Battery Testing, Warranty | Is Triple AAA a good place to buy a BATTERY.

Know things things about Testing and Buying Batteries, the standards for testing seem to be different at sale than when you try and get a replacement under the warranty.

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[Chevroldsmobuiac]

Thanks for this... after hearing this ridiculousness I will definitely continue getting my future batteries from Wal Mart.

[raisavillar]

Also, there is no customer service, please purchase a battery that actually has a warranty.

[raisavillar]

I should have watched this video before, do not purchase a battery, they don't honor the warranty.

[KikaWaiAlae]

Dang 🤦🏽‍♂️. Thank goodness I never had an issue with them other than having to wait too long for a tow. Never purchased a battery from them yet. Now I’m armed with information should I need to in the future. Mahalo

[kennethdrury]

Thanks for the video. Been a AAA roadside member for a long time and was considering getting all my batteries switched to their guaranteed batteries. I think I’ll wait

[nausticaz]

As a AAA battery tech, maybe I can shed some light. If someone told you that you could get a free replacement with no questions asked....they lied. Now just because the battery is dead, it doesn't mean it's bad. If this were the case, we would be passing out free batteries like candy to everyone who left their lights on overnight or left their trunk open. There are certain guidelines we have to follow in order to honor a battery warranty. There's no way you can get an accurate reading off of a dead battery....period. Anything under 11.8 volts is considered a completely depleted battery and our test equipment requires at least 1.5 volts to be able to run a test. This is why we ask you to have your battery properly charged. Its part of the "red tape" we have to go through for the warranty process. Our tests MUST show a "Bad and Replace" test result in order to honor a warranty. It does not matter if you have been a member for 120 years. Now if that driver decided to replace your battery, he runs the risk of paying for that battery out of his own pocket. The reason for this is that corporate likes to investigate why a fairly new battery is being warrantied. They will hold that battery, charge and test it, and if that battery turns out to be good...they will either deduct the cost out of the driver's paycheck, or simply terminate him for not following procedure. AAA will not recognize test results from any other facility unless they are partnered with AAA. This is with good reason too. I used to be a dealership technician and I've seen how they "test" batteries. Within the 7 years that I've been with them, not once have I ever seen them maintain, test, or calibrate their battery testing equipment.

Now to the other question: Why was your battery soo dead to the point that it showed absolutely no voltage? Now the warranty clearly states that it only covers battery defects. Battery neglect is a whole other issue...one that is NOT covered under warranty. What is considered battery neglect? Well here are a few situations that can be considered battery neglect:

-If your vehicle is not driven often and a battery maintainer is not used...that's neglect. This is not considered a defect. Unless you always disconnect the negative terminal when not in use, there's always going to be some type of draw on your battery. When your vehicle sits, your battery is slowing draining. That old truck in your garage might be an exception given that older vehicles like that do not have all the fancy features that a more modern vehicle would have.

--If your vehicle sits for long periods of time without a battery maintainer....that's neglect. Again, this drains the battery and not considered a defect. Its not the battery's fault that its not receiving a charge.

--If you drive it almost everyday but take multiple short trips....that's also considered neglect. Starting your vehicle is a big draw on your battery. If you do not drive your vehicle long enough for your charging system to actually charge your battery....it will slowly die. Again, not considered a battery defect. A vehicle should be driven for 30 minutes CONTINUOUSLY at least once a week in order to maintain a charge on the battery.

Those are just a few examples of battery neglect. Does your driving habits match any of the above mentioned? Let's talk about chargers. And holy crap that charger you're standing next to looks like an antique! I've noticed that most modern chargers will not charge a battery if it is completely depleted down to 0 volts but the professional ones will. There's 6 cells in an automotive battery. Each cell carries 2.1 volts for a total of 12.6 volts. If one cell is dead, it will never charge up to 12 volts. So if you had the battery put on a proper battery charger for 6hrs and it still reads 0 volts, that would mean all 6 cells are dead. I've never seen that before. But then again, professional equipment will detect a bad cell right away.

Now I work for a company that is sub contracted through AAA and not directly for AAA. I can only speak on how our company handles calls. From my understanding, AAA does not have their own dedicated battery division here in AZ because of the high volume of battery calls in this desert climate. From the stories I've heard, we used to be pretty lenient with warranties and just replaced batteries with no questions asked. The company moto used to be "keep the member happy". That all came to an end when AAA started testing these batteries and they were testing good. As a result, AAA slapped the company with a $750k fine and threatened to terminate our contract if it happened again.

According to AAA's data, the average battery life in this climate is 28-32 months which is much shorter than any of the other regions in the US. The main killer for batteries are heat and corrosion. Batteries corrode naturally internally due to the sulfuric acid and lead plates inside. Consistent temperatures of 90 degrees and above accelerates the corrosion process which causes batteries to eat themselves away twice as fast in this desert climate. It also makes them unpredictable.

Anyways, hopefully you've gained a little perspective from the drivers end of these call at the very least. We're just the middle guys doing what we are told.

[jocrp]

Probably what Triple A is scared of is, If your car has developed a parasitic draw, Then it's not the battery's fault.

[oscarbeltran]

I hope i can shed some light on this situaion for you. AAA battery techs make commision off batteries. The man probably didnt want to make the $7 he would make by getting you a free warranty, compared to tye $40 he would make to sell you a battery. Amazing how crooked they are.

[ynsam]

I am in similar situation. I got a battery from AAA and its causing issue right now, just under the year. They came and the guy tells me to buy a trickle charger to charge my battery. I was like what the hell. I thought the battery should have the capacity when I am driving around.
They will replace it only if it’s completely dead

[kylesouza-buyorsellsocalho]

Nice 👍. Customer service is gone from America

[robl]

AAA Battery Scam! I just keep calling to have them jump start my less then 1 year old AAA overpriced battery when at home and travel with $50.00 Amazon emergency battery jump starter so I don't get stuck. AAA "Battery Salesman" sorry, Mechanic, refuses to replace the battery. AAA Mechanic called me a liar when I mentioned Lexus checked out my car's electrical system and found no issue. And same exact script, when Mechanic comes out to jumpstart the car, the "tester" they bring never works (connection problems) and after allot of reconnections, produces some Qr code that is scanned by iPhone APP.

[GlobalFreeLiving]

Today, my AAA New batter just died out of the blue? The battery is 10 months old from AAA?? They came out and replaced it with an old used battery??? We've been members for 35 years. Not good business.