Sainsburys reduced Items overcharging beware

Sledger

This is  a typical part content of e mail sent this month to a Trading Standards department that got the generic  auto rejection response. They will not reply to this e mail and others refer me to CAB 

Dear *****, Group Manager - Consumer Protection (Trading Standards, Licensing, Food Safety and Health & Safety

I am writing to you re ongoing Issues when I shop mainly at Sainsbury's Slough  and occurs in many outlet much further a field where reporting it to their  CEO offices in Holborn  for over a year  has no impact or resolve. 

I now have to purchase items as proof after being severely assaulted by Sainsbury's staff  for filming evidence in store directly in the  Holborn CEO head office. vicinity. I have been to 3 other Holborn Sainsbury's on 4 occasions this year and within minutes see shelves full of items  with the original bar codes not covered  which I have continuously reported to the CEO office all  to no avail and they cant even do that simple check themselves on their immediate doorstop. I  established this endless times at checkout with the correct money on reduced items  only to be billed for  the full price and got fed up with the sorry when pulling them up for scanning the original bar code.

 Look at the enclosed  21 May 2024 CEO response on not covering the original barcode on reduced items  This  Human error  response is not acceptable as many customers will not spot it and get charged the full price.  CEO Reponse "Despite numerous correspondence regarding the barcoding concerns you have raised, including confirmation that Trading Standards are taking no further action, and reassurances we have reminded colleagues of the correct application for reduced stickers, it appears we are still unable to meet your expectations on this matter. I can confirm that in relation to this matter we will no longer correspond with you regarding this issue again.

Sainsburys Slough 26 May 2024

3 cans of Amstrel Beer from a 4 pack claimed as reduced from £5.25 to £3.99 so the unit price has increased since  the break even unit can cost  is 5.25 x ¾ =£3.93. Its only 6p over but not reduced 

19 May 2024 typical similar example

These 2  item of  Fosters is seriously flawed and when reporting similar occurrences duty Managers pass it off and say its digital out of their control and they put it back on the shelf.

Issue 1 Some unsuspecting customer may think this is an original 2 pack with the box missing and its a bargain reduced from £6.25 to £2.19 and the customer should not have to determine if its from a 4 pack, 10pack or 18pack where in the later a single can sells for under £1.

Issue 2 Original Bar Code not covered that can easily be scanned in error.

Issue 3. Original bar code scans at £4.99 so the claimed £6.25 Price is deceiving??

Issue 4. The Claimed reduction is in excess of the % reduction permitted on alcoholic items

_____________________________________________________________________

9 month ago at Kingston Sainsbury's there were 4 bays of shelving full of single cans  of Old Speckled Hen/Fosters/ Coca Cola /mini  cans of Tonic Water and Ginger Ale all claimed reduced from from £1.1 to 70p which had no foundation and sent  it to the CEO office for an explanation but nothing forth coming . Similar other examples were forwarded in Maidenhead/ Bracknell / Chertsey and others

 I find it hard to grasp why when you report to Trading standards like a whistle Blower they  cant  simply act on the evidence given and why they  refer me to  CAB which is a charity run by volunteers and hard to pin down on the phone where  it times out after about 45mins waiting to be connected.  

Visiting Slough Council Town hall has No trading standards and there web site turns you round full circle "

Report a business to Trading Standards

To report to Trading Standards, you need to contact the Citizens Advice consumer service. 

Visiting City of  London  Town Hall   following up my e mail they would not discuss it and  referred me to CAB. .  Sainsbury's Holborn CEO office is within their  boundary and should come in their overall remit but they refer me to Oxfordshire. 

  

Devongardener

Do you seriously expect Sainsbury’s CEO to pop into their local store and inspect pricing and barcodes on products on your say so?  They have answered your numerous queries and advised that it can be human error, not unreasonable.  

I doubt you have been seriously assaulted as you claim, otherwise police would have been involved.  I can see that your continual patrolling the aisles for potential errors to film would be extremely annoying for the staff, and likely to get store security involved. You probably need permission to film on their premises.
 You haven’t been forced into buying items to prove your assertions, it’s your choice entirely.
Customers should always check their receipts anyway.  

