Store refused to allow exchange defective battery or issue refund later, they lost $350

This happened mid 2020, during covid. As a farmer, I can't take a break from anything due to pandemic, although I still had to deal with local and state laws like mask in stores and 6 feet distance.

I was getting my combine harvester cleaned up, lubed, right implement attached, removed a few dead mice that got caught inside and died, and ready to start harvesting wheats. The wheat, when planted in late fall or early winter are meant to be harvested by late summer and the window to harvest them can be mere weeks. Anyway I noticed the harvester was not starting up and when I checked, the battery wasn't holding any charge. Trickle charger ran for a few days and the battery remained well below minimum required power. I guess the cold winter may have sapped the battery and it was already old. I went to a local farming store to get a new battery.

These batteries are $350 for my John Deere harvester, so not cheap. They didn't take the old one for core exchange as returns were temporarily banned. I could take it later and get the core fee back.

I got it in and checked. *click* ... nothing. I checked the battery, deader than a doornail. My trickle charger couldn't detect the battery. That seemed to indicate there's a full open like a missed connection inside, or a few damaged lead plates.

So back to the store. It should be a simple straight exchange, right? Except with Michigan's temporary ban on return to prevent people from getting too close to employees or sharing covid-contaminated items. (stores were required to extend the return period starting from end of the ban so people can return)

Unfortunately the only option store offered was another $350 battery. The store policy had 2 weeks limit (after ban is lifted that is) to return batteries for exchange and absolutely no refund. With the temporary law, I couldn't exchange it right that time. I asked if they could sell it now and issue refund on the dead battery later when the restriction is lifted. They said no. I can't wait until the ban is lifted to exchange the dud as my unharvested crop could be ruined if the ban remained well into winter.

I involved my credit card company because I was getting screwed out of $350 with a dead battery, no exchange allowed, and no refund later. I ended up in a 3-way call hell for some time with my credit card bank and the store. They tried to find compromises like loading me another combine harvester. When I told them what model and size mine is, and they looked up. They only had model FUT-3 and 1/4 (FUT for fucking useless tractor, barely bigger than a lawnmower and not enough HP to handle any of the harvester implement or to tow the grain wagon for wheat dump) thus renting from another place would be the only option.

Heart attack-inducing $75 per hour, and I told them 1100 acres to be farmed, with average 30 hours to clear it at best. They suggested sending some local employees to help hand gather wheat.

"Sir, do you know how much 1100 acres of wheat is? 1100 acres is roughly 1 and 3/4 square miles (4.5 Km for the non-Americans). And all those has to be gathered in a few weeks. I would need at minimum a few hundred people hand-cutting all the wheat, thresh them all, and dump the wheat into the trucks. A few of your employees might be able to do one acre a day but not finish 1100 acres in a few weeks"

A few hundred people doing it for a few weeks at standard wage would far exceed the cost of one harvester rental for a few days, and be well within the cost of an used, similar sized harvester. A team of just 5 employees doing 1 acre a day would end up finishing in 3 years, with most of the wheat rejected for being too old, rotten, and moldy.

We were still back on the battery. The store pointed out state law prohibited return and suggested I wait to return for exchange. I said I can't wait for when I can exchange the battery as it may be too late to harvest my wheat. The credit card reminded them they had obligation to sell working merchandises, and they need to make an exception to either exchange for another now or allow defective battery returned for full refund when returns are allowed. The store said no refund on returned battery for any reason and refused to allow exchange due to law.

Either exchange it now, make an exception and allow refund later, pay for a rental combine harvester out of their pocket, or send a few hundred employees on their dime. No, no, no, and no.

Ultimately the CC ruled in my favor and the store was told they can come and pick up the dead battery any time for the return. I got a new battery from a different store and have never gone back to the first one since then.

The dead battery and the original old battery has been sitting in my barn for 4 and 1/2 years now. I've sent them reminder when Michigan lifted the return ban and again a few months later. Since it is considered abandoned after they ignored my last reminder, maybe I'll send it someone to try and rebuild it. If it's not rebuild-able, I can still take both somewhere and get some money out of it.

If the employee of this store is reading this and remembers it, this will be your last chance to come in and pick up your damn battery. Bring help and a broom, that battery is around 120 lbs (55Kg) with about 20 pounds of dust on top.