Fifth Time's A Charm?

Things I love about my new range: I can bake in the summer without heating up the whole house. The surface is level (old one wasn't) and the power burners are speedy. The fancy features are quite handy. And so on.

Things I do not love about my new range:

• Gas leaks
• Incorrect parts
• Damaged parts
• FIVE SERVICE CALLS FROM SEARS.
  FIVE.

About a month after I got my very nice new range, we smelled a tiny gas smell, but then couldn't detect it again. A couple days later, a bit more, which again went away. A couple days later, more and it was not going away. UGH. I called Sears about getting it fixed. They told me to hang up, get out of the house and dial the gas company and hung up on me. Uh, hello? I had turned the gas off to the stove itself. I'm not an idiot. I had to call back and explain quickly before they could hang up that I was not in immediate danger but I needed my stove repaired. They couldn't get anyone out for a week! Do these people think I have a spare range sitting around?

The technician arrived and couldn't find a gas smell. He did what seemed a rather cursory check, "tightened all the valves", and pronounced it fixed. I pressed him to find something, since we had to wait a week for the service, but he pretty much said that was as good as he could do. Later I reflected that I don't think he actually ran gas through the burners and stove so after having the gas off, the lines probably had nothing left in them to leak. Sheesh.

I called to set up a second service call and was determined to be a squeaky enough wheel to get someone out here right away. Despite my best efforts asking for a manager six times, registering my official dissatisfaction, etc. they insisted it would be another week. But oh, they would send a senior technician. Super.

The senior technician did find the leak, but of course they don't carry that part on the truck. So, he ordered it and, you guessed it, they'd be back in another week.

The original technician (thrilled to see that guy; he used one of my good kitchen knives to cut open his cardboard box!) showed back up to install the new part, but it was missing the brackets. He installed it so that I could get rid of the leak, but now the right edge of the front panel and the two right knobs are loose. He ordered another part.

Another week later, a new technician showed up to install the new part. No brackets and it arrived damaged. He was confident that he has ordered the correct part this time. Every one of these visits involves at least four calls to and from Sears, some of which have an automated voice threatening to cancel my appointment if I don't call them back and confirm the parts arrived.

Another week later, and they are scheduled for this afternoon.

Do you think the fifth time is the charm??

(And on a cheerier note, don't forget to enter to win the set of four handmade cards!)

p.s. Yep, that fifth service call is now complete. The wrong parts arrived (and they were damaged). The parts don't match the pictures in the parts computer, etc. etc. They now officially have "no idea" what to do. They're going to "put it in research". That takes two weeks.