Icemaker and $215.63

I know you after reading the title, you think you know where this story is going. Well, you are right! It is having a repairman, craftsman, plumber, electrician come into your home to FIX something. My recent experience is Sears and my icemaker.

Karen and I bought the 26 foot side by side Kenmore in 1992/1993 as I think it was part of the conditions of our union. I do know that a new Kenmore Dishwasher WAS a part of the contract. If you are the man of the house, and fittle with repairing stuff, then you do all your little things you have done in the past on icemakers, but nothing this time worked. I had bought bagged ice twice but now it is time to get this fixed.

I called Sears and you know you get a computer. Say "Repair!". You said "Repair?" "Yes". What do you need repaired, say "Appliance?". "Aplliance!". You said "Appliance?". "Yes". Ok, Ok, you get the picture, and I finally said "Other" and I get a live operator. If you keep playing that word game with their computer, the appliance you need repaired will be rust and fall through the cracks in the floor.

Our record indicate a Kenmore Side by Side and you need the icemaker repaired? Yes! The repairman will be there next thursday between 8:00am and 12:00pm. OK! Yes! So I change everything in my life to be home this last Thursday to welcome the repairman from Sears. Sears computer calls me the night before and leaves a message on my home phone that he will be here thursday! Wow!

My phone rings about 12:45pm Thursday and it is him. He gets here and comes in with only a small screwdriver in his shirt pocket. He takes a gem clip out of his change and straightens it into a arc so he can jump start the icemaker. Nothing happens. "It looks like the module needs replacing!". He walks out to his truck and returns with a small box with the sqare module he replaces with 3 screws from that proverbial screwdriver in his shirt pocket. As soon as he attaches the new module, 10 cubes of ice dump into the empty ice bin. Wow! When he came in with the part, he brought the little computer that spits out your bill.

He told me at the get go that the part was $87.73 plus tax so that does not sound too bad for 12 years of this icemaker working flawlessly. He is punching keys on the computer sitting at my breakfastroom table and he says that will be $215.73, will it be check or Sears credit card? Choking, I said "check"!

I did not take this out on the poor repairman as he works for a living just like you and me. But $120.00 labor on the bill and it was 20 minutes work and that is being generous with the time. I did call Sears at 1-800-4MYHOME as indicated on the bill and they walked me through all the charges. There is a $59.95 flat service fee just for the truck to come to your home. Then there was $60.00 labor, then the $87.73 part plus tax.

If you have a screw driver and plyers in your possession, find a repair book and learn how to replace the whole thing yourself. I replaced the water pump on my frig and on mothers and both pumps cost less than $30.00 each from an appliance part company. I worked free! These two repairs I did myself would have cost almost $200.00 each if done by Sears or any other appliance repair company. I don't care if you screw it up, give it a shot as now you know how much it cost to have the expert do it. Jeff