Canadian car batteries

This was a good one. Now, if you buy something at one Wal-Mart, you can return it at another Wal-Mart. That's usually not a problem, although in most cases, someone only returns something from a crosstown store to another one.

Returning something from a Wal-Mart in one state to a store in another state can be a bit iffy, especially if you're going to be difficult and demand all of your sales tax back, because the tax rate is different in places, and that's a WHOLE complicated mess that even I don't know how to do exactly.

Well, today, this perfectly nice gentleman came in with a battery and a receipt from a Wal-Mart in Ontario, Canada. (I wish I could remember the specific city, but I can't.) Of course, the stupid thing (the battery) can't be recognized by our computers, because it isn't merchandise carried by U.S. stores. There's all these rules governing batteries, but someone back in Automotive told him (or else he made it up) that this battery was under a two-year warranty and he was going to get another battery for free.

Well, I cast a gimlet eye over that situation, but I couldn't even figure out how much he paid for the first battery. One of the idiot Service Desk girls looked at the receipt and said "Oh, he paid $99.98" - WELL YES - IN CANADIAN DOLLARS YOU DIMBOT! "Oh, I didn't even notice that."

Yes, she really is so clueless that she missed the entire 20-minute conversation three of us were having over how to return this battery IMMEDIATELY behind her and this man arguing with us over how much credit he was going to get for a new battery.

Finally, I realized that this man wasn't going to quit arguing that this battery was under a two-year warranty and that short of calling Ontario (which probably isn't in my job description, nor is on the list of approved expenses) we weren't going to settle this. I just gave him a new battery and sent the old one to Claims. What else was I going to do?

The man was polite, but that really FIRM polite that says "YOU WILL DO WHAT I WANT OR I WILL HAUNT YOU AND YOUR PROGENY FOR ALL TIME!" Honestly, there are days when it is not worth it to argue.

And score more points for me. I ran the scheduling through the lunch hour and we stayed a half-hour ahead with absolutely ZERO problems and no big lines all the way through lunch. Of course, when I got back, it was all fouled up, but that's not my malfunction. I left with things a clean slate, all the breaks and lunches sent and everyone ahead. So THERE! Here's hoping tomorrow a better day will bring!