Talk to Optima

Feedback: I do not feel that battery is worth what it cost. Thats how I feel.

will never own another one period .

 

Thanks Finky. I'm not privvy to any inside dirt on how it all ended up like this (not sure I even WANT to know!), but this just seems like an opportunity. If we can help an aftermarket company turn a problem around with nothing other than honest feedback from our experiences, why not, right?
I had no idea how this would go, but so far, I'm loving it. Good honest stuff, guys. Thanks! And keep it coming...

 

no! No! No! ...to mexico !

 

My redtop is 2 years old. So far so good, but I paid a premium for a premium battery. I didn't realize it was heche in Mexico, and whenever anybody sees the thing its an open invitation to hear their complaints and tales about Optima's poor quality. I didn't pay $190 to hear people bitch.

My next battery will be made in USA.

 

I have three sitting outside my garage...does Optima want them back...???

Wouldn't buy another...way too pricey for Mexican stuff...Auto Zone $59.00 batteries work just fine in my hot rods/kustoms.

R-

 

If Denise (HRLC) aint happy NOBODY is happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!......listen up Optima

 

This is for Optima and any other companies out there watching.
America is moving from a manufacturing base to an information and service base.
Most large companies have to increase profits and trim costs to survive.
Trimming service costs is a common way to keep the bottom line in the Black.
Very few people have positive feedback from the typical 1-800 service call, with hold music, automated menus and a harried low-wage script reader with no real authority.
You can triple that remorse when the product is sold by a third party (Dealer) who is probably squeezed by the manufacturer warranty costs.
Solution: If your product is high quality, have a high quality warranty and dealer network. Walmart gets a bad rap for it's Made In China products, it's cut throat busines practices, and it's demographic, but you don't see any complaints about it's return policy. If you are not happy, they will replace or refund. Your product should be handled the same way, between the customer and the dealer, and between the dealer and the Co. If you have many unhappy calls about one dealer, remove that dealer.

 

Pretty sad when our Optima battery rep says they're crap. Bring the quality back up to the old standards, guys!

I personally own 2 in my diesel truck, 1 in my '50, 1 in my brother's car that I'm storing for him, and a couple more somewhere I'm sure. ALL CRAP.

When I get home after work tonight, I have to charge the '50 and the diesel, since both are DEAD RIGHT NOW. No kidding!

I will NOT be putting one in my Saturn or my HHR.

 

Hey Denise - Do you have a photo of the battery that shows more? Don't know that the one you posted came out right.
Thanks,
Scotty

 

I've been runnung a red top for over twelve years. I bought it from Denver Specialty for $95. It has been a super battery!! I have heard all kinds of horror stories the last few years about how bad the battery has become. After reading this thread , I won't be buying another one . Bill

 

I bought a truck several years ago with an optima in it. It worked fine. Last year I bought a new red top... it's dead now. Take that for what it's worth


YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER OPTIMA??
READ THIS!

http://cbs4denver.com/local/Optima.Batteries.aurora.2.874937.html

 

Nope, I should have taken another photo once it was outta of Big Olds but I didn't. Photo is pretty self-explanatory though...thats a blister on the right side of the battery from the batterys internal heat. All my batterys have been sitting in the exact same location in Big Olds engine compartment, left side, down low on the firewall, for the last 103,000 miles.

 

Ill never buy one for any of my cars, ive been a parts counterman for 10 years and have had to sell them at one time, nothing but deffects, we stopped selling them because of it, they just never have gotten it right, they are supose to have a longer range reserve but my buddies never worked worth a shit, had it in a gremlin with a worn out 454 and a new style gm mini hight torque starter, never cranked it over very good.

JEFF

 

Didn't Interstate battery corp buy them out a few years back? i had some of the early ones and had no problems and the last one i bought year and a half ago did not last for crap! i was on the fence about them but after they moved all the manufacturing to mexico that did it no more! it's bad enough they are up taking our jobs much less moving our jobs down their!

 

I've bought over 10 Optima batteries over the last 12 years. 6 were 12 volts and 4 were 6 volts. That's alot of dough on batteries. When I was a Commercial Parts Speicialist @ Auto Zone, I tried like heck to bring them into the store. They retailed at two different prices for the Red Tops $115.00 and the other @ $135.00, The Yellow Top was like $145.oo and the Blue Deep Cycle was about $155.00. We could only order the 6 volt. I believe that it was around $135.00 as well.

They were competing with Duralast Gold Tops that carried 8yr warranties with a 2 yr Free replacement for half the price. Most people thought that they were a new kind of 6 pack cooler . We had a battery safety class and were told that Johnson Controls had purchased Optima from the original company . We had pre-manufactured cases that we could show potential customers that would showcase "Optimas Spiral Cell Technology" that would set it apart from the competition. We were told that it never need any maintanence and that it could be mounted in any position including upside down. This all took place in 2k2. I believe that they originally were manufactured in someplace like Switzerland or something originally.
I still have 6 of those batteries, some have faded and just are gonners!

The PRICING IS WAY OUT OF LINE! J/C's just might want to rethink that move offshore or down south and put the people that have to pay those prices to work so they too may be able to support the product that they mfg.

