Tesco Coupon policy Complaint thread

Domthemon

LizzieS wrote: »

The audience of GMTV (as explained earlier) was statistically not going to make Tescos scheme unsustainable.

Martins appearance on GMTV is co-incidental, not a guarantee that he was the reason for the change as many posts suggest.

In your opinion. In my opinion (and that of others here), it was and it was.

LizzieS_2

DomtheMon wrote: »

In your opinion. In my opinion (and that of others here), it was and it was.

My last sentence (which you failed to copy) is the only way forward. Going backwards achieves zilch!

Domthemon

LizzieS wrote: »

Dom, people offered those ideas in kindness. Yes you may already be aware and using them, but it is not right to throw it back in their faces as you have just done.

I'm throwing it back in the face of the person who suggested I should get a job and find other ways to save money and stop complaining, actually. I have a job, I use these other ways to save money and I am still out of pocket because of the policy ending and have a complaint about Mr Lewis hence why I am posting on this complaint thread.:money::think:

Domthemon

LizzieS wrote: »

My last sentence (which you failed to copy) is the only way forward. Going backwards achieves zilch!

And ignoring your critics and repeating past mistakes also achieves zilch. We hoped Martin might take on board some of what has been said and bear it in mind for the future, but sadly he seems unable to consider for one minute he may have been even a tiny bit careless/irresponsible/short sighted.

LizzieS_2

Dom, do you want to change the latest Tesco policy or not?

Honey9036

I was a couponer, and like most others I am gutted to see the end of Tesco's generous coupon policy.

I've read all the arguments for and against blaming Martin. I just wonder what would have happened if one of us had got to speak to him in the blue room before his GMTV interview?

Martin: "I'm going to tell the public how to save money on their shopping by using coupons without buying the products!"
MSE-er: "Why???!!"
Martin: "Because I believe EVERYONE should have access to this info and get the chance to save money! Woohoo!"
MSE-er: "But Martin, surely you realise that two things will simultaneously happen? Firstly, your announcement will expose Tesco as committing fraud against the manufacturers - which will force their hand - either they continue to perpetrate this fraud and risk legal action now that the cat is out of the bag, OR they withdraw the policy. Secondly, all the viewers of GMTV will realise that they can effectively 'print money' and Tesco stores will be overrun with people ALL trying to get their shopping for nowt! Are you sure you still want to make the announcement? Because it's a LOSE-LOSE no matter what way you look at it."
Martin: "Um......"

So what do you think? Did he REALLY think about the ramifications before he spoke? I hope when he gets back to work after his break that he finds time to post some kind of explanation/apology.

There's nothing that can be done to rectify the situation (I'm sure Tesco won't go back on their decision now), but it would make people feel better if Martin took ownership for what has happened.

I'm sorry this post is so negative. I have a lot of respect for Martin - and his website and advice has helped me out greatly over the years. But no-one is immune to criticism when it's justified.

Lori
x

neas

Oh come on, this thread and board area was just a way to move the complaints and bad press of Martin to an obscure place of the forum..

To in affect bury it away and hope it dies down. What ive learnt is... nothing is safe on this site for anyone who posts here. Just be fully aware that any glitch/deal or super-duper loophole would be shared with the masses. You are giving your permission for it to be shared by posting anything.

I've learnt this, I coming to terms with it i'm still angry but i will be alot more considerate with some things in the future and will prob contribute on PTS more.

Dr.Who-Who

All.. those debates doing my heading:D. At the end of the day, this will only stop when MARTIN LEWIS care to respond. That all I can say. Back to my usual mole...

Indy_Nial

Dom, Just because Tesco say its ok to misredeem the coupons for their benefit doesn't mean its really ok to do so.

The reason they are "withdrawing their policy" (which is what this thread is complaining about I believe) is because everyone else realises its wrong and they wish to do some damage limitation before it gets any more bad press (which is why the execution of this policy change was so quick).

I'm sure if you were to contact your local fake DVD seller/drug dealer/expense fiddling MP they will tell you they are "acting within the rules" - that doesn't make it really ok.

