Tesco mess with Windows 7 pre-order

Sponge

I pre-ordered Windows 7 Professional from Tesco online back in July 09 @ £89.97. It arrived, delivered by Citylink, but upon opening the Citylink package found the W7 box crushed and bits of plastic floating about inside. There was no way to see if it was the disc, or just bits from the case, or if the disc was scratched, etc, so opted to ask Tesco for a replacement. (The software was still shrink wrapped.)

Citylink collected the software on Friday 30th and Tesco told us our replacement was on it's way.

I have just called Tesco to enquire as to the whereabouts of our software, to be told that a replacement hasn't been requested, just a straight forward refund!

We are awaiting a return call from Tesco to tell us how they want to proceed, but it sounds very much like they will require us to re-order the item. However, the same item is now £199.97! The agent is checking to see if the item is in stock and if they can honour the original price!

This may be worry over nothing, they may sort it out to our satisfaction, but in case they don't - surely they have to honour the original order, i.e. full version of Windows 7 at the pre-order price of £89.97?

pinkshoes

As it was not fit for purpose, they had to offer you a replacement, repair or refund. Repair was impossible, a replacement meant ordering it for you, so I guess they've gone with the refund option.

I would make it clear to them that you would like a replacement.

tightarsey

Ordered Windows 7 Home Premium Full Version from Tesco in September when the price was £49.99, Citylink attempted to deliver this item early on the 22nd October, then tried again a week later, it was then immediately returned to Tesco, not held. (Also unusually Citylink did not leave with a neighbour-were they told by Tesco not to - to increase the number of failed deliveries?)
As I expected delivery the day after the release date ie. around the 24th, so expected to be able to pick up the item on my return, but as delivery was attempted early, it was also returned early to Tesco, so I was unable to arrange redelivery.
Tried emailing Tesco but got no response, then phoned this morning, and Tesco are issuing a refund only, they will not honour the price, and expect you to re-order at the new price nearer £95. They are adamant this is 'company policy'
This isn't the usual helpful Tesco, but one looking to make a quick buck from failed deliveries.
Escalated my complaint and spoke to Claire Gill, a manager in Dundee who was totally unhelpful, and wouldn't even give me a name of someone senior to write a complaint to - just to send one to their generic address/generic email address i.e [EMAIL="tescodirect@tesco.com"]tescodirect@tesco.com[/EMAIL]

If the item had been damaged they would have to send a replacement, so they are just being bloody minded.
I've not accepted their offer of a refund as I intend to take it to head office, as the item was delivered early and therefore returned early, in relation to the published date of release of Windows 7.
If that doesn't work I'll just stick with XP, or switch to a Mac, at least their £25 upgrade price has stayed consistent, Windows 7 is up and down - all over the place - probably about as stable as Windows 7 then.

Sponge

Update:

Tesco have now said that as our item was returned as faulty, then the distributors will automatically send out a replacement as soon as they receive the faulty goods. Their initial claim that this was a return/refund scenario was incorrect.

Tesco could not supply a consignment number to trace the new delivery with Citylink, so suggested we call them and provide our Post Code. We did this. The only details Citylink had for our address was the 1st delivery and subsequent collection (of damaged goods). There is currently nothing in their system for us.

So, we called Tesco again and they have now emailed the distributors to confirm they have received the damaged goods and are dispatching it's replacement. We await their response.

I'm glad this isn't a case of failed delivery, like tightarsey is experiencing - it so nearly was. Citylink claim to have attempted delivery (on our returned item) 2 times before finally catching us. (I have been home all day, every day for 2 weeks due to illness, so have not missed any delivery attempts. But that's another story.) I really hope this doesn't degenerate into a similar scenario where we're fighting to have what we ordered at the price we ordered it.

tightarsey

Here is the copy of the formal complaint I have sent to Tesco this afternoon:

TREAT AS FORMAL COMPLAINT. Order shipped before 'general release' date+shipping time.

Order number: xxxxxx
City link tracking reference xxxxx


I ordered Windows 7 on Sunday 13th September 2009. This was a pre-order due to be shipped after the Worldwide launch of Windows 7. The item was initially delivered early due to pending postal strikes (which meant several suppliers shipped from the 19th onwards)
According to the city-link tracking info a delivery was attempted on the 22nd October at 17:50 (this is before the generally regarded release and availability of Windows 7, with regard to postage times required to ship the product)
No email was received stating the item had been shipped early and it appears no card was left from City-link.
A second delivery was attempted on the 29th October at 12.25, upon which City-link immediately returned the item (was not held at depot) - a card was left.
Hoping to collect on the 30th I found the item to have already been returned to Tesco.
I believe Tesco made an error in allowing the item to be returned before allowing customers to be able to pick up the item from the depot on the 30th (a minimum of 7 days after the first expected arrival date), and therefore I find it unacceptable that Tesco will only offer me a full refund, as the re-purchasing will now cost £95.

I spoke to Claire Gill at your headoffice, and I have also spoken to Microsoft business response team regarding the issue. I found Claire Gill to be extremely unhelpful, and I did not receive the level of customer service I have been led to expect from Tesco, and one of the reason I use tesco.com. Therefore I wish this matter to be discussed at a level higher than Claire Gill at your Dundee office.

As this is an formal complaint, please respond within times stated by your complaints procedure.

