What is the core charge for a battery at walmart

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What is a core charge fee for a battery?
Is there a core charge on batteries?

Joined:Feb 28, 20121,968 8130Location:L.I.- NYVehicle:Other HybridModel:N/A

Sunday we bought a new battery for our SUV at Walmart.
I brought the old battery with me so I'd get the $5 core charge back when we bought the new battery.
We had to buy the new battery (and return the core) at the Customer Service counter because there was nobody in the automotive department last Sunday afternoon- as was confirmed by several employees.
The sale of the new battery was straightforward- paid $106 for the battery plus $5 core charge (plus tax)... done.

When I put the old (NAPA brand) battery up on the counter for the core return the customer svc rep said "sorry- we only accept Walmart brand batteries back for the cores". Well, we had a line of about 10 anxious/impatient people behind us and I guess the girl didn't want to get into it for $5 so she called her manager- who never answered his phone- then she said "OK I'll take it back this time- but next time it has to be a Walmart brand battery". We got the $5 core charge back in cash and left.
Has anybody else experienced this treatment or know if this is actual policy at Walmart?
It's my understanding that core charges on batteries are to encourage recycling. Don't want the lead and acid being dumped into the environment. Only accepting a certain brand would defeat the purpose.
+1
They have to take any battery.
Joined:Feb 28, 20121,968 8130Location:L.I.- NYVehicle:Other HybridModel:N/A

I've sent an email to Walmart corporate to see if this in indeed their policy on battery core returns...
Joined:Mar 1, 20122,593 7600Vehicle:2012 Prius v wagonModel:Two

The last time I bought a WalMart battery, I took in a beat up old Panasonic battery with a weathered and cracked case that had been out in the weather for 10 years. There were NO questions asked.
Joined:Mar 25, 20103,247 5250Location:MinnesotaVehicle:Other Non-HybridModel:N/A

Same here, they take any automotive battery. Some Walmart's have idiots for employees
Mike
Mobile on my SGH-i717
...and that is surprising because they have such a well-paid and highly trained workforce maybe...?
Joined:May 28, 2013210620 Location:MichiganVehicle:2012 PriusModel:Two

When I used to shop Walmart they took back my old battery which wasn't one of theirs
Customer service is not what brings Walmart customers back
Joined:Mar 25, 2010 3,2475250Location:MinnesotaVehicle:Other Non-HybridModel:N/A

Some Walmarts are real good and others are interesting
Mike
Mobile on my SGH-i717
Joined:Feb 28, 20121,9688130 Location:L.I.- NYVehicle:Other HybridModel:N/A

Yeah, that....
I actually try to avoid WM whenever I can- just because of the brain-dead type treatment we experienced first hand last Sunday.
I usually get our batteries at BJ's or Costco, but BJ's only sell Excide batteries and Excide just filed for Ch.11 protection, and Costco is a pretty far drive for us- so we went reluctantly to WalMart for what should have been a simple transaction.
Like I always say to my wife "I hate going to Walmart".
Joined:Mar 25, 20103,2475250Location:MinnesotaVehicle:Other Non-HybridModel:N/A

I go to Walmart to buy their ammo
Mike
Mobile on my SGH-i717
I go for the motor oil. Haven't seen a 5qt jug of Mobil1 0w30 anywhere else.
Joined:Jun 23, 2013020Location:Newark, DEVehicle:Other Non-HybridModel:N/A

I did, just a few hours ago. I was shocked, and tried to explain to them that core fees don't work that way. My vehicle is seven years old, and the battery in it was factory original. Why should it have had a Walmart branded battery in it? I'd call this a racket just to jack up the cost of the batteries by another $9 without showing it in the advertised price. Plus, it leaves customers with forty pounds of lead and no good place to return it. I'd bet a lot of consumers might just dump the old dead battery in the trash after they find out Walmart won't accept it as a core.
Fortunately, the core was from my other vehicle. I had brought it with me when I went to buy the replacement. After the CSR told me she wouldn't take it, I immediately returned the new one I had bought (not half an hour before). I told them what I thought of their core policy, promised them I'd never buy another Walmart battery again, and expressed my sincere hope that no one else does either. Then I went to Pep Boys and bought their battery (which is also manufactured by JCI), paid the same price as Walmart, and got a 72 month pro-rated warranty on it too.
Oh, didn't you know that Walmart no longer offers the 5, 6, 7 or 8 year pro rated warranties?
Joined:Mar 25, 20103,247 5250Location:MinnesotaVehicle:Other Non-HybridModel:N/A

What Walmart, town & state so we know which one to avoid?
Mike
Here's a summary of battery recycling laws for all the states that have them (most do).
In New York (where the OP ran into problems), a notice must be posted in the store:
"IT IS ILLEGAL TO DISCARD VEHICLE BATTERIES. STATE LAW REQUIRES US TO
ACCEPT VEHICLE BATTERIES AT NO CHARGE FOR RECYCLING.
"New York point-of-sale notices must be printed by battery retailers and distributors and
must include the three-chasing arrows recycling symbol. "
The link above states that in NY a $5 refundable deposit must be charged when you buy a battery. It does not say that the retailer can set conditions on the refund.
I would take this to the NY Attorney General's office.
Ty_Bower, what state are you in? (It would be handy to add this to your profile, as it makes research much easier).
If it's more than 2, it is likely chain wide.
Joined:Jun 23, 2013020Location:Newark, DEVehicle:Other Non-HybridModel:N/A

I'm in the state of Delaware. Regrettably, my state is not listed on the linked table of recycling laws. In case you are interested, this is the Walmart that refused my core:

New Castle Walmart Store #2555
117 Wilton Blvd
New Castle, DE 19720

Two CSRs and one manager all supported the same "policy", so I cannot assume it was simply a case of one mistaken employee.
A Google search shows that Walmart has been doing this for quite a few years now - they even add on a core charge in states that don't require it. There was a class action suit thrown out in California in 2011 (on a technicality):
"A California federal judge on Monday dismissed a proposed class action accusing Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of misleading consumers into thinking a $9 car battery fee was required under state law, saying the additional charge may have had no effect on the plaintiffs' decision to buy the battery from the retailer."
What a scam!
Here's the NY Attorney General complaint form. I would file it myself, but you have to be the injured party to do it.
I see the main complaint as being that Walmart will not accept all batteries for recycling, which is specifically required by NY State law, with failing to refund the core charge as being subsidiary to this.

What is a core charge fee for a battery?

A core charge is a form of deposit held for the return of the used part. Core charges are set by the manufacturer or supplier and are based on the value of the materials in the part or the reusability of the old part. The core charge is added to the price of a part to encourage the return of the old part.

Is there a core charge on batteries?

Refundable core deposits, also known as core charges, are often mandated by state legislatures. As a result, many automotive parts, including batteries, have a refundable core deposit or core price.