SELLING BATTERIES IS A BIG HEADACHE
While on the subject, I will say this---
selling batteries to the public is the biggest headache a business can have.
Businesses that sell batteries to John Q. Public do so only as a convenience to their customers.
From before my birth, until a few years ago, we sold batteries, LOTS OF BATTERIES, DEKAs, Interstates, Goulds, Safemark Big Kicks, Hesters (start and go with HESTER---you gotta be old to remember that one
), and many many more whose names escape my memory.
Out of all the various brands, there is no single one that stands out as being better than any other---except maybe the GOULD---it might have been just a hair better---maybe.
Regardless of the brand, there was always a couple of pallet-fulls of "adjustments" (take backs, returns, whatever) for the battery man whenever he ran his route.
The price mark-up on batteries is huge; it has to be, because they know that customers will lie cheat and steal whenever batteries are concerned.
Many is the battery that I have warrantied, when there was absolutely nothing wrong with it.
In most cases, it would turn out to be the starter, alternator, regulator, crappy cables, crappy connections, and most usually a combination of all of the above.
I have taken batteries out of the "return" pile and used them problem-free for years.
About five years ago, we finally had all the battery route guys to remove their racks and we are no longer plagued with the battery business; no longer do we have to listen to otherwise good people lie like dogs to one up the battery company.
Getting rid of the battery racks and getting out of the battery business was the most positive move we ever made for our business.
Without a doubt, every single battery we sold over the years cost us at least twenty bucks loss per battery sold.
(It would bubble out acid as it sat in the truck) I turned it upside down over the service counter.
Took my cash refund and bought Die hards.
