In a story posted by The Consumerist, an eloquent and apparently intelligent gentleman referred to as Tom, relates a story of turmoil which he has experienced with a Sears Card purchase he made at Sears Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD). The story goes like this:Tom states that he purchased a television from a Sears store. It was a deeply discounted model, at a price he couldn't refuse. Tom apparently paid for his purchase with his Sears Card and then went out of town. Upon return from his trip, Tom called Sears to see when his new television would be delivered. It wasn't available. He would have to wait. Another week passed and Tom contacted his Sears retailer again. They still had no television to deliver to him, so after a terse verbal tug-o-war with the manager, Tom was offered an alternate television at a similar discount. He purchased the surrogate unit and left the store satisfied. However, Tom's problems had only just begun.
It seems that Tom has been unable to recover the funds he paid for the television which Sears couldn't deliver. Try as he might, the best Tom has been able to accomplish has been a serious test of his fortitude. He's hit dead ends from one end of the Sears operation to the other. He has been able to reasonably ascertain that Sears management's telephones don't interlink with one another. Meanwhile, the phantom television model remained on display in the store. Might this possibly have been in violation of consumer bait and switch laws?
Tom approached The Consumerist in search of a solution. Readers there have suggested small claims court and contacting his State Attorney General. There's one thing for sure here, Tom has been taken for a ride. I suggest that he should do both, sue in small claims and contact his Attorney General. Not only should he get his money back, but he should be paid interest, compounded daily, at the rate charged by the card issuer for unpaid balances. After that, he should cut up his Sears Card and shop entertainment appliances at some other store.
Gary Sattler is a freelance blogger and does not knowingly hold interest in the companies mentioned in this blog post.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-18-2008 @ 12:16PM
Ray said...
Working for Sears I know that there is something that can be done. Why wasn't the original purchase just cancelled and a refund issued. Was Tom charged again for the second television. Tom has to pay for one of them. This blog doesn't tell the whole story, there is always two sides and somewhere in the middle lies the truth.
4-18-2008 @ 5:02PM
J C said...
that's what you get for shopping at sears!!!
4-29-2008 @ 11:59PM
c r said...
Tom's an idiot if he gets stuck with this. He paid by credit card, why not call the credit card directly? Contest the charge? Why not call the store manager directly?
I've had my frustration with Sears and other retailers. But I've got to say, Sears has actually made strides in customer service over the past few years. Just over xmas, I ordered a TV and the model was unavailable. Yet, they substituted one of greater value at a price I still can't beat nearly 5 months later.
This story has to be a hoax. There's no way a person with even just moderate levels of intelligence wouldn't have the sense to call their credit card company and simply contest the charge.