Unredeemable Co-Op Voucher **Praise!**

pulliptears

I recently bought a PS3 from the Stafford Co-Op Store as a Christmas gift for my daughter. On opening the box on Christmas Day she was pleased to find a £5 Co Operative gift Voucher within the box, trying to spend this voucher is, however, proving impossible.....

Our first visit was to the Co-Op Store in Lightwood, Stoke on Trent. On presenting the Voucher at the till I was told that 'Sorry, this voucher was for Midland Co-Op stores and the Lightwood Store is a Northern Co-Op store'. The Sales assistant did advise that the nearest 'Midland' store was just up the road in Stone.
Today we ventured into Stone, we again presented the Voucher at the checkout only this time we were advised that it could only be used at the Stafford Co-Op store where we had purchased the PS3 from in the first place as this voucher was limited to 'electrical stores'.

I am now understandably rather annoyed. Nowhere on this voucher does it state that any terms and conditions apply, nowhere does it state I cannot spend this in a 'Northern' Co-Op and it certainly makes no mention of not being able to spend it anywhere other than the store I purchased the PS3 from. I've now had 2 wasted journeys to 2 different Co-Op stores to redeem a seemingly unredeemable voucher.

I would feel less annoyed if said voucher actually said something on it relating to 'Midland Co-ops or 'electrical stores', but it doesnt!

So, thank you Co-Op for a voucher that is seemingly impossible to redeem!

Techhead_2

It shows Midland Co-op on front and back?

pulliptears

Techhead wrote: »

It shows Midland Co-op on front and back?

It does, now where does it say 'co-op electrical'? For that matter where does it say 'can only be redeemed in midland co-op' or 'northern co-op'? It doesn't say Midland or Northern on any of my local stores so how can we, the mere customer tell easily that there is a difference?

Here is a photo for you of my local Co-Op, this is apparently a 'northern' one, not a 'midland' one. Pray tell techhead, how can you tell this from the store? Also, when did Stoke on Trent become a 'Northern' city? We are firmly in the Midlands...

marywooyeah

op is all that police tape the aftermath of the SA telling you you can't use the voucher?! :rotfl:

seriously though nowhere does it say electrical only stores! I'd ring the head office and explain the difficulties you are having.

rustyboy21

pulliptears wrote: »

It does, now where does it say 'co-op electrical'? For that matter where does it say 'can only be redeemed in midland co-op' or 'northern co-op'? It doesn't say Midland or Northern on any of my local stores so how can we, the mere customer tell easily that there is a difference?

Here is a photo for you of my local Co-Op, this is apparently a 'northern' one, not a 'midland' one. Pray tell techhead, how can you tell this from the store? Also, when did Stoke on Trent become a 'Northern' city? We are firmly in the Midlands...

pulliptears, I love you dearly, we always seem to be onthe same wavelength on here.

I know what you mean, most of the Co-ops now have the same branding, However, Even though you are in Stoke, you are classed as northern Co-op, until you venture a bit further south.

Northern Co-ops main depot is at Talke, even though the head office is in Manchester. It has been like this for a while, since the Co-op societies seemed to have merged over the years, into I think 2 big societies. It is the same with Spar owned stores, Stoke comes out of James Hall in Preston, but Stafford comes out of Af Blakemores in the Midlands, so their vouchers work the same way.

The only way you can tell which society they belong to would be on the Licenence plate above the door, for selling Alchohol. That should tell you.

I understand your predicament, I can understand where they are coming from too, it is 2 different companies. But I would argue the point that it can only be used in an electrical Co-op, no where does it say that.

Good Luck, try and use it towards a bottle of something strong, to calm your nerves !:beer:

zenmaster

So, not as cooperative as they would like us to think then?

The Co-operative Group
Customer Relations
Freepost MR9473
Manchester
M4 8BA

or

Email: customer.relations@co-op.co.uk

or

Phone: 0800 068 6727

Give them a ring and send them that scan. I'm pretty sure they will sort something out.

Mind you, you only have 3 days to use the voucher and they are closed for (at least) one of those.

rustyboy21

zenmaster wrote: »

So, not as cooperative as they would like us to think then?



Give them a ring and send them that scan. I'm pretty sure they will sort something out.

Mind you, you only have 3 days to use the voucher and they are closed for (at least) one of those.

Zen You are getting mixed up Now.

That is for the Northern Co-op Society.

Midlands Co-op is as follows

Business trading address
Midlands Co-operative Society
Hermes Road
Lichfield
Staffordshire WS13 6RH
Tel: 01543 414140 (lines open 8am–5.30pm Monday to Friday)
General enquiries: [EMAIL="enquiries@midlandsco-op.com"]enquiries@midlandsco-op.com[/EMAIL]

Your nearest stores are in Stone,Eccleshall,Uttoxeter and stafford

Pulliptears..... You are Defo a Northerner as far as they think !

pulliptears

Lol. To clear up the main thing the pic is my local co op, it was robbed a few months ago and te pic is the aftermath.

Anyway on to vouchers. I can just about get my head around the company deciding to split Staffordshire into northern and midland divisions, however, the second store I visited, stone, is very much a midlands co op so it seems I can't spend it there either! Madness.

I have mailed an old uni friend tonight to clarify the co ops position on vouchers (he works in a local one, none of the ones I visited I add) anyway, he tells me policy should be that those vouchers are acceptable across northern and midland network and would have been accepted in his store. I followed advice and emailed customer services along with the scan.

And yes rusty, I want something blooming strong with it now lmao

Techhead_2

My point was that you said it didn't say Midland co-op when it does. This should tell anyone, even if you were unaware that the co-op is a co-operative of different societies, that it can only be used at a branch of the Midlands co-op.

I would personally have not made a mountain out of a molehill and just used it at the original store.

ThumbRemote

Techhead wrote: »

My point was that you said it didn't say Midland co-op when it does. This should tell anyone, even if you were unaware that the co-op is a co-operative of different societies, that it can only be used at a branch of the Midlands co-op.

I would personally have not made a mountain out of a molehill and just used it at the original store.

How the co-op choose to organise and administrate their businesses is of no concern to the customer.

If they choose to have nationwide branding, advertising etc then they should have nationwide vouchers too.

Honeydog

It isn't impossible to redeem if you can use it at the original store though!

Stands to reason that if they are giving you something for nothing that they actually want to to revisit their store.

I can see why you are annoyed but it isn't the end of the world.