Tesco doesn't honour vouchers unless you can predict the future. BEWARE.

mrball

Any advice on how I can get the owed clubcard points would be much appreciated!

The language might seem a bit aggressive but I felt it was important for them to know how I feel as a customer. Look at the dates! You would think after taking all that time they would have written a 20 page essay in response to my query.


My original message 21/02/2006:

Subject: Contact Us - General query

Delivery date: 21/02/2006

Problem about: #GR Online groceries | #CCEC Clubcard or E-coupons
Query Details: In my latest order I used a voucher that would allow me to get 1000 clubcard points if my order was above £50. My receipt states that the voucher was not used because "You needed to spend a certain amount but your final bill was below this."

This is ridiculous! As well as deceitful and sneaky. I specifically shopped to reach £50 to qualify to use that voucher and even at the point of payment it stated that my voucher would be used. Had I known this would happen I would never have shopped with you. I demand that something be done about this or I will take this matter as far as I can through whatever avenues I find available.

Tesco's reply 28/02/2006:

Thank you for your email.

I apologise that you have experienced a problem with an e-coupon when you placed your recent online grocery order.

I have investigated this for you and it was refused due to the terms and conditions not being complied. The spend for this shop was £43.76 when the coupon states for spend over £50.

The prices quoted on our Grocery website are guide prices only. The prices for items can vary slightly either up or down, from day to day. Therefore, the actual price you will be charged, is the price in our store on the day that your order is picked and delivered.

Once again I do apologise for the disappointment this reply may cause.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us at customer.service@tesco.co.uk quoting ***.

Kind Regards


Frances Gibson
Tesco Customer Service

Mr reply 28/02/2006:

Are you telling me that in order to use the coupon I have to predict or
guess how your prices fluctuate from day to day?

I ordered from your website, _in good faith_, goods totalling to over
£50 so that I may use the coupon. I repeat again that even when asked to
input my credit card number at the payment screen it said that the
coupon was valid for use. Refusing to honour a customer's coupon and
giving the excuse that it is because you can change your prices anyhow
you like is unacceptable and deceptive. However you can still right this
wrong by giving me my clubcard points, and perhaps stating clearly on
your checkout screen that your prices can be changed anyhow you like
without notice and any coupons accepted for use can become invalidated
without notice.

I insist that a supervisor or manager look into this matter urgently and
provide a satisfactory outcome.

Their reply 08/03/2006:

Thank you for your email.

I do apologise but the coupon would not be accepted at store if the spend was less than the qualifieing amount.


If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us at customer.service@tesco.co.uk quoting ***.

Kind Regards


Sharon O-Leary
Tesco Customer Service

baggio1971

Sorry to hear you're disappointed by this but it's standard practice - you need to plan the shop so it's still over GBP 50 after multi-saves etc. I'm afraid you could be onto a loser trying to get these points; most likely they would offer to let you cancel the delivery but it's too late for that.

MrsMondragon

How pathetic of Tesco.

amancalledchip

to be on the safe side, order a smallish high price item

when it arrives, either say you dont want it and let the driver take it back, or go to the store youself ( more often the case as the O/O/S will require you have to go anyway) The C/S at the store will refund no prob.

PS... i normally add the most expensive pack of Sirloin steak and say they are poor quality

lisawood78

Unfortunately this is in their T & C's, however the money off codes seem to work if you drop below the price level after deductions, bogofs, unavailables etc.
Don't think you'll win this one.

mrball

amancalledchip: so even if you return the items they let you keep the clubcard points?

busymumof3

Sorry but no wonder Tesco seem to be querying these e-vouchers. Deliberately ordering goods that you don't want? Out of order in my book. Especially fresh goods that will presumably be put back on the shelf for others to buy. The minority spoiling it everyone else. In my limited experience of Tesco's Customer Service (non-delivery x 2) I find them lacking in the extreme but perhaps dealing with persistent try-ons explains this.

DaveRave_2

I agree with you busymumof3. I shop on-line and ensure I go over the specified amount if I use a coupon even after taking off all special offers and even delivery. Rules are not there to be broken but to be adhered to. I sympathise with Tesco and people who persistently try it on with them.

windym_2

I agree with busymum and dave. I think the tone of the email probably didn't help either. Tesco's do not 'change their prices' but the price is not set until the goods are picked for delivery. For instance, an order for next Monday may well see an offer on BOGOFs has finished, likewise, ordering 5 loose apples will always throw up a different amount as they are priced on weight. Someone has also mentioned goods not being available. If you want to use vouchers (and this goes for instore too) you have to ensure you fulfil the terms and conditions. An extra pack of loo rolls will always take my spend up to the amount!

amancalledchip

Thing is, if tesco filled my last order, it would have been way over the £75 threshold,However, 4 items were not last time, due to being o/o/s.

i had every intention of spending over £75 last order.
So now i will ensure that, even if there sales based info is incorrect, or book stocks are corrupt, that i will not loose out.As people have found i n the past, if it fails to reach the amount required, you will never get the money back.

or, if you were to allow substitutions on all lines, then the order would be about the same, and then get the driver to take the subs back.That would be ok then, no matter if the items were grocery, freshfood, or household.

btw, when you take it back, you just get a refund, they dont take the 1000 back...as far as i am aware.They dont ask for the £5 or £10 back when you use the money of vouchers

Besides how is this breaking a rule?Does it say anywhere that you must not send goods back for poor quality or unsuitable subs
Surely all i am doing is bending it a little.

Mr_Frugal

windym wrote:

Tesco's do not 'change their prices' but the price is not set until the goods are picked for delivery.

Sorry Windym...don't agree.
Having worked (as a Senior Manager) for Tesco for a considerable time I can assure you that they do have foresight of prices well in advance and it is not decided on the day the items are picked. (I used to get weekly emails telling me of all the offers BOGOF's etc coming up).
If you think about it they have the technology to stop you ordering today on an item that has an offer price on it that runs out tomorrow if you request that delivery to be made on Saturday. You are automatically notified that the offer ends before you the 'picking date'. That being the case this seems very much a case of them wanting to have their cake and eat it.

I totally agree with Mr Ball - providing the order was above £50 at the time of purchase (excluding the delivery price as they dont include this) then he SHOULD have received the voucher points.
To say that prices are only a guide is farcical ! If they advise me that a cake is £3 and when they deliver it it turns out to be £10 I would argue that I had been mislead and reasonably return the item.
Likewise if I had found myself in Mr Ball's situation I would have refused the whole delivery as he has been mislead (ie his primary purchase decision was that he would get these vouchers).

Even as an ex member of staff (and a loyal one at that) I find that the policy on these vouchers is a little unclear. I too have had occasions (several) where I have been told at checkout that I would receive points and have not actually received them on the printed bill brought by the delivery man.
I have now resorted to taking a screen dump (using a program called Snag It) to record the details shown to me in a jpeg format so that should I have a future query I can more reasonably argue my case.

I would also echo the opinions of others that it is not 'fair game' to knowingly order an extra item with every intention of returning it.