Disclaimer: The prize for this competition (voucher valued at R2500) has been sponsored by Battery Centre. Vamers also received a free battery replacement as a ‘trade exchange’ for this article. No additional monetary gain or product was received for producing this content or running this competition.


COVID19 has fundamentally changed our lives. Countries around the world have implemented a variety of measures to prevent the spread of the disease. Most countries have closed their borders, shutting down travel completely, and imploring citizens to stay home. In South Africa, the measures have been quite intense with full on curfews and regulations that even dictate what items may or may not be purchased. With this in mind, many people have had to adapt to working at home and only leaving their homes to purchase essential goods. This has resulted in a drastic decline in vehicle usage, which means a lot of people have not been charging their car batteries. I was one of those people, and my battery completely died during lockdown. Thankfully, Battery Centre helped when no one else would.

During lockdown level 4, I discovered my car battery had completely died. It was so depleted, I could not lock my doors after managing to open them (which I am grateful for in retrospect). When it happened, I called several companies (at least eight) to find out if anyone could help me by coming to my home to change the battery. The answer was a disappointing “no, sorry, we are not allowed to come to your home to change the battery under the current lockdown level”. It left me feeling despondent. Before completely running out of hope, however, I called Battery Centre upon a recommendation from a friend, and I am so glad I did. They were, quite literally, the only company who agreed to come out to my home to change my battery. When it happened, I tweeted about my frustration around how the cost of this battery would make a dent in my current income-less lockdown finances. That is when the magic happened, as TechGirl spotted my tweet and proceeded to put me in touch with Battery Centre directly.

Despite having already reached out to my local Battery Centre, I was contacted directly by the head office with an offer. In exchange for a brand new battery, they requested I write about my experience. What was most amusing about this scenario is how I had already contacted a local branch, who was currently in the process of ordering a battery for my vehicle. I explained the situation and happily agreed to their proposal. With this in mind, this is my story of how Battery Centre helped me when no one else would.

When I initially called Battery Centre, I fully expected the person on the other end of the line to explain how they could not help me. To my surprise, the serviceman known as Jarryd had a very different answer. He explained how they could help me and that they would be happy to drive to my residence to swap out the battery. After basically having given up, I could not believe my luck. Jarryd quickly took down my personal details and that of my vehicle. He did a quick search in the company database for the battery required, and mentioned that he would need to order the battery (it needed to be a unique ‘gel cell’ battery). At this point I did not care how long it would take, I just wanted a new battery. To my surprise, however, he said it would be ready for installation from 09:00 the next day. He then proceeded to send me a quote via email, which I could pay via electronic fund transfer or agree digitally and then pay via a credit card machine at the time of installation. Needless to say, I was impressed. Not only were Battery Centre servicing clients at home during lockdown, but the wait for a special order battery was minimal.

The installation was also incredibly efficient and professional. Jarryd kept in touch with me throughout, from the moment I called for my initial quote through to the installation. Speaking of, the installer arrived on time and was done within 15 minutes. He wore a mask, gloves, and even had hand sanitiser (everything you want for a service technician during the COVID19 pandemic). He was polite and knew exactly how to navigate the internals under my car’s bonnet. It was a very pleasant experience, and more than I can say for the people who recently repaired our fridge (three times and counting over the last couple of weeks).

When no one else would assist, Battery Centre helped; and I am so grateful they did. Courtesy of my positive experience with them, I also managed to secure a giveaway of R2500 for one of our lucky readers. All the details are below.

Up for grabs is a R2500 voucher for Battery Centre. If, like me, you require a new battery for your car because of lockdown or perhaps it is simply time for a new one, then please feel free to enter the competition below.

Entering the competition is easy! Simply follow the instructions in the interactive widget below to gain entries into the competition. The more entries you have, the higher your chance of winning. Come back daily for additional entries. Good luck!


Owner, founder and editor-in-chief at Vamers, Hans has a vested interest in geek culture and the interactive entertainment industry. With a Masters degree in Communications and Ludology, he is well read and versed in matters relating to video games and communication media, among many other topics of interest.