Buying Batteries From Canadian Tire - Warranty Issues, Etc.

A fresh one. Surprisingly, CT didn't have to pay Facebook to provoke this comment is spam:



Colin W.: Canadian Tire let me down with this crap battery, which happens to everyone. But not honouring the warranty is something you can fix.
Emailed you two weeks ago and nobody bothered to respond.

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PissedCDN said:

Brought a 2 year old battery in for replacement because of not taking a charge. Said they would put on charge for an hour and to come back. Came back an hour later and was told that the battery acid is black and the battery has been frozen. Hello!!! it's September!! They then said it has been frozen at one point. I then told them that it comes out of a corvette that has been parked in a heated garage during the winter months. Then they came out with another lame excuse that it must of been overcharged!! Saying it must be my vehicle!! I looked at her and said "your not going to replace this are you?" She said no, not when it's your car. I kinda lost it at that point but who can blame me. Funny, other patrons who heard me lose it, told me as I was storming out to bring it to another CT store. I then went home and tested my cars alternator output and it is at 14.1 volts where it's suppose to be. I will try another store and see what they say. Probably more lame excuses. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER THING FROM CT!!!

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Well, not all CT stores are bad. Brought the battery to another CT store, they did a quick volt test and gave me a new battery no questions asked. Just goes to show how the different owners treat their customers.

Glad to hear it!

Lucky for you there was another store close by.

Let's hope this one lasts!

Where will you buy your next battery, though?

CTH8R said:

Glad to hear it!

Lucky for you there was another store close by.

Let's hope this one lasts!

Where will you buy your next battery, though?

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Definitely not at CT!!!

Ernie M.: They don't care and the admin, no offence, is at best a spokesperson. No control. All they can do is say "We are sorry but if you contact blahblah@blahblahblah.com someone would be more than willing to help you resolve it!" Bs. The bike I bought could of seriously hurt me or killed me. Cut a washer in half to shim the front disc caliper because the forks were twisted. And make sure tires are too low to test ride! Their solution? Bring the bike back so the same old man can fix what shouldn't have left their store in the first place. Quality is now quantity. CT's new motto: Quality first! Customers last!

Another painful lesson learned, about the perils of buying a battery warranty from Crappy Tire:


Dave E.: I want to Warn potential customers about one of the scams they run at Canadian Tire. They sell you a supposed 9 year hassle free warrant on your batteries. The warranty only covers 3 years hassle free. After the 3 years are up (which isthe same warranty you get free with the battery) you have to pro rate the cost of the battery. So first off the increase in battery cost goes to the client, and secondly, the first 3 years count towards the pro rated cost. So my original $100 battery with a $15 extended warranty, cost me $72.00 to replace one year after the three year warranty was up (even tho i had paid for an extended 6 years). The store manager told me it was written in the fine print, but i was very specific asking questions when i bought the battery.


Dave E.: i also want to say, that i raved about this warranty to a few friends who had boats, and atvs, and they said the same thing when i told them about my experience. "they were told it was hassle free replacement for 9 years" After calling customer relations, they were as useful then the janitor at the store on the subject. I mentioned that i ran a business and if my employees made a mistake, that i covered the cost. They (being a multi million dollar corporation, who just spent millions on the renaming Scotia Bank Place) were more interested in losing a 25 year customer, and any good reviews that would come from me. I wont ever shop at that place again, instead, i will give all my business to stores where the customer comes first Stores such as Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, Napa, Princess Auto, and of course Costco. All those places stand behind there products. Motomaster is junk, and even though it is the only store you can buy it in, and even though the battery says "3 YEAR WARRANTY" right on the battery, and even though the battery is Date stamped, they would not do a damn thing for the consumer. I hope others stop supporting companies with no morals.

Hmmm ... isn't automotive battery-buying season just around the corner??


V. B.E.: I went to Canadian Tire to get a battery for my truck. Waited in line. Was bypassed a few times, so left came back was asked by a person if I needed help I said yes I would like a battery for my truck. He said did you ring the bell. I never seen a bell so went to Walmart and go a battery. It may not be as good a one but they were very helpful.

