06/02/2026
Interstate Batteries is off my recommendation list.
Why?
Well, grab a cup o' joe and let me tell you a story.
Back in 2015, I opened Cascadia Trailer & Equipment as an independent RV service center. One of our vendors was Interstate Batteries. They set us up with batteries, signage, support, and everything went smoothly.
In 2016, CTE relocated to the southern Oregon coast. I contacted all our suppliers to update records and continue business as usual.
Most of them managed this without incident.
Interstate Batteries did not.
Because we had crossed into a different warehouse territory, I was told I needed to establish a new dealership through the Eugene warehouse. Fair enough. I completed the application.
Nothing.
I followed up and was told the application had apparently been lost. So I completed another one.
Nothing.
More phone calls. More emails. More follow-ups. Eventually, I completed a THIRD application.
Still nothing.
For seven years.
No dealership.
No sales calls.
No emails.
No visits.
Nothing.
Then, seven years after relocating, a warehouse manager and sales representative stopped by CTE while looking to expand their dealer network.
They asked if we'd be interested in becoming an Interstate Batteries dealer.
I honestly thought they were kidding.
Nope.
They genuinely claimed they had never heard of Cascadia Trailer & Equipment.
After I explained the history, the manager looked appropriately horrified, and we had a dealership almost immediately. Two days later, there was a rack of Interstate batteries sitting in my office.
Problem solved, right?
Not exactly.
Over the next several years, communication was inconsistent. Deliveries were inconsistent. We repeatedly requested inclusion on Interstate's Dealer Locator and never appeared. We struggled to get basic promotional materials. I had to practically beg for a sign and never received the banner I requested.
Perhaps most frustratingly, invoices and statements weren't even being sent to us.
That issue wasn't discovered until recently when someone from Accounts Receivable called and asked if we were receiving them.
We weren't.
Today, an Interstate representative arrived and removed our inventory, effectively ending our dealership.
To be fair and transparent, CTE does have an outstanding balance. Business is feast or famine sometimes, and we're currently working through one of the leaner stretches. I don't fault any company for protecting its interests.
What I do fault is seven years of ignored applications, years of inconsistent support, and a dealership relationship that often felt like an afterthought.
The punchline?
After all these years of asking to be listed on Interstate's Dealer Locator, I checked their website today.
Cascadia Trailer & Equipment is finally listed.
Apparently, they got around to it just in time to take the dealership away.
You really can't make this stuff up.
We'll find new suppliers. We'll keep serving our customers. Life goes on.
But based on our experience, Interstate Batteries is no longer a company I can recommend.
— Brian
Cascadia Trailer & Equipment
cascadiarv.com
