Sears Home Improvements, are they really the only choice as their sales rep in my home claimed them to be? I got an estimate quite some time ago and here are a few interesting points I used in my decision making process before, during and after I had a Sears sales rep out, now you decide.

1. Kmart bought out Sears a few years ago, it's not the other way around.

2. Sears' home improvement products are bought and made from the same manufacturers who manufacture and distribute very similar, if not the same products to many of other companies and contractors. The Sears rep slammed the other companies by telling me how superior Sears' Home Improvement Products are yet Sears shops and purchases Sears products from the same manufacturers where much of the Sears' competition does too? Looks like Sears does not solely develop any products to take to market like the sales rep said, they just linked up with existing manufacturers already manufacturing products.

3. The Sears sales rep used a "buy today and today only and get an additional 10% off" on the day he arrived at my home. I found out why seeing that the Sears estimate was two, three and four times more than any of the other reputable, "Better Business Bureau" clean companies quoted. Home Depot was less and didn't require the "buy today or the price goes up tomorrow" high pressure tactic. Based on the outrageously high Sears quote, I see why the sales rep hoped I buy that day and not get any other estimates. Any then he wanted me to put it on a Sears Home Improvement card he'd set up for me charging at least 15% interest.

4. Days after I declined to buy that day, someone from Sears called me back to offer me a "better deal" than the first sales rep gave me. Why not just offer me that "deal" the first day they were out? I wonder how many buy from Sears the first day never knowing that they could have bought for less only days later.

5. The "lifetime warranty" offered by Sears was only covered for a few years by Sears and then the rest was picked up from the manufacturer. Which the manufacturer said was pretty much the same warranty I would receive from any of the other companies and contractors that buy their product from that same manufacturer that also sells to Sears.

6. Chicago's Sears Tower, the tallest building in America is got a new name, the Willis Tower after London-based Willis Group Holdings. I figured they should have named it the Wal-Mart Tower seeing how Wal-Mart took Sears' old claim to fame as being the largest retailer. I also remember an article this past year that stated Sears might not make it through the year since the majority of it's worth was in real estate and not earnings. That makes me not too sure how much that Sears home improvement warranty is really worth.

7. Sears' installers are not employees. They are contractors and companies who can install their own work and install the work for Sears for a whole lot more money than if I had called them directly.

8. A buddy of mine bought a Sears Air Conditioner and the "Sears installer" ended up being a local Air Conditioning Company that picked up the unit from the local distributor, stuck a Kenmore sticker on it after installed and then finished up the day by installing one of their own jobs later that day. That AC company told my buddy that that is how Sears does air conditioning everywhere. It seems like they may use hundreds, if not thousands of different companies and contractors to do the installations. So, how can the Sears home improvements be so much better than all other companies and contractors if a bunch of other companies and contractors are installing all of the Sears work?

9. I also have an issue with the Sears sales rep telling me that their installers are all drug tested and back ground checked. A co-worker of mine told me that over the four day installation of her Sears vinyl siding there was one main installer that confirmed that he was drug tested and background checked but the different day laborers he picked up each day were not, did not have to be and that she had to just trust his judgment. That goes against what the sales rep told me.

10. I recall on a few different days, when walking through the Sears Store, I noticed more employees working than customers shopping. (When we go to the mall on rainy days we always park in front of Sears since we know we can generally find a close parking place up front since they never seem to be all that busy.)

Those are the top 10 reasons I did not buy from Sears Home Improvements. I probably would have kept all of this to myself had the Sears sales rep not acted like I was an idiot for not buying from him and Sears. All while he sat in the comfort of my house!