Darren S.: I went to the Unicity Canadian Tire today to have a battery that's leaking acid onto the cables of my van today. I took the battery in, gave it to the worker and was told that they would need to have it checked for about 2 hours. It's leaking freaking acid, I didn't say a thing about the charge, it's the acid. Nope, have to have it checked. We paid the extra when we bought it for the "extended warranty",(waste of money, never do it again), but that didn't make any difference at all. I'm in Canadian Tire all the time, but I will never ever ever get a battery or trust the parts people again.

Even when the battery works fine (at least initially) you can still get shafted:



Rick R.: Time for Rick's Rants.... Well its been a while since I had something really worthy to complain about, but today was my "lucky" day. This morning I purchased a battery at Canadian Tire. Nothing really out of the ordinary. A sign above the battery department says, "Price after casting returned". Upon check out, the company automatically adds a $15 casting deposit, and automatically charges me HST. So far, everything going as planned. I take the battery install it in my truck. Works as advertised, I turn my key and the engine stats. Perfect!

.... Later that evening .....

I return to Canadian Tire to get my deposit back. "No problem. Here you go sir. $15 returned to my credit card". I pause for a second and ask, "What about the HST I paid on the $15?" to which the staff make great efforts to convince me that's the way it's done. I said, but that's illegal. You can't charge me HST on nothing. You charged me HST on the casting deposit, I brought the casting back and now I would like my FULL deposit back including HST taxes. After great debate with customer service and a junior auto department manager, who I'll call Jr., I got nowhere. I should say though, Jr. was so frustrated with his company's policy, and the chain of complaints it generated, he offered to refund my HST taxes out of his own pocket. Kudo's to junior for trying to satisfy his customer. Poo Poo on CT for a very bad broadly implemented and infuriating customer policy.

I felt like I was in an episode from Seinfeld, "You know how to take the deposit, you just don't know how to refund the deposit!". Next time I will just call CAA. Same price and no fuss.

Ashley E.: Worst service EVER!!!! Went in for a battery change now my window doesn't work (worked before going in) now they won't take responsibility it's a coincidence?

Ashley E.: You don't want to assist me with it. I've contacted customer service.

Peter V.: never never buy a battery at CT Costco stand behind their product all over the world even without a sales slip try and return something at CT no bill forget it were Costco will look that up in the computer and honer it.

CTH8R said:

Peter V.: never never buy a battery at CT Costco stand behind their product all over the world even without a sales slip try and return something at CT no bill forget it were Costco will look that up in the computer and honer it.

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agreed.i have costco card and if theres ever a choice that place is the FIRST one.never a problem with customer service.FUCK U CT

A timely warning as the days get cooler.

What the poster doesn't know yet, is that the battery would likely fail shortly, and any tow charges, list wages, etc would not be covered. Plus the warranty would not cover an expensive test of the vehicle's charging system, then an expensive test of the failed battery, then an over-priced install of a replacement. Plus the warranty is likely 'pro-rated', so it might not cover 100% of the price ofthe crappy replacement. Oh, and the warranty on the replacement would be reduced by the amount of time the old battery was still working.So, if he had decided to buy this battery, he might well end up paying the same amount again in a year or so for a battery with a 'warranty'!

I gather he doesn't know how lucky he was, to have dodged that bullet!



Anshu A.: U guys gotta start hiring smarter people. I called to ask how much to install a car battery. I was told, come on in, don't need an appointment and will cost $149 including install. When I got there, I was told there is an hour wait and cost is $199. WTF...why a different story on the ph and then a different price in the store

Another guy who dodged the bullet - out-smarted it, actually.


Rick R.: I am disappointed in this policy which unfairly penalizes battery purchasers. But as with any complaint, I will put my money where my mouth is. Call CAA. They come to my car. They put it in. They take the old one. All for about the same price CT charges, and I don't have to make two trips, or fight over quircky policies!

CTH8R said:

Even when the battery works fine (at least initially) you can still get shafted:



Rick R.: Time for Rick's Rants.... Well its been a while since I had something really worthy to complain about, but today was my "lucky" day. This morning I purchased a battery at Canadian Tire. Nothing really out of the ordinary. A sign above the battery department says, "Price after casting returned". Upon check out, the company automatically adds a $15 casting deposit, and automatically charges me HST. So far, everything going as planned. I take the battery install it in my truck. Works as advertised, I turn my key and the engine stats. Perfect!

.... Later that evening .....

