MSE News: Tesco outlaws 'wrong item' vouchers

[MSE Guy]

This is the discussion thread for the following MSE News Story:

"Tesco has permanently banned shoppers from using vouchers for the wrong item. The supermarket giant has overhauled its policy so coupons can only be used ..."

Read the full story:
Tesco outlaws 'wrong item' vouchers


also see similar threads on this topic: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1985379

and

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1986673

[skintandsad]

Ah well, thats the end of Tesco shopping for me then!

I only ever used them when I had a nice handful of vouchers to redeem; therefore I tolerated their shopping "experience" (low quality meats etc).

Wonders how many others will now use another supermarket due to this policy :confused:

[JimmyTheWig]

Archna Luthra, MoneySavingExpert.com consumer products analyst, says: "It's a shame Tesco has decided to enforce the terms and conditions of these vouchers

Why? A shame for people using the vouchers, I guess, but hardly a shame in general. Hardly an injustice, is it?

[nickmack]

As much as I dislike some aspects of the Tesco business model and however non-MSE it is, I tend to agree with their stance on this.

After some of the abuse of this system I've read, it should come as no suprise that they have enforced this in line with most other major retailers.

[isofa]

Seems fair enough to me, if you haven't bought the item, why should you get money off?

It's always been against the T+Cs of third party vouchers – just that Tesco and some others were happy to ignore these terms, presumably because it was easy for them to recoup the money – and now they are not. I suspect the manufacturers are cracking down on fraudulent claims from supermarkets.

As Jimmy says above, hardly an injustice!

[Quentin]

Tesco didn't take coupons as cash out of some altruistic motive to help moneysavers pay less for their shopping.

It was a great profit maker for them. (They make a lot more by taking coupons as cash, customers buy more expensive products when they are paying with coupons, there is no staff "pilferage", the coupons are worth more than their face value due to the handling fee that is added, there are no bank charges for card transactions, cash counting etc).

Tesco get reimbursed for the coupons by the supplier. Buried in the conditions of being a supplier is a clause that Tesco won't "police" coupons at the tills to ensure the conditions are met unless the supplier issues "Tesco specific" coupons meaning customers must use the coupons only at Tesco. Should Tesco not get reimbursed for the coupons via normal channels, their suppliers contract allows them to deduct coupons taken from the suppliers payments.

Up till now, Tesco have had the upper hand over this as it's a buyers market, and suppliers cannot really afford to fall out with them, and at the end of the day the supplier has agreed to the clause in the contract.

But because of the nationwide publicity, things have changed, and suppliers' solicitors have been able to use this now open knowledge of what has been going on quietly for years to put pressure on Tesco regarding their contract and clear abuse they have been subjecting their suppliers to all this time.

The publicity has caused an upsurge of coupons being used and Tesco now have cold feet that they are no longer going to be able to treat suppliers in the previous cavalier fashion and just deduct the value of coupons handed in off their bills without normal proof the coupon has been used properly and the product bought.

Who do you think really paid for the abuse by Tesco of coupons?

[Blackpool_Saver]

I still can't imagine offering a voucher for the wrong product...

[madmuppet5]

Originally Posted by Blackpool_Saver

I still can't imagine offering a voucher for the wrong product...

Me neither :rolleyes:

[Soubrette]

My local Tesco has always asked if you've bought the product before scanning the voucher - I even had to unpack the bag to show a huge ecover washing powder box once :rolleyes:

I know this is against head office policy but it always seems to have been the case in my branch - a medium sized supermarket.

(I never offer vouchers unless I have bought the product so don't think I could be on any kind of blacklist )

Sou

[eslick]

at the end of the day like most offers at the supermarkets its the manufacturer who pays for these, so if they are not selling the product it will be us that ends up paying for it in the long run with higher prices.

[EssexHebridean]

Goodness, there is a lot of "moral high ground" being taken on this thread!

I certainly have used other than products purchased coupons in Tesco - their policy was that they took them, in our store they limited to three, comprising no more than 10% of the total value of your bill. If that was their policy (and a well publicised one, at that) I can't for a second see any problem with it. The reason things have changed would appear to be down to a relatively small number of idiots abusing the system totally - sadly I suspect from other threads that some of them probably are members on here - I hope they realise that their greed has spoilt it for many others, possibly including those who relied on the use of vouchers to reduce their food bills to a level they could more comfortably manage.