As to whether it’s an accurate reduction on multi packs with items missing, it’s really not that important if the customer is happy to pay the reduced price, I doubt anyone stands there calculating whether it’s a few pennies out. There’s clearly no intent to mislead customers for gain, at a corporate level.

MattMattMattUK

Seriously!?      

elmer

This is the same poster who has requested his Council Tax refunded via the DD indemnity Guarantee for the last 10 years as he is unhappy with the way the percentage increases are displayed on his bill.

la531983

elmer said:

This is the same poster who has requested his Council Tax refunded via the DD indemnity Guarantee for the last 10 years as he is unhappy with the way the percentage increases are displayed on his bill.

Assuming thats true, of course.

lincroft1710

Those labels and use of tape look more like Tesco than Sainsbury!

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Local Coop used to stick the reduced label randomly and leave the original uncovered, was fine at self checkout but when using the tills you'd occasionally get charged full price.

I agree with the OP this shouldn't be done, I also agree if a pack of x is split and the reduced price isn't cheaper per item compared to the original price then it's potentially misleading. 

Devongardener said:

 There’s clearly no intent to mislead customers for gain, at a corporate level.

A breach of the Consumer Protect from Unfair Trading Regulations doesn't require intent, an action being a mistake can be a defence again committing an offense but IMO a pattern of repeated behaviour is less likely to be written off as a mistake as the business would be expected to show protocols are in place to prevent breaches, particularly once highlighted. 

I'm not sure on the legislation surrounding minimum unit prices for alcohol, I would have thought that is more tightly regulated and something Trading Standards would be more interested in looking into but sadly CAB just make a record and a lot of stuff isn't followed up. 

Sledger

Do you seriously expect Sainsbury’s CEO to pop into their local store and inspect pricing and barcodes on products on your say so?
A).16 June 2023 after several months sending examples to Sainsbury's CEO Office their response "

Dear *** 

Thank you for your email which has been received and read by SR, he has asked that I review your concerns and personally respond to you on his behalf.  I am sorry to read you have located further reduced-price stickers that have not been placed over the original bar code. Please be advised this has now been escalated to the wider business and we will now be sending out daily communications to all stores reiterating the importance for colleagues completing reductions to fully cover the original barcode when applying labels. I hope that following these daily communications you will start to see a marked improvement in this area.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Sent them endless  further examples after this as no change and then sent this
                   " OPEN LETTER TO SAINSBURIES CEO  2 December 2023

Dear SR.

As I do not have your e mail address I have addressed it to your VP who has your ear  to ensure you are briefed

Your VP 16 June 2023 claim in green italics is meaningless as  I can still  walk into any of your nationwide outlets 5 months on and see the original bar codes clearly visible on Reduced Items where some still  get scanned at checkout by  your cashiers and unsuspecting customers at self checkout   "Please be advised this has now been escalated to the wider business and we will now be sending out daily communications to all stores reiterating the importance for colleagues completing reductions to fully cover the original barcode when applying labels.   "  I visited your Richmond store last Sunday and the chilled food, vegetables and bakery all had the barcode still attached to the reduced sticker leaving the Original barcode exposed.  Your Duty Manager S tried to stop me photographing and pulled the Human error card and walked away without taking corrective action but a more  helpful J called for them to be corrected. J had no knowledge of these VP circulars as do many other duty managers in other stores visited putting this claim in doubt .  One customer overheard and said its happening daily and keeps getting charged by cashiers the full price and having to challenge it.   I then visited your  Kingston Store where a guy in the bakery was applying reduced stickers  but not covering the original bar code and when asked why he was not aware that had to be done so called the duty Manager who also had no Knowledge of this VP Circular.

Your Slough branch selling me  a 18 box of Fosters lager  3 month past the best before date reduced from £16.50 to £6.99 scanned at the full price and possibly breached ruling on the amount you are permitted to reduce alcohol products. You continually evade to answer this with a response . Shame on You.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

 They have answered your numerous queries and advised that it can be human error, not unreasonable.  

