h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

... or so they say. I've found that Tesco's value leaves a lot to be desired. Here is my story of today.

When I picked daughter up from school we decided just to hit Tesco on the way home. That way we'd be in for the night.

Tesco is very close to my home and it's one of their bigger stores so we tend to run in and out of it like a corner shop and do several small shops a week. Today I was in for some essential. I always check my receipt because there have been a few offers in the past that haven't been given at the till. Today I checked my receipt.

On of my purchases was a dozen diet coke (I'm a huge drinker of diet coke) they were priced at £4.79 and I wasn't going to bother because it works out cheaper buying them at the Mace then I noticed a yellow label 2 for £7.00 on Coke Zero, Diet, Regular 12 x 330 cans. That works out a few pennies cheaper than the Mace so I thought - what the I'll have them drank in a week anyway.

When I checked my receipt there was no discount given. I did what I normally do in such circumstances and walked all the way to the back of the store and checked the label (sometimes they're very misleading and I wanted to be sure before approaching customer services). The label was as I remembered it so daughter and I went to customer services.

Normally at this juncture the customer service rep will scan the product and confirm whether there is an offer or not and then usually she'll go round to the product and check the label with the customer. Today was different. She rang the manager Sam who went round and checked the label. Sam then rang to say the offer was only on Coke Zero. While I was waiting another customer service rep leaned in and confirmed that the offer was over and there were NO yellow labels round there as she had checked earlier.

Unsurprisingly this all p1ssed me off greatly.

I work in a pretty responsible job where the ability to read and respond accurately to a lot of complex medical information is key. In fact I'd go so far as to say - I'm not stupid and I can read, and I am not subject to delusions.

Anyhow, I said as much. I called the manager a liar and that if there was no such label (and bear in mind I'd seen it and checked it TWICE) he must have removed it.

At this point customer service rep walked round and came back with a small yellow label stating the offer 2 for £7.00 Coke Zero. I told her that wasn't the label that I'd seen ..... then I had a closer look. The label had been folded so that the other types of coke were no longer visible - just the Zero and the offer could be seen.

This really put my blood pressure up. 'It's been folded' I proclaimed. The manager obviously went down, saw the error and folded the paper before putting it back on display - all to make me look foolish and save a few pence. I was fuming.

Customer service rep said 'As a gesture of goodwill I'll refund ...'

'I don't want a gesture of good will' says I 'I want your cctv checked and I want to see the footage of your manager fixing the price' I was outraged at being called a liar when I knew the manager had been at his work!

Anyway, to cut a long story short I had double the difference refunded but the manager has probably got away with it.

I still feel rather cross about it. I'm thinking of writing to head office about it. It makes me wonder do I need to photograph every offer I purchase just in case they try the same stunt again. Or the other alternative is to shop at ASDA or Sainsbury's. I believe my Tesco days are over.

You should have left daughter next to the label, then they couldn't even have tried it.

You were right to complain, and you should write to the head office.

write to head office - gits deserve all they get

We had a newly revamped Tesco open here. I used it once and decided monkeys could give better customer service than staff there. I have never seen such a surly, miserable bunch of people working in my life as I saw there. I've not been back and won't ever go back. I'd rather pay a few pence more and be greeted with a smile and a thank you.

Write and tell their head office that - they'll send you a money off voucher - which you can give to someone as a Christmas present.

The service clearly varies from store to store - I think I know the big one you mean Fizzy, and I use it regularly. I also use other Tesco stores, and have once or twice have cause for complaint, which has always been dealt with civilly and to my satisfaction.

My nephew has worked for Tesco for 3 years now (it's putting him through university) and he regards them as a good employer.

I can imagine they could be a good employer (when you say putting him through uni: is that his wages helping him fund his degree, or they are sponsoring him?)

I have recently started to use the horrible looking, brashly lighted supermarket in our town (I really detest the lighting and the bright orange signs all over the place saying "cheap" because I mentally add "and nasty" as that's what it is)

Although: they have improved greatly and their fruit & veg is much better now than the first time I went about 2 years ago. They sell Cathedral City cheddar - which is a MASSIVE thing in the land of no cheddar. And their staff are unerringly friendly and helpful even though I would guess their pay and conditions are at about the Lidl level.

A lot depends on the store manager and every bit of customer feedback should be useful to them.

Great story, Fizzy - another example of the Myth of Customer Service. (I must write that entry some day)

I had a recent experience in an electrical store, where they took the sign for the 'free delivery' offer I was trying to claim, told me it didn't apply, then tore it up in front of me. I walked out and bought the same item next door.

Oh dear...a business being so cheap and undeserving of customer satisfaction.


Just so sad to see these days.


They deserved a good chewing out,luv...

Not sponsoring him, sho, just giving him regular wages, written commendations for his time-keeping and enthusiasm, and encouragement to do their management trainee programme.

I sent off a letter of complaint last night. I think it depends a lot on the staff on duty at any given time whether a complaint/query is handled properly or not. I don't doubt Tesco are reasonable employers but won't shop anywhere if customer service isn't good.

This has reminded me of another night we called into the same store looking for a DVD for daughter - it might have been Little Shop of Horrors. I'm sure I wrote a journal about it but my old journals have been lost in the move. When we asked if it was in stock the bloke in charge of that section said he couldn't tell us as there were boxes upon boxes of DVDs out back and he couldn't look through them all. When I asked him what he would suggest he said 'try Sainsbury's'