Sainsburys Valentine Day Meal problem

LaDerniereSemaine

MarvinDay said:

LaDerniereSemaine said:

Azari said:

LaDerniereSemaine said:

jon81uk said:

I havn't used online grocery shopping in years but this used to frustrate me a few times back when I did.
Ordered something on a 3 for 2 and one was out of stock so they substituted and I didn't get the offer, had to return all three.

Its not a software problem its a substitution problem. They should ensure all the substuted items are within the same offer group when picking the order.

And then people will complain that they're one meal down if there are no valid substitutions.

Unfortunately, however they do it there's always going to be someone who's unhappy with it.

Not really.

They could do the obvious and honourable thing and allow the deal.

I'm sure they're legally entitled to act like spivvy barrow boys, but that doesn't mean it's a creditable way to behave.

How could they " allow the deal" if they can't actually supply it?

Very easily.
The OP ordered a three course meal for £15 and when the delivery was made, they received the correct number of items but as one was a substitute, they were charged an extra £6.70
Sainsbury could have "allowed the deal" by simply doing what Tesco do which is when a more expensive item is substituted, you are charged the cost of the unavailable item and not the replacement one.

After all, with Sainsbury making an after tax profit of £371 million last year, I'm sure that could afford to lose a few pounds honouring advertised deals on special occasions.

The OP said

because one of the items had been subsituted for an out of stock item the offer was not valid.

Which sounds more likely a roundabout way of saying they only got 2 of the 3 items.  I don't know what other outcome would be realised by doing this, other than not getting everything.

Regardless, the offer cannot be honoured unless it is honoured in its entirety. If you don't get everything in the offer, it by definition can't be honoured.

jon81uk

The other issue I suppose would be that someone getting a delivery is then in a better situation than someone in store.

If I go into store wanting to buy the meal deal and they have sold out of the steaks for example I cannot go an get a different pack of steak and still get the deal. I have to pick from the remaining options within the deal which haven't sold out.

So online should it be the same, the picker takes another item from the offer, so you get the beef bournignon instead of steaks as that is another main in the offer, same as the person purchasing in store would have to do?
Or should the picker choose the different steaks which are outside of the offer, but which causes the issue the OP had of not getting the discount.
If they do get an alternative steak at the same price as the deal pack, that puts the online shopper in a better situation compared to the in-store shopper.

Bradden

I have to side with the retailer on this. Whatever they do someone will be unhappy. The logical option for them to take is not to substitute and simply cancel anything they cannot supply in full... but them someone will complain that they ruined their night by non-delivery.  

Admiral_Barbarossa

Here's my meal deal from the Discount Surplus Store

1 Can of Soup £0.40P
Two Fillet Steaks £8.49
Mushrooms £0.90
Punnet of Strawberries (reduced as they taste better £0.90 (ice cream from the freezer!)
Bottle of Australian wine £4.99

Three courses, bit more than £15, but the lady loves the bottle of wine!

Azari

LaDerniereSemaine said:

MarvinDay said:

LaDerniereSemaine said:

Azari said:

LaDerniereSemaine said:

jon81uk said:

I havn't used online grocery shopping in years but this used to frustrate me a few times back when I did.
Ordered something on a 3 for 2 and one was out of stock so they substituted and I didn't get the offer, had to return all three.

Its not a software problem its a substitution problem. They should ensure all the substuted items are within the same offer group when picking the order.

And then people will complain that they're one meal down if there are no valid substitutions.

Unfortunately, however they do it there's always going to be someone who's unhappy with it.

Not really.

They could do the obvious and honourable thing and allow the deal.

I'm sure they're legally entitled to act like spivvy barrow boys, but that doesn't mean it's a creditable way to behave.

How could they " allow the deal" if they can't actually supply it?

Very easily.
The OP ordered a three course meal for £15 and when the delivery was made, they received the correct number of items but as one was a substitute, they were charged an extra £6.70
Sainsbury could have "allowed the deal" by simply doing what Tesco do which is when a more expensive item is substituted, you are charged the cost of the unavailable item and not the replacement one.

After all, with Sainsbury making an after tax profit of £371 million last year, I'm sure that could afford to lose a few pounds honouring advertised deals on special occasions.

The OP said

because one of the items had been subsituted for an out of stock item the offer was not valid.

Which sounds more likely a roundabout way of saying they only got 2 of the 3 items.  I don't know what other outcome would be realised by doing this, other than not getting everything.

Regardless, the offer cannot be honoured unless it is honoured in its entirety. If you don't get everything in the offer, it by definition can't be honoured.

No.

If one thing is substituted for another, the number of items does not change. OP got three things. She said she had to pay an extra £6.70, so she could hardly have only had two items.

And, yes, of course it can be honoured. Tesco manage to do so in the same circumstances.

jon81uk

Azari said:

LaDerniereSemaine said:

MarvinDay said:

LaDerniereSemaine said:

Azari said:

LaDerniereSemaine said:

jon81uk said:

I havn't used online grocery shopping in years but this used to frustrate me a few times back when I did.
Ordered something on a 3 for 2 and one was out of stock so they substituted and I didn't get the offer, had to return all three.

Its not a software problem its a substitution problem. They should ensure all the substuted items are within the same offer group when picking the order.

And then people will complain that they're one meal down if there are no valid substitutions.

Unfortunately, however they do it there's always going to be someone who's unhappy with it.

Not really.

They could do the obvious and honourable thing and allow the deal.

I'm sure they're legally entitled to act like spivvy barrow boys, but that doesn't mean it's a creditable way to behave.

How could they " allow the deal" if they can't actually supply it?

