My email to Tesco this morning.

geordie_joe

Edwardia wrote: »

It seems to me with all the technology available, that stores should be better at keeping products in stock.

It's quite as simple as you see it. Tesco place orders with suppliers to have the goods delivered to central depots. These orders are for all Tesco stores and the Tesco depot team then distribute them to the individual stores. You can't just ask for an extra 6 items a few days before the delivery reaches your store, because that delivery is probably already at the depot. So if you get an extra 6 then another store gets 6 less.

Store managers have very little say in what gets delivered, because the computer system does it. It knows what to order and when, but that doesn't mean the order will get delivered on time. Many factors can effect deliveries. The supplier may not be able to supply the number of items ordered, so some stores will not get the amount ordered. If the supplier is late delivering the order he tesco delivery truck cannot wait for it, it has to deliver what is loaded.

If you ever watch the Eddie Stobbart you will see that the big supermarket depots run like clockwork. The deliveries, by the suppliers, to the depots are given half hour slots, and if they are even just 1 minute late they are turned away and have to arrange another slot on another day.

The store I work for sometimes gets a phone call from our delivery driver to say he won't be making the delivery. He gets stuck in traffic jams and won't get here because his driving time will run out before then.

Delivery systems look great on paper, and computer screens, but once the trucks are on the road it can all go belly up in an instant.

shop-to-drop

scrooze247 wrote: »

1.
This is by no means the first time this has happened.
2.
This is NOT a dig at the staff but a absolute criticism of:

a.Staff selection
b.Staff training
c.Supervision (or total lack of it on a Saturday morning)
d.Systems (which obviously don't work)
e.Apathy and HUGE complacency towards the customer
3.
My experience (by no means unique on this trip to Tesco is a microcosm of the reasons why it has falling revenue,declining profits etc etc)

Let me remind you that other competitors are INCREASING REVENUE AND PROFITS - or don't you even read the news
anymore ?

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

They should employ me as a consultant !!

:T:T:T:T:T

Well perhaps you should get employment somewhere as you obviously have too much time on your hands and are scathing of those working hard, trying to earn an honest living. Your attitude stinks.

POPPYOSCAR

OP in my opinion your post is too emotive.

When complaining it is always best to stick to the facts, running down the staff, unless they have pointedly been rude to you does not further your cause.

If I were at the receiving end I would think you just a difficult person
rather than someone with a genuine complaint.

scrooze247

In respect of your posting I shall wear a clothes peg on my nose in future."Too much time" - it is true that I am 69 years old and therefor have much more time than you who are obviously working...but...demographically,I am part of a huge and growing sector of the shopping public who will be ignored at any Supermarket's peril.You may not like it my friend but it's true.And for the record I am not in the habit of complaining constantly.

:A

nearlyrich

I used to work in a customer service role and often got lambasted by irate customers because the courier had lost their parcel or whatever They got the standard service required by the job. If someone came on in a calm and reasonable manner they often got a same day pull out all the stops service because the person dealing with the problem has rarely caused it.

As for Tesco not having certain items well that's life I went this morning and took the last pack of Lactose free milk off the shelf as it was early I am sure there will be people wanting it but it's all gone for today. Some weekends there is some thing I need out of stock so I go to another store...not a massive issue really.

Middy

There is a T under 2 miles from here and they put in those scan and go handsets in earlier this month.

Well, whoever's idea was this has probably never been to that store and noticed the properties around the store. Housing Association flats full of families with 3 kids and chances are their parents don't work. They will take full advantage of it.

Result is they will receive less money as people will 'forget' to scan that pack of beer, fillet steak and expensive items that don't have security devices on them.

