Purchased a car battery online for store pickup an...

Purchased a car battery online for store pickup and was not refunded the core charge of $18. I tried to explain to the associate but he insisted that since the core charge did not show up on the receipt it was either never charged or automatically taken off. In my experience with cores...the fee ALWAYS shows up on the receipt when the old item is turned in. I did not want to continue to argue and perhaps get frustrated and left. I called customer service and they informed me I have to call customer relations (a direct transfer would've been great customer service) and have the area director look into this. That's wonderful except I was not even given the courtesy of this 800 number to file a complaint. I sit here wondering if $18 is worth the hassle of now digging through Google for this customer relations telephone number or if I should let it go. I know it's only $18 but it's the principal of it all. If a core charge is refundable, be an honest business & follow through...don't tell the customer that the fee has disappeared or was magically refunded when no such proof appears on a receipt upon core return. One thing is for certain, I will NEVER again do business with Pep Boys. This isn't my first issue with them. It was just the last straw and felt the need to speak out about it.