My experience of trying to replace the battery on my wife's car prompted me to send them this e-mail today. Just felt like I needed to get it off my chest.
Dear Sir
Last night my wife's Punto was diagnosed by the RAC as requiring a replacement battery.
Late last night I accessed your website and typed in the registration number (**** ***) of the car. The website gave me three replacement options {website snipped as partly censored by the OP anyway} which were: -
1. Calcium Standard £67.99
2. Heavy Duty £59.99
3. Standard £78.99
I cannot understand why number 3 is cheaper than number 2.
I duly reserved a Calcium Standard Battery last night and drove my wife's car to my local branch (Newcastle-under-Lyme) this morning. In the shop I asked that the battery be fitted for me as I am recovering from spinal surgery and was told that there would be a charge of £4.99 which I have no problem with.
Your representative fitter then checked his local documentation and informed me that he was not allowed to fit batteries to this type of car as the store had received a directive (DNF or something similar (Do not Fit)). After discussing the issue further I was told that he would fit the battery but I would have to be prepared to take the risk that it may not start or something may go wrong. As I had travelled some distance, am currently recovering from surgery and the current battery was on its last legs, I decided to take the risk. I'm sure that you will agree that this level of customer service is not ideal.
As I had a pending hospital appointment and was running out of time, I asked if I could leave the car whilst the battery was fitted. I was told that it 'will only take fifteen minutes'. The old battery was removed and it became clear very quickly that the Calcium one that I had purchased was larger and would not fit (despite the fitter's efforts) into the battery holder. Clearly this battery is not suitable for the car as advertised on your website. The fitter was courteous and I have no issues with the way that he personally dealt with me.
After further investigation (and a refund on my American Express card that seemed to take an eternity to transact) I was told that the store had three HB202 batteries in stock and i chose to buy and have fitted one of these. After a further wait I was told that these batteries could not be physically located in the store but another local ******** store were showing them in stock if I wished to travel there. At this point it was clear that I was going to be late for my hospital appointment so somewhat exasperated I ended the matter there.
At three o'clock this afternoon I phoned a local small independent battery supplier and made an inquiry about a replacement battery. The right battery was fitted within five minutes of me entering the workshop for £51 and I drove away happy.
Is this a problem that is unique to Fiat Puntos and ********?
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 21/11/2008 at 00:14
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Its cheaper to get an original equipment battery from a Fiat dealer.
Other than that, you would likely need to make up little wooden spacers for the battery clamp.
Make sure your new battery is clamped in properly if its not OE.
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£77 fitted from the Fiat dealer OR.
I've checked the battery and it seems well clamped.
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I just bought one (360 amp) and fitted it myself - discounted to £55. Sorry - forgot about fitting.
Glad its sorted anyway ;)
Regards
Edited by oilrag on 20/11/2008 at 21:46
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Just to add, Its really difficult to find a none OE battery that will clamp in - I had problems in that area. I wonder if that`s what part of the problem was for the battery fitters?
Hope you feel better soon re surgery - by the way ;)
Edited by oilrag on 20/11/2008 at 21:53
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>>I cannot understand why number 3 is cheaper than number 2.>>
But it isn't...:-)
According to your thread it's £19 dearer.
Edited by Stuartli on 21/11/2008 at 00:21
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We can assume me meant 2 cheaper than 3 :-)
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I suppose at the end of the day I am trying to tell them that whole buying experience from internet search, reservation and buying at the shop just does not work and I've got better ways of spending my time and money.
Hopefully I'm on the mend OR thanks.
End of moan. Pain does make you less tolerant!
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It is a battery peculiar to the Punto II I'm afraid. We sell a 3 year warranty version for around 50+vat. (Not fitted). Nothing else will fit properly & shouldn't be attempted to either.
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I have done the reservation thing with a few different companies and generally it does work. Disappointing that this national company can't manage it though! Might have been better to go to a partco or a Potteries Motor Factors.
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Which independent battery supplier did you use that did it properly?
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How much to fit the thing??? You've just coughed up a small fortune, and they still expect you to cough up a few more squid to loosen a few terminals and re-clamp things onto a new battery?
For that kind of tom, I expect flunkies to do the whole gig, in seconds flat, while I satnd and smoke a cigar.
Or is this a health and safety/union/rip-off-the-customer issue?
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North Staffs Tyre and Batteries fitted it for me.
Didn't quite clip the little box back together properly or put the cover back on the positive terminal but there you go ;-)
Seems securely fitted to me despite all.
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Halmer, while I understand that you would probably be more than capable of doing the thing yourself, were you not incapacitated, I still think that charging you extra to fit the thing is a rip-off.
By the way, what happens to your old battery? Do they give you scrap value for it?
(In fact, did they actually check it was a battery fault, and not a charge fault?)
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Ian, (CT)
You begrudge fitting time? But you expect them to take responsibility if they do fit it?
Surely the price quoted is a battery, not a fitted battery? Even garages and national chains have to make a living!
Scrpa value? I just fell over. Its not far away from having to pay to have a battery disposed; I kid you not !
Checking fault? I fully agree. Did they?
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You see, Yorkie, us johnny foreigners just take certain things for granted...
