Outrageous Price For Parts From Sears

[frigilux]

OK, I've never ordered a part before. I trade most of my appliances before they need repairs. Until tonight.

I was heating something in the microwave (Kenmore) and heard a loud 'pop'. Upon opening it, I found the glass tray had broken into two amazingly even halves.

The microwave is only a year old and works perfectly, so I decided to order a new glass tray, to the tune of $66.14. With shipping & tax, the total came to...are you sitting down?.....$85.34!!!

For a freaking glass tray? Are you freaking kidding me?! The whole goddamn oven only cost $150.

They really want to sell new products and not parts for the old ones, don't they?

My new get-rich-quick scheme: Doing home invasions, stealing nothing but glass trays from microwaves, then setting up an online black market for them.

Thanks for listening to me vent.

 

[andrewinorlando]

Eugene - about 10 years ago, I had to replace the ceramic try in my Kenmore micro-convection oven...just a white, square ceramic dish that supposedly reflects microwaves into the food. Well, that try 10 years ago was about $65. Ripoff, indeed, but at least that oven was almost $500 when I bought it in 1988, so didn't feel so bad. But you're right...ripoff.

 

[DADoES]

I've always heard that microwave glass trays are very expensive. Dunno why. If your microwave is busted and you're tossing it to the trash ... save the glass tray!

 

[danemodsandy]

You're Lucky At That...

...I used to have a TOL Sears Powermate vac and an MOL Sears steam cleaner, both about 10 years old. I needed a new hose for the vac and a new floor tool for the steam cleaner a couple of years ago. Both parts were NLA, obsoleting both appliances. I was lucky enough to find a floor tool for the steam cleaner in a thrift, and I replaced the vac. It was not with a Sears, trust me. I wrote a letter of comment to Sears, but since they've had two years to respond and haven't done so, I have to assume they don't value my opinion or business. Enough is enough- no more Sears for me. There was a time when all my majors and most of my smalls were Sears. Now, very little is, and when it's time to replace those few items, it won't be from them.

 

[launderess]

Where America Shops

Ebay! *LOL*

Whenever I need something in a non-emergency situation, the first place I hit is fleabay. Chances are if you know how to search, you will find. If it isn't there that day, it will probably turn up sooner or later. Ebay is like that drawer in everyone's kitchen, when ever you cannot find something, or are looking for something, check there first. *LOL*

Time was appliance makers priced upfront for quality goods, and took the hit on replacement parts, as so few things really broke. Today with all the made in Asia garbarge, quailty has gone out the window, but prices are "lower". Sure they are, because when something breaks, and make no mistake,it will; they get you on the replacement part. It's like printers: the actual printer is cheap, they get you on ink refills.

L.

 

[panthera]

Sears

A friend of mine worked for Sears back in the 80's. Lived over here in Europe for quite a while, went back to the US, back to Sears...
And she was so disgusted by the management attitude towards customers that she left.
No doubt about it, SEARS has some good stuff. But their current mentality is just one step ahead of K-Mart and their Blue-Light Specials of the 1970's...
Oh, hmm, right. Guess Sears felt they'd feel right at home in their corporate mentality.
I have had SEARS parts people tell me downright lies about NLA and so on and so forth, gone down the street to Whirlpool and had the part cross referenced and in me hot little hands in no time...several times now.
I have to buy brand new appliance for my parents because my dear brother does not recognize the value of vintage appliances and they get thrown out and replaced with brand new stuff. But for myself...well, except for microwaves, can't think of anything built after the late 60's which is really of better quality.

 

[panthera]

ARC

Was so busy ranting, forgot to mention...lots of thrift stores like ARC have those glass and ceramic parts on sale in their stores. They get in lots of microwaves which are past any usefulness, so take the glass plates, rack and ceramic stuff out, trash the rest.
Savers does, too.
If you can't find a turntable, there are two solutions. One, epoxy it back together. Two, they still make those wind-up rotating turntables for microwaves. Saw one at Walmart just before I left the 'States. Was less than 10$.

 

[dj-gabriele]

85,34 ?!?!

I just replaced the rotating glass tray for my microwave, ordered it last week from whirlpool and it costed me 10€ no more no less!!! Wohah! At Sears they're really stealing!!!

