Our old car had it’s battery replaced with one from *gulp* Wal Mart about a year ago. I know, I know, I avoid shopping their too, but it was at a good price, had a three year warranty and was conveinient, so I bought it. It officially crapped out last week, at less than a year old, so I took it back to the Wal Mart I bought it at, which is approx 35 miles from my house. I was told there was a line to check the batteries and it would be about an hour or so before they could look at it. They took my name and cell phone number and said that they would call me as soon as they had a chance to check it. Consequently, I set out to kill some time.
After about 2 and a half hours, I decided to go back and see what the hold up was. Turns out they had checked it and hour and 45 minutes ago, and sure enough, it was dead. (duh) They went and got me a new battery and then had to call a Customer Service rep to handle the actual swap out because the folks in the auto place aren’t about to do it.
After a 15 minute wait the customer service person showed up and asked me if I had a reciept. I said no but that the battery clearly had the purchase date on it, along with the Wal Mart warranty and instructions. She sighed and rolled her eyes and began punching stuff in on the register and eventually several pieces of paper spewed forth, one of which I had to sign and the other, I was told, was my new warranty. I smiled, thanked them, took my leave of Wally World and drove the 35 miles back home.
I arrived home, rested for about an hour after my urban adventures and then decided to go install the new battery. I popped the hood on the car, hefted the battery onto its new home, grabbed the cables and then…immediately noticed that the posts on this battery were on the opposite sides of the battery than the others. I tried crossing them, but the cables weren’t long enough. I tried turning the battery around 180 degrees but alas, the leads would not reach in this configuration either. After a few carefully chosen explitives, I knew that my urban adventures were far from over. I grabbed the battery and the warranty (they had not given me a reciept) and jumped in my car and eaded the 35 miles back to town.
I arrived at Wally World, grabbed a cart and hauled the battery back to the automotive dept. I explained my plight to the man who was at the counter who seemed very confused. I explained again about the posts being backwards and I needed the model with the opposite configuration. He scratched his head and asked what kind of car I was putting it in. “What does that matter!”, I wondered. But, I told him the type of car and he looked it up in his little, yellow book.
“You tried to put that one into your car?” he said pointing to the battery. “That’s not the one it says you should use. See, that’s the FS…you want the S.”
“Because the terminals are reversed, right?” I asked. He acted as if I hadn’t said anything.
“So why did you buy this one?”
I felt my blood pressure begin to rise. “Well, like I said, I didn’t. I brought back an ‘S’ and your tech grabbed me an ‘FS’ accidentally for the exchange. I need the exchanged for an ‘S’ please.” He looked confused so I decided to try to help him out (big mistake) Since the Customer Service person who had actually done the exchange hand an unusual name that I remembered AND I had seen her manning that silly podium thing they have in front of the check outs at all Wal Marts, I thought maybe she could short this out.
“M***** was the lady who exchanged it for me,” I offered. He picked up the phone and paged a Customer Service Rep to Automotive.” Hmmm…this guy is not the brightest bulb in the pack. “Umm…M***** was working at that podium in front of the check out stands when I walked in.”
“I’m not sure if she is still here,” he responded. “She was just a few minutes ago when I walked by.”
He sighed and seemed to try to look up the number for the stand where M***** was perched but failed. Instead, he paged her and asked her to call automotive. Soon the phone rang and he attempted to tell M***** who I was and what was wrong, a task he failed at miserably, but she said she was on the way.
As M***** rounded the corner, I felt some relief and my blood pressure begin to slowly drop. Finally someone who knew what was going on. I tried to explain yet again what had happened. She sighed and rolled her eyes in that way that says ‘Why are you wasting my time you pimple on the rear end of progress?” I began to feel my blood pressure rise again. She put a key in the machine and started tapping the keys. I handed her the warranty she had just given me 2 hours before and she also asked for my ID. She began tapping the keys again. About halfway through this process, she paused and turned to look at me.
“Now sir, Wal Mart policy is you can only do 3 exchanges without a reciept. This is your second.”
“Umm…no, this is my first. I admit to bringing back the battery earlier today without a reciept, and that’s 1. But you guys gave me the wrong battery and you didn’t give me a reciept, just a warranty slip, which I brought back.”
She just looked at me with a blank stare. I thought maybe a little clarification of my position was called for. “You can’t expect me to be responsible for the fact that YOU GUYS got me the wrong replacement and YOU GUYS didn’t give me a reciept.” Again blank stare. Then she turns and goes back to tapping the keys. Again, the machine vomits a ton of paperwork of which I have to sign one and then she hands me a warranty.
“Excuse me, but where is my reciept?” I asked.
“You didn’t return it with a reciept so we don’t give you one for the exchange,” she replied.
“But you just tried to count it against me when I had to bring it back without a reciept. I have no reciept if I need to bring it back again.”
“Sir, Wal Mart policy is that if you don’t return it with a reciept, then we don’t give you a new one.” I shot her the same blank stare she had shot me earlier, picked up my battery, walked out of the store and drove the 35 miles AGAIN back to my house. So much for living green.
The only good part of the story is, when I got home, I dropped the battery in, connected the cables and it started right up. That being said, I am renewing my efforts to avoid Wal Mart at all costs.
