Dear ABC News Fixer: Free Shipping With Christmas Coming

Sept. 19, 2013 — -- Dear ABC News Fixer: Earlier this year, Sears and Kmart ran an online promotion for their Shop Your Way Max program, which would give free shipping for a year to members who spent more than $79.

Since I was in the trial phase of my Shop Your Way membership, the promo would add the year of free shipping to my free three-month trial.

I called and spoke with three different people, asking whether I needed to make one purchase for $79. All three assured me that I could do multiple transactions, as long as I met the $79 total.

I did that, spending $118.25. But I never got the additional one year of free shipping.

I started emailing, calling and tweeting, but after a month of being sent back and forth, I gave up. Then, yesterday morning, I received an email saying my membership would expire Aug. 21.

Please help me. Christmas is coming up and I do most of my shopping online.

- Betty Salgado, Hanover Park, Ill.

Dear Betty: We've got good news and bad news. Apparently, there was a miscommunication, because the people at Sears Holdings Corp. told us that the $79 purchase needed to be made in one transaction of non-clearance apparel.

That said, they felt bad that you'd apparently been given incorrect information. To make up for that, they decided to use the purchases you did make to qualify you for the promotion. Even better, they extended your original membership to Oct. 10, so with the free year, you'll now have until Oct. 10, 2014 to get free shipping.

The program covers most shipping charges for Sears or Kmart merchandise, with certain exclusions such as delivery of appliances and items from their marketplace merchants.

You're smart to consider shipping costs for holiday shopping. As we get closer to the holidays, savvy shoppers also might want to check out FreeShippingDay.com for info about this year's Dec. 18 free shipping day, in which thousands of merchants will offer free shipping with delivery by Christmas Eve.

- The ABC News Fixer

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