I doubt you have been seriously assaulted as you claim, otherwise police would have been involved. A).I have a Police victim support Case number.

 I can see that your continual patrolling the aisles for potential errors to film would be extremely annoying for the staff, and likely to get store security involved. A).In a nutshell. I have never seen this in M&S/Waitrose/ Harrods/Fortnum & Mason and had Sainsbury's and Tesco followed their example after reporting it there would be absolutely nothing to film or complain about  You probably need permission to film on their premises.
 You haven’t been forced into buying items to prove your assertions, it’s your choice entirely.
Customers should always check their receipts anyway.  A). On a trolley load not so easy and most people just insert the debit card when the bill comes. 

As to whether it’s an accurate reduction on multi packs with items missing, it’s really not that important if the customer is happy to pay the reduced price, I doubt anyone stands there calculating whether it’s a few pennies out. There’s clearly no intent to mislead customers for gain, at a corporate level. A). Are you seriously claiming that pack of 2 Fosters  reduced from £6.25 to £2.19 but scanned at £4.99 is a few pennies out as was my 3 month out of 18 Pack Fosters reduced to £6.99 but scanned at £16.50 and have endless other examples

Sledger

Then we get this 

Dear SR CEO

Further to my Open Letter  to you below via e mail dated 2 December 2023 , please see my inserts in Red to your appointed VP 8 Dec 2023 response 

 

Dear Mr *****

 Thank you for your further correspondence to our group CEO SR. 

I would like to address the concerns you have previously raised with us regarding the pricing reductions in store and the placement of the reduction stickers, along with the out-of-date multipack of Foster’s purchased from the Slough store.  

I am sorry for the delay in responding to you in respect of this.  

As previously advised the relevant departments have been made aware of your concerns and actions have been taken. I can advise that following on from this and your latest correspondence further measures have been put in place and spot checks have and will continue to take place in the highlighted stores to ensure that that they are fully compliant, and our reduction policies and procedures are being adhered to. Sad to say I totally disagree with this ongoing Sainsburys reassurance rhetoric. Had any of your Head  Office staff  even bothered to check the Sainsbury's store at the very base of your HQ Building like I did in January2024  shelves of reduced items had the reduced barcode was still intact to the reduced sticker leaving the original bar code exposed .  I spoke to the Manager  who was aware they should be covered and asked the Q so why can I just walk in and see you are not complying  and the same applied to 2 other Sainsburys visited in Holborn. 

Please be advised there are various factors that must be considered when reducing items instore. These can vary dependant on the store location and product. Whilst I am unable to provide you with a detailed response regarding our pricing strategies as these are business confidential, I can assure you that these are implemented in accordance with Duty plus VAT legislation. This has absolutely  nothing to do with the basic task of ensuring the original bar code is covered with the CORRECT REDUCED STICKER

Due to the size of our estate and number of colleagues we have working for us, there will always be an element of human error, This Sainsbury's falsely overcharging customers is not a human error where the manager like the one below your HQ is aware of this need to have the original Barcode covered  is not human error its more akin to idleness, incompetence etc or is there other mechanism  which allow dated items which are electronically scanned registering a instore  personal benefit  however we are looking at ways we can simplify and make this process easier for our colleagues when working out price reductions to minimise genuine mistakes in this area. You have clearly  failed to do this and should it ne necessary to keep sending pictures where this occurs.    

