A mess of a a microwave replacement cleaned up by NBC10 Boston Responds

You probably use your microwave every day.  

A Marlborough, Massachusetts woman did, until hers broke.  And after months of trying to get a new one through her home warranty coverage, she reached out to our NBC10 Boston Responds team for help.  

“This was the Sears warranty that I paid for,” said Sheryl Primmer, pointing to her warranty paperwork.  “Repairs, replacement, delivery and installation.”

Primmer had purchased a Sears Home Warranty that covered her washer and dryer, refrigerator, dishwasher, range and microwave.

So when her microwave oven broke in May, she called Sears.

“I found out that Sears was no longer who I was dealing with,” said Primmer.   “I was dealing with Cinch, which I never heard of.”  

 Cinch is the home warranty provider on her Sears policy.

 “They told me that they would send a technician here to take a look at it, see if what they needed to do,” she said.

Primmer says her old microwave couldn't be fixed so they ordered her a new one.  But there was a delay in getting a white one to match her kitchen. 

“I waited a few weeks and nothing. Didn't hear from anybody,” she said.  “Kept calling…finally, I got a call saying that my microwave was in and they were going to come and deliver and install it.”

Two technicians came to her home in October to install the microwave.  But there was a problem. 

“They went to take out the old one, and they said they couldn't take the old one out,” Primmer explained. “And I said, why not? And they said, it won't come out. And they said, it's stuck to the tile…and so they left.”

Sheryl said she was told by Cinch customer service she had to get the old microwave removed before the new one could be installed.  So, she paid a handyman to do it.

“He went in front of the microwave, and he went like this, and it came right out,” she said, motioning with her hands.   “He said, now you can call them to install it….I called, and a technician finally came about, almost a month later.” 

But the installation still didn't happen. 

“He went to go put it in and none of his tools worked. He said my tools aren't charged,” Primmer told NBC10 Boston.  “He left the microwave on my counter, and I kept calling Cinch…they said that they were not going to come back and install it, that my case is closed.” 

Primmer said she was very upset, so she contacted NBC10 Boston Responds for help.   We reached out to Cinch on her behalf, and she said she got a call from the company a couple of days later.

“She said, have your handyman come, and this is what we'll do.  We will reimburse you for both times that your handyman had to come,” said Primmer.  “I said okay.  So, I called my handyman and he put it in and I sent the invoice and I did get a check in the mail.”

She was reimbursed $455.

Cinch tells us:

"The delay in finding a resolution for Ms. Primmer's claim does not align with our brand commitment to providing exceptional customer service and satisfaction.

"We deeply regret her experience and worked directly with Ms. Primmer to find the most timely and efficient manner possible to get her replacement microwave installed.

"The install was completed in November and Ms. Primmer was reimbursed in full for all services rendered."

Primmer is glad to have her kitchen back together.

“I was getting nowhere. And I didn’t know where else to turn, so I turned to you and thanks to you, I got a microwave,” she said.  “I will use you again if I have any other problems, because you helped me.”

If you have a consumer problem, contact NBC10 Boston Responds by filling out our online consumer complaint form. 

That’s the first step and we will get back to you.