The Buick wouldn’t start. Considering it was 15 years old, this shouldn’t have been a surprise. But, the battery wasn’t that old. It was a Die Hard, sold by Sears. Gerard had bought it six years ago, but it was a 100-month battery. It was fully guaranteed for the first 12 months, and then pro-rated after that.

Gerard called Sears. The service rep told him he would probably get “$10 to $40” credit toward a new battery. Gerard wondered how there could be such a $30 range, but he didn’t bother to ask. If the problem was electrical, he asked the service rep, what would Sears fix? The rep said Sears only replaced alternators and starters; if the electrical problem involved something else.