Annoyed at Tesco - Can I complain by email?

andrealm

This afternoon we arrived at Tescos 10 minutes before closing. We only wanted to buy 4 items but as we have a 3 year old and a 1 year old we wanted to take a trolley in and the kids were sitting in the trolley. We were stopped at the door by a security guard who said that we couldn't take a trolley in as it was near closing time. We pointed out that we only were only using the trolley to keep the kids in check, not because we wanted to do a big shop but he insisted that this was the policy. There were plenty of other customers still going in with baskets. If we had put the trolley back and gone in with our children and let me walk around it would have taken us twice as long to get round so we turned back in disgust and went back to the car.

As I said we only wanted a few items and were planning to do a big online shop at Tesco during the week, but am now sorely tempted to try Asda or Sainsburys instead, even if it does mean missing out on Clubcard points

Just been looking on Tesco's website but can't find anywhere how to email them. Does anyone know?

Also I wondered if it's just this particular store that has this policy or whether other Tescos do the same, does anyonne know?

DCFC79

LOL another 1 about tesco's policy re closing time, did you not have a pushchair for the young 1 ad 1 of you push the pushchair and teh other look after the 3 yo

dmg24

You refer to 'we' - would it not have been quicker for one adult to stay in the car with the children, whilst you nip in and get the four items?

iceicebaby

dmg24 wrote: »

You refer to 'we' - would it not have been quicker for one adult to stay in the car with the children, whilst you nip in and get the four items?

Exactly what I was thinking!

andrealm

Yes we did have a buggy in the car but it would have taken a few minutes to go back to the car (parked at the far end of the car park, which is where they have their Parent and Baby spaces)and get the buggy and come in again, which would have left even less time to do our shopping. If they'd let us go in with the trolley we knew what we wanted and would have been out before closing time.

We've gone in before at about the same time with a trolley(only for a few items and only taking the trolley to put the kids in) and it's not been a problem. In fact they often seem to let people with full trolleys go through at closing time.

It would have been quick enough getting round with the kids in the trolley, we could have got what we wanted and been out before closing time. Sometimes one of us does run in while everyone else waits in the car but our 3 year old wanted to go in and our 1 year old isn't happy in the car unless it's moving so would have cried the whole time.

I wouldn't have minded so much if they'd been stopping everyone going in but people were still going in with baskets. Just because you take a trolley in it doesn't mean you're going to fill it and having a basket doesn't necessarily mean you'll be quick. Someone could go in with a basket and spend ages dithering and fill it with small fiddly items and take ages.

dmg24

The fact is that, had they let you go in with a trolley, they would have had to let everyone go in with trolleys. The policy is common sense to ensure that the store closes in time ... and stays within Sunday trading laws!

huston_kw

I would of left the little ones outside with oh (as you said we - I'm assuming you meant another adult - he could take them back to car) and I would of used a basket for the four items, or as someone else said gone in alone in the first place left oh in car with kids. Did yous just leave?

P.S. I'm just about to change from ASDA to Tescos, as ASDA can't seem to get my deliveries right, EVER.

iceicebaby

andrealm wrote: »

Yes we did have a buggy in the car but it would have taken a few minutes to go back to the car (parked at the far end of the car park, which is where they have their Parent and Baby spaces)and get the buggy and come in again, which would have left even less time to do our shopping. If they'd let us go in with the trolley we knew what we wanted and would have been out before closing time.

We've gone in before at about the same time with a trolley(only for a few items and only taking the trolley to put the kids in) and it's not been a problem. In fact they often seem to let people with full trolleys go through at closing time.

It would have been quick enough getting round with the kids in the trolley, we could have got what we wanted and been out before closing time. Sometimes one of us does run in while everyone else waits in the car but our 3 year old wanted to go in and our 1 year old isn't happy in the car unless it's moving so would have cried the whole time.

I wouldn't have minded so much if they'd been stopping everyone going in but people were still going in with baskets. Just because you take a trolley in it doesn't mean you're going to fill it and having a basket doesn't necessarily mean you'll be quick. Someone could go in with a basket and spend ages dithering and fill it with small fiddly items and take ages.

I'm sorry, I would not pander to what a 3 year old and a 1 year old want! I would have told the 3 year old tough you are not goin g in and I'm sure the 1 year old could be pacified outside the car for a few minutes while one of you went in.

andrealm

dmg24 wrote: »

The fact is that, had they let you go in with a trolley, they would have had to let everyone go in with trolleys. The policy is common sense to ensure that the store closes in time ... and stays within Sunday trading laws!

Yes but they have no guarantee that people with baskets are going to be any quicker. They would be better off stopping any customers coming into the store if they want to ensure the store closes on time. Although it never used to bother them.

kiddy_guy

Absolute tripe posted by some people. If Tesco's cared about TS that much they'd stop people going in after 3pm to allow everyone 1.25 hrs to do their shopping before the Sunday Trading laws kicked in. They make rules up as they go along...they really do. It's just lazy local store management.

All transactions need to be through the till by 4.15pm - in that case, tell customers that they cannot guarantee serving anyone not in the queue by 4pm, and monitor the tills. Customers who didn't make it, would have their shopping not put through the tills, and would be returned back to the shelves. The OP is correct - you could go in at 3.50pm to do the weekly shop, but equally you could go in for 2 items - therefore the logical thing for Tesco's to do is to manage it at the point of transaction - the tills - rather than point of entry. Otherwise the security guard will need to interview every person going in to see whether they are doing a small or large shop.

Incidentally I took a trolley into Saino's today at 3.54pm - no problem whatsoever.

juliescot

andrealm wrote: »

This afternoon we arrived at Tescos 10 minutes before closing. We only wanted to buy 4 items but as we have a 3 year old and a 1 year old we wanted to take a trolley in and the kids were sitting in the trolley. We were stopped at the door by a security guard who said that we couldn't take a trolley in as it was near closing time. We pointed out that we only were only using the trolley to keep the kids in check, not because we wanted to do a big shop but he insisted that this was the policy. There were plenty of other customers still going in with baskets. If we had put the trolley back and gone in with our children and let me walk around it would have taken us twice as long to get round so we turned back in disgust and went back to the car.

As I said we only wanted a few items and were planning to do a big online shop at Tesco during the week, but am now sorely tempted to try Asda or Sainsburys instead, even if it does mean missing out on Clubcard points

Just been looking on Tesco's website but can't find anywhere how to email them. Does anyone know?

Also I wondered if it's just this particular store that has this policy or whether other Tescos do the same, does anyonne know?

If only someone would invent some sort of thing that would allow you to type in a query and get an answer. They could call it a "search engine" - maybe I could be onto something here

http://www.tesco.com/contact.htm