1-800-4-MY-HOME

Update: I looked around some online. Apparently I'm not so special, Sears just sucks when it comes to customer service.

A few months back, our washing machine developed a small leak - somewhere on the inside, water seemed to come from the right-rear leg. It didn't always leak, and it wasn't a lot of water, but I called Sears anyway (it's under warranty).

The lady who answered the phone was not too helpful - she asked where it was leaking from - underneath, I said. She asked if it could be the hoses - maybe, I don't know, I said. So we agreed that I would check the hoses and then call back with what I found..

Fast forward a couple of months - I checked the hoses and none seem to be leaking. And worse, the leak is getting pretty serious. So I called Sears again to schedule an appointment (still under warranty). They're a fun bunch, those call center people. The call went sort of like this:

Her: The earliest appointment is between 8am and 4pm on Monday
Me: That's fine, can you give me a four hour window?
Her: That was
Me: Uhm, 8 to 4 is an eight hour window
Her: Oh, right, sorry, 8am to noon.
Me: Ok.
Her: The technician will call before he comes; if you don't answer, he'll assume you're not there and you'll need to reschedule:
Me: If he calls before 8 and I'm not here, why would he assume I wasn't here; the appointment is for 8 to 12, I think I can be elsewhere until 8.
Her: No.
Me: Fine, he can call my cell number, I'm always "there"

Phew. That was rough.

Today was the appointment. At 9:30AM, the doorbell rang; it was the Sears guy - early (sort of), but no phone call. Apparently they don't do that for the first stop of the day - someone should share that with the woman who answers the phone.

I showed him to the washing machine. He pulled the top off and shined his flashlight around. Then he pulled the front panel off and did some more shining. Then he turned it on, spun the dial a few times, watched water flow in and out, and pronounced it "working fine."

I explained that it doesn't happen right away, and doesn't happen always, but that I had pictures. He said "maybe it's the seal, keep watching it, if it leaks, call back" - that's sort of how we ended up where we are right now. He pointed out that he couldn't sit with me for 2 hours while I did my laundry. I asked if he would be available if I called in 2 hours when it was leaking, he said no - kind of defeats the purpose of my watchng it leak, no?

I went upstairs and got my camera with the pictures to show him. He looked at the first picture and said "that couldn't come from the washing machine."


Uhm, really. What did it come from? Did it come out of the wall? Did it come from the dryer? "No, probably not." Did it come from the hoses? I checked them and they were dry. "I don't know where it came from, but it didn't come from the washing machine, it's not leaking now."

There you have it - it's not leaking now, therefore it never was. That's what service is all about.