Frozen Batteries - Keep Them Charged

Maine Sail

Maine Sail

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Feb 6, 1998
11,675
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
I just left Sam's Club from getting new snow tires and while there a guy came in with a bank of four 6v golf cart batteries. He wheeled them in with a cart, and with one look, it was clear they had frozen solid. He was bringing them back for core charge because he accidentally left his switch on and killed them and did not and was not expecting what he got....

Sam's Club didn't care about them freezing and they replaced all four under WARRANTY despite them being a "little over" the free replacement warranty period!

Now I know these Johnson Controls made 6V batteries are no Trojan's but at $74.00 each @225 ah's and a free replacement for 18 months, even if you freeze them, who can complain... Wow! Try bringing back four frozen and split open batteries to West Marine and see what happens?

I took a photo with my phone, but I basically suck at using my camera phone, sorry for the blur. You can still see the bulges and split case..
 
Ross

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
Re: So, I was just at Sam's Club.......

ATTA BOY !!!! to you and Sam's club.
 
woodster

woodster

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Sep 15, 2009
6,243
S2 9.2a Fairhope Al
Re: So, I was just at Sam's Club.......

wow thats great ....tooo bad BJ'S wholesale club wont do that with there exide batteries
 
sailaway78

sailaway78

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May 11, 2005
3,431
Seidelman S37 Slidell, La.
Wal Mart too

During Katrina my wind generator went into the water. Shorted everything out, including the internal diode. The house bank sat with a dead short for nearly a month. Took the two batteries back to Wal Mart, expecting only the core charge for them. Told the guy what had happened, and they were replaced under warranty. You might find better products, but will not find a better warranty anywhere.
 
Honeyman

Honeyman

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Jan 2, 2005
779
Hunter 35.5 Legend Lake Travis-Austin,TX
Re: So, I was just at Sam's Club.......

Yep, the split in one of the cases and the bulges are centered in the picture, fuzzy as it may be, Main Sail ya done good as we say here in Tejas. Barnacle Bill, take those drug store "cheater" glasses back and go see a real optomatrist!!!
 
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Hermit Scott

Hermit Scott

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Sep 25, 2008
2,288
C30 Event Horizon Port Aransas
Re: So, I was just at Sam's Club.......

My investor owns Midas shops and I still buy my batteries at WalMart. Walmart may very well be the antichrist, but they give a hell of a warranty on batteries.
 
Nereussailor

Nereussailor

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Mar 22, 2004
733
Hunter 30 Vero Beach
Re: So, I was just at Sam's Club.......

I've had my Sam's club batteries for 5 years, and they're still going. I'm betting that I'll only get another year out of them though. When I bought them, I think I paid $59. They were well worth the money in my book.
 
petersea

petersea

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Sep 26, 2008
566
- - Noank CT.
Re: So, I was just at Sam's Club.......

OK here is my take on this......This was clearly neglect on part of the owner and the manufacturer is the one who will get stuck with this cost. Clearly unless the battery was defective and that caused it to freeze (not likely) this is not warranty,especially if a" little over" warrenty is accurate.The owner was only expecting a core charge exchange but got a full warranty replacement. Sam's (or Walmart or whoever) will back bill the manufacture and if the manufacture complains Sam's will get their battery from the next supplier until they too have no profit left to sell to the Sam's' and Walmarts of the world. The real cost of this will be past on to the future buyers of the now $75 dollar battery. ! !
 
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Jim Seamans

Jim Seamans

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Mar 21, 2004
2,175
Hunter 356 Cobb Island, MD
My Trojan T105's are six years old and I plan to replace them this coming year. Have been to Sam's and seen the 6v will be buying four of them...
The trojan's when I last checked were $160 each...
 
rickmorel

rickmorel

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Jun 21, 2009
24
Pearson Rhodes 41 New Iberia, LA
Maine Sail said:
Now I know these Johnson Controls made 6V batteries are no Trojan's but at $74.00 each @225 ah's and a free replacement for 18 months, even if you freeze them, who can complain... Wow! Try bringing back four frozen and split open batteries to West Marine and see what happens?
Click to expand
Actually the brand name varies, but I'd put them up against Trojan's. I did electric cars back in the 90's and performance, range, lifetime and even weight were identical with Sam's, Trojan's or Allied's. As I recall there are two battery manufacturers (or was it four?) in the U.S.

