Hey Joe,
"I remember you talking about Sam's Club and their new credit rules, well I guess you can add Sears to the list. Let me explain:
Last night while using my vacuum cleaner, the thing went and stopped working. While thumbing through my Friday's Daily Times, I and saw Sear was offering a door buster on a new vacuum cleaner for $99.99, nearly 50% off the regular retail. Well I got to the Salisbury location and saw the vacuum cleaner. I gave the quick one over and had the associate ring it up for me. The total came to $105.99 and I gave her my Sears card. She punched in the card and she got a "Call Credit Center for approval" prompt. Well considering I just paid off the $8,000 balance last month, I was kinda wondering what was going on. Since I have a Credit limit of $14,000 I knew it wasn't because I was over my limit. The associate talked to the person and she then handed the phone to me. The Credit rep asked some security questions which I passed, and she then told me my card was expired. I looked down to the card and the expiration date is 02/09. I told her no it wasn't. She said they sent me a new card and I need to activate that card. I told her I never got the new card, but it shouldn't matter since my card isn't expired, and considering I just used it 2 days ago, I should know. She said she could activate the new card now, and I refused. I'm not activating a card I hadn't yet received. She said without activating the new card, I couldn't make a purchase unless I had another way to pay for it. I told her "If I use another card will i get the no interest for 6 months?" She said no, and told me to call them from a courtesy phone in the store because her phone line was getting backed up talking to me. I asked "When was the card sent?" She said "I can't release that information". Well I stormed my way across the building to Sears well hidden courtesy phone. I spoke to the Credit rep on the phone and she said "If the card isn't expired then they can allow me to make the purchase." She continued "you don't even need the card, all they have to do is look up your account." She confirmed I had $14,000 in open credit on the card. She then asked to speak to the sales rep, and I informed her that the phone was nowhere near the sales rep. I asked if I could go back and see if the sales rep could call her direct, and she said no since when you call there are 4 different call centers and the calls are routed at random. So I hung up the phone and was going to leave. I walked by the sales rep who asked "Are you gonna buy it?, and i told here "Yes.........When Sears can connect their head to their A$$"
I have a few clues or theories as what happen. 1) Since the item was a door buster, Sears probably wanted you in the store, but not to buy any of the door busters. 2) Sears didn't want me to use my Sears card so I could get a interest free purchase. 3) Sears just doesn't know what it's doing. If Sears continues to act in this manner, then my guess is Circuit City won't be the only major store closing it's doors in Salisbury."
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
19 comments:
That's one reason I like walmart they will take back anything as long as you spend it in the store.
Next think you know walmart will be selling washers and dryers, dishwashers etc. As more stores close that will only increase walmart's revenue.
That's called Sam's Club.
Walmarts in many area's don't have a Sam's near by.
Target will take back purchases as well- and you don't even have to have your receipt, if you used a check card or credit card to purchase it. They can just scan the card and credit your account.
I really don't like Wal-Mart and rarely go there.
Sears also had a little scam going on during Christmas.
I attempted to use a few American Express gift certificates along with my Sears card. The cashier took both American express cards, swiped them to buy two Sears gift cards, why they have to do it that way I don't know. He then told me that the two gift cards were no good and didn't have any available money on them. I knew they did, he told me to take the gift cards and call them when I got home. I did this to find that the balances were cleaned out by Sears. The cards did work and Sears told me they didn't. The next day I went into Sears to find someone else having the same issue addressed..I did get the credit back after a while....Anyone else fall victim to this inconvienence?
Whenever I purchase a gift card, I have the cashier immediately do a balance check on the card to make sure they loaded it.
Everyone should do this. Otherwise, how do you know they put something on the card?
If the cashier is stealing from the store, what an easy way to do it, I would think!
Target won't allow boy scouts and girl scouts or the Salvation Army outside their stores for fund raising.
Apples for apples I'll take walmart.
If I had to make an educated guess, I'd bet the "New Card" had a different interest rate applied to the balances. If you had activated the card, you would be agreeing to the new terms.
Citigroup bought out Sears and Home Depot Credit Departments. Since then I have issues with both. I tried to use my Home Depot card to get some weatherization items and to buy some pipes, when I went to check out my H.D. was declined! Humiliating to say the least. I told the girl there was no way my card had zero balance as I had paid it off at the beginning of 2008. She apologized but told me there was nothing she could do. I called to find out what was going on and the rep said my account was suspended for non use! I still get a bill every month even though there is no balance and not one of these bills said I was at risk for my account being suspended. The rep. agreed to reinstate my credit line BUT the line was reduced by 50% and the interest rate would be 26%!! Sears has done something very similar, I did have a balance, that is paid on every month, but I got a letter in the mail saying my credit line would be reduced....it just so happens it was reduced to the whole dollar amount above my current balance!
