Sears Maintainance Agreements

[bomelia]

I have had a washer & dryer set from Sears for over 15 years. Very happy with them, but they are approaching the end of their life cycle. I have recently repaired both for less than $100 and expect they will go a while longer. But, I do want to upgrade soon. So I start looking and find that they are now selling Maintainance Agreements for ~$300 for 5 years, and I suspect at the end of that, they will offer it again, albiet at a higher price. On lawnmowers, I can see the benefit. But on washer & dryers?? What really pissed me off was that an online repair service I have used for years to keep all my stuff working suggested I get MAs. Why? What do they get out of it?

Read this: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/retai...maint_con.html

It confirmed my worst suspicions about Sear's MAs.

Mike

[Ralphy]

The in laws bought a Stainless Steel Fridge from Sears about a year and a half ago. I was there when it was delivered. I asked the driver where are the stainless panels. He said there were none. He had never seen this fridge with SS panels. Now wait a minute here, what are these tracks on the front for. What about all the sheet metal screws showing. Well, they need to put in a claim. Six months later a repair man shows up with a sheet of raw polished (not brushed) stainless he is going to cut out a pattern in! They tell him no way. So now Sears is saying they refused service. Final out come the have the unfinished fridge, no panels and they were discounted on the price. I would have had them take it back but that's me. This was a $2,500.00 unit.

Pathetic!

When I worked electronics, we had a defect area. All stores have them, the sales people know what breaks. Just ask when buying, hey which do you see the least problems with?

[Excaliber]

Not just Sears, man it seems like EVERYONE is jumping on this "extended warranty" gravy train. I bought a CD from Walmart the other day and was offered one! I was thinking (as I turned down the offer) what the heck DOESN'T come with one these days?

I ran the CD exactly ONE time, to load the program, then put it back in it's case for long term storage.

[Ralphy]

If you had bought EW, MA's on every item you had bought with the offer, would you be ahead? If you were ahead, you must be buying crap!

[Fordzilla]

I've had nothing but problems & headaches with Sears & the crap they sell. Find a good "Mom & Pop" shop that carries the top of the line products & buy from them. My local appliance dealer only carries the best & service can't be beat.

[Ron61]

Just the opposite from Mick, I have had great service from them when I called. They came out 3 times last Summer on a leak one of the rear tires on my garden tractor had and decided the tire itself was defective and replaced it, all free. As for the extended warranty, I look to see if it covers anything the regular one doesn't. If not I don't get them as the lawnmower or whatever will last for years and by the time I keep paying the extended warranty I have paid enough to buy a new one. I did look at their new washers and dryers some time ago and didn't care for what they had in the store. Then one of their repairmen who lives just a few houses down from me told me the ones they had up there weren't very good at all.

Ron

[joyridin']

I have a front loader washer and dryer from Sears. They have a few version, mine is not the cheapie version.

I had it less than a year and the pump went out, the computer went bad, and the front seal was shot. The repair guy from Sears said this is a common problem and told me to buy the maintenance agreement because the repairs would have been over $500. I told him I could almost buy another washer for that amount.

I never did buy it and 2 years later, haven't had a problem with it...except the damn seal.

I'll say this anymore...it is almost better to buy a cheap P.O.S. and throw it away when it breaks then spend all the extra on a good version.

[Ron61]

I have a General Electric top loading washer and front loading dryer that I bought for my Mother back in 1978. I have had to have them fixed once. The motor went out on the washer and the drying rings on the dryer. I had Sears do it and of course had to pay, but the repairman told me they were far better than what they had in the store here. They have had a lot of use and I had to mark what switch is what as the paint and stick on letters have long since gone away. I had been thinking of going to some that used less water and power but after that I decided to keep these.

Ron

[Bill Bess]

Well, here is my opinion. First the local Sears store in Havasu is privately owned and they never have too much on display but will get you what you want in a few days. There service and delivery has always been adequate, and I just fix the junk myself if possible when a problem comes up.
My theory is the KISS method with regards to appliances (Keep It Simple Stupid). You spend less money, they have fewer problems in the long run and you just replace them every ten years.
I hate house stuff, just love cars. Bill

[Ron61]

Bill,

That is what I do any more and avoid the maintenance agreements. I have two Sears lawnmowers and one of them is about 20 years old and the other about 10. Plus they are now selling rebuilt ones here and I looked at them and though if I ever need to buy another one I may get a rebuilt one. The garden tractor and mower were a gift so I didn't have to spend any money on them except I did get the maintenance agreement and it has already paid off just on that one tire issue.

