Oliver May 6, 2009 05:31 PM
My battery for my 2003 Honda CBR600RR went dead. I went to Bellevue Kawasaki Yamaha Marine to pick up a new battery because it was the closest bike shop to where I lived. The parts clerk brought out the WPS CTZ10S (manufacturer part # 49-2286) and told me it was $90. I expected that things in local shops would be a bit more expensive but the prices should still be fair so being stupid as I was, I didn't want to deal with the hassle of shopping around and just bought the battery right then. After I went home, I checked online and found that the same battery (same brand, same model and same manufacturer part #) was sold for $62 everywhere else! Some of the stores I found online are even local in Seattle and offer in-store pick-up to avoid shipping charges. I thought I was helping the local economy by paying a bit more for not shopping online but I was just fattening the wallet of Bellevue Kawasaki Yamaha Marine! $28 more on a $62 part, that's almost a 50% markup! So I took the battery back the next day hoping to get a price adjustment or a refund. I couldn't help but notice the smirk on the guy's face when he said that all returns on electrical parts require a 20% restocking fee. Well, no one mentioned that to me when I bought the battery. Even after the $18 restocking fee, it's still cheaper to buy it elsewhere, so I returned it. I just hated that Bellevue Kawasaki Yamaha Marine got $18 for doing absolutely nothing. Well, they might have got an extra $18, but they have lost my business forever.