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From: jane@ames.UUCP (Jane Medefesser)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: Sears
Message-ID: <1396@ames.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Feb-86 11:46:00 EST
Article-I.D.: ames.1396
Posted: Wed Feb 12 11:46:00 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 16-Feb-86 05:17:24 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: NASA-Ames Research Center, Mtn. View, CA
Lines: 69

*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR HORROR STORY ***
> 
> Sear's turned me down for a REGULAR sear's charge card because of something
> that happened aLONG time ago and put on my local C.B. file.
> I guess they didn't consider my credit rating at several major U.S. banks and
> several local department stores (all of which were on the application).
> 
> Should I bitch about this or should I just blow Sear's off forever as a 
> source of products  or both??????

Oh, I resisted entering this discussion, but now I just HAVE to...

I worked at Sears when I was in college. (around the late 1970's, 
early 80's) I worked at two DIFFERENT stores in two DIFFERENT sales
regions, so I became pretty familiar with the COMPANY's habits 
as well as individual store management traits.

More often than I care to think about I saw cases where 
credit accounts suddenly and mysteriously were belched out of the
company's central computer for obscure and hidden reasons. I can't tell
you how often this happened to people who had had their accounts for well
over 10 or 15 years, and had NO credit problems. These 'Silicon Valley'
executive-type cardholders often went through months of frustrating gyrations
trying to re-establish the account, usually having to prove that they were
not guilty of whatever sin the credit department accused them of. (I think
the majority of the people I came accross were not actually at any fault.
The credit department had a habit of 'loosing payments' or 'not posting
payments on time'.) I seemed to me that there was this "black hole" that
some accounts fell into. If yours was one, GOOD LUCK.

I resolved while I was working there that at NO TIME IN MY LIFE would I EVER
open a Sears account. I worked too hard establishing my credit to allow those
bozo's to ruin it with one missplaced payment. To this date, I have JC Penneys
(where, incidentally, I ALSO worked for a while), Wards, Visa, Macy's, etc.,
etc., but NO SEARS!! That's not to say I don't SHOP there, I just don't
CHARGE there.

One more note - Sears has changed over the years, it's true. I am a FIRM
believer that the customer service quality of ANY COMPANY is directly
related to the satisfaction of the employees. Sears does not treat it's
lower level employees very well. (I imagine that management is treated 
pretty fairly). Sears sales people are GENERALLY (there are of course
individual exceptions) 1.) Underpaid  2.) Under benifited  3.) Inexperienced
4.) Poorly trained  5.) Seldom rewarded  6.) Looked down upon by superiors
as 'low life'.   A Company being run by disgruntled or under trained 
employees is going to reflect this attitude on the sales floor. NOW, that's
not to say that the quality of their GOODS has changed. For instance, I
think the best tools you can buy are Sears Craftsman, and you really
can't buy better large appliances for the money. But don't ask for a whole
lot of assistance when shopping for small goods. (They tend to be pretty
helpfull when you're buying something big.)

AND NOW - THE DISCLAIMERS!!!!!!  

My opinions in NO WAY reflect the opinions or attitudes of NASA ,
Informatics General Corporation or Sterling Software. The above
*OPINIONS* are my own and should not be implied to any other source.


Please send all spelling and grammar flames to /dev/null. I haven't 
had my quota of coffee yet this morning. Besides, I think you all understand
what I am trying to say.


Jane Medefesser
Informatics General Corp.
NASA Ames Research Center 
Moffett Field, California
{..dual,riacs,hplabs,ihnp4}!ames!jane