National Tire & Battery [NTB]

Cleveland Wason
2640 Cabin Creek Apt 303
Alexandria, VA 22314
[protected])
Cleveland. [protected]@gmail.com
29th of October 2020
NTB
National Tire and Battery
5800 Edsall Road
Alexandria, VA 22304
To Whom it May Concern,
I'm writing to you today in hopes of receiving assistance with an issue I experienced at your 2800 Jefferson Davis Hwy Alexandria, VA, 22301 location VA NATL Tire and Battery #8606 606). I have been a customer at this location for at least 4 years and doubt I will ever walk into that location or any of your locations going forward. On 10/18/20 I woke up to my car not starting. I called Triple A to get a jump. My car ran fine afterwards and then the very next day I had to call them again to get my car started. The Triple A provider said I should run the car and drive for about a hour and it should be fine. On 10/18 I did not do so. My interior lights were dimming again and on 10/20/20 I decided to have my car battery checked as I was having some sort of power issue. Before going to the location I stopped at an AutoZone store to have my battery power checked. The gentleman at the store conducted the quick battery check and said that it was "discharging" he used another tool to check the alternator and said that the alternator looked healthy and his reading didn't warrant a change however I definitely needed to change/replace the battery. I left there and went to NTB in Potomac Yards, a store that I'm not only familiar with but purchased my battery from 2 years ago and it was still under warranty so if this was the case I can get the service done there.
I met with an associate named Micheala Kidd at the front desk who greeted me and got me set up. I waited for about 30 minutes or so as the car was brought in and she came back to the desk and told me that my battery was not good and I should have it replaced but I also needed to change my Alternator because it was reading "LOW" I was a little confused as I was just told not a hour ago that my alternator was fine and it was most likely given the readings at Autozone that the battery was the issue and explained that to her but she state that "It was what the technician who looked at the car told her, and it was going to take a hour" I felt compelled to get the alternator fixed and the new battery installed because I needed to take a trip. I need to have an operable vehicle so I had the work done. I waited the hour and asked if the car was ready and a Mr. Scott whom I did not know at the time was the Manager was working with the technician on the car. He told me that an Alternator job is usually longer than an hour and It would be most likely another 45 minutes to an hour. I canceled my afternoon appointments and waited. I left with the car and everything seemed fine. I went home and within 6 hours the car was dead. I was very fortunate that I purchased a mobile battery pack in the event the car did not start again. I woke up on 10/21 and found that the car was dead again. I was very upset that I will now have to disrupt yet another day to deal with the issue. I jump started the car and went back to the NTB in Potomac Yard location and explained that I'm having an issue again with the battery. A technician looked at the car for another hour or so and said he could not find an issue and it must be a fault somewhere or a light on that is draining the battery. He advised that I go to a place down the street called Bradham Automotive because they have a machine that can detect where the issue might be. I went there on his recommendation but they did not have any appointments until next week. I then decided to go to BMW to have them look at it. I was advised at BMW that the wrong size battery was put in at NTB and it was not supplying enough power and they needed to change it out and recommended I take the battery back to NTB. They installed a new battery and the power issue persisted and they were able to diagnose an issue with the IBS (Intelligent Battery Sensor) and that the housing that was heavily corroded along with the Negative port and contact bushing. They fixed the issue and the car has been running fine the last two days.
As the car was with BMW being repaired I called NTB and spoke to an associate relaying everything I just wrote and was told by this associate whose voice I recognized was the woman who has a shaved head that I would need to talk to Mr. Scott the Manager. I called back a little later and was not able to fully explain the situation but was told by Mr. Scott to bring back the battery for a credit. The battery was under warranty and I didnt want a credit for the battery. I wanted a credit for the Alternator that I was sold as the issue when it was not. I brought battery in on 10/28 but Mr. Scott was not in and I was greeted by the same woman with the shaved head and she apologized about all that happened because I was not able to make my trip and that the car was finally operable. I was advised to come back in today 10/29 to see Mr. Scott and he would take care of the issue. I met with Mr. Scott today and he was gracious enough to comp the battery (again the battery was under warranty) this was not what I was seeking. I wanted an answer in regards to the Alternator I was advised to purchase by Micheala Kidd. Mr. Scott even stated that he was in the garage with the technician when they were looking at my vehicle and said that the alternator although reading low at the time was not "condemn" that was his direct quote and that I should have not been told that I needed a new one so I ask "why" he went on to loosely explain that there is a communication issue and what he states is never relayed correctly and she (Micheala) was making a sale.
I find this very disheartening despite the efforts Mr. Scott made to remedy this and satisfy my experience and grievance however I feel "taken" as a customer and in this uncertain time I do not have the money at hand I use to pay for something that I did not need. I humbly request a refund for the cost of the Alternator. I can live with the lost work time as NTB has no control over my schedule. I'm very disappointed and I hope that someone can grant my request and make this right. I have attached the invoice for the Alternator cost of $382.41 and $279.98 I'm not seeking the testing charge as that is customary. My contact information is at the top of this correspondence. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Cleveland Wason
Cleveland. [protected]@gmail.com
[protected]