IT'S YOUR HOME. WE JUST WORK THERE.

Sears Home Services blogshs blog

Saturday Jun 26, 2010

The Weekender

As part of our effort to continually help you get more done at home, we want to introduce you to Manage My Home – and more specifically, the Project Center on the site.  We know that as a homeowner, you are doing projects all the time – whether its a weekend update to paint the bedroom, replacing your kitchen disposer, or making that home stereo system work just a little bit better in the middle of football season.

The Project Center on Manage My Home has tons of projects that help you with the steps and materials, how to take care of the project when its done, talk to experts who can help you along the way or find the right help in case you just don’t want to do it yourself!

We know that for every project, you can often do it yourself or you can hire someone to help.  We believe in helping you either way – so check out our Project Center on Manage My Home here and get started for the weekend!

 - Jim Hilt, Chief Home Manager, Manage My Home 

Sunday Jun 20, 2010

Our expert team can answer your toughest questions

Every day, I correspond with visitors to our web sites who are looking for answers. Sometimes it's a microwave that's on the blink or a washing machine that won't spin. Whether it's a lawn mower quandary, water heater snafu or an owner's manual mystery, you can count on us to help.

It's an interesting job, to say the least. One minute I'm helping a guy whose garage door opener won't budge his door even though two of his neighbors' openers make his door go up and down just fine. The next I'm working with our team of experts to troubleshoot an elderly woman's ice maker that's making an odd groaning sound.

No matter what your need, you can come to us for sound advice and helpful information for any problem around your home. Reach out to our experts on www.ManageMyHome.com or drop a line to ManageMyHomeBob on Twitter. Either way, you'll get the help you need when you need it.

-Mike Morris, Editor, Manage My Home 

Wednesday Apr 28, 2010

Tell us how we’re doing!

Your complete satisfaction is absolutely critical to the Sears Blue Service Crew. That’s why on the bottom of every repair receipt, you’ll find the web address for our customer satisfaction survey (www.searshomeservices.com/feedback). We take this feedback very seriously and use it to measure our progress and identify areas for improvement.

The survey is super simple, just 6 questions that take most customers only a few minutes to complete. From this we can keep track of all sorts of info that is essential to meeting your needs. If you have a specific issue that you’d like us to follow-up on, the survey is a great way to let us know that too.

Last month, we used customer feedback to improve our delivery scheduling system and our customers are already noticing the improvement!

David Polston, Chief Marketing Officer, Sears Home Services

Monday Apr 26, 2010

Chat with the Blue Service Crew

Looking for an easy way to get in touch with someone when you need to schedule a repair?  Text chat may be just what you're looking for when you're online at www.searshomeservices.com.

Our repair specialists are available from 6 am - 12 midnight Central Time and are just a click away through the "Chat" button.  There's nothing you need to install on your computer to use chat on www.searshomeservices.com - just hit the "Chat" button and a chat box will open right on your screen.  Our specialists can help you to make a repair appointment and answer any questions.

We want www.searshomeservices.com to be easy to use, so whether you choose to schedule online, call us toll-free, click to call (we'll call you - just give us the number), send us an e-mail or text chat with us, we're there for you!

- Matt, Director and General Manager, www.searshomeservices.com

Check out all of the rooms in our new home

Building a new website is a little bit like building a new home.  There are many choices about how things should look and what kinds of features to include.  All of these decisions come together to make the new online home for Sears Home Services both easy-to-use and comfortable.

We know that quick and easy scheduling is important.  The Sears Home Services scheduler makes it simple to schedule the service you need in 3 easy steps.  Give us your ZIP code and the type of service you're looking for, and we'll show you when we can be there and any charges for that service.  And if you have questions about scheduling, just call the toll-free number or hit the "Phone" icon and we'll give you a call to answer as many questions as possible.

Speaking of questions, there are times when just trying to figure out whether service is needed or not is the first step.  The Blue Service Crew tools - included on every page on the site - might have the information needed to solve problems on your own.  Use "Find An Answer" to describe your problem and see if we've already posted an answer to your question.  Find owner's manuals and find the part you need from the over 7 million parts from Sears PartsDirect.

Your comments and feedback are always appreciated.  Post your comments here, hit the feedback button on each page, or use the Contact Us form to send us your questions, suggestions or other comments.  We're ready to help!

