Tesco price check is a con

dodgy_jammer

As the supermarket price war has heated up, I've wondered how they can all claim to be the cheapest, with their low price guarantees and their online price checks. To satisfy my curiosity, I thought I'd put it to the test.

At the weekend I visited my local Tesco superstore and bought 4 items: A child's toy, a 6-pint carton of milk, a 12-pack of bottled beer, and a Christmas card. Total cost was £19.31. Once home I visited Tesco's price check website, entered my receipt details, then did something more exciting for the next 24 hours while waiting for the results.

The next day I received my results via email. Of the four items in my basket, Tesco had only managed to find one on Asda's shelves. Apparently the carton of milk, priced at £1.74, was exactly the same price at Asda. Unfortunately they failed to find the other 3 items so couldn't perform price comparisons. Oddly, they only seemed to check Asda's prices, ignoring all the other supermarkets.

OK, maybe the toy and the Christmas card were a bit obscure, so I walked down to my local Morrisons to check their price for the beer (Kronenbourg 1664 12x275ml bottles) and I was staggered to find they were asking just £7. That's 30% cheaper than Tesco. Subsequently a quick check on Asda's website revealed that a larger pack of the same beer (15 bottles) was £1 cheaper than Tesco's 12-pack. Bottle-by-bottle that's nearly 30% cheaper. Now I understand why Tesco's price check couldn't find a product match for this item.

Incidentally, while walking the aisles in Tesco I noticed they were selling Isla Negra Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon wine (750ml) for £4.78, advertising this as half price. It may be half of Tesco's normal price but at my local Key Store franchise (like Spa) I know that the same bottle retails at £4.80 permanently. How easily we are conned.

My conclusion? At Tesco, very little helps!

withabix

See also: every other retailer.

Lots of people on here have made a lot of money with Tesco Price Check.

which incidentally is only meant to compare prices with Asda. Like it says.


What you need is http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/



Yes, I am a fan of Tesco. I get back more than I spend.

DCFC79

My conclusion is that i bet its already been covered on here re the pricecheck being a con plus its boring reading about tesco.

Missconduct

I've also found the Tesco price check to be a con as it rarely manages to compare more than half the items. I did contact them about it and they said they can only compare like-for-like e.g. branded items, but it was branded items that their system didn't find so that was a rather poor excuse.

ASDA's price guarantee is brilliant, however, in my experience. We nearly always get a voucher because they pledge to be 10% cheaper than all the other three big supermarkets.

BLUEWKD

Missconduct wrote: »

I've also found the Tesco price check to be a con as it rarely manages to compare more than half the items. I did contact them about it and they said they can only compare like-for-like e.g. branded items, but it was branded items that their system didn't find so that was a rather poor excuse.

ASDA's price guarantee is brilliant, however, in my experience. We nearly always get a voucher because they pledge to be 10% cheaper than all the other three big supermarkets.

Anyone who has used the Tesco price check in the Double the Difference days when it first started know it is a con as things are compared for a while and then suddenly it comes up as N/A and that is branded items. They don't or didn't compare something like huggies wipes after comparing for a long time.

I agree, asda price guarantee comes up with a lot more comparisons.

thatguy1

dodgy_jammer wrote: »

so I walked down to my local Morrisons to check their price for the beer (Kronenbourg 1664 12x275ml bottles) and I was staggered to find they were asking just £7. That's 30% cheaper than Tesco.

Tesco don't price match Morrisons, no where can as they don't currently do online shopping.

antrobus

dodgy_jammer wrote: »

...

OK, maybe the toy and the Christmas card were a bit obscure...

More to the point, they're not groceries, so TPC doesn't apply. ASDA wouldn't price compare them either.

dodgy_jammer wrote: »

...
so I walked down to my local Morrisons to check their price for the beer (Kronenbourg 1664 12x275ml bottles) and I was staggered to find they were asking just £7. That's 30% cheaper than Tesco.

Currently 3 for £20 at Tesco.

dodgy_jammer wrote: »

...

Subsequently a quick check on Asda's website revealed that a larger pack of the same beer (15 bottles) was £1 cheaper than Tesco's 12-pack. Bottle-by-bottle that's nearly 30% cheaper.

Or 2 for £16 at Sainsbury's; that's cheaper still

dodgy_jammer wrote: »

...

Now I understand why Tesco's price check couldn't find a product match for this item.

That's right a 15x275ml pack of beer does not compare with a 12x275ml pack of beer.

The moral of the story is; check prices before you buy. All the supermarkets are cheaper for some things and more expensive for others. If you intend using the APG or TPC on a shop, it's best to do so using a researched and targeted shopping list.

nickcc

Visited Tesco a few weeks ago intending to buy a tin of chocs, very surprised to find the price had risen to £10 per tin and hundreds of tins on the tops of the shelves, next day the price had dropped to £3.99 per tin (normal price about £5.50) with the half price shelf labels displayed.

Sarah7

All the supermarkets have developed their own spin to make their customers think they're getting a good deal - that's marketing, they spend a huge amount on it and they do it well. A sample size of only 4 items was never going to give you much data for a meaningful comparison, though, to be honest.

Missconduct

The moral of the story is; check prices before you buy. All the supermarkets are cheaper for some things and more expensive for others. If you intend using the APG or TPC on a shop, it's best to do so using a researched and targeted shopping list.

Yes, we do this in the main, which is why I was surprised to get a voucher from ASDA when we had only bought things that are already cheapest from them e.g. 6 rolls of Plenty for £3 and 4x 2-litre bottles of Dr Pepper for £4.

We are happy to give our business to ASDA as a result, especially as their customer service is excellent. Tesco has gone right down in our estimations.

angel1987

well, atleast you got an email back, ive tried 3 times with 3 different emails and never got a reply.....con all the way!!!