Here's what happened when I purchased a gas range from Sears on October 4, 2009:

I bought the range (a Kenmore product) during a "Friends and Family" sale. I paid for delivery and installation, and for an extended warranty.

About a week later, I got a call from a woman telling me she wanted to schedule delivery for 2 weeks later. I was upset by the delay, but agreed.

The stove was delivered by a plumber who didn't like the way the gas piping had been installed, so he wouldn't install it. He told us what needed to be fixed and he left us his business card. We spent the next week talking with the gas company, another plumber, and the city in an effort to accommodate what was needed. It turned out the Federal government's rules regarding gas lines is different than state rules, creating grey areas of compliance. We had some additional work done to meet the one requirement we were told was advised, and phoned the installation guy. He scheduled us for a week later. By now my new gas range had been sitting in our garage for nearly a month.

The stove was installed about a week before Thanksgiving. During that week, I noted that several meals I'd baked weren't fully cooked in the time called for in the recipe. I bought an oven thermometer, and set the stove at 350° and waited until the stove "beeped" that it had reached that temperature. I checked the oven thermometer, which had a reading of 325°.

This had happened before with a Kenmore stove, and I'd called repair for well over two years before Sears agreed that the stove was faulty and they replaced it. This time, I decided not to go that route and to return the stove instead (we were within the 90 return period). I went to the store where I'd bought the range, and told them what I wanted to do. The store staff were friendly and upbeat, and helped me choose a different model. I opted for a more expensive range, with features not included in the one I'd bought previously.

When I settled on the range I wanted, one of the sales reps made a phone call while I stood by. When he hung up, he told me someone from delivery would be phoning me within 24-48 hours to arrange for pick-up of the stove I was returning and installation of the new (more expensive) one. I asked him if he wanted me to pay him for the difference between the two and he said "No, they'll take your payment when they call you.

I waited 48 hours and no one phoned. I phoned the local store and was told I needed to call a Central Customer Service number. I called the number, was on hold for 10 minutes or more, and finally someone took the call. I explained the situation and asked what was happening. The woman I spoke with took my phone number and pulled up the file. She said "something isn't right" and I told her I knew that. After about 30 minutes on the phone with her, she asked for my credit card number to pay the difference between the two stoves, which I gave her. She then told me that the phones weren't working so she couldn't schedule delivery or installation yet.

By this time, I was more than upset about the whole mess, and I told this woman all that had happened and that, from my perspective, it's looking more and more dicey to do business with Sears. By the end of our conversation, she'd given me $100 off the more expensive stove, and promised she'd phone me by 7 p.m. that day, which she did. She told me the stove would be delivered on 12/13/2009.

On 12/10/2009, I got an automated call from Sears, confirming the purchase of the new stove, and that there would be an adult over age 18 at our home on Sunday, 12/13/2009. I confirmed the information by pressing a key on my phone. This automated message indicated that the "window" for delivery had not yet been set, and that I'd get a phone call on the evening before delivery indicating the time frame.

On 12/12/2009, I got another automated call from Sears, indicating delivery from between 12:30 and 2:30 on 12/13/2009. I pressed a phone key to confirm.

On 12/13/2009 at 1:00, a delivery truck arrived and told us they had our stove but were unable to install it because they aren't licensed to do that. Given that the stove we were returning had been delivered by someone who could install it, we were stunned to learn that, yet again, the new stove would be placed in our garage while we wait for a plumber to install it.

We phoned customer service (as did the delivery guy) and learned that the installer is closed on Sundays and that we'd have to phone them on Monday.

I now have two gas ranges from Sears: one that's installed but doesn't work right, and another in our garage. And the problem of having it installed has been dumped in our laps rather than Sears handling this entirely.

We've done business with Sears for nearly 30 years and have never run into this degree of complexity or failure of communication. At this point, my husband and I are seriously considering canceling the whole deal. It's looking dicey that Sears will even be in business in 5 years.