Scammed by Sears... would like some opinions. (1 Viewer)

[Bill Wheatley]

My friend bought and elliptical exercise machine back in July from Sears. The only reason she decided she could afford the machine was because Sears was running a special on certain exercise equipment... no interest, no finance charges, AND no finance charge accrual for one year on your Sears charge. The no accrual part was the kicker. We even called Sears to verify the ad was accurate and they confirmed it was. She went out and dropped $800+ on the elliptical machine.

Now a few months later she’s noticing interest charges on her Sears card. She called yesterday to ask about it and they told her there was never any such offer! Now she’s stuck paying off some $800 at an absurd 21% interest. We no longer have the ad. There’s no mention of the special offer on the receipt. And Sears is basically saying... too bad.

Probably some incompetence going on here rather than a flat out scam, but you never know. I’m just curious to hear some of your guys opinions and/or suggestions.

Thanks,

Bill

 

[ClintS]

It wasnt a scam we bought a whole kitchens worth appliances on the same deal. IT WAS printed on the register receipt at the time of purchase. Sounds like an incompetant sales person did not verify that the computer input the purchase correctly. Also unfortunately she didnt catch it right away might have been easier to correct it or return the equipment. You are probably way past the return period.

FYI, I never buy anything on these "special financing deals" unless I can afford to pay it off immediatley. I have been burned recently by Circuit City that lost my first payment and jacked me for all kinds of fees and interest. Funny the check showed up by the next billing period.... I had already payed off and closed the account by then. No more Circuit City purchases for me.

 

[Doug Miller]

I'd go in and talk with the Store Manager. He/She has the power to input that at 0% financing in situations like this.

Doug

 

[Francois Caron]

And if that doesn't work, contact your local BBB or state attorney's office.

 

[David Galindo]

I used to work for Sears, and there's not enough time in the day for me to tell ya everything thats wrong over there.

But yeah, speak to a higher authority. They will definitely put you back on track.

 

[Clinton McClure]

I used to shop Sears quite a bit before they jacked their interest rates up to 21%+. Now I just get better stuff elsewhere for less.

 

[Chet_F]

"She called yesterday to ask about it and they told her there was never any such offer!"

Go to the store and ask for the manager. If that doesn't work call the coporate office. Good luck.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

When I ordered my fridge online, Sears charged me an additional $300 for shipping. When I disputed the charge (which wasn't on my invoice) I was given a speil that shipping to remote locations had extra charges, blah, blah, blah, but eventually discovered that someone had based the shipping by weight as if it was sent by mail, which isn't possible...:rolleyes

They refunded the shipping.

 

[Ted Lee]

yep. at bb, they will match interest offers from other stores, so i don't see why sears can't do the same thing.

 

[BrianW]

I don't receive Sears statements, but when Home Depot runs deals like this, the statements note the accrued interest if I fail to pay off the purchase on time. It can be a little confusing, because it looks like I'm being charged interest when I'm not. Maybe a closer look at the statement is all you need. (But then again, if the sales droid says there was no such deal, your friend probably didn't get it.)

Home Depot recently reorgainzed their statements, clearly stating the balance of every deferred payment/interest purchase and their expiration dates. It's much less confusing than the format they had before. I bet they got a lot of phone calls before.

 

[Henry Gale]

What ad?
Was it in a newspaper? Go to the library and find it.
Was it on the radio? Radio stations have a log. They often have an audio log.

 

[Chris Lockwood]

I would insist on some paperwork at the time of purchase that says there is no interest.

 

[Bill Wheatley]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I didn't think of going to the store and talking to the manager. Think we'll give that a try



Too often we just expect people to be both competent and honest. But this event is just one of many that has happened recently that makes me realize I need paperwork for every single transaction I conduct. It’s a shame. Trust me, it won't happen again.