Sears is Doomed – but we all knew that

I thought I’d be a nice guy and give Sears some business, by buying a dishwasher from them with installation. (Why I need a new dishwasher is another long story.) Bosch had a deal where it would refund the installation cost with a debit card. After placing the order online with Sears, I received a message with this information:

There was no call from a “professional contractor” the next day, nor the day after that. So I called Sears and was told that they were unable to find an installer. Not good, but at least it sounded true. I waited one more day without a call and when I again inquired, I was told the same thing, and that no installation date could be provided. So I cancelled the order, assuming I would get a refund on my credit card in 7-10 business days, weekends and Veteran’s Day not included. Which meant that the drop-dead date for the refund would be today.

Eight days later, on a Friday, I was called by Sears Logistics, and they asked if I would change my mind about the cancellation. They said they still had the dishwasher I wanted in stock, but they weren’t saying whether or not they could install it. So I said no, leave the order cancelled, and that I would be purchasing a dishwasher from another store.

After seven business days I saw that my card had still not been credited, so I called Sears again. They said the credit was being processed, based on the date of the call from the Sears Logistics, which I told them was not acceptable, because I had cancelled the order more than week before that. But there was nothing I could do about it, because the bank requires 15 days — not 15 business days — to dispute a charge. So today I wasn’t surprised when I was told by cash-strapped Sears that the refund would take 7-10 business days from when I called last week.

Obviously, Sears is playing the game of resetting the start date for the refund every time they speak with me. So I have informed them that I have gone to the bank and disputed the charge. I’m now stuck hoping that Sears doesn’t declare bankruptcy in the next month, which seems to be a possibility. If it happens I’d be kissing $735 goodbye! Next up, I’ll be telling the equally ugly tale of what happened with my order at Lowe’s.

Follow-up: Disputing the charge worked. A few hours after doing that, Sears issued a credit for the full amount.

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