 

wow... Like 'scootermcrad' I bought one 2~3 years ago while setting up. At that time reviews were good, and my concern was fumes in the cab. (mounted under passenger seat) Its' never been connected to anything, so all I can do is hope I got a good one as the warranty has probably already run out. It was expensive but again, the 'no fumes' aspect seemed worth the money.
Would I pay $200 for a battery that was guaranteed (not pro rated) for 10 years? Maybe, but not likely. No way would I pay that for the reputation of failures that has been discussed here. If push came to shove I would seal the battery box, vent to the outside, and run a standard battery. I buy directly from Trojan and Interstate warehouses locally, and have never had a problem with the products.

 

Should there really be any other reason? Patriotism is unheard of anymore. If they would have left the manufacture here and increased the price to cover the costs, People who would have paid for a good quality American made battery would have paid the extra few bucks.
Instead, they moved the manufacture to pennies on the dollar, increased the price anyway, advertised the crap out of it, and waited for the news of them traitoring their country to blow over. Now they are selling these things like hotcakes to dummys that think they are getting a quality product. Maybe Optima should take their lumps for what they did to the American Employee.

 

here's what i don't get-why do i have to press #1 for ENGLISH??????????????

 

All good feedback here - thanks!.
I'm curious to know if any of you have suggestions, too. Like, "Why doesn't anyone make a battery that____________?" Or, "If only they'd just change the_______!"
Anyone? Bueller?

 

You can get a better one for $49.00 at ABC.

For hot rod guys, a totally different shaped battery would sell. Trying to tuck and hide a battery is a major job. Why not create a battery that has the posts in a different location, like on the bottom. Or real close to the bottom. You could sell a specific mount to mount it also. But make it where you can tuck it away. My .02

Ps: Make it last like the first ones that were produced.

 

If only they'd just change the top to black to blend into the engine compartment instead of sticking out like a sore thumb!"

 

Sorry, too easy.

In all seriousness...get the reliability problems solved first...then make something with a subtle & easy-to-fit case. if the product is good they won't need to have gaudy red, blue, & yellow tops to draw attention...and the avg. sales guy doesn't seem to know the difference in types anyway.

 

My next one will get a Honda sized battery under the dash. Most HAMB cars without a ton of accessories could use one and the sealed design would be great here, but std offerings too big to hide under dash.

 

I would also like to see them address the apparent reliability issues we have seen in the last few years and what have they changed to fix the line? And they need to implement a mandatory nation wide warranty with all retailers regardless of where you purchased your Opitma. I have two dead yellow tops out of my motorhome (bought them in texas) and I am in Az now and nobody will touch the warranty.......+/- $350.00 for the pair and the warranty means squat!

 

this is how i see the reason behind their wanting to know what people feel.

bottom line, sales are down..and rightfully so

1. the workers that are now producing the battries dont get paid enough to buy them
2. Americans are pissed (if they pay attention and care) and they wont pay 200 bucks to get ripped off and ignored.
3. some americans arent even getting paid enough or even have jobs now to pay the cost for such an expensive POS, and are watching where their money goes.
4. some of the reasons for #3 are that the Americans that had the jobs and worked for this company (and or others)probably now couldnt and or wouldnt buy them even if they could afford them to begin with.
5. its pretty clear to me that quality hit the skids when they started cutting jobs, and decided to move the Mfg. to another country.and maybe before..(greed)
6. I bet if you take the cost of the battery to produce now in this other country its half of what it was here (or close)..and did the selling price reflect that? no..does it reflect the reliability,,no..it reflects greed..and thats what is going to kill them..
"sell the public any POS we can, just be sure we get our money"

the battery Mfg..is now feeling the pain of their short sightedness, and greed and are just now trying to act like they care..because it finally has started to affect the share holders and the big wigs bottom line..did they care about the american workers..nope..and now we need to show them we dont need them either

There are American battery Mfg'sand other american parts makers..and dam good ones at a much better price, or comperable.
and i hope like hell they are paying attention to this huge blunder..and i cant wait until this goes full circle.
or i should say i sure hope it does come back around..

painful lesson for selling out the american public...tuff


these are made here...keep your hard earned money in the USof A
http://www.odysseybatteries.com/

 

I had one let go after 6 months in my 41 Chevy in 2005. It was in a polished stainless battery box and when i went to take off the cover of the box i burned my fingers!. It was like a "H-BOMB" going off. After getting the battery out i found about An 1/8" of condensation on the floor of the battery box. Had this gone longer i may have been making a call to Grundy Ins. for an over 50K claim. I try to use this product seeing i know people that work at Johnson Controls but after that episode i gave up on the product. Had a red and yellow top in a 61 Chevy in the ninties and they worked great for 8 years till i sold the car. Something has surely changed and not for the better. I don't think Optima really needs to hear from us to know they have a problem unless they laid off the entire R&D department.

 

Exactly!!!

 

I've had a red top for 5 years. It's still going strong and has never given me any trouble. It holds a charge no matter how long I let it sit, and I've never had to boost it. Would be nice if it looked more like a conventional lead acid battery, but mine's inside a Group 2 disguise case, so it's not really a problem.

(Having said all of the above, it would be just my luck that it dies on me tomorrow during a long trip with our Early V-8 car club.)

 

I will not buy another one till they bring production back to the USA.

 

Tough crowd! Glad I haven't bought one........my $70 Pep Boys battery has never let me down.....

CB