Sears' Blue Crew needs some work
I am working with a lovely couple on a pretty significant renovation; the centerpiece of which is a contemporary, open kitchen. The kitchen's going to be spectacular. It has a separate freezer and refrigerator, a 36" induction cooktop, a dramatic ventilation hood, a built-in oven and a built in microwave. Built-in appliances are a nice touch and a great way to make a kitchen appear to be more sleek and streamlined. The oven and microwave are going to be stacked in a tall cabinet like this set up from GE Monogram .
Almost, however not quite. My customers had already researched and decided on their appliances prior to maintaining me, so I did not have a whole lot of have an impact on while it got here to choosing them. Now, my clients are perfectly lovable human beings, but they went to Sears and purchased a full suite of Kenmore Pro home equipment.
In Sears' defense, they have determined to throw themselves returned into the appliance global and that they had been spending gobs money bringing in new product strains and rebranding themselves. This is all well and right, however it is still Sears.
Appliances are a completely specialized product and that they need to be offered by using incredibly educated salespeople. No one would ever think to shop for a vehicle at Wal-Mart (I desire), however for a few ungodly cause, a number of human beings don't have any hassle going to a big container for an equipment. Such purchases have an unacceptably high fee of terrible endings if you inquire from me, and as long as I even have breath to talk, I will in no way ship a person right into a large container for an appliance.
So my clients gave me a list in their equipment model numbers quite early into our operating collectively. Those model numbers allow me to look up the specifications and sizes of each equipment. This is wildly crucial information, particularly on the subject of coping with built-in home equipment. With regular manufacturers, I go to the producer's website and appearance up the specs. All appliance manufacturers have special seasoned sections on their web sites in which humans like me can visit get the facts we want to do our jobs. Combing via equipment specifications at 9 o'clock at night is the "glamour" a part of kitchen layout by means of the way.
Actually, I don't mind it. It's quiet, kind of nerdy work that requires a fair amount of concentration. Appliance manufacturers have dimension guides that cover every conceivable measurement anybody could want. You see, there is no real standardization in their industry, and none of them have ever met a whole number that was an acceptable dimension. For example, A KitchenAid KEBS277S measures 29-3/4" wide by 28-3/4" tall. But not so fast, they are the dimensions of of the front of the appliance, and while important, they are not what I'm looking for. Its maximum recessed width is 28-5/16" and its maximum recessed height is 27-1/2". Those recessed dimensions are closer to what I'm after, but what I really need is the guidelines for the opening dimensions in the cabinet where these appliances will actually be built in. In case you're wondering, those dimensions are 28-1/2" by 27-3/4". We always use width before height so if you want to sound like you know what you're talking about, rattle off dimensions as width first then height.
Anyhow, the point of that is I need those dimensions so I can have a cabinet built that will fit these appliances exactly. If I can't tell the cabinet maker these dimensions he can't build me the cabinet I need. They have to be exact because we're talking about a several thousand dollar cabinet here and there's no such thing as a return for custom work. So if I screw this up, I'm buying the replacement. Trust me, it's a mistake you only make once. No two wall ovens and no two microwave ovens have the same dimensions, hence my making such a big deal out of this.
Now, integrated microwaves are a piece of a scam in case you ask me. Most of them, no matter the emblem, are absolutely counter pinnacle microwaves with what we name a trim kit wrapped around them to lead them to match right into a hollow in a cupboard that's the equal width because the oven under them. So after I get specifications for a constructed in microwave, what I'm after sincerely is the scale of the trim package and the hole dimensions for the cabinet.
This is a Thermador countertop microwave oven.
This is a Thermador trim package.
Presto change-o, it's a built in microwave oven!
Now, I even have never pulled specs for Kenmore appliances before. So I went to their website and anticipated it to paintings the equal manner just about anybody else's does. But sadly, it does now not. Sears' website stinks. It spends extra time touting the virtues of the Blue Crew than it does allotting information. It's hard to navigate and the facts I needed became buried. There was no pro segment and no size guide. Ridiculous.
So I determined the information I wished for the whole thing after taking an excessive amount of time, and I concept I became wrapping up when I entered the version variety for the trim kit. There became no trim kit that matched my model quantity on their website. In truth, there were no trim kits length. Nice process Blue Crew.
The site listed a toll-free number and they assured me that it was staffed by trained professionals. I called. I poked through their phone tree and got connected with a guy who put me on hold immediately. The line went dead after a couple of minutes. Grrr. I called again and got a woman who put me on hold immediately. Double grrrrr. When she came back to the line I introduced myself and told her I needed some dimensions for the trim kit for a microwave oven. I explained that there was no mention of the trim kit on the website and that I couldn't order a very expensive kitchen until I got some dimensions. She put me on hold.
She came back on the line and I gave her the model number for the microwave and the trim kit. She looked up the microwave first. "Sir," she said, "that's a counter top microwave." I explained that I knew that and that all built in microwaves were actually counter top microwaves in disguise. This was news to her. I asked her to look up the dimensions for the trim kit. "Oh sir, that's in a different book. I need to put you on hold again."
She got here lower back to the line, "we haven't any dimensions for that."
I did not lose my cool. I explained to her that I had a list of model numbers from a Sears in Florida and that my clients had indeed purchased a trim kit from Sears. "Well, I don't know what to tell you sir." That's weird," I told her, because I couldn't find it on their website either. "Well, I wouldn't know. We can't get to the website from here."
I told her to forget I ever called, and I called the local Sears where the trim kit had been purchased originally. I combed through their phone tree too and finally reached someone in their appliance department. He couldn't help me because he had customers waiting and they were short handed. He knew what I was talking about at least and he took my number and promised to call me in an hour with the dimensions I needed. He called when he said he would but the only dimensions he had were for the trim kit itself, not the cut out the trim kit fits into.
In frustration I finally drove over to Sears and measured their ground model myself.
This isn't always the way to run the show whilst you want to end up a participant inside the appliance enterprise Sears. Why not take some of the critical coins you are spending on the Blue Crew TV and print spots and spend it rather on up to date spec books and some schooling in your skilled professionals? This would not bode well and you can relaxation assured that you have a kitchen fashion designer in Florida who is actively pointing his customers as a long way out of your doors as he can. I'll say it once more, please buy your appliances locally, from those who recognise and apprehend what they sell and who make a dwelling salary.