yay for kragen / getting paid to be a dumbass...
So last year when i went to use my van after a few months, the battery was dead. I could sometimes jump it but the charge wasn't holding. I went to trade the battery in to the place i had held as my new favorite local auto store. admittedly i got a kid i rarely dealt with, but he started blathering on about what it would take to test the battery for them to prorate it for me
Instead of dealing with him and the attitude he had or coming back later, i just went to Kragen. I ponied up for a new battery and everything was grand. And, for awhile, i was using the van once a month to make sure things worked and it would be happy. But then that stopped. And so did the battery being charged.
So the battery ended up dead again. I tried charging it and it did better, but still would flake out. And then stopped altogether.
I took it in to Kragen. A different branch than i guess i bought it from, so they had some weird calling and checking to do. And they had everything by phone number and i used a weird number so there were some issues, but eventually they verified that i bought it from them and put it on the tester.
5 min later they complained that i had put in too much water and said it would be another 5 min. So i went around and got an oil filter and air filter because i dont want to repeat last year's air filter experience. After another 5 min they said it was looking good, but they needed to charge it for longer to really see and to come back after an hour.
I say they, but i should say 7 ft tall Justin. That's what his name tag says. I noticed something new on the counter. It was a shelf that was tall enough i could slide my battery under. As 7 ft tall Justin went to punch in my order, he used the keyboard on that shelf to enter it in. I was happy to see 7 ft tall Justin there because he's pretty damn friendly and helpful. Like someone in a small town auto parts store type attitude.
But anyway... so... i go back. 7 ft tall Justin isnt but the folks are still reasonably helpful and friendly. They scold me (again) for putting in too much water. They scold me for not putting a battery maintainer, or AT LEAST unplugging a terminal on the battery.
Then they ask me for all my info again. And then again when computer A can't talk to computer B, but they apologize for that. (This time, it's actually a they because 2 guys are handling different parts of this as they both deal with other customers while stuff is waiting.)
Finally the guy asks me if i still want 2 sets of terminals because i can save over $10 by getting the kind w/ only the side mount terminals my van uses. I'm confused at this point because i'm wondering how i can save money on an exchange, but i know the top posts are a lot easier for using with the chargers, so i keep them.
He goes and gets a new battery. Punches more stuff in. Finally hands me off to the other guy because he needs to look up a part.
The guy keys things in to the register, the drawer opens and he digs out $10.83.
Apparently the battery is now cheaper and because i killed my battery within 2 years, i get a 100% exchange.
Somehow, after everything was said and done i now have a new battery and $11. All for me being a dumbass about my battery in the first place.
And Kragen wins my repeat business for supporting my dumbassness.