It was just before Thanksgiving when Jennifer Munson's fridge went on the fritz.
"We are currently at a space where it's only freezing the top shelf and the bottom shelf," said Munson, who uses a little container of water to monitor when her fridge is frozen.
The temperature gauge reads 39 degrees, but it's somehow below freezing on the bottom and top shelves.
The refrigerator was purchased in 2017, when Munson and her late husband Chris remodeled their Red Bank kitchen. Tragically, Munson's husband was later diagnosed with a rare soft tissue cancer.
"He's like, 'I'm going to beat this and then I'm going to help other people beat this as well,'" Munson said.
Munson carries out her husband's legacy with "Cause For A Ruckus," a nonprofit they founded to raise awareness and support families affected by Sarcoma disease. Before Chris died, he set up the charity and made sure his wife and their home were protected and covered, including their appliances, with a warranty by Sears Home Services.
"He thought that it was a good plan because refrigerators are expensive, and if we had to get a new one, if something happened, it would be better if they could come out and fix it," Munson said.
After six months of no shows, Munson says her fridge is still frozen, and that she's disappointed and does not believe this is how a company should operate.
That's when she turned to 7 On Your Side.
"I run a support group for widows who have lost their spouses and one of the women in there had seen you guys do one of these situations with another Sears refrigerator and she was like, oh my gosh you should call," Munson said.
Munson said she made a total of 13 appointments with Sears. Half of them they came and looked at it, tried to fix it, but it kept freezing. Munson then called 7 On Your Side, who got in touch with Sears Home Services, and within 60 minutes:
"I got an email from Sears that said, 'We had received your issue from WABC regarding your experience. After reviewing your service history, we have authorized a replacement," the email said in part.
So, when it comes to extended warranty, here's the bottom line.
The pros are it gives the consumer peace of mind on those surprise repairs and if you don't have a lot of savings to fix a big-ticket item. It's also very good for multiple appliances, like if you're putting them in a whole new kitchen.
The cons are that the costs can exceed value, which is why it's not really recommended for a single item. Appliances also tend to outlast their warranty window.
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