(1) Fitting time?
All part of the service, sir... and We hope to see you again when you need tyres/exhauts/shock absorbers etc
(2) Quoted price? I assume (see above) that it's a fitted price.
Same as tyres: I pay X amount for the tyre, which is advertised in the paper at X per tyre. That includes fitting, balancing and they keep the old casings.
If you want to haggle, your choice.
(3) Scrap value? Happens here. There's lots of lovely lead in them batteries!
(4) Checking fault? It's happened before whwre the battery is 100%, but the charging system is at fault.
And fixing it costs less than a new battery. See point (1) above.
Maybe us colonials is spoiled? :)
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Maybe us colonials is spoiled? :)
Living in a different century of labour costs, more like.
Here in the UK; a competent technician costs a business around £1000 a week. If you don't tightly manage the time of an asset with that level of cost, then you are going to be like so many failed garages - killed by success.
A free fitting service is nothing of the kind; it's an all-in inclusive-price offer. Fair enough; but, unlike tyres, some people demand a cash-and-carry service on batteries. Either they prefer to fit themselves, or the car won't start to bring it in.
If you don't offer such a service; then those customers will go elsewhere. With the mark-up on batteries - particularly non-stock batteries - you can't afford to lose that clear profit; the rent and rates [tax on business] still have to be paid. For a national chain; the gross profit on those quoted prices is probably 75%+ [and they'll demand 180 days credit too.]
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I'm sure I read somewhere in the forums that someone got £4 for their old battery as scrap.
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couple of months ago, quite likely £4.
Times change quickly :)
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Says £2 for old battery on their website when I reserved it.
Yes you can guess - none of the staff had an idea what I was talking about.
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The RAC told me that it was on the way out and I had no reason to doubt this so no I did not ask for the battery to be checked.
The RAC also checked the alternator for me and were very thorough. No complaints.
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so no I did not ask for the battery to be checked.
See, Halmer, that's the difference.
I'd expect the battery to be checked as a matter of course, and if it is in decent nick, for the guys to tell me so.
Your blokes, by NOT checking, might have taken somebody's hard-earned, and a few days down the line, when the new battery has lost its life, they find that there was another fault.
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I told them that the RAC had told me that it was capput though.
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£50 is pretty good insurance to replace a 4 year old battery. Its about what we got out of the original on our Punto 1.9D. The other, MK2b van just felt a little weaker at 3 years old and I replaced it last week.
I suspect some of these batteries on modern cars go flat as a pancake (and are subsequently damaged) due to modern electrical systems drawing current when left on airfields for a few months - when brand new.
I know the van was left like that for a few months, in the summer after it was built. I also prefer to replace batteries at the very first sign of weakness.
Edited by oilrag on 21/11/2008 at 16:40
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99 onwards Puntos and Seicentos take a battery only fitted to Fiats which makes them more expensive. But I can't see why you had trouble finding someone that stocked it. Banner part no 54008 or the UK standard number is 002R if I remember correctly. We keep them in stock at all branches of the motor factors I work for. And we are in Staffordshire aswell, 10 mins from Newcastle under Lyme.
Advert over.
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(In fact, did they actually check it was a battery fault, and not a charge fault?)
Well the OP has cleared this one up now in that they didn't test the battery and he didn't ask for it to be checked either.
But... Looking at it from a business point of view then surely it would not be beneficial to check the battery first anyway. What I mean is that the OP went to the garage/factors and asked for the battery to be changed on his car - If the garage were to insist on checking the battery first then they may find that it is not on its way out after all and thus they could 'do' themselves out of a sale. From their point of view then ignornace is probably a better bet and to just follow the exact instructions of the customer is the most profitable outcome in this case.
I am not saying that I agree with this, but thinking about it from the garages perspective then they would be mad to do anything other than what was requested.
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Battery testing is a very skilled job anyway - it needs bench testing for up to 3 days to get any meaningful results.
Hand-held testers are a joke and are openly sold to garages as "battery sales improvers..."
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"Hand-held testers are a joke and are openly sold to garages as "battery sales improvers..."
I Agree.
And the other way around when a battery is failing - just inside warranty. Don`t know if anyone remembers my thread on how the 1.9D punto had been fitted with a (well known accessory shop in every town) own brand battery. (listed for a Punto - but needing wooden spacers to be made for the clamp on getting it home)
It was struggling to turn the engine over on cold mornings, but was of course warm on arrival at the accessory chain shop. A little, thin lead, hand tester was put on it - that in no way could simulate an indirect injection diesel - glowplugs on - on a cold morning.
I was told it was fine and no claim possible. Shifty looking guy testing it though, not making eye contact and avoiding me next time I went near the `tech` counter.
Disgusted I dumped it the next day, fitted an OE from Fiat which was actually cheaper than theirs (lesson to me there) it fair whopped the cold diesel over in comparison.
Regarding some of the other points. Replacing a four year old battery for £50? - just the cost of a tank of fuel really....A disposable item, not worth paying for testing - at that age. If the battery were larger and three times the cost, perhaps there would be more worth in its continued assessment.
Edited by oilrag on 22/11/2008 at 08:51
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OP = Original Poster! i.e. the person who posted the original message.
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