Very easily.
The OP ordered a three course meal for £15 and when the delivery was made, they received the correct number of items but as one was a substitute, they were charged an extra £6.70
Sainsbury could have "allowed the deal" by simply doing what Tesco do which is when a more expensive item is substituted, you are charged the cost of the unavailable item and not the replacement one.

After all, with Sainsbury making an after tax profit of £371 million last year, I'm sure that could afford to lose a few pounds honouring advertised deals on special occasions.

The OP said

because one of the items had been subsituted for an out of stock item the offer was not valid.

Which sounds more likely a roundabout way of saying they only got 2 of the 3 items.  I don't know what other outcome would be realised by doing this, other than not getting everything.

Regardless, the offer cannot be honoured unless it is honoured in its entirety. If you don't get everything in the offer, it by definition can't be honoured.

No.

If one thing is substituted for another, the number of items does not change. OP got three things. She said she had to pay an extra £6.70, so she could hardly have only had two items.

And, yes, of course it can be honoured. Tesco manage to do so in the same circumstances.

But if I go into store and the item in the meal deal I want is out of stock I can’t go to the till with another item and expect it to be honoured if the item I choose is not in the deal.

Mnoee

jon81uk said:

Azari said:

LaDerniereSemaine said:

MarvinDay said:

LaDerniereSemaine said:

Azari said:

LaDerniereSemaine said:

jon81uk said:

I havn't used online grocery shopping in years but this used to frustrate me a few times back when I did.
Ordered something on a 3 for 2 and one was out of stock so they substituted and I didn't get the offer, had to return all three.

Its not a software problem its a substitution problem. They should ensure all the substuted items are within the same offer group when picking the order.

And then people will complain that they're one meal down if there are no valid substitutions.

Unfortunately, however they do it there's always going to be someone who's unhappy with it.

Not really.

They could do the obvious and honourable thing and allow the deal.

I'm sure they're legally entitled to act like spivvy barrow boys, but that doesn't mean it's a creditable way to behave.

How could they " allow the deal" if they can't actually supply it?

Very easily.
The OP ordered a three course meal for £15 and when the delivery was made, they received the correct number of items but as one was a substitute, they were charged an extra £6.70
Sainsbury could have "allowed the deal" by simply doing what Tesco do which is when a more expensive item is substituted, you are charged the cost of the unavailable item and not the replacement one.

After all, with Sainsbury making an after tax profit of £371 million last year, I'm sure that could afford to lose a few pounds honouring advertised deals on special occasions.

The OP said

because one of the items had been subsituted for an out of stock item the offer was not valid.

Which sounds more likely a roundabout way of saying they only got 2 of the 3 items.  I don't know what other outcome would be realised by doing this, other than not getting everything.

Regardless, the offer cannot be honoured unless it is honoured in its entirety. If you don't get everything in the offer, it by definition can't be honoured.

No.

If one thing is substituted for another, the number of items does not change. OP got three things. She said she had to pay an extra £6.70, so she could hardly have only had two items.

And, yes, of course it can be honoured. Tesco manage to do so in the same circumstances.

But if I go into store and the item in the meal deal I want is out of stock I can’t go to the till with another item and expect it to be honoured if the item I choose is not in the deal.

In store and online is different and always has been. Tesco and Asda will price match substitutions, so if my own brand nachos are out of stock I get doritos for the same price. Its been a while since I used Sainsbury's, but I think they give you a voucher for the difference. You can't do that in store.

You can however pick the particular steak, or the freshest veg or similar. You can also find suitable substitutions yourself - I know pickers are 'locked' to their area, so if the fresh veggie Richmond sausages I want aren't in, they won't go and get frozen ones, for example. There are pros and cons to each. 

Azari

jon81uk said:

Azari said:

LaDerniereSemaine said:

MarvinDay said:

LaDerniereSemaine said:

Azari said:

LaDerniereSemaine said:

jon81uk said:

I havn't used online grocery shopping in years but this used to frustrate me a few times back when I did.
Ordered something on a 3 for 2 and one was out of stock so they substituted and I didn't get the offer, had to return all three.

Its not a software problem its a substitution problem. They should ensure all the substuted items are within the same offer group when picking the order.

And then people will complain that they're one meal down if there are no valid substitutions.

Unfortunately, however they do it there's always going to be someone who's unhappy with it.

Not really.

They could do the obvious and honourable thing and allow the deal.

I'm sure they're legally entitled to act like spivvy barrow boys, but that doesn't mean it's a creditable way to behave.

How could they " allow the deal" if they can't actually supply it?

Very easily.
The OP ordered a three course meal for £15 and when the delivery was made, they received the correct number of items but as one was a substitute, they were charged an extra £6.70
Sainsbury could have "allowed the deal" by simply doing what Tesco do which is when a more expensive item is substituted, you are charged the cost of the unavailable item and not the replacement one.

After all, with Sainsbury making an after tax profit of £371 million last year, I'm sure that could afford to lose a few pounds honouring advertised deals on special occasions.

The OP said

because one of the items had been subsituted for an out of stock item the offer was not valid.

Which sounds more likely a roundabout way of saying they only got 2 of the 3 items.  I don't know what other outcome would be realised by doing this, other than not getting everything.

Regardless, the offer cannot be honoured unless it is honoured in its entirety. If you don't get everything in the offer, it by definition can't be honoured.

No.

If one thing is substituted for another, the number of items does not change. OP got three things. She said she had to pay an extra £6.70, so she could hardly have only had two items.

And, yes, of course it can be honoured. Tesco manage to do so in the same circumstances.

But if I go into store and the item in the meal deal I want is out of stock I can’t go to the till with another item and expect it to be honoured if the item I choose is not in the deal.

You do realise that in-store, mail order, telephone order, and on-line are all different?

In person you have the opportunity to choose exactly how you handle the missing item. That option is not available for an on-line order.