A long-time AutoZone worker is in shock after a Kia driver brings back a pair of jumper cables after just a single user.
TikTok user Leah Benoit (slumericanstarbenwa) has put in 13 years as an AutoZone employee and gives off the air of someone who has heard every kind of tall tale possible from customers.
The video, which has been viewed more than 45,000 times, finds Benoit sharing her interaction with a customer who’d tried to return and get a refund after what looked like a jumper cable disaster.
AutoZone jumper cable disaster
“He said he didn’t put them on the wrong terminals. I don’t know… What do you guys think?” as she holds up a tangle of charred exposed wires.
Since the retail price of jumper cables at AutoZone ranges from $30 to $50, it’s incredible that someone’s pride worth was so little as to try to get a refund when they’re clearly in the wrong.
Benoit doesn’t say whether the refund was given (in the comments it’s said that AutoZone’s policy return policy is pretty lax or no-questions-asked), but we really hope she didn’t OK this one.
Horror stories pile up
The retail world as a whole is kind of an isle of misfit toys when it comes to customers behaving badly, and we’ve spent plenty of time thinking and laughing about the shenanigans and entitlement that happens on the premises of AutoZone stores far and wide.
A recent favorite is from an AutoZone staffer who had to state in a loud and clear voice that he and his colleagues don’t double as mechanics to perform gratis installation jobs in store parking lots.
And the folks on Reddit have spent plenty of words unpacking “the customer problem” at AutoZone as a whole.
Thankfully, there are some positive, uplifting stories of customer/employee interactions at AutoZone to restore our faith in humanity… At least a little bit.
A terminal mistake
As to the customer trying to get their money back from the jumper cable disaster, it’s possible they were trying to salvage even a small win from a day that had more than likely gone pretty badly. If you find yourself needing jumper cables at all, that’s not great. And if there’s a lot of sparks and smoke involved, well, enough said.
Somehow, every parking lot in America has at least one person who confidently clips cables on them on like they’re setting a booby trap. Spoiler alert: If you mix them up, your car won’t just refuse to start—it might light up like a Fourth of July firework show.
Think of it this way: Connecting the wrong terminals is like pouring milk into your gas tank. Sure, it’s technically a liquid, but it’s not going to end well. One second you’re thinking, “Hey, I got this!” and the next, you’re staring at smoke billowing from under the hood while frantically Googling “Can jumper cables start a fire?” (Answer: Yes. Yes, they can.)
Beware of sparks
So, what happens when you mix things up and cause a jumper cable disaster? In simple terms, your car’s electrical system isn’t built to handle a backward power surge. It’s like plugging your precious phone charger into a 220V outlet in Europe without an adapter.
Except instead of frying a $20 cable, you could fry your entire car’s electrical system. Best case scenario? A few sparks and a little embarrassment. Worst case? You’re explaining to your insurance agent why your engine compartment looks like a burnt marshmallow.
If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if your engine decided to send up smoke signals, well, congratulations—you’re about to find out. And in case you’re thinking, “It’s just a little mix-up, how bad can it be?” Imagine trying to explain to your mechanic why your battery looks like it survived a small explosion. Trust us, they’ve heard it all before, and they will judge you.
Viewers weigh in on the story
Commenters on the clip had plenty of thoughts about the mess, including how the cables could have become so badly damaged.
“If one battery was dead and one charged, I’m not sure this would happen. But a charged battery and a heavy load like a big diesel could easily have done this,” one of them wrote.
There were also former AutoZone staffers who could relate.
“As a old AutoZone manager, I have seen some people do some very stupid things,” one said.
“I’ve seen that so many times. Then they get mad when you won’t process the return,” wrote another.
@slumericanstarbenwa Thoughts? How does this happen after 1 use?? #autoparts #carlife #retail #autofail #howdoesthishappen #strange #snowday ♬ original sound – SlumericanRockstar
The Daily Dot reached out to Benoit via direct message and to AutoZone via email for comment.
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