Sainsburys and Nectar Points

Guerins

Hi to all

I hope I am in the right place to post this question and hopefully get some replies.......if not can a moderator move this to the right place.

I visited a Sainsbury's store this afternoon to pick up a few bits on my way home. My bill came to around £9.50 and as I had around eight pounds in Nectar points I decided to redeem them against some of the cost of the purchases. After giving up my Nectar card the assistant said that my card was not valid in that store. "What Sainsbury's store is it valid in then" was my reply. "Not this one" was the retort

After going to the customer services I was told that Nectar points can't be redeemed unless I had shopped there before and if I purchased goods today (which I paid cash for) I could come back after 24 hours and then redeem the points there and then against other purchases

After talking in store by phone to a "customer service manager" I was told this was a Sainsbury's policy countrywide and had been in place for about 4 years. I commented that I had not seen that on any of their TV ads and had they neglected to tell me when they sent out their innumerable mail shots........after all you can miss things in the small print.

I called Nectar (call centre India) and was finally passed to someone in the UK who was fairly guarded in his comments re Sainsbury's and this policy which "was in the process of being looked into by both companies in order to improve the service given to customers"
He explained that Sainsbury's were the only major partners of Nectar who operated this way. Debenhams / Argos / BP / Easyjet etc etc all had systems hook ups that allowed transactions in real time but Sainsbury's had decided that there had to be a time delay for some reason which he could not elaborate on (as he did not know)

It was intimated that this was not a new problem and that Sainsbury's had been made aware by Nectar that this was causing a problem. I was also told that a workaround had been put in place by Sainsbury's in their stores whereby the customer would be taken to a customer services desk, Nectar phoned, and then Nectar would authorise the points redemption and the transaction could take place providing the request was made by the customer !!!!

A call to Sainsbury's offered "well I've never heard of that" in answer to the question of the workaround and if it was true. As to why the points redemption failed this was the the explanation I was given. "Because Sainsbury's have so many stores, we can't hold the details of Nectar card holders in each of the individual stores and so you have to have shopped in that store in the last 60 weeks for the info to be held in that store in order for goods to be released against Nectar points" so if you have the temerity to want to shop somewhere other than your local store, that means no points redemption.

I asked for this to sent to me in writing but was assured that any letter would only reiterate this telephone conversation. I did notice that the store added on my new Nectar points for my purchases but couldn't redeem them on the same basis.

If they had a big sign at the front of all their stores saying this is their policy then I would not have wasted my time in that store and would have gone to my local store without a problem.

I would be interested in anyone's thoughts on this or any similar experiences that any of you have encountered.

Don't blame your customers because you have, according to today's news, lost Jamie Oliver as your front man as he is "moving on". He is and so am I. I won't be shopping in Sainsbury's in the near future if this is how their customer service policy works. Try giving them a call and see how their "great service" (their words not mine) works in practice

Regards Guerins

minxie

This has been their policy for some time, but as you say they don't advertise this fact at all, maybe in some tiny small print somewhere.

Very naughty but that's large companies for you

Guerins

Thanks for your reply.

Maybe tucked away in the T&C's it might say, but hiding stuff away is really contrary to most laws regarding retailing. Something must be placed where you would reasonably expect to read it. A look through the websites of both Sainsbury's and Nectar fail to disclose this although the info may be there. If enough people complained this customer unfriendly anomaly could be changed.

I am more suprised at Sainsbury's than anything else, as you would expect in these days of advanced technology where Tesco know your shopping habits, Sainsbury's do not even know who you are !!!

Regards Guerins

lizzywig

Guerins wrote: »

"Because Sainsbury's have so many stores, we can't hold the details of Nectar card holders in each of the individual stores and so you have to have shopped in that store in the last 60 weeks for the info to be held in that store in order for goods to be released against Nectar points" so if you have the temerity to want to shop somewhere other than your local store, that means no points redemption.

Interesting....how do you suppose that you can redeem Tesco clubcard points at any store?! Tesco's have lots of shops do they not?

Guerins

Lizzywig

Thanks for your reply. To be fair to Sainsbury's, Nectar is not Sainsbury's own reward system it is only the one they use, and is a different company, whereas Tesco have their own system. What I don't understand is why this policy is in place.

