Sears Customer Service & Complaints

Sears, formally known as Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American department store chain that sells a wide range of products to consumers. 

Throughout this article, we will cover common complaint types that consumers bring against Sears, how you can get in contact with Sears customer service, and lastly how to sue Sears in Small Claims Court if you feel like no other solution is working.

Types of Customer Complaints Against Sears

At the time of this article being written, Sears has faced 1,358 Better Business Bureau (BBB) customer complaints; also, there were 476 customer Sears reviews which averaged out to a 1.08/5 stars. 

Here are some of the most common complaints consumers had against Sears with the BBB website:

• Sears failing to cover repairs under warranty

• Sears overbilling and making it impossible to recover the money

• Missing or over delayed refund

• Faulty repair causing more damages

• Sears customer service complaints 

How to Reach Sears Customer Service

If your issue with Sears is something that you want to escalate to small claims court, it is often best for you to try to contact Sears customer service and resolve this matter outside of court first. If customer support is unable to resolve this issue then you can make the decision if you want to take the matter to a small claims court lawsuit.

Sears Customer service number: 1(800) 697-3277

Sears customer service hours of operation: Mon-Fri 8am-8pm EST

Other ways to reach Sears customer service:

• Sears Home Warranty customer service phone number: 1-855-256-2467

• Use this number for Sears home warranty complaints with Sears

• Sears Credit Card customer service: 1-800-917-7700

• 24/7

• Sears customer support twitter: @searscares

• Sears Facebook: @searshomeservices

How to File a Complaint with the BBB Against Sears

What is the BBB?

The Better Business Bureau, or BBB, is a non-profit organization that acts as an intermediary between consumers and companies like Sears whenever there is a conflict. 

How to submit your complaint against Sears BBB

1. Go to the Better Business Bureau website.

2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the button “Start Your  Complaint.”

3. Go through the form and fill in all the information requested to file your Sears complaint 

What to expect once you submit your complaint to the BBB

• The BBB will forward your complaint to Sears within 2 business days.

• Sears’s complaint department will be asked to respond within 14 days, and if a response is not received, a second request will be made.

• You will be notified of Sears’s response when the BBB receives it (or notified that they received no response).

• Complaints against Sears are usually closed within 30 business days.

How to Sue Sears in Small Claims Court

Send a Demand Letter to Sears

In some states, but not all, a demand letter is a mandatory first step in the process initiating a small claims lawsuit, as for the other states, it is usually a highly recommended step. This demand letter serves as a last chance for Sears, or any other company, to make the matter right on their own accord. This letter can be mailed to the headquarters of Sears. 

Here are some commonly included points when writing a demand letter for Sears, or any other company. 

• How much money Sears owes you

• Why Sears owes you this money

• How you calculated how much Sears owes you

• Typically, you are expected to give Sears 7-14 days for them to respond to your letter

Step 1: Prepare and file the lawsuit

• Prepare the lawsuit using the proper form, this is usually available for download on your local small claims court website.

• The court will want to know why you are suing Sears, how much are you suing Sears for, and finally how you calculated the amount you are suing Sears for.

• You will need to search for the correct legal name (legal entity name) Sears uses in your state on the Secretary of State website for your state. 

• File the lawsuit. There are several ways you can file the lawsuit (1) in person at your local small claims court, (2) by mail (3) electronically (not available in all courts), (4) by fax (not available in all courts).

Step 2: Notify Sears about the small claims lawsuit

• Once the court returns the filed lawsuit to you, the next step is to serve Sears (serving means to notify Sears that they have been sued).

• There are different rules on how to serve a company in each state so make sure you review the rules for serving that apply to you. In many states you will need to serve the “agent for service of process” that Sears selects in each state. This is usually a company or person that is authorized by Sears to receive lawsuit documents on its behalf. 

• To serve the small claims court lawsuit on Sears you most likely will have to serve their "Agent for Service of Process” or “Registered Agent” This is a company that Sears has selected to receive lawsuits on their behalf. ‍

• Always make sure to confirm with the court if there are any additional filings you need to complete and file after you have served Sears. 

Step 3: Prepare your small claims hearing

• Prepare your statement for the judge. Be prepared to tell the judge why you are suing Sears.

•  Prepare your evidence. This is one of the most important steps to winning a small claims lawsuit! Evidence like screenshots, emails, and pictures, should be brought to the hearing (you should make a copy for yourself, the judge, and the Sears representative).

Your evidence might include: 

• Emails with Sears representatives regarding your warranties or transactions. 

• Pictures of the appliances when you delivered or recovered it.

• Other similar complaints other Sears customers may have had.