Comments on Kitchen and Residential Design: Sears' Blue Crew needs some work

Anon: Anybody with an opinion that's worth som...

2010-09-19T22:57:56.495-04:00

Anon: Anybody with an opinion that's worth something cares enough to have a name.

2010-09-19T22:05:58.713-04:00

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

http://www.managemylife.com/mmh/owner_manuals/sear...

2010-07-22T18:34:56.291-04:00

http://www.managemylife.com/mmh/owner_manuals/search?query=Kenmore

This website always helps me with Kenmore actual appliance dimensions... I hear your frustrations!

Thank you for your comment, one of the cool things...

2009-10-12T14:12:49.227-04:00

Thank you for your comment, one of the cool things about Twitter is that it puts me in contact with other independents like you. I would be lost without the independent appliance seller I use and you guys have my undying gratitude and loyalty!

Paul, I kept nodding along with your post. The par...

2009-10-12T14:05:33.643-04:00

Paul, I kept nodding along with your post. The parallel between car shopping and appliance shopping is dead on.

As a independent, family-owned appliance retailer we get to offer the specialized, personal service that some big box retailers struggle with. We pull specs for "intermediaries" all the time.

Designers and builders are often so stressed when they call up, looking for hard-to-find specs. I loved when -- after delivering exactly what they were looking for, pain-free -- I'd hear this surprised sigh of relief.

Jamie, Nancie, Kelly, Pam and Clarity; thanks for ...

2009-10-10T17:18:56.622-04:00

Jamie, Nancie, Kelly, Pam and Clarity; thanks for your comments. And to think I was hesitant about going live with this one. Seriously, I thought I was the problem, that I was asking the right questions or looking in the right place for answers. But that's just me. After all, I'm supposed to know the answer to everything. Hah! I got over it as I was driving over to Sears to measure the damn thing myself.

So Jamie, I hope somebody is listening.

Nancie, good for you and spread that story to anyone who listen to it. These kinds of frontline gaffes are inexcusable.

Kelly, you're right. Entering the Pro market means more than spending money on a booth at KBIS. Can you imagine the fun a Kenmore integrated fridge would be. Kenmore: please don't add an integrated fridge!

Pam, it's really heartening to know I'm not unique in this frustration. Manufacturers need to back up their attempts to enter the pro market. It's as if all of their energies are directed to end users, but they ignore the intermediaries (that's us) at their own peril.

Clarity, thanks for the comment! Your frustration's certainly felt here. I am usually looking up specs late at night and I need that information in front of me when I go look for it. Can I invoice Sears for missed deadlines and the resulting delays? Hah!

Hi Paul - love this post. I totally feel your pain...

2009-10-10T15:41:44.562-04:00

Hi Paul - love this post. I totally feel your pain. The other thing that frustrates me is when you phone the manufacturer's customer service for some detail that is essential to designers but not in the specs, and they instantly know the answer. I mean, it's great to have the answer, but why on earth don't they put it in the specs?

I too went through an almost identical scenario wi...

2009-10-10T15:07:34.825-04:00

I too went through an almost identical scenario with Sears a few years ago when their Pro Line came out only it was over a built-in refer. Couldn't get the specs NO WHERE --so frustrating. Went through the same agravating steps... maybe even the same customer service Nazi! They ultimately sent me to their replacement parts division... who wondered who gave me the number and why. Aaaarrrrrhhhh! HOPE SEARS READS YOUR BLOG! (Typing in big letters is shouting... hopefully loud enough for them to hear.)

Anywho --thanks for writing this. I'm REALLY glad to know it's not just me. Clearly all of these wildly coincidental experiences are evidence of a HUGE problem Sears needs to address.

Yes, I had the same issue Paul - extremely frustra...

2009-10-10T12:19:07.284-04:00

Yes, I had the same issue Paul - extremely frustrating. Their online specs need a serious upgrade. They don't understand what it means to enter the pro market.

Actually, this sounds strangely familiar in a big box store way...

Grrrrrrr. We vowed to never buy another appliance...

2009-10-10T11:49:44.254-04:00

Grrrrrrr.

We vowed to never buy another appliance from Sears last year after a totally ridiculous run-in with a store manager over the price of a washing machine which -- surprise! surprise! -- had changed overnight by several hundred dollars. It seems that the salesperson I had spoken with the day before had neglected to tell me the price was a SALE price and said sale was ending that very day.

We marched right over to Lowe's and gave the several hundred dollars extra to them.

Phone calls were made. Letters flew. The Sears District Manager offered us close to a thousand dollars in coupons to "make it right".

We declined. Now all we buy at Sears is vacuum cleaner bags. The revenge of the consumer!

I went through the exact same spec nightmare a few...

2009-10-10T11:01:17.089-04:00

I went through the exact same spec nightmare a few years ago! Thanks for being the voice of the professionals; I couldn't have put it better myself. Hello, Sears, anyone listening???

Excuse my long winded rant but this kind of incomp...

2009-10-10T09:55:59.686-04:00

Excuse my long winded rant but this kind of incompetence is enraging. Especially when it's coming from a national retailer whose advertising is trying to sell me on their competence and know-how. Is it too much to ask for them to back of their claims with some actual competence? Grrr.

It's taking six weeks to fabricate counters? Good Lord! What can possibly take so long? I have them turned around in two weeks and I think that's too long. I feel your frustration.

Aggravating to say the least. And totally incompet...

2009-10-10T09:17:27.004-04:00

Aggravating to say the least. And totally incompetent!!

Three (or maybe it was four) weeks ago, I drove 30 minutes out of town specifically to go to a kitchen showroom and get prices for cabinet doors. I happened to get there at noon, and everyone left for lunch, including the girl at reception. She told me someone else would help me. So I waited for "someone else" to get off the phone. When she finally did, she ignored me. So I told her I was there to look at some doors and get prices. She had no idea what the prices were and didn't know the name of one of the doors I liked. She took down my name and contact info and told me someone would call with the prices. Still haven't heard back from them. Talk about sh*tty customer service!!

A couple of weeks ago, I called to ask when our countertop was being installed. The guy told me October 7th, give or take a day. Well, nobody called to confirm so WE called THEM on the 6th and left a message. They called back on the 7th and said we were scheduled for the 14th. Which is six weeks after the templating was done and we were told the countertop would be installed 3-4 weeks after the templating. Meanwhile, we're in limbo waiting for the countertop so we can move ahead with our kitchen makeover.

GRRRRRRRR!!!!!

Sorry for the rant -- I totally feel your pain!!! Booooo Sears!!!!

Kelly