Sears clowns

[Z28SSMAN]

Have you guys had good luck with Sears batteries? The only reason I bought one is because Sears is open 7 days and if you have a problem with one, they're open to handle warranties.

Well, I bought one in '09 for my work truck. Lasted 2 1/2 years and had it pro-rated and replaced last year. Had horrible service from the counter people and chalked it up to them just having a bad day. Figured 2 1/2 years wasn't bad considering I don't drive it much. I still charged it once a month though.

Well after 1 year, it wouldn't hold a charge, so I fully charged it and let it sit for about an hour before I took it over yesterday, not asking for them to replace it, just asked to check it (knowing all along that it was bad). They told me it only had a 75% charge so I'd have to leave it so they could fully charge it in order to put a load test on it. That was at 2:30 and they closed at 7. We called before they closed and was told it wasn't fully charged and to call back today.

We called this morning and they put me on hold while they tried to find the battery. Couldn't quite figure out my battery from another sitting beside it. Kept saying the battery was way on the other side of the service center. Finally said it charged up to 13 volts but only charged to 75% and failed the load test.

I went over to get the new battery and got a lecture. The little old lady said you must have a problem with your car or not drive it much and this may be a the last time they'd replace it for me. I said I didn't drive it much but I definitely charged it once a month and was familiar with how a battery works.

I asked them if I were from out of town and had the battery issue, that I found it strange to have to wait until the next day to determine if the battery was bad. Also that it doesn't take 4 hours to fully charge a battery that was 75% charged. She said she didn't want to argue with me and I told her she obviously did want to argue. lol. She said "I'm sorry you feel that way". That got me steamed me up pretty good. In other words...I'm the one with the problem if I didn't agree with her.

I also told them I thought it was poor customer service to rely on me to call them twice about a simple battery issue and they should have called me. The manager came out and gave me another lecture about how the batteries are on the far side of the service center and he didn't have an employee just monitoring batteries. He pointed out that I was incorrect about a 75% charged battery not needing 4 hours to fully charge.

I told them all that it would be in my best interest to not get another Sears battery if this one fails if I had to be lectured each time. I told him that his procedures obviously needed some altering for better customer satisfaction. He said he couldn't do anything different because he had limited staff and went on to say he had 35 cars in the shop to handle and no time to call a customer back regarding battery status.

I basically told him if he felt he couldn't improve on a situation like mine then nothing would change when the next customer came in with my situation. Also, there were maybe 4 cars in the parking lot and one other customer in the center while I had the conversation with them. Too busy to put out a little effort to keep a customer happy.

[MR.hp]

Sears batteries just suck. Everyone I have ever owned has either crapped out of had some sort of problem. If you need a battery Glenn I have a bunch of extras. You might need to get a longer cable as the posts are on the wrong side for a GM but for free cables are cheaper than batteries. You know the number.

[Z28SSMAN]

Yeah, they replaced it for free. I started to just give it back to them to show them it wasn't about money and I didn't need to beg for a frickin battery. I won't buy another Sears battery though.

[Fast One]

Wow. That really sucks. Bought a DieHard Platinum AGM battery for the GTP just over a year ago. Never bought a Sears battery before. Hope I have better luck with mine.

Regarding their customer service - I bought tires from the one in Coon Rapids (same place I got the battery), and I wasn't impressed. They weren't outright rude or anything - just inept, and not very willing to do anything about it. I called ahead to make sure they had the tires I wanted in-house & they said they did. When I got there, they couldn't find the tires. They said I'd have to come back the next day, which was a Monday. I told the guy that I just drove 35 miles to get the damn tires they said were in stock. He asked me who I talked to. I told him that I surely didn't remember the guy's name. He asked why I didn't write it down. I was getting pissed by this point. I said "because I expect that when someone says something's in stock that they know what the hell they're talking about". I then asked if he knew who was working two hours ago. He didn't. I told him to call someone who does. After nearly an hour of screwing around, they finally "found" my tires. The guy behind the counter mentioned something about being short-handed. I won't be going back.

I got the impression that they're running pretty lean, that they're not happy, and that they're letting it show.

Joel

[TwinTownTerror]

Sears is still around???

