It's 530 Somewhere

UPDATE: After calling Wal-Mart corporate to complain, they trickled it down to an assistant manager there, who after a few weeks of back and forth, is sending me a money order for the full amount.
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What a debacle yesterday! We're up in Maine for this wedding, and I went to a store to buy some pants last night. When I came out, my car just positively wouldn't start. We tried jumping it (ironically, this family was from the Lenoir, NC area! Small world, no?), but it still wouldn't start (though it was better).

Thankfully, my mom always gets me a AAA membership every year, so I had emergency roadside, and the local garage came and was able to jump me with some more heavy duty cables and gassing it pretty good (perhaps it was flooded too, somehow).

As I was driving down the road back to the campground where I'm staying, the interior lights, radio, and other electrical stuff was flickering, and eventually my battery light came on. I didn't go to the campground, but went instead (nervously) to the Camden, Maine Walmart to buy a new battery. I had to leave the car running unlocked in the lot while I bought a new one, but I did ($90!). I also grabbed an adjustable wrench. Thankfully, my car wasn't raped while I was in the store, so I drove it back to the campground and changed it with the light of my trusty headlamp.

The battery that came out of the car was the one that was in the car when we bought it. BUT, it was clearly a battery that was purchased at Walmart before we bought it. The manufacture date on the battery was December 2007. Today is August 15, 2009. These batteries, in addition to being marked up with "purchased at Walmart!" stickers, are also branded with "3 year free replacement guarantee!" It's the exact same battery I bought at Walmart last night.

This morning, I brought the old battery in hoping to get a credit on my new battery. They told me that despite the fact that this was a Walmart battery which has a 3-year free replacement guarantee, they wouldn't honor it because I didn't purchase the battery or have a receipt (on my new battery purchase, it says that purchases without a receipt will be honored based on the manufacture date of the battery). So, whether I had a receipt or not, I believe I deserve a free car battery; so the way I see it, Walmart owes me $90-something.