TIP: Battery Warranty?

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kingwoodshell
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TIP: Battery Warranty?

Post by kingwoodshell »

I am revisiting an old post by me here. I would like to know how some of y'all are handling battery warranties. For example:
John Q buys a battery 29 months ago. He comes in and we diagnose a bad battery. The battery is pro rated for 29 months, added to the invoice and the customer is billed for the discounted price and away they go.

My question is do you add the battery to the invoice normally and manually change the price to reflect the pro rated charge, or do you do something different?
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nickscarcare
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Re: Battery Warranty?

Post by nickscarcare »

I list the battery at the full price, then on a separate line do a minus charge for the credit back and label it battery pro rated warranty. Don't know if that is right or not but it show up the credit they get back for the battery, and the full selling price that the battery is at now.
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steven kiser
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Re: Battery Warranty?

Post by steven kiser »

in situations like this i keep it as simple as possible. i let the price fly on the part column, click on note at the top of the page and note the pro rated amount, click on options at bottom of order and apply it under discounts-parts-dollar amount. another point on battery warranties, as a rule i don't pro rate. i sell a lot of tba and on my batteries i have an agreement with my suppliers that i will get a free replacement within a three year period. i've found that most people when they purchase a 36 month battery think it's a free replacement within that time frame. trying to explain pro rated can be trying at times. i sell interstate as well as car quest and Trojan industrial batteries. if someone that isn't a regular customer comes in for a warranty because i'm a distributor then they already know all about the pro rated and i have no issue with it. it's funny, pro rating something (in my eyes) is like getting a discounted meal because after a few bites it made you sick. i worked for a shop owner that would charge labor to replace a pro rated battery along with a charge to pro rate it and then the pro rated amount. lost a few customer because of this. you can also make up the out of pocket cost of a loss on a battery or any other cost for that matter by adjusting prices on the next few work orders.
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kingwoodshell
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Re: Battery Warranty?

Post by kingwoodshell »

steven kiser wrote:i sell a lot of tba
Hey Steve good morning and what the hell are you doing up at 1:53 in the morning responding to my dumb**s.
I'm not familiar with what you were referring to in the quote above. How did you get Interstate to go along with the three year deal you were referring to. We are a platinum dealer and have been selling them for 20 plus years. Hopefully you asleep right now and will read this later.

Nick I like your idea too. Its similar to what I was doing.
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steven kiser
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Re: Battery Warranty?

Post by steven kiser »

that was posted at 5:53. as a rule i'm not that crazy. i won't say it in a definitive manner, as we all know i am a bit mmmmmm eccentric. tires, batteries, accessories. from my years working for amoco. that brings back memories. we would use that white gas for camper stoves and cigarette lighters, zippo lighters that is. in all the years i've sold interstate batteries i have had only one or two warranty ones. i shy away from them as far as large industrial batteries go. i use the trojan ones, probably from habit more than quality or because many of my commercial accounts are accustomed to the name and they do have all the odd sized batteries that have high cc and amps. interstate gives me a better break than many, i squeeze the distributor as much as i can. nothing, and i mean nothing is really etched in stone. the interstate warranties have been involved in other repair issues. an example would be a car left with the key on while it was stored over the winter. it would not take a charge and there was so much wiggle room on this order i just moved the expense of the pro rated battery into other areas. it's been my experience that pro rating batteries has been a big turn off for many people and i will avoid it at all cost, with the exception of someone i've never seen before and comes in carrying the battery for a warranty claim gotten my name off the web sight. a point on this, i flat out refuse to warranty a carry in. i want to see the vehicle. i've had people carry in for a refund because they had to have the battery replaced in an emergency. a regular customer i will not argue with, but i've felt that a few carry in's have boosted a battery and wanted cash for it. i stopped carrying interstate for a while because they sponsor kyle busch. i know, i know, but it's just my stubbornness. i finally relented because of their quality and i was having battery issues with other suppliers. interstate batteries (in my opinion) hasn't cut quality to attract price hunters. my other battery supplier is very liberal as far as returns go because i spend 15-20k a month with them. i guess i go way out of my way to make my customers happy and i'm busy so i guess i'm doing something right. if i replace 4 tires, ball joints, brakes on a car and the person clips a curb and blows a tire and asks about the wear out warranty. now we all know it's nothing to do with wear or a defective tire. now, we know i made a killing on this job and i'm not going to jepardize my relationship so i'll try to work a deal or eat the tire if necessary. i'll never offer it at cost because i don't want the person to look at a line of profit. i know i'm rambling here. a bit high strung getting ready for the hurricane. sorry.........
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kingwoodshell
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Re: Battery Warranty?

Post by kingwoodshell »

Good perspective Steve. I appreciate it. I hope all is well with you, your family and staff. Hope the storm didn't get to you too bad. Hurricanes suck as I have been through many in my 40 years (30+ here in Houston).

Dan
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