The Die Easy

The battery in the van died this weekend. Well, almost died. I got the call from my wife “Roland the car won’t start, can you look at it?” I put the key in the ignition and it slowly turned over but I knew something was wrong.

My 2.5 year old Sears Die Hard battery had a 6 year warrantee. I took it back to Sears. Sure enough, the battery was shot. They replaced it and gave me a bit over 50% credit on a new one. The sales associate explained that a “normal” battery lasts for 3-5 years but life can vary based on how the car is used. They replace the battery for free for the first 18 months. After that it is prorated.

Now this is a Die Hard battery. I can still remember the commercials that were on when I was a kid. A frozen lake in International Falls Minnesota. 50 cars all with their lights on. Hours later only one car starts – of course that was the car with the Die Hard. The message was simple and powerful, you got a Die Hard and you never had a problem.

Time marches on. Manufacturers and designs change. Now the battery is “maintenance free”. It never needs water but for some reason it doesn’t last. They still call it Die Hard. Too bad it can’t live up to its name.

Today my Die Hard doesn’t last for 50% of it’s warrantee but Sears has me hooked. I need to go back to get 50% off of a new one. An interesting but costly strategy. So much for Die Hard. They might want to rename it The Die Easy.

Until next time – all the best!

RolandB