Help! Tesco coupon policy? I've been banned!

Al_Mac

Find it hard to believe they can just take a lady and children into a "private" room. Surely they should have to call the police if they believe some crime is being committed, especially as one side doesn't believe it is a crime.

Where do you get so many vouchers from?

Take care.:beer:

Martini

If the automatic tills accept the scanned coupons then they have been programmed to do so. Tesco "expert employees" programmed the tills.
If the coupons get accepted then fraud has not taken place!
If I were in Igloo's shoes then I would consider legal action.
I have no doubts an apology will be forthcoming and a dismissal or re-location is on the cards for someone at your store. While I agree the store is private property, and they ultimately have the right to ban you, they have treated you like a thief! Their systems are easily capable of applying a coupon limit to a spend value. If they don't, then you have done nothing wrong. I would also not hand over any cards to anyone, unless requested officially in writing from head office!

ben500

Martini wrote:

If the automatic tills accept the scanned coupons then they have been programmed to do so. Tesco "expert employees" programmed the tills.
If the coupons get accepted then fraud has not taken place!
If I were in Igloo's shoes then I would consider legal action.
I have no doubts an apology will be forthcoming and a dismissal or re-location is on the cards for someone at your store. While I agree the store is private property, and they ultimately have the right to ban you, they have treated you like a thief! Their systems are easily capable of applying a coupon limit to a spend value. If they don't, then you have done nothing wrong. I would also not hand over any cards to anyone, unless requested officially in writing from head office!

They do actually have an upper coupon acceptance limit of £50.00 at which point the cashier gets a screen telling her to summon a supervisor, the supervisor can even override this limit if he or she wishes.

ben500

As for Igloos incident this kind of thing is far more common than you would think, somebody mentioned getting banned in another post whereby she was approached by a store security officer and told "we have had a problem with people change price tags in the store, I am not saying that this is the case here but as this is private property we can ask you not to come into the store for fear of prosecution for trespass"

People are bullied in this manner all day every day, the only difference here is we are keeping each other informed and thus getting wiser and more efficient at turning the tables on the big guys in the process.

Martini

Okay, that makes sense. They do apply a limit. The policy is still not crystal clear though! It's still not a limit based on a percentage of the spend is it! You could purchase £50 of goods and pay for the lot with coupons from items that you've not actually bought.
Although this is great for us, it doesn't really make sense. Tesco is also defrauding the companies who issue the coupons, as the person has not bought the item. Everyone is however, scared of Tesco, as they are so powerful.
Ben - I agree with all your comments so far and hope that Igloo keeps us well informed on this one!

Jon_C

I agree with Ben.

Trespass is not a criminal offence but a civil matter. Tesco would have to obtain a court order (through the civil courts) to prevent you from entering their store.

False imprisonment, however, is a criminal offence and the police need to know about it. If Tesco managers and/or security staff have done this to you, it might not be an isolated incident. Even for them to do it once is once too many.

You were intimidated by the behaviour of the Tesco manager and security guard because you felt unable to leave the office despite telling them you wanted to go.

If you feared for your safety in this way then I believe you were falsely imprisoned and there appears to be a criminal case for the Tesco staff and company to answer. I think the two employees in question could do with a visit from the police and their superiors need to know they are treating customers this badly.

If you felt intimidated then I can only imagine how frightened your children must have been.

You have done nothing illegal by using coupons. Tesco have the right to refuse to accept your money and coupons you so they should have just done so and left it at that. There was no need for them to strong-arm you in this way. As a previous poster said, if they really didn't want you shopping there any more, a discreet word from the manager would have been appropriate.

As someone else said too, although the clubcard remains Tesco's property at all times, if they want to reclaim it they should follow the proper legal channels (ie go through the police, courts or bailiffs) - NOT use intimidation.

My advice is that you should do all of the following, probably in this order (apologies if you have already done so and I haven't kept up with the thread):

(i) contact the police, telling them exactly what happened, when and where and how you felt intimidated by the actions of the Tesco manager and security guard. Give their names and/or descriptions if you can remember. Make sure to tell the police you feared for your safety and that of your children. If you and/or your children have experienced any anxiety after the event (nightmares etc), this may be worth mentioning. The fact that you have left it a while now does not necessarily weaken your case - it might actually show you have had time to calm down after being upset and that in the cold light of day you still believe you and your children were falsely imprisoned

(ii) contact Tesco head office or (specifically the chief executive) by letter saying much the same thing and let them know you have made a complaint to police. Keep copies of the letter and send it by recorded delivery. Tell them you would like a response within a specified timeframe

(iii) go to your local newspaper - they might go for it as a big human interest story, especially if you are willing to be pictured with or without your children (preferably in front of the Tesco store in question). By going to the press you are not exploiting your experience for any personal gain but rather, making public an issue that is in the public interest

(iv) contact the Citizens' Advice Bureau about the problem.

