Optima & Autozone

[sailsmen]

Optima batt went bad. Autozone test to confirm.

I produce receipt for free replacement. Autozone mngr we only warr parts bought here.

I ask what can I do, he gives me Optima toll free.

Optima cannot believe Autozone will not honor because bought elsewhere. Optima offers to send me a replacement. Well I cannot wait so they send one for my other car.

I buy a replacement from Autozone and they want the core. I say wait I did not buy it from you and this is a warranty core! Why should I give it to you?

Of course I relent because why pay for a core.

Remember Autozone is not a rep for a mfg only a rep for Autozone.:confused:

Half the population moves every 5 years.

[ctrlraven]

That's retarded.

[Peace2Peep]

You want the ones from Optima direct anyway...the batts at many of those auto parts places are older than you may think! I bought a red top several years back from a store and when my friend checked the order detils it had sat in discont auto parts store for over 6 months!

[Breadfan]

Are you saying they wouldn't honor it in Autozone because you didn't buy from that particular Autozone, but another location?

I had similar issues with Advance Auto Parts. They're 3 or 4 nearby where I live and work, and I'm known to pop in to each of them.

I had similar thing, battery go dead, I take it back, they put my name in the system, and I'm told I didn't buy it at this store, they can't help me. I had ot remember what store I bought it at.

I have confirmed that Advance does not have their customer purchase databases synchronized or centralized. Each store ahs their own small server with a database, and it's not shared. You buy in one store, have apart failure across the country, no warranty for you.

I wonder if Autozone is doing the same thing. . . it sounds like it.

Come 'on, it's 2008!

[Bobmiddle]

They jacked you around like that and you still spent your money there? Even if it was to just go to another autozone I would have taken my business somewhere else.

[Shora]

They jacked you around like that and you still spent your money there? Even if it was to just go to another autozone I would have taken my business somewhere else.

No way I would buy a thing from there. I have written off locations for much less.

[Pops]

Did the battery come from Auto Zone or someones else store? I did not see that you posted where you bought it.

[magindat]

The easy way to deal with an Optima is to find an Interstate Battery dealer. They're friggin everywhere. Interstate owns and makes Optima. Most dealers get daily or multiple times weekly visits from Interstate.

BTW, an Interstate Mega-Tron Plus 65 has more CCA and more reserve capacity than any color-top Optima AND fits the car properly.

[Loco1234]

Nice battery...
Is that what you use...?

[finster101]

Why in the hell did you buy anything else from them? You should have taken your stuff and left. That is exactly why they can get away with such lousey customer service. I will pay a lttle more for the same product to be treated well by the people I a dealling with.

[Rocknthehawk]

Me was two years old, and getting tired. It kept dieing, and i would take it in, they would charge it, and it would die again.

I took it in a 3rd time, they tested it as fine, and i just complained until they gave me a new one.

[Dragcity]

I still have my OEM battery from the assembly plant....

[ctrlraven]

The easy way to deal with an Optima is to find an Interstate Battery dealer. They're friggin everywhere. Interstate owns and makes Optima. Most dealers get daily or multiple times weekly visits from Interstate.

BTW, an Interstate Mega-Tron Plus 65 has more CCA and more reserve capacity than any color-top Optima AND fits the car properly.
+1
I bought mine from the service center next to my shop and took it right off the Interstate truck when it came in after I put my order in.

Nice battery...
Is that what you use...?

I had to replace my battery and magindat recommended the above said battery to me and it has been working great. It's a heavy duty battery that's for sure.

[gmtech]

I still have my OEM battery from the assembly plant....
same here..it still starts the MM just fine:D

[J D]

same here..it still starts the MM just fine:D

31.4K and still cranking fine, if I ever need a battery and I don't have any heavy electric loads I'll just get another motorcraft if they make it, it just looks nicer with one in there

[sailsmen]

I bought the Optima in another state from a non-autozone store.

I bought a replacement from Autozone because I had a time crunch.

The Optimas come w/ a kit so they fit fine in a 65 tray.

I will use Interstate next time.

The factory batt lasted exectly 2 years and the NAPA 15 months. The Optima 25 months.

[Shora]

I still have my OEM battery from the assembly plant....


same here..it still starts the MM just fine:D

I'm at 55K miles and still on the OEM battery. Never had to jump her once. Marauder is a 2002 build.

Motorcraft for me.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

If you didn't buy the battery from Autozone, it does not matter what brand it is, they don't have to honor the warranty. I wouldn't expect them to either. Not sure what you're all upset about. This is often the way it works. A chain will honor the warranty if you bought it from one of their chain stores. But I would never expect something I bought at Pep boys, to be returnable at autozone, even if it were the exact same product that Autozone stocks on the shelf. You didn't buy it from them......

[sailsmen]

So if I didn't buy my car from X Ford dealer they don't have to honor the warranty?

Autozone has a big sign in their store advertising that they sell Optima. No where does Autozone say they only sell Optima to Autozone customers or that they are a "Selling Only Optima Dealer".

It's a warranty claim not a returnable item. As an Optima dealer I expect them to process a warranty and Optima expects them to process the warranty.

Optima told them exactly what to do to process the warranty and they choose not to. Just like I now choose not to shop at Autozone.

I bought a Uniroyal tire that was defective in NY. I went to the local Uniroyal dealer in NO and they processed the claim.

Perhaps its back to my original point Autozone only represents Autozone not their products or their customers interest.

[finster101]

If you buy a Delco battery any Delco dealer can warranty it. If you buy an Interstate battery any Interstate dealer can warranty it. What is the point of buying something that is supposed to have a national warranty if you have to take it back to the store you bought it from? Sounds like whoever came up with that policy is smoking dope and eating dog food. I'd be looking for a new store.

[Shora]

So if I didn't buy my car from X Ford dealer they don't have to honor the warranty?

Autozone has a big sign in their store advertising that they sell Optima. No where does Autozone say they only sell Optima to Autozone customers or that they are a "Selling Only Optima Dealer".

It's a warranty claim not a returnable item. As an Optima dealer I expect them to process a warranty and Optima expects them to process the warranty.

Optima told them exactly what to do to process the warranty and they choose not to. Just like I now choose not to shop at Autozone.

I bought a Uniroyal tire that was defective in NY. I went to the local Uniroyal dealer in NO and they processed the claim.

Perhaps its back to my original point Autozone only represents Autozone not their products or their customers interest.


With all respect, I don't agree with you. It doesn't mean that you're wrong, only that I see it differently.

Any Ford dealer will "honor" a warranty claim because Ford still reimburses them. In other words, they still "get paid" for their time and effort.

Autozone would have received nothing for their time and effort from Optima. The competition gets to make a profit on you for selling you the product and all they get is the headach and paperwork of replacing the product?

I would have even been embarrassed to even ask for such a thing in the first place.

Now if they would have done it, that means they went above and beyond what should have been expected of them. However, these days, I expect very little from people. Too depressing otherwise.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

So if I didn't buy my car from X Ford dealer they don't have to honor the warranty?

That is not how consumer product warranties work, sorry. If you buy a refrigerator at home depot and it dies, Sears is not going to handle a warranty return or free repair through them even if it's the same brand. It's unreasonable to expect Autozone to deal w/ the warranty return if you didn't buy it through them.

[sailsmen]

When I was a dealer for a product I was required by the mfg to process warranty claims or I could not advertise their product.

What Autozone gets is a repeat customer and good will.

Back to my point Autozone only represents Autozone.

The Uniroyal Dealer processed the warranty claim.