madman75

I want to share an experience I had recently with an online battery supplier. This post isn't intended to flame the company so I don't want any posts flaming me. It's rather long even with the short version. I just want to tell what happened. I have bought thousands of dollars worth of batteries from this place since the late early 90's. First at the Toledo Shows and then online since I don't go to Toledo anymore(can't find the time). Anyway, on 3-10-12 I ordered a few battery packs but the one in particular was a 1500 mah 4.8V pack to be used as an ignition pack for a 50cc gas engine. I received the packs a few days later. The first thing I do is charge all my packs for 16-18 hrs to make sure they are charged and then do a discharge cycle to determine capacity. I use a tried and true Ace Digipace3 for my cycling. I usually do the charge and discharge cycles to form the batteries and determine the capacity which I document for future reference. The other packs cycled fine at stated or slightly higher capacity except for this 1500 mah pack. I cycled it 4 times and got 1350 mah. This to me was unacceptable. I called the company I ordered the batteries from and explained my observations. The man I spoke to told me I wasn't doing it right that my method was flawed. I explained that the other packs cycled at stated or greater capacity and he said he should just charge me more for those packs. That didn't sit well with me. Anyway, he asked me what current I was charging them at and what current and voltage I was discharging them at. I told him I was using a Digipace3, I was charging at 140 mah for 16 hrs and discharging at 360 mah to 1.05-1.1 v per cell. He said that I needed to discharge them to .8 v per cell and that these new batteries don't contain as much material as they used to and that the capacity stated is pretty much what you'll get without much capacity over the stated. I told him that I had another unit that I could discharge them to .8 v per cell and that I would do this a few times to see the capacity. Guess what, after 2 cycles I still got 1350 mah. On the phone again stating that I followed his advice but the batteries were still the same. He acted like it's no big deal and live with it that there are more important things to worry about besides a battery pack. By this time I'm not real happy with him when he basically says that I don't know what I'm doing just like the time I called before. He asked what I want to do and I said I wanted the pack replaced. He said I don't have them anymore. We go back and forth before settling on a 1300 mah pack. I agree to send the pack back but I have to send $3 to get a smaller size pack. Yeah, $3 for a smaller heavier pack. He said send the pack to his attention and he would send the new pack when he receives the pack back. I wait 2 weeks, no pack comes. I call and talk to some lady. I go thru the whole deal about the pack blah, blah. She finally finds the info. and said she will send the pack out. I wait a week no pack. I call again and talk to the same lady. I go thru the same crap again. She says they are out of those batteries but should have some the next week and will send them out. Well i call a little over a week later and get the same lady. She says they are just getting settled from the Toledo Show and will have to get the pack made and she will send it out. I waited until yesterday and still no pack. This has been well over a week since the last time I called. I called yesterday. This time I get a different lady. I ask about my pack. Of course I have to explain the crap again. I give here my name and she states that they need more money before they can send the pack. I said WHAT!. I told her the story about the man who said to send the bad pack with $3 and I would get a new but smaller pack. She said no way that the price difference was more than $3 with the cost of the different pack and shipping. I told her point blank that I made a deal with an individual there and I wasn't sending anymore money. I told here that I wanted the agreed pack to ship this week. She finally agreed but reluctantly. What gets me is if I didn't bother to call back, they had no intentions to contact me or even send the pack. I'm no longer going to buy batteries from them due to this bad experience. I don't like being belittled by stating I don't know how to use/check nicads.
Thanks for letting me relieve a little.

PsychoZulu

can i ask what the sellers name was?

madman75

I'd rather not give out the name but will say where they're located.
8845 South Greenview Dr., Suite 2, Middleton, Wisconsin 53562

You guys can figure it out for yourselves.

porterdog

store.batteriesamerica.com/about-us.aspx

MasterAlex

Sometimes customer service organizations will win a battle but lose the war.  It appears that BA won the skirmish with you madman, but definitely lost sight of the objective.  ... and we're not talking about some hugely expensive 10S LiPo.  Given your order history with them, I can't see how their actions make sense. 

I'd imagine your post will give people a reason to pause and consider other vendors out there.  If multiple people from this company treat loyal customers like this, it says a great deal about the company's internal policies.

Thanks for sharing!