I return to Canadian Tire to get my deposit back. "No problem. Here you go sir. $15 returned to my credit card". I pause for a second and ask, "What about the HST I paid on the $15?" to which the staff make great efforts to convince me that's the way it's done. I said, but that's illegal. You can't charge me HST on nothing. You charged me HST on the casting deposit, I brought the casting back and now I would like my FULL deposit back including HST taxes. After great debate with customer service and a junior auto department manager, who I'll call Jr., I got nowhere. I should say though, Jr. was so frustrated with his company's policy, and the chain of complaints it generated, he offered to refund my HST taxes out of his own pocket. Kudo's to junior for trying to satisfy his customer. Poo Poo on CT for a very bad broadly implemented and infuriating customer policy.

I felt like I was in an episode from Seinfeld, "You know how to take the deposit, you just don't know how to refund the deposit!". Next time I will just call CAA. Same price and no fuss.

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Hmmm... a theory on why its OK for CT to demand that you give them HST on an item you buy, and why its later OK for them to keep the HST when you return the item. Applies to batteries only, it seems:


Jessica S.: The core charge is implemented by the GST/HST Rulings with the Canada Revenue Agency. When you bring your core (used part) in at the time of your purchase, no core charge is applied. When bringing in your used part at another time this transaction is considered as “selling” back your item to the store. As an individual consumer you are unable to apply taxes to items you are selling unless you are a GST/HST registrant. If there are any questions as to this process or Canadian Tire following the rules, the GST/HST Ruling Technical Inquiry phone line would be happy to answer your concerns (1-800-959-8287).

And ... Rick responded to the bogus justification for this scam:


Rick R.: I'm sorry. I have to disagree with your premise for a badly constructed policy. The store posts a sign clearly stating the price is the effective price with the core returned. This means HST is not charged on the core. If I had brought a dead battery with me, I would not be taxed on the core. So I am being charged a fictitious tax penalty because I bring my dead battery back when I can drive my car to the store. The net result is not the same if I bring my core with me versus bringing it later. The core charge is a deposit. Not a sale. Besides I am a business. The battery was sold to my business and the store people did not ask me whether I collect and remit HST which I do. So that is a second policy failure. This battery policy has more holes than Swiss cheese!

Rick says it reminds him of a Seinfeld piece.

But it reminds me of the greedy Eco Fee scam, from a few years ago - collect excessive fees, blame the government, then keep the money as pure profit - nice RePeat, CT!

A general warning:


Alex S.: Whatever you do don't ever buy a Canadian Tire car battery. I got three "heavy duty" batteries from them, all died within a year. Go Sears Die- hard or Delco, but never again will I be caught with a Canadian tire car battery.

Jason H.:
I have a complaint about your store in Kelsey Drive, St. John's, Newfoundland. I came in on 11/23/13 to bring in a used battery to receive a recycling deposit. Now, the battery was bought at the Grand Falls location (5 hours away) and because of a storm, I couldn't bring the battery back to that location and figured I'd bring it in to this particular store.

They wouldn't help me at the auto section and sent me to the customer service counter where I waited for 20 minutes because they had 3 checkouts with 1 girl for "customer service". When I finally got to the front, she told me to go to the auto dept. and then I told her I was already there. The misinformed employee told me she'd get the manager... which never happened. I was pretty much ignored until after another 20 minutes when I decided to find the guy myself. When I explained him the situation he went somewhere and then came back all ignorant telling me, "You'd better go back to Grand Falls then".

Any ways, I won't be returning to that location any more. I'm not sure if this is what you consider a great way to treat a customer or what.

As the cold weather continues to take hold, here is a timely warning from Crappy Tire's own Facebook page:


Kathy C.: I am so tired of this Battery and it is new with warranty and keeps going dead. so I went to Canadian Tire in Bridgewater (CookVille ) and they say there is nothing wrong with the battery. The service manager kicked us out of the store because we wanted them to Honor the warranty. so we called customer service in regards to this and after they contacted the owner and the owner asked us to take our van into be tested the service department still says that it isn't the battery However offered us a new battery minus the warranty, I paid for a warranty when i bought the CERTIFIED Battery. my van has a new alternator and alternator belt and all lights are set to stay off when doors are opened so my Question is if its not the battery why are they offering me a new battery minus warranty and what would make them think I would give up the warranty that is on the battery anyway....So done with Canadian Tire So much for you slogan we stand behind what we sell