Quota system may cause unnecessary battery replacement when simple jump start would do.

Members of the Automobile Club of Southern California who call for roadside help when they have a dead battery are often sold new batteries when only a jump-start is needed, a recently-filed lawsuit contends. The suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges that the Auto Club imposes a quota system regarding battery sales on the tow truck operators who answer roadside assistance calls placed by club members. Auto Club tow-truck drivers who fail to meet their quota risk losing 'valuable future customers,' the suit contends, and operators who exceed their quotas are paid unspecified incentives. The suit, which seeks class-action status, was filed on behalf of an L.A.-area resident. According to the suit, the plaintiff called the Auto Club this year when his car wouldn't start. The tow truck operator who answered the call sold him a new battery that cost him about $125. 'However, subsequent tests of the purportedly 'dead' battery have established that the replaced battery was fully functional and able to hold a full charge,' according to the suit.