Walmart Battery Core Charge

[SC Maintenance]

Every time I have returned a battery to walmart they say "set it outside" and give me my money back.

It goes to recycler who could care less if it has a charge or not.

 

[notharry]

My 4-1/2 yo battery went dead yesterday. Bought new Maxx (EP Deka). Today returned old battery to claim $12 core charge. They tested old battery and said it was good so core charge was not refundable. I talked to manager and she agreed to refund core charge.

What a stupid policy. I can see testing on a warranty claim but what about many people who preemptively replace batteries at some interval, say 4 years.

What do they care unless it was under warranty? Thats walmart people for you... I have had similer arguements. You did not bring it back within 30 days, was one. What differance does that make?? Yea it took a manager to fix it. Geez louise...

 

[f355spider]

I think an employee was trying to scam you into abandoning the battery, so they could claim the core for themselves. Good on you for sticking to your guns.

Never attribute to malice, what can be adequately explained by ignorance...

I would just assume they don't understand how the core charge works. Which is you simply need to return a car battery, the condition doesn't really matter as long as it is intact and not in pieces.

My own experience with two battery purchases in the past year and a half at Walmart is that few understand the policy. In both purchases I brought the old battery to them up front to customer service, (my purchases were online, I was only picking up) and it always took two people to study through the procedure on their terminal and discuss at length how to refund the core charge. In one case, at least 10 minutes...in another over 15 minutes as she had to call someone else in to assist. That last one, the gal admitted most customers do not come back with their core for the refund, so few knew the process. Both times I received a gift card for the core charge.

 

[Kira]

Never attribute to malice, what can be adequately explained by ignorance...

The poster you were rebutting, eljefino, was referring to dishonesty and stealing, not ignorance or malice.
Some ignorance comes with the territory. Malice is best left "unmused".

To the post immediately above:
Every transaction I witnessed ahead of mine involved every one of the desk personnel and several occasions where other employees had to be consulted. Those inevitable 'jabber fests' do point to ignorance.

It was a clown act I'd gladly pay the small premium incurred at any LAPS to avoid.
NOTE: It took an absence of G49 batteries everywhere else to get me to buy my first Walmart battery not that long ago.

Also, I do try to recognize the wretched positions some employees are in. Remember, Walmart is where low-lives return used oil and filter swapping is common. If employees harden in such an environment, I understand.
I simply want to limit my exposure to that kind of classlessness.

That said, lots of Walmart employees do their jobs just fine. My total number of experiences is lower than average but always civil and satisfying.
The occasional car related purchase and some grocery shopping when Upstate is it for me.

 

[kschachn]

Never attribute to malice, what can be adequately explained by ignorance...

I would just assume they don't understand how the core charge works. Which is you simply need to return a car battery, the condition doesn't really matter as long as it is intact and not in pieces.

My own experience with two battery purchases in the past year and a half at Walmart is that few understand the policy. In both purchases I brought the old battery to them up front to customer service, (my purchases were online, I was only picking up) and it always took two people to study through the procedure on their terminal and discuss at length how to refund the core charge. In one case, at least 10 minutes...in another over 15 minutes as she had to call someone else in to assist. That last one, the gal admitted most customers do not come back with their core for the refund, so few knew the process. Both times I received a gift card for the core charge.

But it does seem a bit more sophisticated here, the desk receiving the return had a tester and at least some knowledge of how to work it and what was an acceptable result.

 

[BrendanC]

recently wanted to upsize the battery in my wife’s accord as i did with my accord (51R is standard size, 24f fits like a glove) as they don’t offer a AGM in the OEM size of the accords. i got the battery to the counter and they asked what vehicle the battery was going in. i told them and they said there would be no warranty on the battery since it wasn’t stated to fit the vehicle. i told them have a nice day and went to another walmart that didn’t ask questions. my local walmart is a bear for anything battery related.


have had batteries on charge over night to test in the morning and they still require keeping the battery for HOURS to charge and test.

moral of the story, find a better walmart that doesn’t think they’re master mechanics

 

[kschachn]

recently wanted to upsize the battery in my wife’s accord as i did with my accord (51R is standard size, 24f fits like a glove) as they don’t offer a AGM in the OEM size of the accords. i got the battery to the counter and they asked what vehicle the battery was going in. i told them and they said there would be no warranty on the battery since it wasn’t stated to fit the vehicle. i told them have a nice day and went to another walmart that didn’t ask questions. my local walmart is a bear for anything battery related.


have had batteries on charge over night to test in the morning and they still require keeping the battery for HOURS to charge and test.

moral of the story, find a better walmart that doesn’t think they’re master mechanics

You mean the checkout lane? The high school kid asked you that?

