Buy Stove From Sears--Bankruptcy?

[TromboneAl]

The other morning we came down to find the (gas) oven on full blast. The dial was sitting at off, but the oven was on.

I've fixed that puppy several times, but an oven that comes on by itself is something I don't want to take a chance with.

We don't have a lot of options for buying appliances around here. The guy at the appliance repair place recommended Sears for their warranty service, but warned that they might be out of business soon.

If I buy an appliance from Sears and they go bankrupt, am I totally out of luck WRT warranty service?

 

[bingybear]

really depends. most of sears stuff is not built by sears.

parts will likely be available if you can find the manufacturer. As for warranty, you likely need to read the details. This may be different for each item.

 

[ivinsfan]

A gas range isn't something that is likely to need a lot of warranty work. I probably wouldn't buy a refrigerator from Sears, but likely would a stove. If it's a Kenmore likely the warranty would go away with a bankruptcy.

 

[jimbee]

A gas range isn't something that is likely to need a lot of warranty work.

Yep, I'm still using the same gas stove I bought in 1986. I haven't had one problem with it.

 

[freedomatlast]

The Kenmore brand used to be exclusively produced by Whirlpool. Now it's either Whirlpool, GE, LG or Samsung, whoever is the lowest bidder, depending on the specific appliance. It doesn't really matter. Parts will continue to be available and anyone who fixes appliances will be able to fix your Kenmore brand. I wouldn't hesitate to buy the appliance from Sears if the price and features were right. Also, the warranty is only good for a year anyway, and the if it's good out of the box, rarely does anything go wrong within the first year. Parts are cheap and stoves are easy to fix. Following is the warranty on Sears stoves:

Stoves, Ranges, Cooktops, & Wall Ovens
WARRANTY SERVICE
With proof of sale, call this number to obtain the warranty coverage stated below: 1-844-553-6667. In Canada call 1-800-469-4663.

KENMORE LIMITED WARRANTY
FOR ONE YEAR from the date of sale this appliance is warranted against defects in material or workmanship when it is correctly installed, operated and maintained according to all supplied instructions.

WITH PROOF OF SALE, a defective appliance will receive free repair or replacement at option of seller.

This warranty applies for only 90 DAYS from the sale date in the United States, and is void in Canada, if this appliance is ever used for other than private household purposes.

This warranty covers ONLY defects in material and workmanship, and will NOT pay for the exclusions to repair service.

 

[pb4uski]

....We don't have a lot of options for buying appliances around here. The guy at the appliance repair place recommended Sears for their warranty service, but warned that they might be out of business soon.

If I buy an appliance from Sears and they go bankrupt, am I totally out of luck WRT warranty service?

Probably not. As others said the warranty is typically only a year and doubles if you pay for it with credit cards that offer extended warranties and given their vast real estate holding I suspect it would take more than 2 years for them to wind-down operations even if they go with Chapter 7 liquidation rather than Chapter 11 reorganization.

Also, the recently sold the Craftsman brand to Stanley Black & Decker... I think it is likely that the Kenmore brand will also be sold given the strong following and reputation that it has with middle-income consumers.

 

[MrPotatoChip]

You have a warranty with the manufacturer not Sears. It does not matter if Sears goes out of business. If you had a problem today with the stove, I would not call Sears. I would call the manufacturer.

Kenmore will be sold as others have stated. So you should not have any worries there.

 

[MichaelB]

If I buy an appliance from Sears and they go bankrupt, am I totally out of luck WRT warranty service?

What is the difference in price between the Kenmore / Sears product you are considering and other options? IOW, how much are you saving by taking on this risk?

 

[W2R]

I dunno... warranty aside, over the years I have grown to love Sears appliances, especially when on sale. I really like dealing with Sears. I'd probably buy my appliances there and just accept the warranty risk.

I bought the appliances for my Dream Home at Sears back in July 2015. If/when Sears goes out of business, I'll have to get used to going elsewhere when I need to buy appliances; I've already done that for some other items that I used to buy only at Sears.

Did the repair guy have any other suggestions about where to buy appliances?

 

[TromboneAl]

My options are Sears or an appliance store that I had a bad experience with once.

We actually bought a Whirlpool fridge from Sears recently. We've had four warranty service visits for it so far because the damn door doesn't always close by itself.

So, we'll buy the range from Sears. Repair guy suggested avoiding all bells and whistles. If I could get one that doesn't even have an electric plug, I would.

Tip from repair guy: To know who makes a Kenmore appliance, check the first three digits of the model number:

790 Frigidaire
363 GE
364 GE
365 GE
401 Samsung
790 LG

 

[GravitySucks]

My options are Sears or an appliance store that I had a bad experience with once.

Tip from repair guy: To know who makes a Kenmore appliance, check the first three digits of the model number:

790 Frigidaire
363 GE
364 GE
365 GE
401 Samsung
790 LG

Thanks for the info.
I would not hesitate to buy a Kenmore if I were you. As others noted, the warranty is only a year long and it will probably take them longer than that to wind down ops.

 

[FUEGO]

Could you buy online and have it delivered (possibly for free).

I got a screaming good deal on a DW* from https://www.appliancesconnection.com/ several years ago.

*just gonna leave that there and see if anyone wants to pick up the ball

 

[rodi]

Could you buy online and have it delivered (possibly for free).

I got a screaming good deal on a DW* from https://www.appliancesconnection.com/ several years ago.

*just gonna leave that there and see if anyone wants to pick up the ball

You're DW is a screaming good deal - frugal, had great income, produced some terrific kids. But I had no idea she was a mail-order bride.

LOL

 

[FUEGO]

You're DW is a screaming good deal - frugal, had great income, produced some terrific kids. But I had no idea she was a mail-order bride.

