Why I will not buy another battery from RACQ
Last week, I called the RACQ call centre to inquire about the warranty for a battery I bought from them 20 months ago. I explained to the operator that I had just replaced my alternator and wanted to check if the battery was still under warranty. He said the battery has a 24 to 36 month warranty period, but he couldn't confirm if it was covered until an RACQ patrol checked it.
A few days later, my car wouldn't start and the battery was dead. I called RACQ again and gave the patrol the exact same information I gave the call centre. The patrol immediately explained the warranty was void because I changed the alternator. He pointed out it is common for alternators to need replacing between 100,000 and 150,000 kilometres.
Here are my issues with this service:
1. Why wouldn't the call centre operator know and advise me the warranty was void due to the alternator change? If they had simply told me, I would have asked my mechanic to replace the battery while the car was still at the workshop. This lack of information ended up ruining my weekend plans.
2. I have bought at least three batteries from RACQ over the last few years, mostly when my vehicles were in the 100,000 to 180,000 kilometre range. I was never once advised to check the alternator. I have been replacing batteries every few years when a new alternator might have fixed the root cause. I accept this isn't strictly their duty, but it is frustrating.
I didn't get my warranty claimed, which is fair under the terms and conditions. However, I didn't buy my replacement battery from RACQ because of this disjointed experience, despite being a roadside assistance customer for 16 years.
Today, I drove to Local Batteries Super Store and had the battery replaced with one that includes a 50 month warranty.