‘I am never going back’: Man buys battery at AutoZone, but what the worker told him sent him straight to their competitor

A TikTok user posted a video that quickly went viral after he shared his frustrating experience at AutoZone. The creator, known as @mr.midknightsnak, explained why he won’t shop at AutoZone anymore after employees refused to replace his dead car battery. The reason they gave was simple but shocking: it was too cold outside.

According to Motor1, the problem started when his car wouldn’t start. He got a jump and drove about 15 minutes to the nearest AutoZone, expecting a quick fix. The employees tested his battery and confirmed it was completely dead. But they refused to install a new one because the temperature was below 40 degrees.

This explanation didn’t make sense to @mr.midknightsnak, especially since he lives in a cold area. He pointed out in his TikTok video that it had been cold every single day and would stay that way for months. For anyone living in a place with real winters, this policy seems useless and frustrating.

AutoZone’s policy lets workers refuse battery installations

While this feels like terrible customer service, AutoZone employees are actually allowed to say no. Battery installation at AutoZone is considered a courtesy, not a required service. Whether they help depends on things like how many workers are available, how difficult the job is, and the weather conditions.

Workers usually help if the battery is easy to reach under the hood. But if the job requires removing other parts, or if the battery is in the trunk, wheel well, or under a seat, they often refuse. Company policy gives employees the freedom to decline installations for safety reasons, including cold weather.

This is frustrating for customers having a bad day, but it doesn’t break any company rules. Similar situations have happened before, like when a McDonald’s worker refused to serve a customer over service policy disputes.

AutoZone does offer free battery testing and charging, which is helpful. But if you need a guaranteed installation, you’re better off going to an actual repair shop. The customer left AutoZone and drove to a nearby O’Reilly Auto Parts instead. He explained what happened, and the O’Reilly employees reacted completely differently.

He said the O’Reilly staff immediately helped him and even laughed at the AutoZone story. They replaced his battery without any problems. He called them “the nicest people I ever met” and said in his caption that “O’Reilly will forever have my business.”

The video has over 32,600 views and started a big debate in the comments. Many people defended AutoZone, saying customers don’t understand the store’s purpose.  “They were laughing because you need someone to change a battery for you, then told you what would keep your business,” one person wrote. 

Others agreed that battery changes are a courtesy, not a guarantee. These kinds of service confrontations often go viral, much like when movers demanded extra money from a customer during a moving job. But @mr.midknightsnak pushed back, standing by his criticism of AutoZone’s service.