Complaint Review: Walmart

Walmart has a general corporate policy to require all automotive battery warranty returns be subjected to a test requiring as much as two hours. The only documentation of this is a simple written policy statement that "batteries require testing and may need to be charged" (paraphrasing), was not produced at any time prior to direct request, is not easily available online (if at all), and does not state the time-frame involved. Walmart determines what model testing machine to use, which unit is used, the maintenance of the machine, the setup parameters used, operates the test, and allows no system for appeals or input from the customer. This allows all false positives to work in Walmart's favor with no recourse, and allows Walmart the ability to purposefully generate false positives and false denials of warranty. Also, it allows Walmart the sole ability to determine the length of time involved - whether 2 minutes, 2 hours or 2 days. Again, there is no recourse for the customer.

In addition, while the process may serve a legitimate purpose for Walmart, it serves no benefit to the customer. Despite having no benefit to the customer, Walmart feels they are best served by forcing the customer to spend two hours of their own time, simple because the customer was sold a defective product, making the customer a defacto unpaid and unwilling employee (e.g. slave). While Walmart may have a legitimate need to protect it's financial interests from abuse, it is arrogant in the extreme to expect the customer to do it for them with no return value, simply because Walmart considers everyone as fraudulent. Whatever policies to prevent fraud or loss-prevention that Walmart feels necessary should be transparent to the customer and allow for customers' rights.

Although my exchange process did result in receiving a new battery, it was by no means satisfactory. It cost me 2 hours of my time. Since the results were that my battery WAS dead, it literally served no purpose (to me or Walmart). Despite being vindicated in my assertion the battery was defective, I was not recompensed in any way for my time. Discounting the value of that time from the original purchase cost results in a very bad deal. If I require another returns process on this purchase within the next 2.5 years remaining on the warranty, and it will have effectively doubled the cost of the battery.

It seems Walmart's policy is "profit before people." This people will be shopping elsewhere.