[heatherks]

the way i see it for every genuine coupon handed over someone has probably bought the product at some time during the week / month without even thinking of using a coupon ..... its the ones that have mass produced them for their own financial gain ...that have brought it to an end

[SADIE]

Originally Posted by Blackpool_Saver
I still can't imagine offering a voucher for the wrong product...

Originally Posted by madmuppet5
Me neither :rolleyes:

[freakyogre]

Originally Posted by EssexHebridean

Goodness, there is a lot of "moral high ground" being taken on this thread!

...

I hope they realise that their greed has spoilt it for many others, possibly including those who relied on the use of vouchers to reduce their food bills to a level they could more comfortably manage.

Not really, i'm another one who wouldn't dream of using a voucher for something I hadn't purchased, it just doesn't seem right.

If someone is relying on vouchers to reduce their shopping bills then I suppose they need to look at what they're buying? I'm sure the supermarkets haven't always accepted these vouchers for anything.

[Princess Coupon]

Martin has posted his response here
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...1#post25708977

[ellie9ellie]

My local Tesco has always actively encouraged shoppers to use vouchers even though they are not purchasing the items. As long as you don't go overboard I am have been told on a few occasions that during the day/week other shoppers will have bought the item and not used the voucher. As long as the shop sells the product they have no issue with it. I actually used vouchers tonight (before I knew of the ruling - I've literally only just read about it) - a total of £1.30 off my shopping. It's not a huge shame that they have now stopped as I do receive quite a lot of money off vouchers from Tesco e.g £3 off a £30 shop etc.

[jenniewb]

Originally Posted by EssexHebridean

Goodness, there is a lot of "moral high ground" being taken on this thread!

I certainly have used other than products purchased coupons in Tesco - their policy was that they took them, in our store they limited to three, comprising no more than 10% of the total value of your bill. If that was their policy (and a well publicised one, at that) I can't for a second see any problem with it. The reason things have changed would appear to be down to a relatively small number of idiots abusing the system totally - sadly I suspect from other threads that some of them probably are members on here - I hope they realise that their greed has spoilt it for many others, possibly including those who relied on the use of vouchers to reduce their food bills to a level they could more comfortably manage.

You right;
I don't think its so much the odd £1 or £2 spent here or there per week off a shopping bill, but more like the greedy people who spend much more...and walk off without paying a penny! I've read it on here, read it on other forums, still can't believe people actually have the audacity! And now they have ruined it for some of those that do use their vouchers responsibly and not overtime!

They stopped allowing unchecked vouchers in my local Tesco (and Sainsburys, and anywhere else) without seeing you hold the item in your hand first a long long time ago, so may not be an issue for me, but I feel for those poorer families that did only use the odd few pence in vouchers per week and really needed it.

[elver man]

I personaly agree with their new policy, the coupons have been abused by a few people for far to long. I doubt if the average tesco shopper will change their supermarket because of this new stance and who knows it may even lead to a few natural price reductions in the future.

[1carminestocky]

This decision MUST have been taken due to 'outside pressure' from the manufacturers. Reason I say that is that, at the moment, Tesco are desparate for sales! Growth of 'only' 2.8% in the last 6 months when rrivals like Sainsburys and Morrisons have seen 7-8% sales growth. This initiative must have been a huge money-spinner for Tesco. The full year results will be interesting indeed. Of course they are still far and away the biggest supermarket in the Uk but the signs are they are on a downward trend. About time they actually concentrated on their prices instead of these silly marketing 'tricks' IMO.

[a11waysindebt]

There are other major supermarkets out there. lets see who is the first to advertise that they will take the vouchers.

I'm sure that if Morrisons can knock nearly £2.00 off some beans they can accept a voucher off some products.

I bought a total of £46.09 worth of items the other day in Wilkos and with out using any vouchers the bill came to £14.81 with the discounts they offered.

Just makes you think what type of money these companies are making.