charged my card then never filled the order (kept getting, 3 to 4 days...)

I canceled the order finally, walked back to the shelf, found they had two sitting there, and bought these. I later realized that those two on the shelf were probalby the ones that I'd originally ordered, that instead of putting with my order they just stuck on the shelf.

Of course, I ended up having to do a charge back on the order, too, since they could/would not do the refund. My cost was minimal, but I'm sure it cost them miuch more to process everything. All because they were sloppy.

 

[tandnhome]

I'v worked for sears a long time if you wont a $10 gift card I'll send you one !

 

[john37]

An update..... Sears contacted me (from the pressure of the BBB no doubt) and explained that I had been given one of the 'old agreements' in error and that the policy changed as of Dec 13th.
I knew full well what the internet said and what their current policies were for layaway when I asked for the adjustment. But that's not what my sales receipt said and the change was not stated at the time of purchase. All said and done, they agreed to refund the $15 or reinstate the layaway at the lesser price.
I'll take my $15 and go elsewhere with it.... perhaps give it to the Red Cross for Haiti relief!
I already have a work surface in place now, anyways!

 

[Cameronl]

Thanks for the update. Glad to get clarification that you had it in writing. It was stupid of Sears not to honor the error originally, and that you had to go to the BBB before getting satisfaction.

 

[Vinko]

Dang, that's some good advice for all of us. Holding bad feelings over a long time is never productive.

I don't know. There's something to be said for a grudge to be a motivational factor. I kind of admire the length of time spent on it.

 

[billspit]

You couldn't just buy it and immediately return it for a full refund, then buy it again at the cheaper price? Save $20. I didn't realized companies actually charged a layaway fee.

That's excatly what I did with a tool chest I bought my son two christmases ago.

 

[Art From De Leon]

Quote: "Holding bad feelings over a long time is never productive."

He who forgets history is condemned to repeat it.

OR:

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

There is NO reason to believe that a company has changed for the better. This is why I will NEVER again use AT&T, American Airlines, and GE, as long as I have a choice.

 

[fattogatto]

It's not about the lousy $25, it's about the principle.

What an epitaph that would make.

 

[fattogatto]

There is NO reason to believe that a company has changed for the better. This is why I will NEVER again use AT&T, American Airlines, and GE, as long as I have a choice.

What do you do when you've run through all of the companies in a particular field? Or one of your hated companies happens to be the only game in town? (I.e. local utility or AT&T if you want an I-Phone.) We live in the age of the disposable customer. Some corporations, especially the bigger ones, don't worry about driving away customers and create a customer service system that reflects that, often doing the bare minimum to qualify as customer service. Sears knows that for every customer they drive away Penney's or Macy's or Home Depot or whoever will be drivingn other customers to Sears. Other corporations are learning they can affect the bottom line with good service. (Although I maintain it's better to have a well designed system that avoids customer issues as much as possible in the first place.)

Often it depends on the individual you happen to have addressing your issue. Yesterday we discovered an AT&T problem. My wife called and was told we had to pay the bill (which was ONE day past its initial due date), or they would shut off her phone. I was in Europe. I called them and explained their error (regarding auto-pay) and was very pleasantly surprised by the great treatment I received, including a $30 credit for the phone call from Paris which I did not even have to ask for. I explained the threat my wife had received and was put straight through to a supervisor who was most apologetic and indicated she would personally counsel the offending agent.

So, like all things in life . . . . . it depends.

 

[Art From De Leon]

What do you do when you've run through all of the companies in a particular field? Or one of your hated companies happens to be the only game in town? (I.e. local utility or AT&T if you want an I-Phone.) We live in the age of the disposable customer. Some corporations, especially the bigger ones, don't worry about driving away customers and create a customer service system that reflects that, often doing the bare minimum to qualify as customer service. Sears knows that for every customer they drive away Penney's or Macy's or Home Depot or whoever will be drivingn other customers to Sears. Other corporations are learning they can affect the bottom line with good service. (Although I maintain it's better to have a well designed system that avoids customer issues as much as possible in the first place.)

Often it depends on the individual you happen to have addressing your issue. Yesterday we discovered an AT&T problem. My wife called and was told we had to pay the bill (which was ONE day past its initial due date), or they would shut off her phone. I was in Europe. I called them and explained their error (regarding auto-pay) and was very pleasantly surprised by the great treatment I received, including a $30 credit for the phone call from Paris which I did not even have to ask for. I explained the threat my wife had received and was put straight through to a supervisor who was most apologetic and indicated she would personally counsel the offending agent.

So, like all things in life . . . . . it depends.

No other company can be as totally fucked up, or have such atrocious customer 'service' than the ones I had mentioned.

Besides, unless this fking administration outlaws it, there is still a concept called competion, which seems to flourish because of the weakness demonstrated by GE, AT&T, and American Airlines.