Ron

[Dan40]

A maintenance agreement IS an insurance policy issued by an unregulated insurance company. What else is there to know?

[Fordzilla]

My experiences were with household appliances only. Can't speak for lawn tractors & such. Washers & Dryers- They carry the White Conglomerate stuff & it seems like it's designed to disintegrate. I talked to a freind of mine who's a retired Sears Repairman & he agreed, Don't buy it. It's junk. A small part will wear out & they make you buy an entire assembly instead of just the part you need. Like a spider mount that holds a washer drum. It's aluminum mated to steel & will deteriorate & break. You can't buy just the mount, you need to buy the entire drum assembly ($400+). Plus the screws ini the drum are mounted opposite so when a little bearing wear occurs & the drum gets a little out of balance, the screws will cut into & gouge out the drum making it leak. (Easy preventative maintenance fix- just reverse the screws when you buy the new washer). Although why should I have to fix something I just bought brand new?? Anyway, Either expect a short life expectancy with Sears White Conglomerate stuff or buy the good stuff somewhere else that will last & can be repaired when it does break.

Just my .02

[Ron61]

Originally Posted by Dan40

A maintenance agreement IS an insurance policy issued by an unregulated insurance company. What else is there to know?

Dan,

In my case, what does it cover or not cover that the regular warranty doesn't. The one on the garden tractor is the only one I have ever bought and it covered that rear tire which wasn't covered by the regular warranty. I paid $320 for the extended warranty or M.A. and the cost to have them replace the tire would have been $375. The repairman told me that I can buy the same tire for $60 over at a garden supply about 5 miles from my house and I went over and looked and sure enough they have them for $60. Since I received the tractor and mower as a gift, I don't feel that I have lost anything by purchasing that M.A. But I never purchase them on anything else as I figure by the time it wears out or breaks, I would have spent enough to buy a new one anyway.

Ron

[bomelia]

Yeah, I am not getting any MAs on household appliances. I did get one on a lawn tractor and they had to replace the motor. But that is a thing that gets abused with normal use.

Mick, that spider mount... Take it off, prime it and paint it and put it back on with reverse screwing. I have read a lot about that problem! And that is the time honored solution.

I go to the Sears website and just think, basic toploader and upgraded dryer. Who gives a crap? They keep coming out with ways to spend more and more on what used to be a relatively inexpensive appliance.

I use ApplianceBlog.com/mainforums to repair all my stuff.

Mike

[Excaliber]

I just bought a matching pair washer/dryer, front load, high efficiency, Maytag. Craigslist, like new, about a year old, came out of remodeled townhouse. $500, I wasn't offered an extended warranty.

[Fordzilla]

Mike, Yeah, I found out about that after it was too late. But thanks for the info. I went to the local appliance store here & bought Whirlpool, that fixed the problem. And you just can't beat the service of a small town mom & pop type establishment. I'm finished with Sears appliances.

[SP01715]

I usually stay away from extended warranties or service agreements because they are a pain in the ass to use most of the time. The one exception is the home warranty I have on my vacation house in Lake Havasu. I signed up for the warranty because I rent in the winter to snow birds, and if something breaks I just call and it's taken care of. I have yet to lose money yet. I honestly don't know how they make money because I call them for everything.

I did get a new TV out of an extended warranty, but is was such a pain in the ass I now refuse to go through that again.

[Jamo]

We've been more than happy with our grandfathered whole-house maintenance agreement...covers everything we've bought from Sears since 1972. The cost is capped...we haven't paid more for new items since about '96 or so. Cost about $700 a year. Everything from riding mowers to a 60" Sony to home appliances to power tools.

What it doesn't cover is covered by the homeowner's warranty we haven't let lapse since we bought this place about 12 years ago...it covers the pool equipment, the well pump, air conditioners, etc.

We also get more than we pay into them every year, and service under both has been damn good.

[Bill Bess]

Strategic planning, 1) live someplace where you don't have a lawn. 2) Only wear shorts, tank tops & sandles ( fewer cloth to wash). 3) buy a Chrysler product that has a lifetime warrnaty. Basically, don't own anything that might need maintenance...... that could mean getting rid of the old lady and the dog.
Opps! I think I've gone too far here.

[joyridin']

My washer and dryer from Sears are not White Appliances. They are Whirlpool. Everything is identical except the controls on the front.

I also have a stove from Sears. I'm not sure who makes it.