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We started renovating our home last week. We started with the smaller project of our master bathroom. We were sold on the sales team that came to our home and showed us what Sears Home Improvement could do. Unfortunately what was sold to us and what we received are two very different things entirely. When we entered into the contract we told the sales associate, Matt that our time was severely limited and work needed to be completed according to the agreed upon schedule. The dates given were July 11, 12 and 13th, 2016. I was able to take these dates off as vacation. What we purchased was a sink, toilet, medicine cabinet, with lights, and wrap around for our shower, plus flooring for our kitchen, hallway, and bathroom, for a grand total of $8,200.00. On the first day of the project, Monday, July 11th, the contactor told me he had the incorrect medicine cabinet/mirror and that this item was damaged, having a chipped mirror. He stated he would install this cabinet until the correct one came in. I agreed and Stephanie Gilmour, Project Manager, was contacted and informed of the situation. She assured me the correct medicine cabinet/mirror, with lights, would be ordered. Fortunately for us we also have an exhaust fan with a light, or we would be showering in the dark. The contractor completed installing the new toilet, vanity, with sink, and shower wrap around on Monday afternoon.

On Wednesday, July 13th, the vinyl floor was to be installed. After the installers rolled out the vinyl on the front lawn it was noticed the flooring was damaged and not suitable for installation. This was mistake number two on our project. Needless to say, our confidence with Sears Home Improvement was diminished and we called the project coordinator, Stephanie Gilmour, and asked her to bill us just for the work that was completed. Stephanie had Pete Raddi, Production Manager, call us, who basically stated โ€œGlitches are expected to happen with home improvement projects.โ€ My husband told him our time is valuable and limited as we both work full time and at $8200.00, glitches are not acceptable, as was his nonchalant and condescending attitude regarding the errors that his team made. He further told us if we cancel the contract for the flooring, we will be charged a restocking fee of 30%, which comes out to approximately $600.00, for the damaged flooring. Now, what company is going to restock โ€œdamagedโ€ flooring? We built a home in Arizona while living in Connecticut and did not have one single โ€œglitchโ€ and here, we are only trying to renovate our bathroom and put down new flooring.

The worst was yet to come and was revealed on Thursday night, July 14th, three days after the bathroom work was completed. My husband went down to the basement and noticed water covering the basement floor. He had me flush the toilet, run the sink and then the shower. The shower was flooding the basement when turned on and had been doing so every time we used the shower during the previous three days. We had boxes of winter clothing stored in the basement which are ruined as are copies of my husbandโ€™s military service records, which covers 22 years of service. First thing Friday morning, July 15th, my husband, who had to call out of work and take a vacation day, called Pete Raddi and told him of โ€œglitchโ€ number three. Pete sent someone out who told my husband he could not fix the problem; and โ€œYes there is a problem.โ€ He called Stephanie who contacted a plumber to come out on Friday afternoon. The plumber spent three hours fixing pipes that should have never been broken in the first place. After surveying the situation, the plumber said the brass nut that holds the shower pipe to the water line, forming a solid connection, was broken. He went on to say the hole placed in the shower wrap around for the shower arm was measured incorrectly and was off by a half inch or so. He said the only way the contractor, Vladimir, could get the shower arm to line up with the hole was by using force to jam the pipe over far enough for the shower arm to line up with the hole. The plumber had to chip away at the wall and make the hole a half inch bigger so the pipes would be properly lined up so he could make a solid connection. No one from Sears has contacted us about this damage even though they know there is water damage, because the plumber told Stephanie Gilmour what had happened.

At this point, all we want is the correct medicine cabinet/mirror, with lights. We do not wish to continue this dysfunctional relationship with Sears Home Improvement. After three โ€œglitchesโ€ on one project, resulting in damaged property, what reasonable person would want to, or be expected to? If we call our insurance company and submit a claim, they will just subrogate it to your insurance company. Considering this, maybe it is time to come to an amicable agreement and end this relationship. How can three things go wrong with such a small project? Pete Raddi, based on his comment, โ€œGlitches are expected to happen with home improvement projects,โ€ is indicative of one who accepts mediocrity. At $8200.00, mediocrity is not acceptable. We are extremely disappointed in the way this situation has been handled and the way that Pete Raddi told us, go ahead and cancel the flooring and we will charge you the $600.00 restocking fee. Why would you restock damaged flooring? At this time we are asking for the correct medicine cabinet/mirror, with lights, cancelation of the flooring without any costs to us and a 35% discount on the work that has been done, to compensate for the vacation time used and that will be used due to these โ€œglitches.โ€ Is this the way you would like to use vacation days? Stephanie Gilmour said some projects go off without a hitch and some projects are the projects from ***. Well, this has turned out to be the project from ***.

Again, all we are looking for is the correct medicine cabinet/mirror, with lights, cancellation of the flooring without any costs to us, and an amicable end to this relationship.

Reason of review: poor customer service and resolution skills.

Monetary Loss: $1500.

Preferred solution: We do not want the install of the floor we want only our cabinet that is due us and bill us for the products only -how do you restock damaged flooring?.

Sears Home Services Cons: Management staff.

Location: Newington, Connecticut

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Guest

our bathroom will have to be ripped out and done again. Sears "allowed" us out of the contract. We were not allowing them back into our home again.

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