Sears Warranty

Many customers rely on a Sears warranty to protect them against the costs of repairs to products purchased from Sears. Be sure you know what to expect from your warranty.

Know what to expect with a service contract.

When a Sears customer purchases an appliance or piece of electronics they may be offered the opportunity to purchase a "Protection Agreement." This agreement is usually a three year service contract in which Sears agrees to provide certain repair and maintenance services. Sears offers warranties on electronics, small and major appliances and home necessities such as hot water heaters.

Generally, a Sears warranty will cover some, or all, of the costs for repairs and maintenance such as:

• Parts and labor for repairs and replacements due to normal wear and tear
• Service calls by authorized service people, either in-home or at a Service Center
• Instructional calls
• Preventive maintenance checks

Warranties which offer preventative maintenance checks and annual tune-ups can be particularly valuable. They can save you from inconvenience and may extend the useful life of the product. For example:

• Product failure – An annual tune up can help ensure against product failure because problems can often be spotted and corrected early. The warranty might pay for itself if a problem is found during the warranty period.
• Inconvenience – Regular tune-ups can help avoid long repair times on certain items which can be inconvenient to go without during the repair period, such as a microwave or a snow blower.
• No need to transport – In-home tune-ups can be very convenient, particularly for large items like big screen televisions or lawnmowers since you avoid the hassle of transporting them into a service center.

Sears offers different types of warranties. With some products, the customer may be offered a choice of warranties, each with different types and levels of service coverage. For some products only one type of warranty may be offered.

If you are considering a warranty, be sure to ask about the various types offered with the specific product you are purchasing. You may find that a less expensive warranty is available if you are willing to forego some of the benefits. For example, a Master Protection warranty will provide a broad range of protection including free repairs and guaranteed replacement; however, you can still save money on repairs and receive product replacements after paying a fee with a less expensive warranty such as the ServiceSmart program.

A Sears warranty should not be confused with the Craftsman Hand Tool Warranty which is provided automatically with the purchase of any Craftsman tool. The Craftsman warranty guarantees lifetime replacement of any Craftsman tool when it is presented for replacement at any Sears store. The customer does not have to provide a purchase receipt or a copy of the warranty. In fact, if a person finds a broken or defective Craftsman tool, Sears will repair or replace the tool if they bring it into any store where Craftsman tools are sold.

A warranty is most valuable when it saves you from expensive repair bills. If the product doesn't break, or if the warranty isn't used, some customers may still see the warranty as a waste of money. With a little preplanning you can usually avoid the common pitfalls of warranties. For example:

• Product doesn't fail – Not all types of products fail at the same time. Products with a manufacturing defect may fail within the first year. However, it is more common for a product to fail later during its specific life cycle. For example, a camera may fail in the first three years; however, a washer or dryer may not need repairs for over ten years. Because of these various life cycles, some people believe that purchasing a camera warranty makes good sense, but a washer or dryer warranty does not.
• Issue isn't covered – Be sure and check the fine print on the warranty to see what is covered. Some warranties don't cover repairs from normal wear and tear. Most warranties will not cover damage caused by misuse of the product or if the product was used for commercial purposes.
• Can't prove coverage – Some customers are not able to prove that they have a warranty on a specific product. There are cases where Sears has no record of the warranty even when the customer provides the serial number of the product.

An Internet search will show Sears customers who are unhappy about the service -or lack of service- they received with their Sears warranty. You can usually avoid problems if you follow these easy tips:

• Be sure you know the specific details of the warranty you are considering before you purchase the warranty. Check if the entire repair is covered or if you will have to pay for a portion of the parts and labor. If you are not sure, or can't find your original paperwork, you can request information about the terms and conditions of your warranty by filling out the warranty info request form on the Sears website.
• Keep a copy of your warranty and the product's sales receipt in your home file. You don't want to be denied warranty coverage just because you can't find your copy of the warranty.
• Keep copies of any paperwork from any previous repairs under the warranty. They may come in handy if you are trying to get the product replaced.
• Take advantage of the annual maintenance check, particularly if it is offered as a free feature on your warranty. Frequent checks can usually point out small problems before they become big repair problems that require a lot of time and paperwork.
• Be prepared for a time delay to get a maintenance check or repair appointment. After the first appointment, be prepared for another time delay while the parts are ordered and delivered.

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