Batteries seem kind of like canned food. A canery gets an order for 100,000 Green Giant corn and load the label machine with those. Next order is for 100,000 No Name Special so the next label machine load is those.

Rick
 
shorty

shorty

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Apr 14, 2005
298
Pearson P34 Mt Desert, ME
Re: So, I was just at Sam's Club.......

Petersea is right. Walmart will excavate it from the manufacturer's hide until they wake up & move on.
 
jibes138

jibes138

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Jan 27, 2008
3,045
ODay 35 Beaufort, NC
PeterSea good point

I propose MaineSail tell the perpetrator to return to Sam's and pay the rest of the cost for the batteries. How cold does it have to be for sulfuric acid to freeze? Are the tires at Sam's seconds and blemishes or the same quality as elsewhere?
 
Ken Honeycutt

Ken Honeycutt

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Dec 27, 2005
500
Hunter 36 Chicago
Re: PeterSea good point

Wonder if he topped them off with tap water at some point ? (learned my lesson about that the hard way after moving from the South to the North).
 
petersea

petersea

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Sep 26, 2008
566
- - Noank CT.
I concure Jibes !

Dave

I agree !!! Not sure the purchaser was at fault but got to think Sam's Clubs maybe committed a little fraud on the manufacture. I do know with tires that any time that is a blemish is supposed to mark as such. They are supposed to be stamped "BLEM" on the side wall. Supposedly only cosmetic blems are sold not structural defects, but I think the purchaser should be aware if they purchase a blem and I would hope that they are sold at an additional discount. That said I hope that there are not that many second or blem being made that the tire manufactures are able to supply the Sam's Club stores ! I know a good guy in North Carolina that could help with the quality control problem if so ! Hope you had a good New Years and are doing well ! Come see us when you are back in CT.
 
jeromeddd

jeromeddd

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Dec 10, 2009
12
Samson C-farer 39 D'Escousse, NS
there are many good deals out there...

There are many good deals out there you just have to look for them.
 
Timo42

Timo42

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Mar 26, 2007
1,042
Venture 22 Marina del Rey
Re: So, I was just at Sam's Club.......

Think of it this way, cheap advertising for Sam's Club. That guy is going to be a very happy customer and will probably tell his friends about it, Mainsail saw the transaction and mentioned it online, you can't buy that kind of publicity. I work for a car dealership and we repair things that are damaged by the customer or are out of warranty all the time. We just note that it is for customer satisfaction or good will. That's why it's always a good idea to be nice to the guy behind the counter or on the service drive, he didn't design it, manufacture it, or break it, but he may have some lattitude over covering something under warranty.
 
Nereussailor

Nereussailor

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Mar 22, 2004
733
Hunter 30 Vero Beach
Re: So, I was just at Sam's Club.......

I'd almost be willing to bet that Sam's club won't even tell the manufacturer of the batteries, and eat the cost themselves. Sam's and Wally World do stuff like that all the time. I knew a guy that worked there, and he was telling me about the stuff that came back from customers. Sometimes it went right into the trash. Timo42's right sometimes it's better to satisfy the customer for the return purchases. I guarantee that the next set of batteries the guy has to actually purchase will be from Sam's

Dave
 
Andy1237

Andy1237

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Jun 30, 2004
446
Hunter 340 St Andrews Bay
Re: So, I was just at Sam's Club.......

Conviince Sam's to buy West Marine or open a Marine Division! Imagine a 1/2 price sale on Harken blocks. Anyone ever read that book about Dollar Store Boating? Never seen it myself, but its about buying marine use items at dollar stroes and discount stores. I guess the would include WalMart, Tractor Supply, etc
 
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