delivery defect

[clearyds]

Hello all,
I had a SS fridge delivered this AM and it is quite fabulous! However in the process of getting it to my kitchen it was scratched, right above the MFG label, very noticeable as you walk into the kitchen, then from other angles, not so much. We bought from Sears and when I called they offered me $80 gift card to keep it. I have checked out the outlet store where they sell scratch and dents and they average 40% off original retail, which would be more like 300 to make up the difference in what I paid.
Has anyone had any luck negotiating compensation in a situation like this or should I just send this one back? Thanks for any advice!

 

[VAN]

Go for it ... it never hurts to ask.

Worst case scenario, they take that one away and bring you a new one.

 

[seashoreCM]

The starting point is that you may have them replace it. From there you can immediately propose an alternative of a larger discount as a "counteroffer".

Now not all of the scratch-and-dents are discounted 40%.

 

[okeydokey]

I would have them bring me a new undamaged fridge.

 

[ancestry]

I would have them bring me a new undamaged fridge.

Ditto. I would insist on a new fridge without the damage.

 

[sksjasams]

Honestly, I would want a new one with no scratches. You will have this fridge a long time, and the flaw would really bother me. I would also request a small discount for the inconvenience of it all - 10% off.

I had a terrible experience with Sears two weeks ago. We ordered a ready to assemble dresser and night stand. The night stand arrived in perfect condition. The dresser had been mishandled and we could see several of the boards were damaged with out even unpacking it. I called Sears and they said they could not exchange it. I would have to return it and then re-order it, and they would take 10% off as a courtesy. Aside from inconvenience of the time delay, I explained that I had bought the dresser when it was on sale, plus an extra midnight madness percent off, plus I had cashed in my cc rewards for a $50 sears gift card, and used that as well. They said I would get a new gift card in the mail a few weeks later. I was not satisfied with that since the only reason I got the gift card was to use it towards the dresser. The first rep I talked to said ok, they would exchange it and I would get an email confirming. Instead I got an email regarding returning/reordering, so I called again. This rep said I had received wrong info, that it wasn't possible, and when I requested to talk to a supervisor put me on hold for 20 min and then disconnected me. I called back again, and after holding again spoke to a supervisor, who again said nothing they could do. I asked to escalate, and she said there was no one else I could talk to but I could write a letter to the corporate office. I asked her to email me the corporate office address and she refused saying I could find it on their website! I told her to forget it (and a few other things) and I would keep the damaged dresser and instead request new boards from the manufacturer. She said she would take 20% off the price if we kept it. So that is what we did. The new boards were delivered from South Shore today (great customer service from them by the way).

Sorry so long - Just wanted to share my bad Sears experience.

Good luck to you though

 

[Sadie22]

I had a laundry appliance scratched in an non-noticeable place and was offered touch-up paint. I was not charged for the delivery. Maybe your stainless steel door could be replaced.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I had a new SS refrigerator delivered from Sears last month. They unboxed it in my driveway and I noticed right away a large, fist sized dent in one of the doors. I refused delivery and got an undamaged one a few days later. It was worth the date.

Refuse the gift card and insist on a replacement refrigerator. You will be looking at this scratch for a long, long time and getting mad if you don't!

 

[Swimalie]

Did you sign for it after they put it in your kitchen and scratched it? If so, you might be out of luck since you accepted it. If you signed before they scratched it, then I'd fight for a replacement.

 

[Mom2Ben02]

At the very least, I'd want cash and not a gift card.

 

[mpls_mm]

Another bad Sears experience here, our fridge went out and we already knew the model we wanted. Best Buy, Sears and Lowes all had a similar one. Since we had no fridge and 5 people living out of a cooler it was an emergency. We live an hour away from the closest city so delivery was necessary. Sears was the most expensive but they had the soonest date. We took our flier in and they price matched and told us to call for our delivery window the next day, we called and called and they were snotty and told us they would get to it, the last time we called, they had closed and we got the call center overseas. She told me, so sorry miss it not on tomorrow truck, you get next week instead, then she put me on hold and never came back. I called the store and sure enough, no one knows why, it never made it on the truck and no one could bring it. It was too late for Home Depot or anyone else to deliver until the following week. My husband went there and threw a fit. We did get a big discount. We ended up with a Samsung stainless french door with bottom drawer for around $1600, that was a few months ago so I am sure prices have dropped but it was about $400 off the lowest price we found but we had to install ourselves and haul away our old fridge. Email corporate and you will get a call back.

 

[mpls_mm]

And we did get it in cash, he got it out of the safe and said he couldn't credit my card or give us a gift card, that was the weird part. I think he just wanted me to quit talking to corporate.

 

[jcano]

I would have them bring me a new undamaged fridge.

I would always "see" that mark.

 

[walkdmc]

I had a similar experience when Lowe's delivered my SS fridge. It wasn't expensive to begin with but they only took $50 off. I was okay with that since it was an extra fridge and I knew it would end up in the garage shortly after purchase. However, if I had to look at it everyday, they'd have to give me the scratch and dent price, or I'd send it back. I would call and see what they say. I woudn't settle for less than the deeply discounted price. If you do, you'll have a constant, daily reminder you settled and that would bug me too much. They could probably replace the door, instead of going through the hassle of being w/o a fridge. However, I've had horrible, horrible experiences with Sear's service dept. and frankly, would rather return the thing just to avoid dealing with that dept. ever.