In all of the above cases, you should try to remain calm and collected, even if you start to get angry and frustrated reliving the bad experience.

If you feel like giving up or that you might be making a fuss over nothing, ask yourself how you would feel if someone else you were close to was treated this way - probably a lot angrier and more defensive than you are about yourself.

Remember that you are seeking justice first and foremost and that any apology and/or financial redress from Tesco or its employees are a side issue now that a criminal offence has been committed. If you choose to accept either of these things as sufficient, that's up to you, but the police are still obliged to look into your complaint and see whether there is evidence of a crime.

Good luck.

igloo

hi Igloo here......its gone 3am and I've woken up worrying about all this!

Thank you all for your concern!

To answer some of your questions this is whats happened so far......

I did get the name of the manager and security manager who took me to the office.

Incidentally, forgot to mention earlier...as I was on my way to the office I told them to basically forget it and "keep their items" and they said no...."its much more serious than that....come with us!" ...I turned around to make sure my children were with me. They were out of my sight for a second due to being marched off! I'd walked about say, 6 checkouts away from where I was initially..... I couldnt see my daughter.....and said to the manager.....I've lost my daughter....I dont think the manager believed me! I got the feeling that they thought I was pulling a fast one! I called and called and then she appeared(phew!).... the rest was as I said earlier.

I telephoned Tesco main stores customer services at about 5.30 who said they would phone me back same day.........still waiting.........

Then I phoned the store directly. The first lady couldnt believe how I had been treated and quoted the "10%" policy which was different to what the manager had said. She put me through to a different manager ( because the one who had taken me to the office had gone home). This manager had no idea what the coupon policy was but seemed to sympathise with me. He told me to phone in the morning and speak to their overall manager on duty. I asked his name and got it.

I've rung the police who basically said that its a civil matter (re coupons/clubcard/ban) but the intimidating and threatening behaviour can be reported. I have reported it ... I'm waiting to speak to the overall manager tomorrow before I do anything else. They also told me to phone Trading standards.

Right, Thats the update so far.... trying to prepare mentally for the phone calls tomorrow!

On top of it all, you're not going to believe this..... I bought bacon.... it was £1.38 on the shelf and £1.58 on the pack....I was going to go to CS but obviously didnt. I'm frightened to go back in case I'm arrested!

Thanks again ! (

Roger_Rampant

They also told me to phone Trading standards.

I can't see Trading Standards being much help here, they would possibly be involved if Tesco were misleading people or selling dangerous goods

I'm frightened to go back in case I'm arrested!

Tesco can't arrest you or hold you against your will. You can be arrested by the police if you are alleged to have committed an offence, but you haven't...

If somebody makes a "civilian arrest" and you haven't done anything wrong, they have the possibility of you subsequently making a claim against them

These people are trying to intimidate you, and hope that you won't come back. I hope that you will feel strong enough to go back, if you allow them to intimidate you they may do it other people. Make sure you complain through all possible avenues. If you want me to do a snotty letter to Tesco for you, PM me, please don't be shy

Nobody likes a bully!

Del_Boy_Gupta

11000 points!

how exactly did you have so many if you don't mind me asking igloo over a maximum of 3 month period

One thing you haven't mentioned is how many if any of your coupons were out of date? I presume that giving an out of date coupon could be perceived as being deceitful so maybe this could be the reason.

dollywops

Benji wrote:

No, you're wrong. Managers have can choose not to accept INTERNET (ie home-printed) coupons only.


Many MSEers have emails from Tesco confirming that there is a company policy to accept 1 coupon per product - even if you don't buy it.

Tesco get a handling fee, so they make money on each coupon you use.

Benji, I am sorry, but you are wrong. The CS Manager at the Watford Extra, which I believe is among the top 10 in the country, told me that the coupon policy relating to all money off coupons is entirely at the discretion of the store manager. This store manager has said he will no longer take any money off coupons unless the product is brought. There are signs up at ever till saying this. This would not be happening if he were not allowed his discretion, would it?