Tesco - customer service not great!

scrimpster

My husband bought me a Professor Layton DS game for my birthday. Unfortunately it was the wrong one. I was surprised it was not in cellophane but he said that was how they sold it to him.

Today I took it back to change it, to be told that Tesco do not exchange games for copyright reasons and anyway as it was opened, they couldn't do anything. My husband said that was how it was sold to him and she more or less called him a liar. She talked over me saying that if they took games back opened then everyone would be using them and then bringing them back. I said that was fair enough but surely they should make sure they don't sell games in that condition.

Hubby said that he had taken a game in a plastic security cover to the counter and that he was given this game opened. She said that was not possible as they get them wrapped straight from the manufacturer. Hubby is a straight as a die 70 year old and has now wasted £30. What upset me most was the humiliating way she talked to us. The other lady was more helpful and tried to ring the manager but the manager picked up the phone and then apparently put it on the desk and walked away and the woman was hanging on for ages before the other one just said "they won't do anything, you won't get anywhere". I have emailed Tesco to see what they say.:(

mandragora_2

Tesco in-store C/S sometimes can treat people this way - I've had similar myself. However, I've found that if you ring the main Tesco CS number and ask to speak to customer service, you often get a more reasonable approach, and they don't always take the same line that in-store staff do. I'm not defending the in-store staff, nor commenting on your particular circumstances, but I think that the store staff can be 'under the cosh' from either the store managers or feel pressure from above not to give way; this is not always the position head office CS take, and in my experience, I've found them to be more reasonable and fair-minded. I think it's just how that particular organisation works, sadly.

Not sure Tesco in-store CS is a job I'd fancy, given the mixed messages they seem to be given.

My advice would be to ring the main Customer Services helpline and see if you can get further speaking to someone there. If the first person you speak to doesn't really help, ask to speak to someone more senior. Your husband hasn't lied. You feel that staff haven't treated him - or you - well. Whatever the other issues are, and however that item came to be sold unwrapped, there's no excuse for rudeness or aggression.