Regarding the out of date beer, I am concerned that this product was displayed after it’s expiry date as we do have robust policies for our stores to follow to ensure the dates of all foods and drinks we sell are regularly checked and stock rotated and any products that have expired are promptly removed from sale. I am sorry that we have fallen short on this occasion in store. Please be assured we have taken the appropriate action with the Slough stores management team to ensure that all colleagues are following this procedure to prevent a repeat occurrence 

_________________________________________________________________________________________
I then made 5 subsequent Holborn Visits on other business in London this year and on each visit the one In Chancery lane directly at the base of the CEO HQ had shelves full of uncovered bar codes on reduced items. The one by  Holborn tube after the 1st visit  had them all covered on subsequent visits but the one further down where I got assaulted each time they were always exposed despite drawing it to duty mangers attention on each visit suggesting they were never covered for all of 2024. What could one branch do that the other 2 could not do and could readily be seen by any Sainsbury's CEO  staff made aware of the issue.  I then sent this to Trading Standards that got report it to CAB response.
______________________________________________________________________________________
   Sent: 10 April 2024 10:55

To: ****cityoflondongov.
Cc: ***BWMgovuk>
Subject: Fw: Trading standards case against Sainsbureies overcharging customers

 

Thank you for your response L

I have had a long fruitless battle reporting many Sainsbury's nationwide outlets to their CEO Head office in Chancery Lane all to No avail where  Sainsbury's CEO  inaction allows this overcharging  to continue now for almost a year as outlined only partially in this string. 

 Due to Sainsbury's CEO office inaction I  elevated this  to Trading Standards in Maidenhead to refer to the relevant body as its a Nationwide issue and not limited to local Councils. There are 3 examples in your Borough on the CEO office doorstep as in green background below which is within your boundary. For reasons unclear I am not getting any feedback action from Trading Standards with the exception of **** from RBWM. 

The phasing out of the Nationwide Trading Standards to local Authorities to large organisation is partially responsible for this abuse and this Fine of £19,441 and giving a customer a refund is no real deterrent. Since the Sainsbury's CEO office is in your Borough can you action and resolve  this long standing  issue and take them to task?https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=e5745e4d4f46b441JmltdHM9MTcxMjcwNzIwMCZpZ3VpZD0xODBhZWJiMi1iNGQxLTYwNzctMjJhMS1mZmYzYjViMjYxY2QmaW5zaWQ9NTIwOQ&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=3&fclid=180aebb2-b4d1-6077-22a1-fff3b5b261cd&psq=sainsburies+fined+for+overpricing&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3RhbmRhcmQuY28udWsvaHAvZnJvbnQvc2FpbnNidXJ5cy1maW5lZC1vdmVyLWRpc2NvdW50ZWQtcHJvZHVjdHMtNjk2MjUwMC5odG1s&ntb=1&data=05|02||4440e9b63bad440866ca08dc5af40528|84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa|1|0|638485251423142620|Unknown|TWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0=|0|||&sdata=aTWrJjaCPBSBepJ2YePfq997E6iImwYSb6c/ScDjmDQ=&reserved=0

There are 2 basic issues identified in this long e mail string .

 a). Not covering the original bar code on a reduced items where the full price frequently gets scanned by the checkout person.

b). Claiming items are reduced when they are way overpriced, and most Sainsbury's staff  lack basic maths understanding. 

3 April 2024 I went back to Bloomsbury Holborn outlet and got challenged by duty manageress R*** and told me to stop photographing many reduced items with the original bar codes exposed. I explained I required this for evidence similar to my previous Feb 2024 encounters with duty managers and asked her why it continued. R**** was unaware of any CEO HO instructions and clearly no feedback between Duty mangers. She was adamant I could not film and asked me to leave as it was Private property. I advised her it was publicly accessible and I had every right when an offence was being committed. R**** then called  the Police who advised her I could film.

This in not within your Boundary but the  Chertsey 19 March example in blue background below is beyond belief. After photographing the overpriced 3 cans of Abbot Ale from in the 1st JPEG I returned them to customer service for a refund and when asked why and I said look and he saw the overpricing error immediately but referred it to his work colleague to process the refund who could not understand the maths error.  I referred this issue to another member of staff  to  report this issue to the duty manger.  I went back to the Chertsey store on 27 March  and the 3 cans had been put back on the shelf still at £4.39 ???? and purchased them for evidence along with a  4 cans of Estrella Beer out of a 6 pack claimed reduced at £6.79 from £8.50  which is way overpriced and then got a refund for those 2 items .