 

[paulg]

No epoxy please

Don't epoxy a microwave tray back together. Unfortunately you don't know the reactivity of the epoxy when exposed to microwaves. The epoxy may soften, melt, burn or fume.
Certainly replace the tray somehow. That cavity is tuned with the rotating tray in place. Using a microwave with a turntable missing or malfunctioning may create other troubles (ex: plastic on door melts / hot spots).
... I too have been exasperated by Sears' pricing on parts. But then again, Sears has charged a king's ransom for their parts for years and years. Whatcha gonna do? I'll tell you what I do. Although I appreciate the general quality of Sears products - I have no new Kenmore (or other private label brand) in my house. I have no intention to be married to their service for the rest of time. My Kitchenaids, Whirlpools, Speed Queens etc allow me to use most of the nation's independent servicers if I must use one. Oh I am sure y'all are going to argue my point. It IS true that an independent can substitute parts from (ex Whirlpool to Sears and back - but do you REALLY want STAN the repairman to arbitrarily substitute parts? Personally that is what I've found gets a LOT of people into bad reliability issues. How many times I've heard "My XXX brand product was lousy, I'll never buy another". However, after forensic examination you find it chock full of substitute parts. Lousy service is what kills a good product frequently. I go back to original parts (whatever the cost) unless the part is absolutely positively NLA - then I sub.

 

[panthera]

Paul,

I note that there are patents for epoxy coated microwave cookware; that epoxy joins may be hardened in the microwave and some microwave components are encased in epoxy,
Is there something I'm missing here? I sure don't want to poison anyone...

 

[paulg]

Arbitrary epoxies

Indeed there are probably epoxies that exist that are microwave safe. However that doesn't mean every epoxy is microwave safe. The average joe will just buy the first epoxy they see at the hardware store and believe it to be safe. In my opinion, unless one is a an engineer proficient with chemistry and microwaves, one should stay away from arbitarily picking an epoxy to use in a microwave.

 

[whirlcool]

We have a 1976 model Litton Model 412 microwave sitting in our storage bin. It's in perfect condition, but the glass plate that goes inside of it broke. I'd hate to throw the whole unit away. The thing has never had a breakdown since we bought it new. But I can't find the glass plate replacement at all.
The users guide said to never run the unit without the glass plate in place.

 

[paulg]

Glass floors

I don't believe your Litton has a turntable. I'm not sure if it is the white glass floor that broke on this oven or a clear glass tray that sits upon the floor. If it is the floor that broke, it is probably a ceramic white floor. These are tough to replace as Litton is out of the microwave business. These ceramic floors (or glass trays that sit upon them) are usually about an inch or so above the cavity's absolute bottom. Defeating the floor really reduces the oven's efficiency as the floor is carefully placed so the waves reflect down and into the bottom of the food. Using the unit without the floor either results in very poor cooking or food collection that gathers at the bottom and corrodes the unit. I don't recall if that Litton uses a stirrer beneath the floor. If so, using the unit without the floor or tray is a big no-no.

 

[whirlcool]

The glass plate that went inside the oven was a plain translucent glass. Smooth on one side and bumpy on the other. It was easily removed for cleaning. What happened to it was Karen was heating some popcorn and during the cooking process the glass plate exploded sending glass all over the inside of the oven.

The bottom of the over is a depression about 1" deep. There is no stirrer down there. This glass covered it up. I remember a long time ago a guy who repaired Litton microwaves said that if the glass ever breaks you can get a metal/ceramic floor for the oven like the later models had, you just caulk it in place with clear silicone caulking.

I am beinging to wonder if either of these options is NLA.

 

[sudsmaster]

Well, I guess I feel better now for having kept the glass turntable platters (and in one case, a square glass tray from a small non-turntable mw) all these years. OK, it's only two, but one never knows when one will drop one of those things.

 

[andrewinorlando]

Laundress is right about Fleabay! Got me a genuine Electrolux hose for my 30 year old Super J vacuum, brand new, for $15 on Ebay. Can't beat that.

 

[petek]

Post a picture of your microwave and the tray if you can, dimensions. I often see old mw's at thrift stores, sometimes complete, sometimes just the glass trays.

Re the Littons, we had one about 76/77 and it didn't use a glass tray, just had the ceramic floor, was a full size model, the timer was the old type digital (mechanical) wheels you turned with a thumbwheel and two rocker switches one for on/off one for defrost.

 

[paulg]

Blasted popcorn bags

Those popcorn bags develop hot spots that shatter trays. Bummer.
Believe it or not, those bumps on the bottom of the glass help distribute the microwaves. Glass is not 100% transmissive and so the little bumps do shake the beams up a bit in the cavity.
It is true that the floor has a caulk-like gasket holding it into place. That stops heated food ooze and goo from running into the bottom causing the corrosion. A metal floor wouldn't be available as it would detune the cavity.