The holiday season is a busy time in the kitchen, that's what makes a working oven even more important. One Borrego Springs woman learned that the hard way when she tried to bake some Thanksgiving pies and her brand-new electric range wouldn't heat.
"I put the oven on preheat at 350 degrees and left," Blythe Cavanaugh told NBC 7 Responds during a Feb. 17 interview. "I came back 20 minutes later and the entire panel had gone dark."
Cavanaugh tried to get her new oven working, but it never heated up. So she called Sears to schedule a repair. Sears reached out to a local shop and ordered the parts.
When the parts finally arrived in January, Cavanaugh called the repair shop and got some bad news.
"She said 'I have bad news for you. We're going out of business today,'" said Cavanaugh. "This had gotten ridiculous so I tried to find somebody at Sears with some authority."
Sears told Cavanaugh they could send another technician to visit in March, almost four months after she first called about the broken oven.
"I spent one Monday all morning on the phone," said Cavanaugh. "I finally went and laid down on my bed because I was going to have a stroke over this if I didn't stop."
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That's when she reached out to NBC 7 Responds. We contacted Sears and within a few days they reached out to Cavanaugh. They told her the manufacturer didn't have replacement parts, so they would refund her $680 purchase.
"I was operating with a microwave and a toaster oven," said Cavanaugh. "You definitely made a difference. I'd probably still be without a working stove if I hadn't thought to contact Consumer Bob."
In a statement to NBC 7, Sears said:
"At Sears, the satisfaction of our members is our top priority. We have provided Ms. Cavanaugh with a full refund and have picked up the non-working range. The manufacturer was unable to supply the part needed and unfortunately, we did not have a comparable range that could be delivered without further delay. We hope she remains a loyal Sears customer and Shop Your Way member.”
