I thought this experience was worthy of sharing with you as we are leading up to Black Friday and the holiday shopping season. I have been looking for a while at a Samsung 40" 1080p LCD TV (LN-T4061F). I was hoping the price would come down enough in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving to purchase it. I was able to get a steal on a 42" Panasonic Plasma last year (2 weeks before Thanksgiving) using the price match from Sears. I had no complaints and Sears was really cool about it. I saved an extra $40 or so in price match as well as the lower price on the TV. This year I was able to find Circuit City had a good price on the TV at $1399. Since Sears is showing the same TV online for $1700, I figured I would do the price match there again this year. They are also having an offer that if you buy a 40" or larger TV, you get an additional $150 rebate or 18 months interest free financing if you use your Sears card. After taxes (7 % here in Tampa or so), the price match, and the rebate from Sears, the total cost of the TV (in theory) is $1,304. That is a pretty good deal for a very nice TV. It is about $40 cheaper than you can get it on Amazon with free shipping and no tax.
I called a local Sears store to verify if this deal was acceptable and I was told several times that it was just fine. I hopped in the car and headed to Sears to buy my TV. I go directly to the electronics department and talk to the person I discussed the details with on the phone. He confirms that the deal is good and he starts to ring it up. All of a sudden he is unable to ring up all the discounts. I ask why not. He says he does not know and disappears somewhere to discuss it with someone who I assumed knew more than he did. He comes back and tells me he cannot do the deal. He explains that Sears can do the price match, but not the rebate. He tells me I can still get the financing if I want it. I tell him the whole reason I am buying the TV at his store is that the deal he agreed to on the phone is the deal I came in for. I am not going to accept interest free financing on a TV that I wanted to save and additional $180 or so of which I was planning on paying in full for anyway. I tell him this is ridiculous and I want the deal even if it is incorrect because he informed me that I could do it. He disapperas again and is still unable to do the deal.
I am wondering what ever happened to the customer is always right. I do not feel as if was in the wrong here. I was unable to find anything stating the rebate offer could not happen with a price match and the employee I dealt with did not seem to know it either. Even still, why would I be able to get 18 months interest free on it if I could not get the rebate? It is one or the other after all.
I am also wondering why Sears would not honor the deal one of their employees offered me.
In conclusion, I warn anyone dealing with Sears this pre Christmas shopping season. You need to be very careful with their price match as well as any other offers. I feel as if I was mislead and cheated out of the price I was told. I have cancelled my Sears credit card and I will never shop there again.
I purchased my TV at Circuit City for the advertised price and I am scanning the ads up until December 3 to see if I can find it cheaper. If so, Circuit City will match that price so I am good to go.
SEARS SUXXX!!!!