 

[Jaguar Fan]

It's too bad that people feel the BBB doesn't help them. I am a member of the BBB and feel it has helped my business a lot plus I've used it several times to settle personal disputes. I think people misunderstand what the BBB is set up to do.

The BBB reports on two kinds of businesses-- Members and non-members. In order to be a member(and remain a member) you must follow rules of good business practices set up by the BBB and agreed to when you join. As a member, you are graded and reported on their website. The BBB has the most influence over its members because it is assumed that since you joined and agreed to the terms, you really want to do the best thing and be fair to your customers. If you don't, you will lose your membership. If you're not a member, the BBB may find out about you, report on you and give you a rating(grade).

In either case, the BBB has a procedure to resolve disputes. When I say "dispute", it means the issue is unsettled and you (the customer) are looking to find a solution that will satisfy you. (It is based on the assumption that you are looking for a fair solution and trying to be made whole and not trying to punish or come out ahead on the situation). The procedure involves writing down in detail the situation , submitting it to BBB so they can forward your exact words to the business for an answer within 30 days. If the business is a member, they will probably answer but if they're not, they may just ignore it in which case the BBB will update their information about the business that the business doesn't respond to complaints-- which ends your complaint right there. If you do get a response(and an offer to settle), you can accept or give another response and wait for another cycle. Note that several cycles may take months.

Some people feel that BBB has more power than they do. They are just an arbitrator that puts two people together that can resolve the issue -- you and the company representative. They have no legal power - criminal or civil. If you have that kind of claim you need to resolve it in court.

Hopefully, this makes BBB things a little clearer...

Personally, I think the BBB is a good place for consumers to start their research prior to making a life-changing purchase -- such as choosing a house-hold goods mover to move either locally or across the country. As anyone who has watched 20-20 or 60 Minutes has seen, there is a ton of fraud and deception in that industry, affiliations and employees and subcontractors change quickly, and you need to rely upon recent reviews as a first step. Moreover, how often does anyone do business with one?

Sears doesn't fit that model. We all know what we're getting when we do business with Sears.

 

[Mr.NiceGuy]

Ummm CLOWN! The Cashier or Salesman was correct. Layaway is a "CONTRACT" and you cannot change the price once it is agreed upon between you and SEARS. So next time you sign a piece of paper... how about reading that paper (BEFORE) you sign it. P.S. Price Protection is valid up till two weeks after the (purchase) of a item. Don't know where you got 30 days from. Once again WRONG! And that only applies to items you have purchased completely (NOT LAYAWAY!) Get your facts strait before you decide to *****!

 

[ckadams00]

Boy you Showed them!
And are out $15.
Did you read your layaway contract?
They're still in business to make money-layaway is meant as a convience to you, not as a guarantee on price. Expect to pay for it.
BBB - Really? Sears? Really?
So: you accomplished what?

 

[Bill Bowman]

Some really timely advice for a 2 year old thread. Bill

 

[NUTTSGT]

Ummm CLOWN! The Cashier or Salesman was correct. Layaway is a "CONTRACT" and you cannot change the price once it is agreed upon between you and SEARS. So next time you sign a piece of paper... how about reading that paper (BEFORE) you sign it. P.S. Price Protection is valid up till two weeks after the (purchase) of a item. Don't know where you got 30 days from. Once again WRONG! And that only applies to items you have purchased completely (NOT LAYAWAY!) Get your facts strait before you decide to *****!

Clown ?, Seriously, you make your first post and call somebody a clown ? I guess we don't even need to mention the thread is over 2 years old.

If you're going to bring up old threads and call people names in this manner, you can go else where and post, we (the GJ family) do not need your kind here.

 

[NHBandit]

The BBB is like a dog with no teeth. All bark & there's not one damn thing they can do.

 

[Tucko]

My grandpa was a housing contractor. He built a house for someone one time, they called him up months after moving in telling him the paint was peeling off the walls. He went over and the house was like a tropical jungle. The humidity couldn't have been higher. Looked around and founf that the morons had disconnected the dryer vent so the damn thing was venting into the house. He asked them why the hell they did that. They told him they didn't want to waste all that heat, letting it wnet out. He told them it was their problem. They called the BBB and complained. The BBB called my grandpa to get his side of the story. He told them what happened. They agreed that it was the homeowners fault.

BUT..then the BBB asked him to repaint the house anyway to make the homeowners happy.

Grandpa told them to get f-ed.

Thank you. This story made my day! Some people are way to stupid to procreate.

 

[Rockuf8]

All this for $25? Seriously? You must not have really wanted the item if you cancelled the layaway on it, I'm surprised, they're usually pretty good about stuff like that too. My buddy gets them to beat competitors advertised pricing on various items.