CHICAGO (WLS) — When a much-needed appliance breaks in your home, you may count on a warranty service to step in and make things right.

But some frustrated customers say that’s not what’s happening with Sears Home Services, a warranty company run by the legacy brand Sears.

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They claim repair requests are dragging on for weeks, appointments are canceled at the last minute, and they’re left without the appliances.

Sears Home Services says it takes care of every customer as quickly as possible, but the Better Business Bureau says there have been hundreds of similar complaints.

Algonquin resident Mahmoud Khalili says he’s been his cooking without an oven for almost a year and a half.

“I feel very frustrated,” Khalili said.

He pays Sears Home Services $57 a month for his warranty coverage, but he says he’s been getting the runaround.

“I say to her, ‘I don’t know how you would feel if this happened to you or your family.’ And then the lady over the phone says, ‘Sorry’ and, ‘There’s nothing we can do. We have to escalate your situation to upper management,'” Khalili said.

Kahlili says the oven stopped working in June 2024. First, he said, Sears was going to replace the part. Then, the part wouldn’t work. Then, they were searching for a new part. And then, they promised him a payout.

“They told me, ‘In a couple days, you’re going to get the check.’ Which, I didn’t get the check,” Kahlili said.

You can hear his frustration on a call he recorded with a customer service rep in August of this year.

“They told me they are going to send another person to get it fixed. I just keep calling for 13 months, get the same promise!” Kahlili said.

So, he called the ABC7 I-Team for help. After our involvement, Sears Home Services issued a check for almost $1,600, the “full replacement value.”

They apologized for the delay, saying, “We regret the difficulty Mr. Khalili encountered when he was seeking to get his range repaired.”

The company said one repair was completed in December of 2024. It didn’t work. The company added that its “top priority is the satisfaction of our customers.”

Rosemont resident William Raimondi also paid a monthly warranty for his combo microwave and oven, but he was without both appliances for nearly four months.

“They were going to come out. They canceled, canceled, canceled,” Raimondi said. “I got mad, because we were in the house all day long, waiting for them, waiting, and then, they would call.”

He and his niece say Sears Home Services techs were scheduled to inspect the broken appliance but canceled at least a dozen times.

“Day after day, we sat here and waited and waited and waited,” Raimondi said.

When a technician did show, Raimondi said, “He says, ‘We cannot fix this. We don’t have the parts because the unit is too old. What I’m going to suggest the company is going to reimburse you to go and buy a new one.'”

He finally got a check, after four months, for $2,928.

“I was surprised that they sent it,” Raimondi said.

Sears Home Services said, “We regret the difficulty Mr. Raimondi encountered… We acknowledge there were several times he was rescheduled, and from a customer standpoint, it would feel worse.” The company also said, “We sincerely apologize Mr. Raimondi did not receive the level of service we strive to provide.”

Better Business Bureau President Steve Bernas says it’s common for warranty companies to relay on third-party repair workers.

“Usually, the delay we’re seeing is when Sears hires that third party independent contractors to assist them and basically those contractors are not controlled by Sears so they can cancel or reschedule any given time,” Bernas said. “These complaints with Sears Home Services are in the hundreds as well and they are resolved when brought to their attention by the BBB, some take weeks, some take months”

Sears Home Services points out that it has “an A+ rating with BBB because we work hard to satisfy customers.” The company says, “Parts availability can cause delays, and the unfortunate need to reschedule an appointment.”

Kahlili says he’s excited to get his warranty money, so he doesn’t have any more calls like this one.

“You guys keep promising somebody going to call me or take care of this action. It didn’t happen for 13 months, same story,” Kahlili said in that call.

No matter which company you go with, is it worth buying a warranty on your appliances?

Experts say you should carefully figure out the cost of the warranty versus the cost of replacing it with a new appliance. Research any warranty company and read the fine print to make sure you are fully covered on most types of repairs.