Bottom line is - it says on a coupon what it entitles you as a consumer to - usually a discount on the named product funded by the brand owner themselves - using it for anything else is defrauding the brand out of money.

moggylover

tescoisace wrote: »

Quote:
Originally Posted by moggylover
So, what you are telling us is that it is okay to run off one single copy and use it when not purchasing the product, but it is not okay to do this multiple times.
hi moggylover,
yes......the above is correct, to have used a coupon multiple times with the same id number on it is not okay:D


It is this very "loose" interpretation of morality/integrity that has put the Nations finances into melt-down, and the attitude of "it is okay when I do it but not when anyone else does it" that really stinks:D
moggylover.....it is ok when i do it....mine were all different id's......tesco would be able to redeem them all

Please do not ask us to believe that you can put your hand on your heart and swear that you have never run off more than one coupon for something you have no intention whatsoever of buying and then using it multiple times. I'm 51 not 24 hours old.
you cannot get multiple coupon net ones, but any other pdf "in date".......yep.....done it loads, tesco tills were ringing, all redeemable:D .....and im older than you

I'm not going to come back on all of this: but on this one point I must beg to differ having spent quite a time last night going through the couponers guidlines for printing them off!

It clearly states there that you can get a second print of coupons in some cases if you answer "no" when asked if the coupon has printed correctly:D and thus this must have been done by seasoned couponers or they would not have known about it. Now, it also states that if you have access to more than one computer then you can also print off extra ones! This hardly equates to the same thing as you are saying on here - although I grant you that Tesco will not have lost out since they all had different ID's (I assume). That still is not what the manufacturer who issued them intended and thus once it became widespread these manufacturers were not going to sit back and keep sucking it up!

Each time that one more person read about it on MSE or another site the chances of this ending got stronger and thus I seriously doubt that Martin was actually the main reason that this ended: although I concede that coming at the same time as the Pedigree thingy it possibly did not help.

For all the claims that NO mse'r would have "abused" the system, I think we would have to accept that if people were regularly paying for a very large proportion of their shopping in vouchers for things they had not purchased then eventually the manufacturers were going to get shirty with the supermarkets, and there is quite a lot of evidence from links to sips reports and trade magazines that this has been happening.

In a perfect World we would all be able to afford our shopping, and would have no debts (self-inflicted or otherwise) and in an even more perfect one the manufacturers would offer a lower price for the product overall and allow everyone to benefit and not just a few;).

I do not speak as someone who has never known what it is to have no money. In my 20's when I first purchased my own home (on my own) I had nothing left after I had paid my mortgage and unavoidable bills and this was despite having two jobs. There were many times when my only decent meal of the week was dinner at mums on a Sunday, the rest of the week was often a case of mashed potato and gravy, or rice and curry sauce:D. I also spent a goodly period as a single mum on benefits and do not believe that most people need to starve whilst on benefits so long as they do not want too long a list of other things beyond the basics (I'm thinking here of those I know [personally] who would rather spend the money on holidays abroad and widescreen tv's than put food on the table:D).

My criticism of couponers has zilch to do with the fact that they were using coupons in the way that Tesco rightly or wrongly allowed them to do (although I quite honestly think that anyone paying for 50% of their weeks shop with them is pushing the system a bit too hard and is probably one of the major reasons the system has ended despite it being Tescos policy:D).

The fact is that the terms and conditions of this FREE (to those of us that do not use the affiliated links anyway) site make it plain that anything we choose to post hereon can be used by Martin in any way that he chooses.

Now, I cannot pretend to have his ear, but I am certain that when he has a CHANCE to respond to your criticisms after his break he may well feel that he can and should and that if he feels he should apologise he will. I do NOT, however, think that gives any of those that wish to blame him entirely for the end of this system the right to name-call and abuse whilst they stamp their feet and scream their dissapointment like a terrible two refused his sweeties!

Personally, I would prefer to see an end to all the coupons, and the money spread over the product so that each and every one of us can buy the product more cheaply EVERY day: but that is because I am one of those people who does not want more for myself at any kind of cost to others. If the spend on their product does not go up when these coupons are used as you have been using them, then the manufacturers will put the price up to recoup the spend on coupons so that the rest of us (and many of us are equally hard pressed - or have been - to afford our shopping) pay more.

If they want us to try the product when we do not usually buy it then sending out free-samples seems a much more direct and sensible approach to me:D

If you are unhappy with Martins site then leave! You are free to do so, and should have made sure you read the terms and conditions of the site before posting here if you feel you have a gripe now. It is not exactly small print on here: I believe Martin is VERY open about the way the site makes money and also VERY clear about all content that we post being up for use by himself:D
i do believe we were "directed" to this site.....for complaining

I believe you are right! I still do not think that slagging Martin off is acceptable:D