AAA Auto Club does not properly handle their warranties! Internet, Internet

A couple years ago; my wife and I purchased a vehicle battery as a result of a broken-down AAA call.  The service tech installed the battery and advised us of its 3 year warranty.  During this time my wife was an active AAA member.
Today the vehicle was unable to start.  I brought it to a local auto part store and was advised that the battery was no longer holding a change and I would need to replace the battery.

 I called AAA warranty service; I spoke to a representative and explained the issue.  The representative advised me that they would replace the battery if necessary, but would charge me a service fee since my wife is no longer an AAA member.  So they would honor the warranty but at the same time, charge me to come out to replace the faulty battery they sold me.  How ridiculous is this?  And I even asked the rep if I could bring my car to the local AAA center, she said I could but they would still have to charge me a service fee because a service rep would have to come outside the building to assist me. 
Crazy!

Honestly, for the money AAA charges and the nightmare it is to work with AAA, Id suggest just getting roadside assistance as part of your auto insurance.  In my opinion, AAA is criminal in their dealings of this warranty.  If they had any honor or stood behind their products, they would do what is right and realize that even though we are not currently members, we still bought this battery from them and should be entitled to the 3 year warranty and not have to pay them in order to replace the defective item we purchased from them within the warranty period.