# Optima Batteries just lost a customer



## Quack Addict (Aug 10, 2006)

double trouble said:


> Meijers is selling die hards. In an agreement with sears holdings, they have been selling them as of Sept. 30 2011. Meijers other batteries are manufactured by east penn - Deka. Very good U.S. manufacturer.
> They used to be made by exide. Exide will announce some significant advances in their battery technology that has been in testing at their Mi. research facility. Not sure when.


 
Yeah, Meijer isn't in the business of manufacturing batteries or any of the other Meijer-brand stuff. They seem to be very good about what they put their name on though. They're big enough to not hassle a guy over minutia on warranty or exchange (especially when their name is on it), and there's a Meijers not far away from most places I go.

There's something to be said about marketing and the 'pro staff' effect. A LOT of JUNK products have been sold through the years because someone was paid to say a few kind words about the JUNK product.

I wonder a little bit if that's the case when I see Fonzie selling life insurance, or is it reverse mortgages...?


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## Matt V (Dec 8, 2004)

That is too bad that you had problem's with your battery. I am going on 4 year's with my 3 Optima blue tops and all are still going strong. My last boat had 2 of them in it that I ran for 6 year's, I sold the boat to a friend and he finally had to replace them after he owned it for 2 year's, that was 8 year's on them! Pretty much everyone that I know that own's a boat run's Optima Blue Top's and I haven't heard of anyone having problem's with them.


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## Magnet (Mar 2, 2001)

I run my bow mount with Blue Tops. 6 years and no problems.


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## Dan9811 (Dec 8, 2007)

Well after work I went to Rosy Bros in Dryden and they confirmed it was dead. Optima is starting the process of replacing it under warranty. After today's e-mailing with them they changed their mind that my warranty started when I received it not when I payed for it. Anyway the 24 months is today and I contacted them yesterday the 23rd. Good thing the walleye were biting in the Saginaw River or I wouldn't have found out about this...lol..1 day could have cost me $200.00...lol...I may have to release the first couple fish this year just to say thanks....lol


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## OptimaJim (Jun 30, 2010)

Dan, I'm glad to hear your situation is being resolved. Even if you contacted us a day or two after your warranty had expired, we're not going to split hairs over such an insignificant amount of time passing. 

Ih772, I'm glad you asked the question you did about how the battery has been stored for the last two years, even though it went unanswered. Whenever any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts and left in that state, sulfation begins to form, which diminishes both capacity and lifespan. We're getting ready to head into fishing season and in the battery business, that means a spike in calls from folks who have left their batteries sitting in discharged states all winter long.

Fully-charged, our BlueTops (except the 34M) will measure about 13.0-13.2 volts. If you are using our batteries or anyone else's I would encourage you to check your voltage this weekend and charge your battery, if needed. When you come off the water this summer, fully recharge your batteries as soon as you can, instead of waiting until the night before (or day of) your next trip.

For those of you considering battery purchases this spring, I would encourage you to read the warranty of any battery you are considering, before making a purchase. Some warranties are actually voided if a battery is measured below a specific minimum voltage level. Fortunately for Dan, we don't have such exclusions in our warranty. I would also encourage everyone to ask about how warranties are processed before making a purchase. Most warranties require the battery to be returned to either the original place of purchase or manufacturer, even if they were purchased online. If anyone has any questions about our batteries, I'll do my best to answer them.


Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries


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## Dan9811 (Dec 8, 2007)

I think I answered it on another forum or to someone. Like I said I bought the battery used it 3 times (like 10 hours) and then got shifted to the afternoon shift at work. Well the boat didn't hit the water again that year but I was in centerline then. I put my charger on it once in a while but that was summer/fall. We then moved to dryden and I didn't even put the boat in the water but once and it was trolling with the big motor but I put the charger on the batteries here and there as I had to run extension cords to it. Well now I am going to buy an on board charger so this year and years to come they will be tendered. The question is which one do I get. I don't want the same problem. I have two batteries one for the big motor (cranking) and the Optima for the Trolling motor. I also was thinking of running 2 batteries in parallel for the trolling motor but that won't be for a little while. If two batteries are in parallel will they charge like one? How many banks and how many amps are recommended. Like I said with work, moving 2 households to one and a 5, 4, and 18 month old I may have not payed enough attention but I learned my lesson believe me.

Jim once again thanks for contacting me. What would you recommend for an on board charger since you work and deal with them. Also for the set up I was talking about. I would rather get what I need now for later even if it's over kill now (will be prepared later).

Sorry so long.