LOL

She's a whirlpool for sure. After a few years she started leaking and I had to replace a part on her. Turns out the pressure was too high and that caused premature wear on the part. For a while she hardly cleaned the dishes at all. Works like a champ now though.

Just figured I'd throw that option out there in case T-Al wanted to try out another option instead of what's available locally.

 

[pb4uski]

....So, we'll buy the range from Sears. Repair guy suggested avoiding all bells and whistles. If I could get one that doesn't even have an electric plug, I would. ...

Ask the salesperson at Sears what happens with the warranty if Sears goes belly-up... I suspect it will not be the first time he has been asked.

We have Kenmore appliances and I'm pretty sure that Bosch makes some of the Kenmore dishwashers. Our Kenmore fridge was made by LG. Not sure about the stove or microwave hood.

 

[Meadbh]

FWIW, Sears Canada just filed for creditor protection. They have been zombie stores for a long time. Nobody is surprised.

 

[Bamaman]

Yep, Sears and KMart are not long for this world. Kenmore's not the only brand they sell, however. H.H. Gregg is another large appliance chain (out of OH) that's filed bankruptcy already.

We have a couple of independent appliance stores, but Home Depot and Lowes may end up dominant in our appliance market before long.

The appliance manufacturers are in the process of consolidating. For example, Maytag and Whirlpool are building the same appliances under two names--same factory. And Electrolux is a giant manufacturer setting up large U.S. factories. There are large brands like LG and Samsung putting out appliances from the Far East that are pretty faces but without the highest of quality.

 

[MooreBonds]

Ask the salesperson at Sears what happens with the warranty if Sears goes belly-up... I suspect it will not be the first time he has been asked.

I know sales people are suspect to begin with, and I never believe anything they say unless I see it in black-and-white text on the receipt. But I sure as hell would be doubly suspicious of a retailer that is facing almost certain bankruptcy in the next 12 months.

 

[Koogie]

FWIW, Sears Canada just filed for creditor protection. They have been zombie stores for a long time. Nobody is surprised.

Sad to see this. The Sears mail order catalogue was the stuff of dreams to this kid raised in the frozen hinterland in the seventies.

No, not *those* kind of dreams...

Well okay, not *only* those kind of dreams...

 

[brett]

No surprise about Sears in Canada. Their web site was a disaster. The stores were empty. The new majority shareholders had a plan. They sold off the real estate and leases. Then dividended out the cash. End of story.

I feel sorry for the employees. Retail is the hardest hit industry in North America. There will more that go down. I recently read an article about the class B malls. It seems that many are in trouble. Here in Canada the ones that were anchored by Target, now gone, and Sears, about to go, are in deep trouble. As are their remaining retail tenants.

I assume that they did not have the cash/credit to buy/finance their Christmas inventory. Shame to see them go down like this.

 

[Ready]

I would not buy an appliance from Sears. Why bother given the predicament they are in. There are plenty of online places that will deliver. Costco has a great selection of appliances and they have great customer service.

 

[imoldernu]

Online discussion in Business Insider on this very subject.

Sears warranties could be dissolved in bankruptcy - Business Insider

As mentioned earlier, the first three numbers in the model number of a Sears Product identify the manufacturer. Since there are, and have been many suppliers over the past century, there are many model numbers.

To check to see who made your Sears product, try this listing.:

http://www.applianceaid.com/sears-manufacturing-codes.php

 

[Koolau]

It might sound silly, but I'd be tempted to look around for a nice used stove. Usually, if they do work, they will work. $100 would be an expensive one. A gas stove without bells and whistles is just about the simplest device you can find. You might have to borrow a truck to drag it home yourself. You should be able to hook it up yourself to your existing pipes, etc. From what I have seen, newer appliances are intentionally good for about 5 to maybe 8 years. Similar items from 20 years ago rust out before their guts go bad. (Just looking at our 30 year old gas stove and have to "dust" it occasionally for the rust - otherwise continues to work great.) YMMV

 

[JoeWras]

It might sound silly, but I'd be tempted to look around for a nice used stove. Usually, if they do work, they will work. $100 would be an expensive one. A gas stove without bells and whistles is just about the simplest device you can find. You might have to borrow a truck to drag it home yourself. You should be able to hook it up yourself to your existing pipes, etc. From what I have seen, newer appliances are intentionally good for about 5 to maybe 8 years. Similar items from 20 years ago rust out before their guts go bad. (Just looking at our 30 year old gas stove and have to "dust" it occasionally for the rust - otherwise continues to work great.) YMMV

Counterpoint: if there are any electronic boards in that stove, it may not work.

We had a stove that could not be fixed, a true lemon. Multiple boards and sensors were replaced without luck. 95% of the time it worked fine. But that 5% of the time it was a real pain. What would happen is you were baking, and the electronics decided there was some safety issue, and it would reset the entire device. So, that fussy cake you were baking was ruined because it experienced 5 minutes of cooling at a crucial time.

We had to sit next to the stove with a book to read for any baking project waiting to see if this would be the time it reset. Might as well have built a walk-in hearth and cooked 1700's style.

 

[Koolau]

Counterpoint: if there are any electronic boards in that stove, it may not work.

We had a stove that could not be fixed, a true lemon. Multiple boards and sensors were replaced without luck. 95% of the time it worked fine. But that 5% of the time it was a real pain. What would happen is you were baking, and the electronics decided there was some safety issue, and it would reset the entire device. So, that fussy cake you were baking was ruined because it experienced 5 minutes of cooling at a crucial time.

We had to sit next to the stove with a book to read for any baking project waiting to see if this would be the time it reset. Might as well have built a walk-in hearth and cooked 1700's style.

Now, THAT's what I'm talkin' 'bout. A really used stove.