Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site hou5g.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!vax135!ariel!hou5f!hou5g!jrt From: jrt@hou5g.UUCP (Jaime Tormos) Newsgroups: net.auto,net.consumers Subject: Die Hard batteries die young (on purpose) Message-ID: <365@hou5g.UUCP> Date: Thu, 8-Mar-84 09:48:01 EST Article-I.D.: hou5g.365 Posted: Thu Mar 8 09:48:01 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 10-Mar-84 07:08:05 EST References: <191@hou2g.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ Lines: 37 I am another case of someone who went through 4 `Die Hard's in 5 years. It was then that I postulated that Sears may be doing that on purpose. I.E. (my theory) > Give the battery a longer guarantee than it merits. > Charge more for the extra guarantee, and pro-rate it, so that statistically those that do return their batteries for warranty, will be covered by the additional charge (no pun, ha ha). > You have just `hooked' millions of people into buying Sears batteries. That is, for those that do not have problems with the `Die Hard'..."Gee Martha, it really works" -- (Little do they realize that it lasted only because most people but new cars every three to five years). For those that DO have problems, in order to get credit for the remaining pro-rated warranty, they have to but ANOTHER Die Hard !! and so the cycle continues, sucking victims into its vortex, never to be seen again. The same ideas work for their infamous tires....Overcharge, Overrate, Over-warranty, and hook that sucker back in. For a while I was hooked on their tires, then I saw the light and switched to B.F.Goodrich. Since then, the average lifetime of my tires has gone from 20000 miles to over 45000 miles per tire, at comparable prices, if not less. One note, I have owned the SAME car for 14 years, I service it regularly, and when I was having all of those problems with `where America shops', I was having them do front end alignments, electrical system checks, shock replacements and anything else they could think of to help with `my problem'. (** FRODO **) alias hou5g!jrt p.s. I bought a J.C.Penney forever battery seven years ago and I have not had a single problem since.