Butlins & Tesco Clubcard Deals!!!! Watchout!

win2000b

Watch out if you intending to use your tesco clubcard deal vouchers to buy butlins holidays. They are higher prices than normal.

4 day break to minehead on the internet = £168

So we ordered £170 of clubcard deals vouchers. Then rang Butlins to book it. We did not mention the vouchers and were quoted a price of £185 for booking on the telephone. Fair enough we thought as they probably gotta pay the salesman a cut.

So we said we wanted to go ahead with it and pay the balance by card. She said "oh no with clubcard vouchers your price is........... £335!!!!!!"

Almost double the price. She said that with clubcard vouchers you have to pay the full brochure price!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So watch out. What a con!!!!!

iian

To be fair it does say in the T&C's that you have to pay the full brochure price, I have been looking at using my deals vouchers to book a holiday and am looking at the brochure prices as well as the offers to see if its worth it.

ltlmiles5

I saved up all my vouchers for a holiday to Amsterdam a few years ago and collected all the high street travel brochures to compare prices.

Verdict: It's just not worth it! Do not use your tokens to book hols from these brochures. Ever!

What with the special offers you can get via https://www.lastminute.com and all the cheap air travel, you will be much better off using your vouchers on other things that you wouldn't get cheaper any other way.

From my experience, membership with english heritage is well worth its weight in gold, as no other discounts available anywhere else, and same price quoted for everyone.

Also, buying electrical appliances from MFI. I've just bought a Hotpoint fridge freezer for £349 in tokens, and bought a Bosch dishwasher from them 2 years ago. Their current electrical deals are all rock bottom prices, so no more offers (e.g. their 20 % off sale prices advertised on TV) will apply to their appliances.

Nationwide is not really worth it either, as the prices are all inflated compared to your local garage.

Magazines, better to get from https://www.isubscribe.co.uk. Got my friend a readers digest subscription as a gift for only £13.95, as opposed to tesco's £26.

Always compare prices, like you have. Brochures hols are just not worth it! U

beara

ltlmiles5 wrote:

From my experience, membership with english heritage is well worth its weight in gold, as no other discounts available anywhere else, and same price quoted for everyone.

Also, buying electrical appliances from MFI. I've just bought a Hotpoint fridge freezer for £349 in tokens, and bought a Bosch dishwasher from them 2 years ago. Their current electrical deals are all rock bottom prices, so no more offers (e.g. their 20 % off sale prices advertised on TV) will apply to their appliances.

Nationwide is not really worth it either, as the prices are all inflated compared to your local garage.

Magazines, better to get from https://www.isubscribe.co.uk. Got my friend a readers digest subscription as a gift for only £13.95, as opposed to tesco's £26.

Always compare prices, like you have. Brochures hols are just not worth it! U

Got to agree with you on the english heritage - we were members before and now use tokens for that, but we also do Nationwide - generally it's good service and whilst a little more expensive it is still free money at the end of the day. Same with Readers Digest - might be £26 but it's £6.60 in vouchers that were free anyway( well free-ish )

We worked out that last year we saved £800 off £200 of vouchers on stuff that we would have bought anyway - English Heritage, RAC membership, bella italia and cafe rouge with the kids as treats, 2 cases of wine, loads of days out etc etc.... however, on a couple of the days out we've had to buy individual adult and children tickets rather than the combined family ones (not on all though, had a great time on the Mersey Ferry last weekend!)

taxiphil

To inflate the price by a whopping 100% does take the biscuit in my opinion. I thought Cosmos was bad, but they only increase it by about 25% when you say you're paying with Tesco Deals vouchers.

True, they are within their rights to charge brochure prices, as it's clearly laid out in the T&Cs, but it does undermine the credibility of the whole Tesco Deals scheme when they double the price like that.

tracylaw

I agree with what is said. I used my Tesco Vouchers on furniture in MFI - and although the choice isn't great and I would probably have gone elsewhere if I had the cash, the point was if I didn't have the vouchers I wasn't going to upgrade the furniture anyway

Earlier this year we got 2 new leather reclining sofas for £150 cash + £230 vouchers, and have just ordered a new dining table, chairs and sideboard, the house looks lovely and for very little "real money"

firespire

ltlmiles5 wrote:

Magazines, better to get from https://www.isubscribe.co.uk. Got my friend a readers digest subscription as a gift for only £13.95, as opposed to tesco's £26.

I don't get what you are saying, Readers Digest in Clubcard deals it is £6.73.

I checked a random example Good Housekeeping is £9.60 in Clubcard deals and £28.80 at that site you quote.

ltlmiles5

firespire wrote:

I don't get what you are saying, Readers Digest in Clubcard deals it is £6.73.

I checked a random example Good Housekeeping is £9.60 in Clubcard deals and £28.80 at that site you quote.

Firespire

I tend to multiply the voucher value by 4, as that's the amount you get in tokens, so really the price you are paying is £6.73 x 4 = £26.92.
The reason I multiply it by 4 is to compare the value with other deals, eg. if I buy a fridge freezer at MFI for £349, that is the value of the tokens (so divide by 4 to get the value of the vouchers, i.e. £87).

Good Housekeeping would then be £9.60 x 4 = £38.40 in tokens, so about £10 more via tokens.

I prefer to use my tokens at places that don't hike up the prices but charge the same amount regardless of whether we pay via cash or tokens.

poorbutgettingricher

win2000b wrote:

Watch out if you intending to use your tesco clubcard deal vouchers to buy butlins holidays. They are higher prices than normal.

4 day break to minehead on the internet = £168

So we ordered £170 of clubcard deals vouchers. Then rang Butlins to book it. We did not mention the vouchers and were quoted a price of £185 for booking on the telephone. Fair enough we thought as they probably gotta pay the salesman a cut.

So we said we wanted to go ahead with it and pay the balance by card. She said "oh no with clubcard vouchers your price is........... £335!!!!!!"

Almost double the price. She said that with clubcard vouchers you have to pay the full brochure price!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So watch out. What a con!!!!!

when using these "deals" arent they 4* the value of the club card vouchers, so paying the full price of £335 would only work out at £83.75 in the clubcard vouchers? still cheaper than the £185 over the phone, but then again you could eat a hell of a lot of food with £83 of your shopping, of £335 in vouchers at bella itallia.

plane_boy2000

However you look at it its still something for nothing!

jonboy31

I find with the Butlins breaks that the themed over 18s weekenders are the best value to buy with clubcard deals. They always seem to be going for close to brochure price when I've booked in the past (using credit card). I think the brochure price was around £99 and managed to get it for £85 with an online discount. Next year when I go I will use clubcard deals.

John