- Matt, Director and General Manager, www.searshomeservices.com

Sunday Apr 25, 2010

Trying a new natural weed killer

The drawback with organic weed killer sprays has always been that they couldn't distinguish between weeds and lawn grass —  they blasted the cells of any plant they touched. A new herbicide, Ortho EcoSense Lawn Weed Killer, is on the market that uses chelated iron to kill broadleaf weeds like dandelions and white clover. It's available on sears.com.

I prefer to garden organically, so I'm looking forward to trying it as soon as the rain stops and the wind dies down around here. I have two very tough broadleaf weeds in my garden: creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea), also called ground ivy; and violets. Tons and tons of violets. Neither weed is listed on the label, so spraying them will be a test of the weed killer's merits. To increase the herbicide's effectiveness, I'll apply it after a few cloudy days —  without sunlight, the waxy coating on the weeds' leaves starts to break down, making the weeds more vulnerable. The label recommends spraying when the leaves are actively growing —  got that down —  and the temperature is under 85 degrees.

I'll let you know how well it works.

In the meantime, I'm trying to find out whether the inert ingredients (which make up more than 98 percent of the volume and don't have to be listed on the label) are considered organic or natural. I've not found much discussion of the product online. If anyone knows, please leave a comment.

 Erin Hynes, managing editor, Manage My Life

 

Friday Apr 23, 2010

Lawn look like a minefield?

If your lawn, like mine, looks something like a scene from Private Ryan, I've got three solutions for you. Well, four if you just want to pack up and move and buy a nice new lawn along with a nice new home.

But if, like me, you're kinda stuck in your current living situation for a while, you've got options. Good ones. Inexpensive ones. Check out my article, 3 easy ways to patch a lawn, and turn your nightmare on Elm Street into a field of dreams.

- Mike Morris, editor, Manage My Life

 

Tuesday Apr 20, 2010

Cash for Appliances Stimulus Program

The stimulus program "Cash for Appliances" has certainly had its share of headlines lately. Consumers are now flocking to Sears to purchase Energy Star® Appliances. As the Energy Star Award 2010 Partner of the Year, Sears has the product selection and the knowledgeable sales associates to best assist you with maximizing savings and rebates.  We also offer the most comprehensive protection plan in the industry, backed by the largest repair organization.

Since you will be purchasing products to last for years to come, our Sears Master Protection Agreement has all the right features and benefits to insure your complete satisfaction and Energy Star® efficiency well into the future.  Here are some highlights:

Parts and labor needed to help keep products operating properly under normal use, not just defects. Our coverage goes well beyond the warranty period. No Deductibles, no functional failure excluded from coverage, real protection.

 

  • Repairs are done by a force of more than 10,000 Authorized Sears Service Technicians, which means someone you can trust will be working on your products.
  • No Lemon Guarantee – replacement of your covered product if it requires 4 or more repairs within 12 months.
  • Fast Help by Phone – we call it Rapid Resolution – non-technical and instructional assistance. Think of us as a talking owners manual, plus convenient service scheduling.
  • Power surge protection protects against electrical damage due to power fluctuation.
  • Cosmetic defect coverage for the first 3 years on a brand new product to help keep them looking good.
  • Unlimited Service Calls and Nationwide Service…as often as you want us, wherever you want us.
  • Product Replacement if your covered product cannot be repaired. Includes delivery and installation, if applicable. This is full product replacement, no deduction in value for any service you may have already received.
  • $250 Food Loss Protection annually for any food spoilage that is the result of mechanical failure of any covered refrigerator or freezer.
  • Reimbursement for Rental Expense if a repair of your covered product takes longer than promised.
  • A 10% discount off the regular price of any non-covered repair service and related installed parts.   

Whether you’re planning on going to your local Sears store or shopping online at www.sears.com, you can purchase a Master Protection Agreement when you buy the product. Or, if you’ve already made your purchase, simply call us at 1-800-927-2291 to hear a no obligation quote on protecting your investment against the hassle and expense of unexpected repairs.

In the event that you do need service, call 1-800-4-MY-HOME anytime and relax, knowing that you’ll be taken care of by the most trusted partner in home services needs.

But you’d better hurry…those federal stimulus funds won’t last long!