Total TOPS loyalty scheme ending 9 April but they've kept it quiet!

taxiphil

Well done Blueberryman - a good result. I'll try sending them a similar e-mail and hope they send me a voucher too.

albertross wrote: »

Is it worth getting wound-up over a couple of quid?

I'd turn that question on its head and ask why a huge oil company which makes billions in profit is getting "wound up" about refusing to give customers anything back for the points they have rightfully earned. It's incredibly petty and miserly on their part. A couple of quid is worth far less to them than it is to us.

albertross wrote: »

If a couple of quid is so important, you could probably have saved that easily by shopping around for cheaper petrol in the first place, rather than going to a chain with a "reward scheme", and becoming a marketing departments dream customer.

True, but this is really about them not us. We don't have to justify why we chose to buy our petrol there. The loyalty card was a contractual thing. We give them money = they give us fuel and loyalty points in return.

We wouldn't be allowed to put a few litres of petrol in our car and then say we had decided unilaterally to vary the terms of the contract, therefore entitling us to drive off without paying!

I still think it's appalling how Total closed down all the accounts with balances under 5,000. Just think how many people across the UK had one of those cards in their wallet or glove box with a few hundred or thousand points left on it.

They should have given the value of all those points to charity at the very least.

Moon~Shadow

I rang Tops today as I have 38,900 + points on mine and didn't know it was ending until I produced my card at the kiosk.

They are sending me through £35 worth of vouchers as I believe you have until 7 or 10 may to redeem.

I do have some receipts which I have kept as I didn't have my card with me and they advised to write in with receipts and I could probably get another £5 voucher with the 3900 points over.

Herb

This is shabby - I received a letter on 14/3 and they give me until 9/4 to increase my 2400 points to 5000 points. As is took many months to collect the 2400 points it would be impossible.

I know it's only £2.40 but if every card holder is caught out by this then they will be saving a stack of cash.

I made a choice to use Total exclusively (as long as price was OK) many months ago simply to collect the points - I have been lured in under false pretences.

I phoned them and they won't help - So I have written a letter.

veloo

I went to the topscard website as asked by the station cashier. The website mentions "Register to Redeem". I haven't yet registered, so I put all my details into the system. At the very end, I get a message box telling me that I can't register, as this scheme is closing!?! I tried unsuccessfully a few more times, and then called them. The lady told me that I can't register on the website, and I can only do so by phone. So, then she takes all my details again, including my DoB. Upon querying why she needed all my personal details, since this scheme itself was closing down, she kept repeating that she needed all my details to register me. Finally, I get registered on the system. I ask her what next? She checks my points balance and tells me that as my points balance is slightly short of 5000, they won't send me anything. I ask her why couldn't she tell me this before the registration process. She tells me that she had to register me to check my card balance.
What do I think of all this? Total is !!!!!!, and I won't give them anymore business, unless I have no other choice.

GrumpyOldPerson_3

After accumulating 2800 points on my Tops card I was disgusted to find from their letter that they initended to pocket my £2.80. I rang the helpline but got nowhere as the person I spoke to, although not using these exact words, basically told me it was tough luck as I had fallen short of the 5000 minimum needed for redemption. I felt this was not good enough and so wrote in strong terms to the author of the original letter, Michael Crane, Loyalty Manager. I have today received a Marks and Spencer voucher for £5 with no covering letter but this does prove it is worth making a fuss. I would urge everyone having points on their card to write to the address below, if you don't you will get nothing:

Michael Crane
Loyalty Manager
Total UK Ltd
40 Clarendon Road
Watford
Herts
WD17 1TQ

GOOD LUCK

flutterby_lil

I had no trouble at all redeeming points for vouchers. I was short for my next £5 voucher by about 800 points, they just rounded it up and sent me an extra voucher, was really pleased with service. i rang the number from a leaflet i picked up in store and received the vouchers last week. :beer:

Wetherbybull

Conned out of a £5 voucher, my letter to Mr Crane- Total Loyalty Manager...

Given the difficulties I have experienced through the life of Topscard- twice being involved in months of fruitless e-mail exchange to try and “unblock” my card, and get points that were due to me credited, without complete success on both of two occasions, I had a feeling of inevitability when, with one week to go to the 9th April closure date, and 9550 points on my card, that I would never reach10000 points. I should have reached 10,000 points- I bought enough fuel (1.5 tanks -about 70 litres-of diesel for my car, and a tank of petrol for my wife), but mysteriously the points earned were never credited to me despite my handing over my card for each of these purchases. So, I claimed one voucher, but feel I have been conned out of a second.
Why did I continue to use Topscard after my two previous difficulties? I guess it was because I already had some points, and I found the £5 vouchers lucrative, coupled with the fact that one of my two local filling stations is Total. Now that Topscard is discontinued, and given that I have been cheated (not deliberately perhaps, but by system inadequacies, and no one capable of redressing them), I will not be using Total again.
As I was a regular Total fuel purchaser with 95% of my fuel from Total (I even used to look up where Total service stations were when I was away from home) I calculate on 30000 miles per year , @ 50 mpg of diesel, that’s 600gallons in all, of which 570 gallons - say 2500 litres were purchased from Total. If you make 2p per litre, that’s £50 less profit for you per year. At least now both of us are out of pocket, but I am considerably less out of pocket than Total UK.