If were having a self catering holiday in the UK and traveled to anywhere outside of the location of your local store and you had some Nectar points to redeem on the way at Saisbury's forget it. If you popped into Argos for a kettle for example, thats fine. If you wanted to go to Vue cinemas, well thats OK and you can even go to Cafe Rouge (all this according to Nectar's website) and if you booked your hols through Expedia, no problem . But wanting to get a few bits to nibble on the way................I rest my case (bought from John Lewis) !!!!

Regards Guerins

Any

I have had this problem also before... To be fair I can see where they are coming from and to be honest their computer and data sharing system is improving constantly.

Unlike at Tesco (who, to answer Lizzywig's question operates their vouchers on scan code system which is easier to implement) you can swipe nectar card at other retails as well and you use to be only able to redeem points your MAIN Sainsburys store (not like now where you can redeem them anywhere you shopped before-I suppose that is to create a link between that customer's account and that store's system).

I can't see it being such a big issue TBH.

And I am not saying that because I am Nectar fan, I actually collect very few Nectar points myself, I prefer Tesco vouchers:-)) Though I have to say Nectar scheme is improving. And I don't like our local Sainsburys.

Any

Guerins wrote: »

Lizzywig

Thanks for your reply. To be fair to Sainsbury's, Nectar is not Sainsbury's own reward system it is only the one they use, and is a different company, whereas Tesco have their own system. What I don't understand is why this policy is in place.

If were having a self catering holiday in the UK and traveled to anywhere outside of the location of your local store and you had some Nectar points to redeem on the way at Saisbury's forget it. If you popped into Argos for a kettle for example, thats fine. If you wanted to go to Vue cinemas, well thats OK and you can even go to Cafe Rouge (all this according to Nectar's website) and if you booked your hols through Expedia, no problem . But wanting to get a few bits to nibble on the way................I rest my case (bought from John Lewis) !!!!

Regards Guerins

Well, now you know (and I agree it is not well advertised) you can go in one day and buy chewing gum and the next you can redeem the points. Camping holiday still saved!!

Guerins

Any

Thanks for your imput

If it works for Argos (loads of stores) then why does Sainsbury's make it difficult for me as a customer just to go and redeem my few Nectar points. I also shop at Tesco for the same reasons as you, and perhaps more to the point, this is hardly likely to endear me to Sainsbury's and switch my main shop to them. Does anybody here have a connection to Sainsbury's who could answer this?

Regards Guerins

Helix

Guerins wrote: »

Any

Thanks for your imput

If it works for Argos (loads of stores) then why does Sainsbury's make it difficult for me as a customer just to go and redeem my few Nectar points. I also shop at Tesco for the same reasons as you, and perhaps more to the point, this is hardly likely to endear me to Sainsbury's and switch my main shop to them. Does anybody here have a connection to Sainsbury's who could answer this?

Regards Guerins

I would guess it is a legacy system issue. Argos joined the scheme later than Sainsburys, changing IT systems costs money which would have to be passed onto the consumer in higher prices. If the current system is working why change it - if it was causing inconvenience to a large number of customers then I am sure they would see it was worthwhile but they obviously can't have had that many complaints about how it works.

Also the number of transactions that Argos process at minute will be insignifanct compared with what Sainsbury's do. Sainsbury's want to get people in an out the shop quickly, having to contact yet another 3rd Party system when performing a transaction will slow things down.

Any

I imagine it is exactly as Helix says - change of system problem.
For such a massive chain as Sainsburys we must be talking millions of pounds.

Once you know it it's not a problem - it's only when you find out once you want to redeem! That is annoying.

But then with Tesco you have to wait for your restaurant vouchers for up to 4 weeks... and I don't know how about you, but I don't plan that long in advance. Every system has it's hicups I suppose.

goooey

Hi there, haven't read the replies so not sure if this has been worked out. I'm a Sainsburys employee myself so have the general gist of how it all works. Wherever you first used your nectar card, this becomes your 'home' store, meaning you can redeem any points at anytime in this store. If you were to then go to a different store, you can use your nectar card as normal to collect your points, and then if you go back to the same store after 24 hours, it becomes a secondary home store, and you can do this as many times as you like. Sometimes it won't let you redeem points if you have two cards for the same account and you are trying to use the secondary card to redeem, but other than that, as long as you go to a store that you have been to at some point before, you can redeem points.
I hope this helps! xx