Tesco Ink Recycling - Change of terms after attempted use of service.

robo989

Hi there, thought I'd ask you guys for clarification on this if I have a leg to stand on...

Tesco offer a cartridge recycling scheme where they will give you 100 Clubcard points per cartridge that is on a list that they provide.

http://www.therecyclingfactory.com/tesco/

You fill in your details on the form on that site and they send you bags for you to return to them, to which they then process and if appropriate credit your clubcard with the 100 points per cartridge up to 100 cartridges per houshold per year.

The bags/deposit of cartridges is also claimed to be possible instore in the relevant section of the store and at customer services.

So my problem here is the following...

I ordered some bags from the website above and also went with my cartridges to my local store to make use of the offer advertised. The store where I took the cartridges said they didn't have any bags and were basically dismissive of my request and said the only way to exchange them is to request bags online.

I had already requested the bags online a few days prior so wasn't too concerned. However 2 weeks later and I still hadn't received the bags in the post. I then went on the above website again to order some more but before I did, checked to make sure my cartridges were still on the approved list. To which they had been removed.

The removal date was approximately 10 days after I had attempted to recycle them instore and a few days again on top since I had requested them online.

I then called Tesco customer service who said they didn't deal with this and to call the clubcard line, to which I did. I was promised a call back next day by someone who could look into this. No callback was received, so yesterday I called up again, to which the clubcard line said that they had no details of my call or any call back - even though I expressly gave my name/telephone number and also the addresses of friends who I had also requested the bags for. They then asked me to call customer services to which I did who then in turn told me that I should call "The Recycling Factory", the people who do the actual recycling of the cartridges. Obviously this was silly and the place was shut at the time, I called them this morning anyway to confirm it is not their problem...to which they affirmed this.

So basically...

After about 3 weeks, none of the requested return bags have arrived still, my local tesco store doesn't have the bags as the website says they should, customer service don't know what to do, the clubcard line say it's nothing to do with them.

Do I have a case here for Tesco not holding up their end of the bargain on this? I clearly attempted through the 2 channels offered to return the cartridges but have not been able to due to no bags being provided or available.

I've received no clarity on this matter from Tesco and have spent a good hour on the phone going backwards and forwards.

Would appreciate some input on where I should go with this, if anywhere. The amount of points at stake is rather large since we're talking 100 points / 100 cartridges and also for 3 other friends so a total of £400 in clubcard points for all parties.

Just to be clear, all parties are separate housholds with seperate address yet are computer illiterate so I made the request for the bags on their behalf and have stayed well within the terms of this offer.


Thanks

George_Michael

Companies running schemes such as this normall have a clause in their smallprint stating that the terms and conditions can be varied at any time, and if this is the case, then there isn't anything you can do apart from asking Tesco for a goodwill gesture.

Just to be clear, all parties are separate housholds with seperate address yet are computer illiterate

If they are computer illiterate, where did they get the empty cartridges from?

robo989

George_Michael wrote: »

Companies running schemes such as this normall have a clause in their smallprint stating that the terms and conditions can be varied at any time, and if this is the case, then there isn't anything you can do apart from asking Tesco for a goodwill gesture.




If they are computer illiterate, where did they get the empty cartridges from?

Thanks for the reply.

I suppose computer illiterate might be the wrong phrase, but they wouldn't know about an offer like this running and since I was there, ordered for them too.

Hintza

Why are you going through Tesco, company concerned will give you cash.

As with all things I imagine the market for older cartridges will decline over time and the company will delete them.

You have no contract with anyone anyway.

You have collected 100 cartridges from friends and family? Are you sure this is not a wee business enterprise?

robo989

Hintza wrote: »

Why are you going through Tesco, company concerned will give you cash.

As with all things I imagine the market for older cartridges will decline over time and the company will delete them.

You have no contract with anyone anyway.

You have collected 100 cartridges from friends and family? Are you sure this is not a wee business enterprise?

Market value of specific cartridge is about 25p, hence the 100 points deal being a much more attractive proposition.

My qualm and question more lies in the point of that I did request these bags before the cartridges in question were removed from the accepted list.

So in effect from my perspective, I was unable to use the advertised scheme due to Tesco not upholding the advertised offer. i.e I attempted to use the scheme but was unable to due to mistakes their end.

If the advertised offer was carried out as it should have been I would have had my cartridges returned well before the date they were removed.

I understand terms and conditions can change at any time and this is more a point of "trading standards" than contract law. My qualm lies purely with the fact I attempted to use the advertised service but the advertised service was not offered as was promised on the site and not with a change of terms and conditions. The fact the terms and conditions has changed is acceptable of course but the fact that they I have missed out on this because the offer hasn't been carried out as advertised and THEN the terms and conditions change is not I believe, could be wrong though, hence the request for help from those that may know.

As outlined in OP, even now I'm yet to receive these bags and the store doesn't carry them.

shaun_from_Africa

robo989 wrote: »

My qualm and question more lies in the point of that I did request these bags before the cartridges in question were removed from the accepted list.

It doesn't matter when you actually requested the bags as the terms of the offer state:

The scheme can be withdrawn or amended at any time and without prior notice.

robo989 wrote: »

so a total of £400 in clubcard points for all parties

£400 in points means that you must have a minimum of 400 empty cartridges as it's up to 100 points (which is worth £1) per cartridge.
I agree with Hintza that this sounds more like a business venture than simply exchanging used cartridges from a few households.

Fosterdog

Surly you can request the bags at any time and hold onto them for a while before sending them back so the list would have to be current at the time of sending the filled bags back and not at the time of requesting the bags.

Have all 400 cartridges suddenly dropped off the list? Surely they would be a mix of different cartridges (even if just the 100 per household) I don't know anyone who would keep 100 old empty cartridges lying around the house. In fact I don't think I've ever even used 100 full cartridges in the first place and I would class myself as more than an average user of a printer.

AnnieO1234

There's no way on earth that I would have this many cartridges just hanging around even if my machine had four instead of two ( black and tri-color.)

I'm certainly an above average home user, I get through two reams a week and a cartridge maybe every six weeks. Can't quite believe this isn't some " "business" concern.

robo989

The Tesco terms clearly state up to 100 cartridges per year. So I attempted to return 100 cartridges. I don't see the need for comments doubting if this is personal use or not. Clearly Tesco deems that up to 100 and provided I state they are personal use...then they are personal use.

It's quite normal to use the same cartridge, it wouldn't really be a good idea to go out and buy a cartridge that wasn't designed for my printer.

robo989

Thanks for your time though people.

Just wanted to know really if this was worth chasing up. Appreciate the advice, even if a not as impartial as hoped - but I fully understand that was to be expected considering the unusual request and would likely comment in a similar way myself were I yourselves.

Cheers again,

shaun_from_Africa

robo989 wrote: »

Clearly Tesco deems that up to 100 and provided I state they are personal use...then they are personal use.

Simply stating that they were used for personal use doesn't automatically mean that is what they were used for.
Maybe Tesco changed the T&C's because some people were buying up used cartridges and attempting to claim that they had been used for personal use when in fact they were anything but.

This is a consumer only scheme for inkjet cartridges used for personal use.