My elderly mother in law purchased a new Kenmore model 253.74812400
refrigerator in September 2004. Earlier this week (July 19) she
noticed that the refrigerator compartment was warm inside to let food
spoil yet the freezer unit was still cold enough to freeze ice. "No
problem," she thought, "this is why you buy Kenmore."

Not so fast. First she called the Sears store in Dublin, GA where she
bought the appliance and was told that they didn't handle appliance
repairs, she'd have to call the national 800 number. So she did and was
informed that the repair services were very busy at this time but that a
technician would come out to the house on July 29 to have a look at the
refrigerator. So what was she supposed to do for food storage for the
next 10 days? The person at the 800 number could only suggest that she
buy lots of ice.

WHAT? Buy plenty of ice? This Kenmore was bought to replace a 65 year
old Frigidaire refrigerator that finally gave up the ghost. The
original Frigidaire was bought to replace-- you guessed it-- an ice box.
So let's see here... A new refrigerator doesn't last a year but the
old one lasted 65 years, and the best that Sears-- supposedly the best
place in America to buy home appliances-- the best that Sears can do is
tell her to buy plenty of ice while she waits 10 days for a repairman?

You should be ashamed of yourselves. In the old days Sears would have
had either a technician or a "loaner" refrigerator at a customer's house
by the next day, if not within a few hours. Now you tell little old
ladies to buy lots of ice and wait ten days during a hot Georgia summer
for a Sears repairman.

Needless to say, this family's trust in the Sears, Roebuck & Co. has
been shattered. Oh wait... Sears, Roebuck doesn't exist anymore. It's
Kmart now. No wonder.