Personally, I can see T being the 4th of the Big 4 within 2 years. Morrisons taking over T!!

frugal_shopper_2

The fact that 2 of the thousands of product lines they sell happened to be either out of stock or the shelves had been emptied but not yet refilled at the particular time you happened to be in the shop does not sound like a big deal to me, nor does the fact that 1 checkout was out of action. However you were clearly upset by these things so you complained & you received an apology what more do you expect them to do?
If you are unhappy with Tesco then why shop there? I don't shop with them despite the proximity of the shop making it a potentially convenient place to do my shopping. The reasons why are not relevant as they are unique to me & other people will make their own minds up where they choose to shop but the point is there is no necessity to give your custom to a company you are not happy with there is always somewhere else you can go instead.

marleyboy

OP - I dont think you will be missed at Tesco's. Who will continue to trade just as busily as they do every weekend, with or without your custom.

Middy

nearlyrich wrote: »

I used to work in a customer service role and often got lambasted by irate customers because the courier had lost their parcel or whatever They got the standard service required by the job. If someone came on in a calm and reasonable manner they often got a same day pull out all the stops service because the person dealing with the problem has rarely caused it.

I have worked for customer services, both face 2 face and call centre. If customers talk to companies in a shouty, aggressive manner about something, they are making things worse for themselves. For example if they swore at a call centre worker, they get warnings everytime they swore 'Please could you not use that language Mr Jennings' and after 3 warnings, if they continue to use inappropriate language - we terminate the call. The customer has gone nowhere with the call apart from making themselves even more angry and perhaps making the call centre worker upset. I have once come across one customer when their details come up on screen to call the police as they were harassing with CSAs in the past.

The same goes in shops. If a customer complains in an aggressive manner, the store manager can ban them - based on the nature of the complaint and if other customers felt threatened about their behaviour. We had a customer banned because he kicked off a storm, hurled abuse because of his fags went up 2p!

If customers realised that to resolve complaints, that they need to approach the organisation in a nice manner, they will get a better response and perhaps a better compensation.

Also the best way to write letters/e-mails is to start of in a positive tone. Use something like 'I have been a regular customer at (store name) since in 1998 when it first opened and overall, I had a very good service from the colleagues that work there'. Then you put your complaint 'However, on (date), I experienced some poor customer service at this place....'. Then list what happened. Then close the letter in a nice manner

When my friends and I go out and had poor service in such a way, we complained. I used the nice, moan, nice method and my friends used the moan, moan, moan method. I was the one that received money, vouchers and they didn't!

I suspect from the tone of the OP - they have never have worked in customer services. You learn so much from working from that side of things. When I complain towards an organisation, most ask if I worked in customer services.

Edwardia

I worked in retail for eight years. My own role was largely dealing with corporate customers rather than the general public but I was required to do one Saturday every two months on rota in the office. It can be really difficult trying to sort out angry customers when you don't have any knowledge of what went wrong.

I was lucky that my first boss in the company gave some really good advice. He taught me to believe that the customer is always right and that a happy customer is a repeat customer. Am unhappy customer will tell everyone about the bad customer service but if mistakes are rectified that can turn into a positive.

Example, I bought some organic chicken carcasses from Abel & Cole and froze them. I found when defrosting that one wasn't shrink-wrapped and the plastic bag leaked chicken blood all over the bottom of my fridge. I had to throw veg away and scrub out the fridge. Abel & Cole apologised, told me they would investigate and sent me a free bottle of organic wine with my order the following week.

My boss also told me not to take the anger personally even if it was my mistake. I was an employee, a representative of the company. I was to be polite and respectful, listen, find out what the customer wanted and if that was within my authority, do it. If not, to refer on to my line manager or someone else appropriate but never to get drawn into the anger.

I found that if I did the whole sincere polite respectful bit, it took wind out of their sails and diffused the anger. I do think that these days with targets and tight profit margins etc the people on the front line dealing with customers DON'T get that kind of support.

It must be pretty soul destroying dealing with irate customers all day every day, I'd hate to work in Tesco customer services. It's far easier to be angry with some faceless human on the phone than in front of someone, as well.