Walmart battery warranty problem,,, AGAIN...

[fishrdan]

Someone remind me why I should buy an automotive battery at Walmart again?....

Here's what I went through with my truck battery and today I had another Walmart battery fiasco when the car battery died. Well it didn't completely die, but the engine was cranking really slow and the battery was dropping to 8-9V while starting the engine (meter on battery).

After testing the bad battery they said I had 2 options;

1- pay the pro-rated price and get a replacement battery without a warranty ($37)
2- pay the full price and get a battery with a warranty ($89+tax)

I opted to pay $37 for a replacement, and they proceeded to rip the stickers off the battery I purchased... I kind of feel like I was scammed as the old EverStart battery had over 5 years of warranty left on it, but the replacement EverStart battery I paid for does not have any warranty. (The 5 years worth of warranty left off the old battery just evaporated.)

The main reason I bought the batteries at Walmart was for the ease of getting a battery replaced (WalMarts are everywhere), but I don't think that's much of a consideration anymore as their longest battery warranty is only 3 years now. The truck EverStart battery died at 3 years 5 months and the car EverStart battery died at 3 years 11 months, a 3 year warranty would have been useless. I guess Walmart EverStart batteries are just inferior as both the truck and car had OEM batteries that lasted 7-8 years, but the EverStarts wouldn't even last 4 years.

Oh well, I probably have another 3 years before I have to go battery shopping again.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Walmart battery warranty problem,,, AGAIN...

I'd say you got hosed... you should still have the remainder of your original warranty.... in fact with your receipt you probably still do...

I have 2 wallyworld batts that are going on 7 yrs old and still fine and one that I think is done for although it is on the slow charger for the 3rd day in a row right now and fingers are slowly uncrossing..... it's closer to 10 years old..... I wonder if you may have some other issue killing your batts.... ie overcharging, undercharging, low water.... obviously it's unlikely with two vehicles but just sayin....

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Walmart battery warranty problem,,, AGAIN...

I'd say you got hosed... you should still have the remainder of your original warranty.... in fact with your receipt you probably still do...

I'm not sure how that would work as they ripped the stickers off the top of the battery, no barcode, date of manufacture, etc. I still have the original receipt (didn't take it with me), but without the stickers on the battery, I think I'm SOL on the original 108 month warranty continuing any longer.

Oh yeah, they also stuck me with a $9 core charge,,, I was too rushed to notice it at the store. As I was driving home I was adding it up in my head and what they charged me didn't make sense, so I looked at the receipt, $9 core charge. I have to go back later this week and get that straightened out.

(I said the pro-rated replacement battery cost $37 in my original post, but it was actually $47...)

I doubt there is anything wrong with either vehicle's electrical system as they would be wiping out batteries quicker than 3-4 years if there was a problem. I'm in the desert though, so the heat takes it's toll. I check the batt's electrolyte level a couple times a year (while changing oil, filters, etc.) and add a bit of distilled water when needed. I didn't look at it today as the batt was a goner, 8-9V under load....

 

[JB]

Re: Walmart battery warranty problem,,, AGAIN...

Been using Everstart batteries in everything for years. Never had a problem and never had to claim a warranty. Guess I am lucky.

 

[salty87]

Re: Walmart battery warranty problem,,, AGAIN...

i guess i got lucky too. went there with dead battery from used car we bought a few years ago. lady swapped it out for me, no charge whatsoever. thank goodness for the stickers on the battery...i had no receipt, i didn't buy the old one. i guess i paid the previous owner for it.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Walmart battery warranty problem,,, AGAIN...

I spoke to a manager and got some insight on WalMart's new battery policy (which does not include pro-rating batteries). When they sell a battery with a 3 year warranty, they will replace it for free for 3 years, that's it. If you swap batteries at 2 years, the new battery will only have 1 year of warranty on it. This isn't like the old days when you replaced a pro-rated battery and the warranty clock was reset for another 5-6--9 years. This seems fair enough as long as you know what you are buying, going into the deal.

For replacing my pro-rated battery they honored the pro-rated price (excluding the $9 core they added in ), but treated the replacement batteries warranty under the new policy,,, over 3 years and there is no warranty. The manager did agree that I should have the remainder of the original batteries pro-rated warranty (which isn't all that great in future years, no clock reset to 5-6--9 years), but when I pointed out that there are no stickers on the battery for warranty purposes, he didn't know what they would do. I take it that I don't have a warranty anymore, but will see what he has to say when he calls back.

I'm just posting this up so others can learn from my experience. Honestly, I don't think WalMart's EverStart is the "best bang for the buck" battery anymore. Other batteries might (might) cost more initially, but when they fail it's cheaper to replace them. 2 batteries in 4 years with prorated coverage would be around $150, 2 EverStarts in 4 years would cost $200+-. I guess it depends on where you are located and the climate the battery lives in. Out here, 3-4 years of battery life for an inexpensive replacement (non-OEM) battery is pretty common.