Another battery question

[Champ188]

Bought close to $500 worth of trolling motor batteries Friday from Battery Outfitters in Rogers and was charged $45 to install them in my boat. Easy-peasy job ... open the back deck lid, disconnect the old ones and lift them out, then sit the new ones in and reconnect. Fifteen minutes max. If I wasn't getting over surgery with staples still in (10-pound weight limit on picking things up), I'd have taken the dang things home and put them in myself.

Still hard to get over spending $500 on three batteries and then paying to have them installed. Couple of the fellows at the Rogers store are new to me and not very good with people. Duke, who ran that store for a lot of years, is gone. Never thought I'd see customer service become a problem there but I'm also in need of a cranking battery and may well look elsewhere for the first time in 20 years.

And after all that, when I got home I found a grease spot on my back-deck carpet the exact shape and size of a battery ... obviously they sat one of the old batteries on my carpet rather than a towel or SOMETHING to protect it from inevitable grease on the bottom of the old battery. Gonna give it a go this morning with some of that new Dawn Platinum and water mixed in a spray bottle ... that will most likely get the stain out. If not, I'm taking it back down there and letting them pay to get it out. 

[fishinwrench]

15 min. =  31.25 just about anywhere. 

You say "just pull them out/set them in"....but batteries in a boat need to be strapped down or secured.   Always takes longer than it looks like it will.  

[Quillback]

Yeah $45 I'll do them myself.  But of course you can't do them with staples in you for sure.

About 7-8 years ago I stopped by Battery Outfitters in Eagle Rock, swapped out my two trolling motor batteries.  They did it for free then, maybe took 10 minutes.  Management has changed there since then, so they'd probably charge for it now I imagine.  

 

[Dock-in-it]

Champ, I can no longer estimate a reasonable cost to get something accomplished by a small business. Keep in mind you are not just paying to have batteries installed. You are paying the cost of running a small business (admin staff, rent, work trucks, insurance,,,,,, etc). 

Example: Dock repair costs have gone up 100-200% since 2020.

I would say $45 was a reasonable cost....because that is probably only 100% increase since 2020.

[cheesemaster]

Customer service is not the same anywhere as it used to be. Attitudes with most people that deal with customers are not as pleasant anymore ( they don’t give a rip about anything attitude). The grease mark on your carpet is another sign of current customer service in most places.

Anyway - I hope your recovery goes well!!

[fishinwrench]

5 hours ago, cheesemaster said:

The grease mark on your carpet is another sign of current customer service in most places.

A word or two in defense of my brethren out there......

Don't bring us some pristine craft needing a livewell pump/or valve replacement that requires removal of 3-4 batteries, an onboard battery charger, 2 fuel tanks, and an oil reservoir.....and expect us to get that done without leaving a speck on the carpet!!!    

We always do our best to not unnecessarily trash a boat..... but there's a limit to how much patience we have, and how much you are willing to pay to have the job done.     

You do piss off the side of this thing, right ?  And fart while you're driving it?    It's a goddamn fishing boat, you ain't cruising for chicks in it !  

It ain't our fault, or concern, that you spent 50-60k on it and expect it to look showroom fresh until the loan is paid off.  

😉

[cheesemaster]

I sure would think that just about anyone would be able to change some batteries without causing a mess - but I guess I am out of place for thinking so.

[snagged in outlet 3]

1 hour ago, fishinwrench said:

It's a goddamn fishing boat, you ain't cruising for chicks in it !  

Probably need a different stain remover if it was.  Just sayin😂

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, cheesemaster said:

I sure would think that just about anyone would be able to change some batteries without causing a mess - but I guess I am out of place for thinking so.

Depends on the boat.    You'd think you'd be able to do it without needing stitches and a tetanus shot too......but sadly that's not always the case.  🙄 

I should start posting pics of some of these bilge compartments.... because apparently you've only seen the nice friendly ones.   Tritons, Stratos, newer Rangers and most any fish-ski with dual tanks are often a friggin nightmare.   

What kinda cool baton tricks are YOU capable of doing one-handed with a deep cycle battery..... while trying not to get mashed by the compartment lid with the other hand......and balancing on one knee ?

[Alex Heitman]

How about lugging a big group 31 agm battery into 3 different battery suppliers that said they had the battery you called over the phone about to find out they didn’t have it once you go in the store. Had to wait until 8 AM the next morning for the other place to open when you had two days to fish when it was 100 degrees outside. It was a rough afternoon evening for me about a month ago. Plus the place that finally had it was the rudest business I’ve ever been too. Would have never bought it from them if it was not my only option. This was in the Branson area and I won’t mention names but will never ever go back there.