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## jumbojake (Apr 20, 2009)

Optima blue topps are garbage.had one all done,got a yellow topp same year as blue top.yellow still runnin strong blue would overheat on, charges.bluetopp would not last long,on full charge.jiggn batteries count and that one let me down.funny thing is yellow top still runnin my main eng.i runn 3 sears die hard marine lego blocks one optima yellow top.17ft boat,runnin hard 4 walleyes on det river .and st clair river my good friend buckbuster got a blue topp went shaty on him within a 3 month term.for 240 aint worth it,actully paid 260 for my bluetopp 220 for my yellowtopp .just my 2 cents ah.


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## Zofchak (Jan 10, 2003)

No matter what brand of battery it may be if you don't take care of it, don't expect it to last. Buy a good charger, (No point in spending $200 on a battery and charging it with a $20 Walmart charger), charge them up after every use, keep them on a maintainer if they'll be sitting for an extended period and try to avoid draining them down to nothing during use. 

I've had two Optima batteries for 3 years and they have performed flawlessly. Not only have I been using them for 3 years, but I purchased them used and the previous owner used them commercially for 2 years prior!


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## OptimaJim (Jun 30, 2010)

Dan, unfortunately, I am not allowed to recommend specific brands of chargers, but I can tell you the best chargers are microprocessor-controlled and there are two basic types of maintenance chargers. Fully-automatic, multi-stage or multi-step chargers will monitor the battery and charge it as necessary. Multi-stage maintainers will charge at varying voltages and varying amperage (rarely exceeding 2 amps). Some of these multi-step chargers are also capable of being regular battery chargers (7 amps or more). These types of chargers are preferred. 

Traditional float chargers provide constant voltage with tapering amperage to the battery, even when it is fully-charged. For float-charging, we recommend 1 amp max, 13.2-13.8 volts. These are OK too, but the multi-stage chargers are a better option. There should be several quality onboard chargers on the market that match those descriptions. I would caution everyone to avoid using gel or even gel/AGM charger settings on non-gel batteries, as they may not fully-charge and could damage them over time (Optimas are not gel batteries). Whenever multiple batteries are run in parallel or series applications, they should be identical in age, size and type.

Internally, our BlueTops are identical to their YellowTop counterparts, except for the 34M, which is the marine version of our Group 34 RedTop starting battery. BlueTops do come with additional threaded top posts for marine accessories.

Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries


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## lawnranger (Jan 16, 2009)

Me and a buddy are having pretty good luck with interstate batteries


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## MOTOMAN91 (Oct 26, 2010)

optimajim said:


> dan, unfortunately, i am not allowed to recommend specific brands of chargers, but i can tell you the best chargers are microprocessor-controlled and there are two basic types of maintenance chargers. Fully-automatic, multi-stage or multi-step chargers will monitor the battery and charge it as necessary. Multi-stage maintainers will charge at varying voltages and varying amperage (rarely exceeding 2 amps). Some of these multi-step chargers are also capable of being regular battery chargers (7 amps or more). These types of chargers are preferred.
> 
> Traditional float chargers provide constant voltage with tapering amperage to the battery, even when it is fully-charged. For float-charging, we recommend 1 amp max, 13.2-13.8 volts. These are ok too, but the multi-stage chargers are a better option. There should be several quality onboard chargers on the market that match those descriptions. I would caution everyone to avoid using gel or even gel/agm charger settings on non-gel batteries, as they may not fully-charge and could damage them over time (optimas are not gel batteries). Whenever multiple batteries are run in parallel or series applications, they should be identical in age, size and type.
> 
> ...


listen to this guy, he knows his stuff. I replace hundreds of batteries a year, most aren't over 2 or 3 years old. The reason they needed to be replaced was because they weren't taking care of. They need to be charged/maintaned and stored properly to get the most for your money.


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## Dan9811 (Dec 8, 2007)

Well I hopefully don't have to worry about that anymore...Just got back from Bass Pro with some fishing stuff and a brand new XPS iT 10/10 on board charger...just have to install it now..Thanks for the info guys...also Jim the battery showed up yesterday 3-1-12 thanks again...


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## limige (Sep 2, 2005)

Mine lasted 7 yrs. I'm happy.
I was told when I bought mine some have bad cell issues, usually get an exchange no problem. Not something to throw a fit about.

