Boots Advantage Points - Warning

one-non-blonde

I was informed yesterday by an assistant that since New Year they are no longer allowed to retrospectively add points to your card from old receipts. Allegedly head office felt that the system was being 'abused' by people picking up dropped receipts instore or collecting them from friends and relatives to get the points added to their own cards.

I'm so forgetful I've always made good use of this service. Not happy! >:(

divadee

If you get staff to validate your receipt they will still be able to add points, i had this done for me yesterday, then you have to take your card in within 30 days and they will add them on.

one-non-blonde

Maybe I caught someone on a bad day as she specifically said there was nothing I could do and that it was a recent directive. She did say something about there being no 'number' on the receipt - is that what validation does? And does it have to be done at the time of purchase when you realise you don't have your card with you? What happened yesterday was that my 8 year old wanted to buy something and I sent him off to pay for it not thinking to give him my card. When I went to pay for my purchases about 15 minutes later I realised what I'd done and asked if they could add the points he should have got. It wasn't a huge amount but I rarely carry my card around unless I know I'm specifically going into Boots (I'm not a handbag kinda gal!) so is bound to happen again.

Just found this in the T&Cs, so perhaps it's always just been a goodwill gesture...
4. Points will usually only be added to a valid Advantage Card at the time you buy products and services included in the scheme. There may be specific occasions when we add points later at our discretion.

advantage_card

I have known for some time that they wont manually add points on from any old receipt because of fraudlent use, but does this also mean that validating your receipt is also ending?

what that is - theres a bit on the bottom of the receipt that has a special code, then it says something like *please take this receipt in within 30 days to get your ponts added on* or something like that.

one of my relatives got refused a validation code a few weeks ago, so perhaps this IS stopping - she was cross as shed spent over £10 and genuinely doesnt have a card - tries her best only to buy things @ boots when she is with me but this doesnt always happen, but she doesnt uby enough @ boots to warrent her own card.

never mind, mine is pratically GLUED to my wallet - because i know fine well the very day i WOULDNT have it, is the very day id get refused a validation code, sigh.

jellyhead

it seems very mean spirited of boots :-( they only give points once, if you find a receipt or have one given to you by a relative and then ask for the points on it it's no different to the person who did the shopping in the first place having a card of their own and getting the points! it's not like boots are losing out ... maybe they just want to take away the facility for staff to add points manually at the till?

Ticklemouse

I've been in to a couple of small stores in the last week and asked for my receipts to be validated - had no problems and no-one said anything about the practice ending. I assume that it's just the non-validated receipts thay won't do the add-ons, but I thought this was what they had been doing for ages.

burnham1

my other half bought me some perfume for christmas and he has not got a card, but he knows what im like so after christmas he gave me the receipt to get the points and i had no problem at all and the girl on the till never said i cant do it in future ,this was last week

MarkyMarkD

it seems very mean spirited of boots :-( they only give points once, if you find a receipt or have one given to you by a relative and then ask for the points on it it's no different to the person who did the shopping in the first place having a card of their own and getting the points! it's not like boots are losing out ... maybe they just want to take away the facility for staff to add points manually at the till?

Yes, they are losing out.

If they expect only 50% of points to ever be claimed, because half the customers don't bother with carrying cards, they are saving half the cost of advantage card points.

If they let any old person scrounge those points, the scheme costs them far more.

I can't see why they would ever have let you get points off other people's receipts! Validated receipts are a different matter.

chardonnay_2

i had two receipts validated yesterday

halloweenqueen_2

I was told right from the start I couldn't have points unless I had my card with me at the time >:(

dollywops

My husband bought a few bits in Boots a couple of weeks ago. When I took the receipt in to get the points, the girl told me that as the receipt had not been validated, I could not have the points. Obviously, the original check out girl had not asked my husband if he wanted the receipt validated or asked if he had a Boots Card. Had she done so, then he would have said his wife had one and she would have validated the receipt. She still would not give me the points - at which time I suggested she call over a manager. A supervisor sitting nearby said that all the check out operators should ask if a customer wants a receipt validated, if there is no advantage card. I then said why not automatically validate all receipts if there is no points card, and she was unable to answer this. She did put on my points, though.