Sears has always sucked but they kind of have you by the doodads.
A few years ago a bought a single share of Sears Holding stock for about $100.00. This was after CNBC stock guru Jim Cramer, begged everyone under 50 to do it because Sears ownerhedge fund manager Eddie Lampert who also owns Kmart was the next Warre Buffett, Jim recommended him because he used to work with him at Goldman Sachs and was "the smartest man on Wall Street". Well Sears is down to 40 and possibly in a death decline. Lambert proved he had no brains to run a store or an investment fund. The great Cramer guessed wrong again. And the great Goldman Sachs cabal which runs our economy with people such as Hank Paulson and Robert Rubin took another step toward ruining us. Sears is now abusing their customers. God save us from the educated dumb people that runs the world.
I miss Monkey Wards!They had affordable and stylish furniture and quality appliances not like some of the local furniture stores where you pay big bucks for crap.
There are some things I get at Walmart but I do not really like them either,especially after an eceptionally bad experience there 4 yrs ago. RUDE people,you know.
and STOP using store credit cards!With the economy tanking,they are doing whatever they can to screw people on it.
I orderd a new tv online to have it sent to Salisbury Sears. I decided not to purchase it and canceled the order online. The next thing I receive is my statement that said I owed the money and the payment was due in less than 2 weeks. After I called the Citi bank that owns Sears CC, They told me their computers reflected that the tv was ready to be picked up. I said how can that be when I had confirmation that the order was canceled. Long story short, their computer system called my house several times to tell me I could pick up the tv. I told Sears I would not pay anything on the card, as I did not sign a receipt. Sears sucks
sears is very shady as of late. while christmas shopping with my elderly mother in sears she was attempting to pay for a purchase with a check when the sales clerk insisted on having her social security number. she said no and the clerk began to argue with her that without she could not take her check. i overheard this and said she would not give her social # to anyone and all she needed was her license if even that. the sale was completed but if i had not have been there they may have gotten her social security #....very scarey
Wal-Mart doesn't take back items without receipt anymore (at least Fruitland) unless you exchange it for the exact same item.
Most likely too many people stealing then returning for store credit/shopping cards. Too bad. Sometimes I can't even find the receipt when I arrive home, much less later when something may need to be returned.
How about when your receipt gets stuck in the machine?!?! Or they run out of register tape. You end up standing there forever waiting, just so you can get by the lady at the door with your purchases.
I spoke with an employee last week about what Wal-Mart is doing with their 'old' products. They no longer ridiculously mark things down, and you will NEVER see items donated. People were buying things cheap and trying to return them for store credit without a receipt. Or purchase something from Salvation Army and try to return it to the store for credit. They (the company I guess) have decided it's better to take a loss and shred all the products. This employee said they have this huge machine that mulches everything they put into it...leftover Christmas stuff, blankets and toys all shreded into a pile of garbage.
Good Luck to HALO or any shelter if they can get blankets or anything out of Wal-Mart.
Sears has gone downhill fast in the last 5 or 6 years. Sears used to employ professional sales personnel, and paid them accordingly. One of the lawn and garden sales force was bringing in over 50G's a year. Since then, Sears forced out their full-time sales professionals, hiring $8.00 high school and college students. Thus customer service went to Hell fast. Sears corporate doesn't care, because their labor costs dropped by over 50%.
I just had two credit card companies send me letters stating they are suspending my credit cards because I hadn't used them in 24 months and would be sending notice to the credit bureaus. I called Chase Bank and told them I wanted to keep the card and they said sorry once we suspend an account there isn't anything they can do. She told me I was welcome to apply for another credit card if I wanted to. I said I will, with another bank. Then she had the nerve to ask me if there was anything else she could help me with. DUH!
When they suspend your credit card for not using it does that put a negative reflection on your credit report?
Not exactly. But maybe.
One of the items affecting Credit is total debt vs total Available credit. It does lower that as does lowering your limit, lowering your score possibly (depending on total credit, income, savings etc.)
It is best to have a certain amount of credit available. Use seldom used cards once a year to keep them valid.
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