On 2/23/2017 11:25 AM, Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
On 02/23/2017 11:11 AM, wrote:

I have an old Kenmore stove that I need to replace and is Kenmore
still a good brand?

Kenmore products are merely rebranded versions by Sears of products
by the actual manufacturers. E.g., our "Kenmore" front-loading washer
and dryer were by Frigidaire or Electrolux, our "Kenmore"
refrigerator and dishwasher are by Whirlpool, our "Kenmore" microwave
is by LG. I'm sure the actual manufacturer of any given category of
"Kenmore"-branded appliance may change from time to time. E.g.,
"Kenmore"-branded microwaves may have been made by companies other
than LG.

Since Sears seems to be advancing rapidly toward the cliff edge, you
could find yourself with an appliance for which no warranty service
is available if needed.

Perce


Even if needed, you've got a good chance of not getting a repair on the
first several attempts. At least in my area, the contractor Sears uses
for service is very poor. Sears doesn't seem to have a repair shop of
their own but use a national contractor with local hubs. 6 visits over
2 1/2 months were required before my Kenmore refrigerator (only 2+ years
old) was apparently repaired (running OK now for about 3 months).
Fortunately we have a second fridge (Whirlpool, 34 years old) that still
works perfectly although not energy efficiently, that we were able to
use in the interim. No repair person had any idea why they were making
a service call on the unit, had no replacement parts on the truck to
substitute, and a few even denied that there was a problem with the unit
even though it would stop and start every few seconds for about 2
minutes before turning off for a few hours after having been on
continuously for more than 12 hours. Then the cycle would repeat.
Finally, it stopped cooling and the problem was taken more seriously.
Some insisted on wanting to replace parts that were just replaced by the
previous "repair" person. The final "repair" was made when the guy
noticed that a wire had accidentally been left disconnected by the
previous guy during a replacement of the third different part to be
swapped out. Apparently they don't have a diagnostic algorithm to
follow, and most were dismissive of my observations and recital of what
was previously tried without success. I'd never buy any Sears appliance
again because I wouldn't want to put myself at the mercy of their - in
or out of warranty.