Do NOT buy a furnace from Sears

[Freedom]

Based on what I've learned the past week, I must say this: do NOT buy a furnace from Sears.

Sears sells and installs Carrier products. Thus far, I have no issue w/ Carrier products. Just look on their website and select a LOCAL company for your purchase and installation.

Sears uses subcontractors for the install, and for maintenance and servicing post install. The subcontractors may or may not be trained on Carrier products; or on heating and cooling units in general. Just because someone is LICENSED does not mean they have training. As I have learned, the hard way.

Short version: I bought a house that was built in 1964, from the original owner. It still had the original furnace in it. So 3 months later, I had Sears install a new: furnace, humidifier, air conditioning unit, and programmable thermostat. I was shown how to change the filter in the furnace.

My folks' house had an oil fired boiler. I had no background w/ gas furnaces. And this is my first house.

Now, 8 years later ( and lots of service calls, all of which I paid for, full price), I was so frustrated I called another local Carrier dealer and had them send out a Service Tech. That was last Friday. One week ago today. Here is what I've learned:
- the media filter cabinet, which is where the filter belongs, was never installed.
- where I have been going in to change the filter is INSIDE the service panel. The home owner is never supposed to be in there, EVER. I could have shorted out the furnace, or had a severe electrical shock myself.
- a metal strip was added, to hold the filter in the place I was told to put it; the metal strip is not a part of the Carrier furnace
- the furnace I bought has a 2 speed fan. Only one speed was wired up. So all the "savings" I was supposed to get with the high speed, never appeared.
- the furnace was wired up incorrectly, so it constantly overheats and shuts down
- the humidifier needs a relay to have it wired up correctly; no relay is in the wiring for it
- the humidifier was wired up incorrectly to the board in the furnace - it was connected to the DEHUMIDIFY connector
- the annual maintenance has never involved anyone opening and changing the filter in the humidifier; which is now so old and corroded it is crumbling
- the annual maintenance has never involved antimicrobial tablets in the water well; so bacteria developed and multiplied. The water well is now busting out with sludge, and an entire new pump unit will have to be installed
- the "Fire Matic" safety sensor is a unit which senses heat. If the furnace catches fire, this is supposed to cut electricity to the furnace. Typically a furnace fire starts and stays within the furnace chamber for up to 3 hours before blowing out to the rest of the house. The sensor was placed so far away from the furnace that half my home would have to be on fire before it would sense enough heat to shut down the electric. No idea why my City Inspector approved this.

So I contacted Sears (another long story, had to send a registered letter to the Board of Directors General Counsel to get any attention. The Service Tech I had out here helped me with taking photos of stuff, and I included all those in the letter.) Today at THEIR expense, Sears sent an independent Carrier Service Rep to investigate. He agrees 100% with what "my guy" found, and wrote up a few other things as well. He kept saying things like, "wait till they see this back at the office - I got pictures!" (He has a Captive8 Smart Phone, and was taking photos to document what he was seeing and writing up.)

Sears will be arranging to fix this whole mess.

Oh, and Sears has also found, on their own: as a part of my package purchase I have a life time repair agreement; all those visits, I was only supposed to be billed $20 or $25 per visit, not full price.

Sorry this is so long. I am beyond disbelief at this whole mess. All I keep saying is: WOW. Oh wow.

[Freckles]

8 years later ( and lots of service calls, all of which I paid for, full price).

Have you kept the receipts? Sears might help with that, too

WOW

[Freedom]

You bet cha! I have the catalog which shows what I bought, what is included, calculations on how much it "should" cost to run it based on x number of heating days, receipts for all the maintenance and service calls, I have a THICK file folder!

[K9karen]

Thank God you're a smartie pants, keeping receipts etc. i HATE paperwork, but was taught well by my organzied mom (with a few bops on the noggin) to keep receipts etc. Luckily no problems, but I have "dem dammed" receipts for just about every major appliance. What'd we ever do without camera phones? Hope everything works out for you. And, thanks, I never buy from Sears anyway cause they subcontract.

[Freedom]

And, thanks, I never buy from Sears anyway cause they subcontract.

Where were you in 2003?! I didn't know till this week.

[wanwan1007]

Wow is a very appropriate word. I'm sorry you had to go through all of this. I guess the good side to this is that even though it was 8 long years at least you (1.) found out before the furnace ended up being replaced or blew up because of off the poor set up. (2.) thank God that you or no one in your home was hurt. (3.) The independent contractor that Sears sent out seemed to be legit and honest and didn't try to support Sears.

[K9karen]

Where were you in 2003?! I didn't know till this week.

Oops..I may have over spoke/typed..whatever. I was mad for you. Actually I think there are some items they do subcontract. At least they did when my mom bought some stuff eons ago.

Anyhoo..glad to be of service, wrong or right!