Sears and Sears.com

So I'm looking all over the internet and figure I'll look on the auto-center web sites. So I go look at Sears.com . Hmmm, they've got the tire I've decided I want, the Continental Vanco-8. Hmmm, ninety dollars a tire, what'll that end up being? So I call the tire center. The sales associate I speak with can't help me, they don't have a tire for my old van. No there's no tire without a middle number (the aspect ratio - 185R14 is the old and in this tire current designation, even from sears.com). Okay, can they look up a Sears part number? Sure, they can, and the associate does the right thing, he says 'oh my goodness, there is a tire with no middle number, I'm sorry I was mistaken'. He gets cool points, he was straight up honest about a simple mistake, he just didn't know. So, how much to get those tires in and mount them? We can't, you have to get them sent. Okay, if I did, and they cost $90 a tire, what's the total to mount them? Somewhere near $460.00, okay that's not too bad, not too many hidden costs something like $20 a tire to mount & balance. Sears looks like the place I'll do business this time. Thanks for your time sales associate, I'll get back to you.
Well, next I look the critters up on sears.com again and there's a button to talk to an associate about getting the tires. Okay, here's what happened next...
I get connected to a wheel sales associate, not tires. I have to try again, they can't forward me to tires. I do it all again and get another wheel person, I need to do it but pick a Michelin tire instead, the Continental tires send callers to the wrong people (us), sorry. Okay, I get connected to tire people, how would I like to pay for the Michelin tires I've chosen? I don't I want Continentals, okay, let me call the manufacturer to see if they're available. Sir, they're not available, they're discontinued and going to be replaced but the Mfg'r can't tell me when the replacement name one will be available. Could I suggest another tire? Sure. I'd suggest the Michelin's. Okay, what'll they cost? $560 for four. Okay, this is sounding like bait & switch now. Well is there anything else I can do for you today? Yes, tell me why you're listing tires on the site that are discontinued and you can't get me? I don't know sir. So I end up getting a Corporate number. Halfway thru talking with a customer service representative, and recounting the problem I'm having, she dumps me. I end up talking with a representative that handles fences and hardware and can't help me. She does though get me to a Customer Experience person who listens to the whole story and then asks, "and what center do you have a problem with?" I don't have a problem with a center, it's SEARS.COM. I'm sorry sir, I can't help you with that, that's a SEARS.COM problem... let me get you a number and connect you with them. So I get a guy named Tim. Tim looks at the page and 'Wow, I've never seen that before, there's no link to send the tires to your house..." Tim, that's the least of my problems. There are plenty of other internet sites that can send it to my house. I thought you guys were trying to sell tires that I could get installed by your auto centers. So it ends up Tim can't see where the 'IN STOCK' tires that are actually discontinued really are and can't get them to my center to get mounted. But, he will let his supervisor know and after getting my number he'd have someone follow up with me. Before disconnecting he remembered to get my name too. My phone range once with a 'NO NAME' ID on it, they hung up on me. I'm still waiting for that follow up call. So Sears is so disconnected that no one know what anyone is doing. No wonder they've been having problems for the past few years.
Sears doesn't get the sale, I stayed away for ten years and they're worse than the last time I dealt with them. Let's give them another ten and see if they still exist. In the meantime I think I'll just buy the tires from the online place that'll send them to my door. End score, 50/50. Half of the Sears people care, half have 'not my problem' syndrome.
-Rob 'I'm tired of tire buying hassles" D.