How do I get Tesco to pay up??

judyea

Does anyone know how I can get Tesco to repay my costs when I filled my car with diesel at one of their unleaded pumps - and subsequently broke down.
I've phoned them 4 times and written letters to their customer service deptartment and to the chief executive, but they have taken no notice. Thanks

pendulum

What's your proof like?

If you can't prove the tank was contaminated they're unlikely to pay out at all.
Were there multiple complaints?

TonyMMM

You send a "letter before action" and then take out a case in the small claims court. Assuming you can provide sufficient evidence to support your case - if there was diesel in an unleaded tank there would be many cars affected, have you found any others with the same problem ?

Did you ask them to preserve any CCTV footage of the pumps for the time you filled up - that would almost certainly show which pump you were using ?

bengalknights

Have you tried visiting your local solictors to pursue it for you?

worried_jim

judyea wrote: »

Does anyone know how I can get Tesco to repay my costs when I filled my car with diesel at one of their unleaded pumps - and subsequently broke down.
I've phoned them 4 times and written letters to their customer service deptartment and to the chief executive, but they have taken no notice. Thanks

How did it happen? Surely they have cctv of you with a green hose not black, a receipt for 60 odd litres of petrol and an AA/RAC report of mis-fuel less than 1 mile and 5 mins away from there filling station.

judyea

Thanks for all the replies.
I have a bill from the (repairing) garage stating that the wrong fuel was in the tank.
I was called later by the (very helpful!) mechanic who attended my breakdown to say that he had recovered another car after mine which had also broken down shortly after refuelling at Tesco (this car also had the wrong fuel in it's tank), and which was filled up at pump 13 - mine was filled up at pump 14.
I have a receipt with the pump number and 'unleaded' as the fuel dispensed.
Three days later, during one of the phone calls I made, I was told by a duty manger that those pumps had been closed down...
Proof enough maybe...?
I haven't been in touch since my letters - I am giving them the 14 days they are allowed to look into the matter, but perhaps I should call and ask about the CCTV footage...

judyea11

A mini-update... I have heard from Tesco at last, and they deny all knowledge of the problem, but have sent me a Tesco Moneycard - which I will return - I am not prepared to let the matter rest, and also, why would I want to go to Tesco again when they have shown such terrible customer service?! I might be 'cutting off my nose to spite my face', but I still feel very annoyed by it all...

wealdroam

Write a letter to your local newspaper asking for others who have suffered similarly to contact you.

It would be really strange if there was only one person to have suffered, wouldn't it?

Tilt

wealdroam wrote: »

Write a letter to your local newspaper asking for others who have suffered similarly to contact you.

It would be really strange if there was only one person to have suffered, wouldn't it?

According to the OP's previous but one post, there was another case.

Th OP should send (by recorded delivery) a Letter Before Action to the STORE MANAGER detailing the claim (costs of repair etc). Give a 7 day limit to respond indicating that you will persue via the small claims court after that time has elapsed. Advise that if that action is taken, they will be responsible for all court fees as well as interest. Conclude by advising that the letter should be passed to their insures/legal department.

Premier_2

Tilt wrote: »

According to the OP's previous but one post, there was another case...

But that was from a different pump.

If true, thats two pumps dispensing the wrong fuel, so with the throughput of any Tesco fuel station, there must be many many more affected.

Of course thats if any of this is true. I mean a user who managed to remember their username & password after 4 years but then apparently forgot it within 2 weeks...
(Edit: Actually within the last 4 days only it appears)

Hmmm....:cool:

david39

It would not be possible for OP to have used the wrong nozzle - the diameter of a diesel nozzle is too large to go into an unleaded fill pipe.

Had it been the other way round, petrol into diesel, then the OP might have been in error but, if he did have diesel in his petrol, then it must have been in the underground storage tank also.

Incidentally, it is quite normal for the same underground tank to be feeding more than one pump, so the problem could have been experienced at several pumps.