 

[BrendanC]

You mean the checkout lane? The high school kid asked you that?

nope, our walmart has the batteries locked up and the person at the service counter has to go get it for you. it’s a lady probably in her late 60’s that thinks she is a master mechanic.

 

[kschachn]

nope, our walmart has the batteries locked up and the person at the service counter has to go get it for you. it’s a lady probably in her late 60’s that thinks she is a master mechanic.

Wow I would not have guessed that stores would have problems with automobile battery theft. That's a new one.

 

[Tdbo]

recently wanted to upsize the battery in my wife’s accord as i did with my accord (51R is standard size, 24f fits like a glove) as they don’t offer a AGM in the OEM size of the accords. i got the battery to the counter and they asked what vehicle the battery was going in. i told them and they said there would be no warranty on the battery since it wasn’t stated to fit the vehicle. i told them have a nice day and went to another walmart that didn’t ask questions.

When I put a 35 in my Accord, I had a guy behind the counter at NAPA try that garbage on me.
When he said that to me, I asked "How are you going to know what it came out of? Do you remove the faulty batteries personally?"
His answer was "No."

 

[Sayjac]

IMO, the WM store needs a store/TLE/ACC training or retraining session on the difference between a battery core return procedure and battery warranty return procedure. Don't know how many folks been ripped off by this practice, but I've not heard of it before. Crazy.

 

[John105]

I think an employee was trying to scam you into abandoning the battery, so they could claim the core for themselves. Good on you for sticking to your guns.

If the battery were good, it’s worth more than $12. I would, and do, keep them. I use them in the event of a power outage with an inverter. I have 3 used batteries and 2 inverters.

 

[BrendanC]

When I put a 35 in my Accord, I had a guy behind the counter at NAPA try that garbage on me.
When he said that to me, I asked "How are you going to know what it came out of? Do you remove the faulty batteries personally?"
His answer was "No."

exactly. when i pronounce a dead battery it comes out of the vehicle and onto a charger until charger says good then goes back to walmart for the test. why would i want to change the battery in a walmart parking lot when i can do it at home or at my second job.

 

[JHZR2]

I bet head office would like to hear about that, they strongly frown on stores trying to pull crap like that.
I reported a walmart store to head office, and the store manager personally called to apologize within 3 hours, and I was sent a $500 giftcard.

How did you report the store to the head office? By letter? Call? Most corporate support seems to be foreign, and line management may call to apologize, but won’t make things right.

I generally despise Walmart.

 

[pcoxe]

I think the clerk confused warranty claim with core return. A core is a core and I've turned in dead UPS backup batteries before so I could use the remaining life out of a weak battery in UPS service.

 

[TimeFlies]

How did you report the store to the head office? By letter? Call? Most corporate support seems to be foreign, and line management may call to apologize, but won’t make things right.

I generally despise Walmart.

I called them, they were pulling a scam on SD cards, and pissed me off.

 

[kschachn]

I called them, they were pulling a scam on SD cards, and pissed me off.

And got a $500 gift card. That’s quite a haul.

I got $5 from SBUX once because I had to wait in line a long time. You’re 100x that.

 

[TimeFlies]

They had SD cards in a locked up cabinet, with glass front so i could see them. I said to an employee yes I want 3 of those cards, and the price was clearly marked on the hook they hung on.
But once at the till he tried to charge me about triple the marked price, and refused to honor the clearly marked price. I told him that was illegal, he told me to f off.
I went to the customer service xesk, and asked for a number to their corporate offi e.
Took the lady about 5 minutes to get me the number, but she did. I called, and had about a 15 minute chat with some lady somewhere. She took down details, including the employees name, what I was buying etc.
About 3 hours later the store manager called me and apologized, and said the employee had already been talked to, and will never do that again, please come to the store, and pick up my $500 giftcard.

 

[KE7JFF]

When I worked on the supplier side of retail, I know that some Wal-Marts had some "store specific" policies that weren't approved by corporate in Arkansas. Some of them were the result of a recurring swindle, then some of then were actually were "policies" that employees created so they would "win." I'm wondering here perhaps the employee tested the battery with the intention of either cashing out the core return money for himself or take the battery.