[Z28SSMAN]

Yeah, there was ONE customer in the store other than myself. lol

[bbcmalibu]

I've had a sears die hard battery in my car for god at least 10 years now. Take it out every winter and put it in the basement. Never charge it, toss it back in the car and no problems. Even this year with starting the new motor. It cranked for a good 20 minutes until i got the timing right and it was just starting to sound weak. But after running no problems.

[Z28SSMAN]

I've had a sears die hard battery in my car for god at least 10 years now. Take it out every winter and put it in the basement. Never charge it, toss it back in the car and no problems. Even this year with starting the new motor. It cranked for a good 20 minutes until i got the timing right and it was just starting to sound weak. But after running no problems.

Getting 10 years out of any battery is pretty impressive. Could be they used better grade plates back then compared to now.

From a Die Hard complaint blog: I purchased a die hard gold in March this year, the battery would no long hold a charge in December. Took the battery to local auto parts store to be tested. Battery would only register 10.2 volts. parts store recommended a new battery. I then took battery back to sears and they test battery. They say battery is to weak to test and they have charge for 48mins first. I agree to last them charge and test, of course it test good for them. service person did label the battery with test date and marked battery good and said if I have anymore problems with battery to bring it back and they would replace it. Two weeks later, today the battery failed again. I go back to sears and two people were ahead of me with 2010 die hard gold batteries on floor to be replaced. they were furious and the salesperson remembered me from two weeks ago. I didn't have to say much, she just had her colorant replace the battery for me with a new one no charge. No questions asked... I asked the service guy that got the new battery for me, "what's up with these Die hard batteries" I have a 10year die hard in another vehicle that doesn't get driven much and actually sits for months at a time, but fires right up 99 percent of the time. He told me That the 2009 / 2010 die hards were not like the old ones and they have been getting a lot of returns. Where there's smoke there could be fire, but if the smoke comes out of your die hard, you're toast...Don't think I will buy another Die Hard unless they double the warranty and pay for towing.


About the only item I've had good luck with is the craftsman tools. If you break one, you just go in and get another with no questions asked.
Here is a list of just a few Sears items I've bought and were mediocre:
1. 2 ton steel floor jack. The part where the handle slips into broke. I took it back and they said no replacement- no assistance and no parts for it. Ended up modifying a part to get it to work.
2. Aluminum floor jack. Lasted 2 years and won't even lift my garden tractor now.
3. Craftsman lawn de-thatcher. Broke after using it last summer. Took it back and they said they'd never seen one break. Weld came apart.
4. Retractable shop light. Hang hook broke off and bulb cover won't stay attached.
5. Wet vac. Big crack where the cord wraps around the handle. Can look through the crack into the bucket.
6. Digital Tire pressure gauge. lasted about a month.

When will I learn?

[Z28SSMAN]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQmMRoZP5FA

[Z28SSMAN]

From a Sears complaint blog: I am a third generation Sears customer and judging from my last experience, I will be the last. At this point I will inform my children, family, friends, business associates and anyone else to not shop at Sears. On April 23, 2012 I brought my SUV in for four new tires and an alignment. I specified 265 70R 17 sized Michelin LTX tires to the service technician. My vehicle was the only one the the shop on this late Monday evening. After more than a two hour wait and 10 minutes after closing time my vehicle was ready for pick-up. However, after inspection I discovered that the wrong sized tires 265 65R 17 had been installed with no alignment performed. The service tech apologized and asked if I could leave my vehilce overnight at the shop so the correction could be made the next day. The mechanic left for the evening. I told the tech no that I had a commitment that nigth and had to be at work early the next day for a meeting and this is a major inconveniance. The tech called the manager who stated that I be allowed to leave in my own vehicle but, not to drive more than twenty miles so that the wrong sized tires could be cleaned and restocked. A discount of $20 dollars on the alignment was offered. The tech promised to drive me to work before 9am. The brought my vehicle in the next morning at 8:15am. The tech didn't arrive until 9:20am. I finally got to work at 9:45am, missing an important meeting. I was called at 3:30pm to pick-up my vehicle at 4pm only to be informed that an alignment couldn't be performed because of a problem with my front suspension. I took my truck to my mechanic who informed me that no problem was discovered with my front suspension. No further discount was offered. I lost precious time for personal and business. I could have gotten these same tires cheaper at Sam's club and been given better service. DO NOT SHOP AT SEARS AUTO DUE TO POOR SERVICE.