2 posts tagged “warranty”
Argh. The water main coming off of the city meter is leaking yet again. The plumber came out around two weeks ago and re-crimped the connection which seemed to work at the time, but this evening while I was out in the yard (again) I noticed that it was once again sopping wet around the meter box. And seeing as how it was not that way this morning while I was out working in that area it looks like the plumber will have to come back out. I did check, and it isn't leaking fast enough to be turning the meter which is good. I sent another email to the builder and will call them tomorrow afternoon if I haven't heard back from them by then.
So frustrating. It seems to me that they may just have to redo that connection there. I don't know anything about plumbing, but that would be my first/easy solution to the problem. We'll see what happens. Thank goodness it is still under warranty!
Also, I am somewhat worried about the vitex and may dig it up and replant it. It was terribly root-bound in the pot and I am not sure if I got the roots loosened enough for it. I think I might also plant it just a bit deeper so that it is easier to get water directly to the rootball while it gets established.
Over the past (almost) two years I have been highly irritated at Sears' borderline abuse of the EBR rules in their unsolicited commercial calling practices. (The calls are from the 3rd party company - at least I believe it is a 3rd party - that handles their extended warranties. It actually makes me question their privacy practices as well, when it comes to their sharing my information with this other company.) Unfortunately, no matter how many times I get added to their Do Not Call list, every time I purchase a new product they use that opportunity to harass me on purchasing a new extended warranty. Trying to get those calls to stop is worse than a root canal. Bah.
So, the latest and greatest from Sears...I need a new logic board for my garage door opener. It is a Craftsman opener that I purchased online from Sears in August of 2006. On page 39 of the Owner's Manual that came with the opener it specifically states that there is a limited five year warranty* in which Sears will replace any defective parts for free. Just contact Sears.
OK, sounds easy enough...my first call: I chose the warranty option from the automated menu because, well, this is a warranty request. After answering a couple questions I found that Sears Warranty requests actually go directly to the 'repair' center. I hold briefly and a customer service/parts guy comes on. I explain that I am looking to order a replacement part that is under warranty for my garage door opener. He asks for my last name, which I give to him. He then IMMEDIATELY informs me that this is a manufacturer's warrant, NOT a Sears warranty and that he is transferring me to that department. Which he does. Without giving me the chance to say or ask anything.
As soon as I get tossed into the queue for this new department I hang up. Realizing that this is going to be MUCH more hassle that originally thought, I wanted to make sure I had all my ducks in a row - I hunted down my original sales receipt to have in addition to making sure I still had the Owner's Manual with the actual warranty in front of me. When I called back in, I made sure to choose the 'Manufacturer's Warranty' option - even though, as you can see below, the warranty only states Sears' name anywhere on it.
My first argument with Robert (the guy who begrudgingly answered my call after I was on hold for a good 10 minutes), was regarding the fact that the warranty note he had in front of him stated it was for one year for parts with a ten year motor warranty (mine is a lifetime motor warranty and five years for parts). He then proceeded to tell me that in order to GET the warranty part, Sears would have to send a technician out to my home to verify that the logic board was indeed the problem and that because labor was not covered it would cost me "around $65". He then informed me that this was a manufacturer's requirement (the technician visit) - before Chamberlain (the company who apparently made this particular Craftsman door opener) will replace the part, Sears has to verify that it is the correct one. He offered to give me their information if I wanted to take my dispute up directly with them. So much for the "free" part replacement...after going a few rounds with Robert over how ridiculous it was that I had a Sears warranty but was being told that the manufacturer was actually who offered up the warranty and was being required to pay for my free part via an unnecessary (in my book) service call, I hung up on him. I was so utterly frustrated I had nothing else to say that wasn't out of line and in the rude, personal attack category.
I looked up Chamberlain online and will be sending them an email outlining my experience with their "authorized dealer", Sears. And I am also going to try to find out how Sears is considered an "authorized dealer" when the name on the product is a direct Sears name and the warranty is listed as a "Sears Warranty"? I particularly love this line from the "Sears Warranty" (that is on page 39 of the Owner's Manual):" From the 91st day, warranty service is available by simply contacting the nearest Sears store or Sears service center in the United States." Heh. "Simply".
I also did a bit more research and found the warranty that Robert had in front of him...it was the Canadian Warranty. CANADA. My address, which is the address on the delivery slip where I had this opener delivered and installed and which I verified for him at the beginning of our call, is in the United States. Robert is apparently unable to actually process information, he simply recites whatever is in front of him at any given moment.
Oh hell, and as I continue to look, I just found the version (that I have in my Owner's Manual) on the SearsPartsDirect.com website after doing a search for the model number. Who knows where Robert got the one he was looking at.
The moral of this story is that this experience is the one that did me in. I will never again purchase anything from Sears and I will be strongly encouraging my friends and family to avoid them like the second coming of the bubonic plague. I am getting to a point in my life where I am no longer going to tolerate horrible service, or shady business practices. Do not advertise free replacement parts without disclosing that the manufacturer is actually the one offering the warranty and that they require part verification by Sears and that said verification is going to run to the tune of $65.
$65 is not free.
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