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Call Kurtis: How Many Service Repair Attempts Does It Take To Fix A Stove?

SUISUN CITY (CBS13) -- Beverley Bacchus' stove was under warranty -- but Sears couldn't fix it.

Left with wires sticking out of an oven she can't turn on, after three repair attempts, she said, it was time to Call Kurtis.

Bacchus bought Sears' Service Smart Protection Agreement to keep her older oven working for two years.

But she said it stopped heating properly. If it can't be fixed, she thought she'd get $500 credit toward a new model.

How many tries should Sears get to fix it?

"This is the only part of the range that works," Bacchus told a Call Kurtis camera crew as she struck a match, turned on the gas on her stovetop and lit the burner -- all to boil some water.

"Frustration is just increasing and increasing," she said.

Bacchus is tired of seeing wires sticking out of the control panel area of her oven.

She said it stopped heating properly in August, and three different Sears repairmen couldn't fix it.

If it can't be fixed, her warranty promises a "replacement" appliance or "up to $500 in credit."

But she said Sears keeps stringing her along, leaving her family eating frozen food and microwavable meals.

"We've been buying all these TV dinners," she said. "I'm getting the sense from Sears they don't really care about the consumer."

Attorney Robert Buccola said after three repair attempts he thinks it's reasonable to say Sears can't fix it.

"With appliances, the law implies reasonableness," he said.

He said he thinks the company should honor the warranty.

"Many of these contracts don't specify how many service calls need to be made before the appliance needs to be replaced," he said.

After Call Kurtis got involved, Sears blamed a discontinued part for the delay and said, "Our Sears technicians are trained to not leave any exposed wires on any unit that they repair."

The company agreed to give Bacchus $500 credit toward a brand new oven, which she plans to use.

But she said after that, she's through with Sears.

"I would not use Sears anymore," she said. "Honestly."

Sears wouldn't tell us how many service visits it takes to determine if something doesn't work, but Bacchus told us Sears said it was four visits.

Full statement from Sears

We apologize for the delay in repairing Mrs. Bacchus' range, which was caused by a part being discontinued. We do want to get this quickly resolved to her satisfaction. ... Our Sears technicians are trained to not leave any exposed wires on any unit that they repair. They are instructed to cover the open wiring to prevent any potential safety hazards. In this case, the technician unplugged the unit to prevent any safety hazard. The stovetop can still be used as Mrs. Bacchus has improvised by lighting a match, but during the repair of any unit we advise not using the appliance until it is working to its full standards.

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