Stranded on Thanksgiving Day, needing a battery replacement. Everything else was closed except…read moreO'Reilly in Cedar Park - even Walmart was closed on Thanksgiving.
We arrived to find a salesman of few words. Not rude, just not in the mood for conversation, I guess. We explained the situation, and he asked questions about the car, make, model, and year. Then he says, "The only one we have that fits that car is $290.00 plus a core charge of $29."
I had already checked Walmart's prices, not realizing they had finally begun closing on Thanksgiving. The Walmart price for the same size, amp, volt, etc. battery was $179.95.
So we paid the price of needing something in a holiday emergency. I expected parts houses to be more expensive than Walmart, but I didn't expect them to be nearly TWICE the price. Anyhow, we said, "Sure, we'll take it." So he rang us up, and we paid. He brought the battery from the stockroom and set it on the counter and mumbled "Thanks," and walked away.
I said, "The sign says you install batteries free of charge, is that right?" He kind of grunts, "Yes." Then he went into the back again, and I wasn't sure if he was coming back or not. But after a couple of minutes, he comes back out with tools to change the battery. I am sure he was hoping we would just take the battery and leave.
It took him a while to change the battery in dead silence. When he finished, he just turned around and went back into the store. I followed him, however, and when we got inside, I handed him the receipt back and said, "Now, you can refund the core charge." He took the receipt without saying a word, completed the $29.00 refund, and returned the refund and receipt without saying a word. By this time, a lady had come out of the back and was standing behind the counter also.
I took the refund slip and looked at her and said "Happy Thanksgiving," to which she kind of smiled but didn't speak. After we got home, I looked at the receipt again and saw that WITHOUT ASKING -WHICH IS AGAINST THE LAW IN TEXAS- an added a $4.00 "Extended warranty" to the bill! It was too much trouble to return for a refund.
If it is customer service you wish, along with a battery that is priced almost double the one a mile down the street, and a hidden charge for a worthless warranty you didn't want, this is the place to go!
If you're not in a jam on a holiday, then there are many other places to purchase overpriced batteries that offer a much more congenial service experience. The only really good part of this experience was that they were OPEN and we were able to get the replacement and be on our way. But I only live a few miles up the street from this store and I'll be sure to avoid it like the plague in the future.