I will only accept that the item is re-sent, with email notification of this.

Sponge

Thanks for posting your experiences. I've also got some more information to add:

Tesco keep referring to a company/supplier/distributor called, I think, Ingrams. They have been sending emails back and forth. The first email from Ingram to the first Tesco representative I spoke to said they'd send me a replacement as soon as they receive the damaged goods. Now, apparently, Ingram are saying (in new emails to Tesco) they won't send out a replacement at all.

I am now speaking to somebody different at Tesco, and credit where credit is due, she is trying to get this sorted.

The first of this evening's calls was Tesco saying I'd have to re-order the software at the full price of £199 and they would issue a refund during the same phone call. This would take 3-5 days to show. As you can imagine, I wasn't happy with this offer. All-in, I'd be £280 out of pocket and awaiting a refund of £200.

Just to mix up things a little, they still couldn't confirm that the one I sent back had been received. So she was a little worried I'd be stuck with two copies. So she asked me to wait while she had a word with her supervisor.

A couple of minutes later she called back and said they were going to contact Ingram again and try to hold them to their first email. This would avoid the hassle of a 2nd order.

So, back to the waiting. Tesco are going to call us back tomorrow morning, but promise this will be sorted either way and I will have my copy of W7 pro on Saturday.

I'm glad to have an understanding and helpful person at Tesco handling the issue (it could so easily be like tightarsey), but at the same time I really think most of the problems are nothing to do with me. I don't really care about the distributors and what they will/won't do. The fact of the matter is, I ordered an item from Tesco (not Ingham), it was delivered damaged, I should be able to return it and get a replacement sent to me right away. End of. How their systems handle it is of no concern to me and it certainly shouldn't involve me re-ordering and waiting for a refund.

tightarsey

My point is that the item was delivered early due to postal strikes, customers received no email to state that this was happening, and that Tesco failed to inform City-link, that because the items were being shipped early, they should hold onto them for say 10 days, as opposed to 7 days before returning. I don't think I'm being unreasonable to expect to be able to phone City-link on the 30th, for redelivery, given the official worldwide launch of Windows 7 was 22nd October and most people would have expected Monday 26th at the typical shipping date, given the weekend. If customers are going to be treated like this, they should have made the actual delivery date much more specific, rather than pre-order for 'delivery after Windows 7 official launch'
This is just an attempt to get people to pay the current inflated price, but if I have to it certainly won't be through Tesco.com
The whole Windows 7 pricing policy has been a complete mess from launch, set the price and stick to it, like the Mac snow leopard upgrade at £25.

Sponge

The distributors are refusing to send out a replacement product. I get the impression they have taken this stance with many customers. As a result, Tesco have issued a refund and want me to re-order the goods at full price and wait another week for a refund of the difference. I'm fuming! I shouldn't have to be out of pocket to the tune of £280 and await 'the system' to catch up and give me my money back. I thought people were supposed to run systems, not the other way around.

I have asked the agent to get permission to re-order the goods, but amend the order price prior to processing my card, i.e. I only get charged the original price of £89.97. They can do this, but need senior supervisors to 'sign it off'.

So I won't be getting my order tomorrow due to the wait for permissions to amend the order and will not received the software until Monday, at the earliest. Assuming the powers that be agree - I expect them to be uncooperative and say no. What I do then, I don't know, I guess my options are limited.

I'm really disappointed with Tesco and the distributor. This has gone on far too long and could have been sorted with no fuss in a very short time. It's yet another example of how companies feel totally at ease messing around the very people that keep them in business.

williham

Sounds like a fair response, you still get it for £90.

tightarsey

Hi Sponge,
I'm surprised you got that out of them, do you have the name of the senior manager you spoke to at Dundee, as Claire Gill I spoke was the most unhelpful person I've ever spoken to at Tesco, she really put Tesco in a bad light for me. I'm surrounded by Tesco's where I live and I'm really starting to think whether I should be giving money to a company of this size with its business practices.
The item was returned to them before even 7 days had passed from the Official Launch, ie. on the 29th October, and if you had expected the delivery on Monday 26th, 3 days!
No email to say early delivery - this is clearly a breach of the terms by them as it wasn't delivered after the stated date on the pre-order. It is quite easy to do a small claim online nowadays - I'll wait for the reply to my formal complaint, but they haven't even replied to my first email sent Monday this week - Tesco direct's customer service is pathetic - the only company I've found worse is British Gas.
I've just been busy posting stuff on hotukdeals.com, and zdnet.co.uk, to highlight this - if I get a 1000 people to buy their software from anyone but Tesco I will feel I have done a good job.

I'll basically buy the software from ebuyer, then put in a claim for the difference + the time spent following this up. Will update this to let you know how I get on. If someone from Tesco is reading this sort yourself out, and deal with this issue, instead of fobbing off your customers.

Sponge

williham wrote: »

Sounds like a fair response, you still get it for £90.

There's nothing 'fair' about it. They are only doing what they are supposed to do, what I have paid for, the contract. But they're not. They are taking £280 of my money and asking me to wait for a £200 refund. That is not fair. What if I didn't have the money? In fact, I don't. It's only for the fact I can use a credit card and hopefully get a refund before the bill is due, else I'll be charged interest on the full amount. How is that fair?