I'm running regular acid batteries now, they suck. Can't tip them have to watch fume issues and corrosion


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## limige (Sep 2, 2005)

OptimaJim said:


> Dan, I'm glad to hear your situation is being resolved. Even if you contacted us a day or two after your warranty had expired, we're not going to split hairs over such an insignificant amount of time passing.
> 
> Ih772, I'm glad you asked the question you did about how the battery has been stored for the last two years, even though it went unanswered. Whenever any battery is discharged below 12.4 volts and left in that state, sulfation begins to form, which diminishes both capacity and lifespan. We're getting ready to head into fishing season and in the battery business, that means a spike in calls from folks who have left their batteries sitting in discharged states all winter long.
> 
> ...


Thanks for taking time to visit our forum and support your product.


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## Priority1 (Feb 5, 2006)

It's great to see that this issue was resolved by a responsible company. 

What is bad some folks just look at the headlines. Newspapers are great for this. If you just look at the bold print a good company gets a bad rap. It's always best to wait before posting potentially damaging information. As it was also mentioned sometimes neglect causes premature failure, and the customer is p!ssed and the company gets slammed. Just like in newspapers when the damage is done on the front page headlines the correction comes in fine print on the back page. My two cents and a nickel to boot.


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## Dan9811 (Dec 8, 2007)

You wouldn't be upset if you spent a day of emailing, at least 15 emails back and forth and was told that the warranty started on a sunday the day you bought it while it was at a warehouse and not the day you received it 5 days later. Also the last thing I was told was sorry its out of warranty that day. I didn't start this post until the next day. What if you were told to take that battery on an 80 mile round trip to get it tested. You wouldn't be upset. I have a place 3 miles from my house in Dryden that is an Interstate Battery dealer. The lady wanted me to go to Flint. I have the emails where I found the place on IB website. The second place she told me to go was in Lake Orion, oh yeah it's closed. You wouldn't be upset. I put this post up knowing someone was watching (Optima Jim) and sent an email asking for a supervisor to contact me because for my warranty to start the day I bought it online and not recieved it was not customer friendly.

Also this was my first High performance AMG, always had lead acid and had no problems for years, I researched and found that Optima was considered by most the top brand. I obviously wasn't prepared to babysit the battery when I used it three times (10 hours) from being bumped to a different shift at work, moving two households to one, and having to help take care of 3 little ones under 5 years old.

Well I received my new battery the other day and took steps to preventing it again and went and dropped $200.00 on an on-board charger so it doesn't happen again. 

I have the emails from the lady at Optima not you guys, I have them saved if I needed them at a later date. I THANK Jim for getting a hold of me. I don't know if he helped get this straightend out but if he did it's a double THANKS. If anyone of you were in my position and dropped that kind of coin(which alot of you do) you would have been upset with the responses I got in email.

Sorry so long, Dan


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## ebijack (Apr 20, 2009)

It was good that you got taken care of. I had a similar problem with a minnkota 101 co-pilot. But i was *not* taken care of at all. I am running an I-pilot, but if motorguide had a product that was of the same features I wouldn't hesitate to buy motorguide. kudo's that someone at optima views this site and tries to help.


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## Erik the Bold (Nov 30, 2005)

I've never had good luck with Optima batteries. :sad:

Spent 20+ years offshore racing and found the best for my money was Deka, manufactured by East Penn.

Their marine batteries are almost bullet proof and last considerably longer than anything I've tried. We would typically get 4-years out of a set in a racing environment. 

The last one I finally replaced in the wife's boat was over 10 years old. Even the distributor in Center Line was amazed.

See: http://www.dekabatteries.com/assets/base/1741.pdf

I always took care of them, though....... Stayed on m.p. controlled charger all winter in a heated garage.


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## OptimaJim (Jun 30, 2010)

MOTOMAN91, I appreciate your post. I could tell folks the same thing about batteries going bad from neglect, but it always helps to have an independent voice weigh in with a similar experience. Dan, I'm glad to hear your battery arrived safely. limige, I'm happy to help whenever folks have questions or concerns about our products. 

Unfortunately, Dan's situation is not unique. Standard warranty procedure for battery purchases is to return them to the original place of purchase for warranty service, including online sales. Unfortunately, not everyone who sells our batteries online is an authorized retailer and as such, some of those retailers do not honor our warranty. That is why I encourage anyone who is considering a battery purchase to review the warranty policy and procedure before making a purchase, regardless of brand. Warranty service for online purchases can take several days to process, as the battery typically needs to be shipped back to the original retailer for testing and replacement, if necessary. Alternatively, batteries purchased at brick & mortar retailers can usually offer faster turnaround times for warranty service and many of those retailers have locations nationwide that will accept warranty returns on products purchased at one of their stores.


Jim McIlvaine
eCare Manager, OPTIMA Batteries, Inc.
www.facebook.com/optimabatteries


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