Tesco Rip-offs

mcaul

Just be wary with getting sucked in by tesco offers in store.

Currently they offer Global Cusine Ready Roasts at 2 for €7, but price is 5.99 each on till recipet with no reduction. - Excuse from branch, head office makes prices and they acn't change them!

Another widespread scam, is putting a similar product above where a promotion price is displayed when the promotional product is sold out. E.G Denny ham lagrge pack sold out (33% off) - small pack placed directly in same place.

If it was just one branch I'd put it down to sloppy display, but I've seen the expensive replacement product placed above promotion signs in Newbridge, Carlow & Maynooth, and simply the blatant display of a promotional price with a couldn't give a sh1t attitude when brought to their attention (no offer of refund) is showing a different side to teh supermarket.

mikemac

Buy up this product and go to the till.
Then pay the more expensive price.
Stroll over to customer service and point out their “no-quibble” price gurantee. If you are charged over what the price displayed on the shelf then you keep the item, FREE and get your money refunded. They don't have to do this but it's their policy.

You say they didn’t offer a refund but I think you didn’t insist on one. If they refuse, ask for the number of head office and make a call in their presence. You will get the items for free. And don’t be nasty doing this, working in customer service sucks.

As regards, misleading offers. Maybe the display is sloppy but if a customer can’t tell the difference between different products and sizes, no sympathy imo

mcaul

micmclo wrote: »

Buy up this product and go to the till.
Then pay the more expensive price.
Stroll over to customer service and point out their “no-quibble” price gurantee. If you are charged over what the price displayed on the shelf then you keep the item, FREE and get your money refunded. They don't have to do this but it's their policy.

You say they didn’t offer a refund but I think you didn’t insist on one. If they refuse, ask for the number of head office and make a call in their presence. You will get the items for free. And don’t be nasty doing this, working in customer service sucks.

As regards, misleading offers. Maybe the display is sloppy but if a customer can’t tell the difference between different products and sizes, no sympathy imo

No offer of refund unless I drove back down to the store (35km) and applied in person. Manager couldn't give a sh1t. - And incase anyone is wondering, I don't rant on the phone. - i just simply switch stores. (i'm in retail myself but would never dismiss a problem blaming a head office!)

as for putting similar products on shelves, - I notice it becasue I know it was a practice in a supermarket in the UK and a good percentage of people won't look at the specifics of a product and rather believe the shelf sticker.

It was €5 difference - not enough to spend €8 on petrol on!

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

micmclo wrote: »

Buy up this product and go to the till.
Then pay the more expensive price.
Stroll over to customer service and point out their “no-quibble” price gurantee. If you are charged over what the price displayed on the shelf then you keep the item, FREE and get your money refunded. They don't have to do this but it's their policy.

You say they didn’t offer a refund but I think you didn’t insist on one. If they refuse, ask for the number of head office and make a call in their presence. You will get the items for free. And don’t be nasty doing this, working in customer service sucks.

As regards, misleading offers. Maybe the display is sloppy but if a customer can’t tell the difference between different products and sizes, no sympathy imo

Sounds like a better idea than my complain-and-just-leave-it-there responce when it happened to me. Thanks for that.

John Mason

I never shop in Tesco anymore - they are rude, ignorant and complete rip off people

board om

mcaul wrote: »

Another widespread scam, is putting a similar product above where a promotion price is displayed when the promotional product is sold out. E.G Denny ham lagrge pack sold out (33% off) - small pack placed directly in same place.

there was a long thread on this before regarding lidl or aldi and some heniz beans. and i will say the same now as i did then. this is not a scam. if the special offer states what is on special offer but you pick up a different container that isnt on special offer then it is hardly the shops fault. it is up to you to read the label on the container. are the shop supposed to put differnt size containers of the same product at opposite ends of the store just in case somebody mistakes them for the special offer?

mcaul

board om wrote: »

there was a long thread on this before regarding lidl or aldi and some heniz beans. and i will say the same now as i did then. this is not a scam. if the special offer states what is on special offer but you pick up a different container that isnt on special offer then it is hardly the shops fault. it is up to you to read the label on the container. are the shop supposed to put differnt size containers of the same product at opposite ends of the store just in case somebody mistakes them for the special offer?

I used to work in a supermarket (not tesco) in the UK as a store merchandiser and this was done on purpose by some local managers. Same as I suspect in certain branches here.
Tesco have their special offers together in a fridge unit at the end of the aisles. When the product is sold out a similar product seems to appear in the special offer fridge with all the special offer signs still all over the shelves. - The only difference is usually the size of packet or a slight variation to the product.

All i'm saying, is you really must watch your receipts to ensure you get the right pricing - if the attitude was right and the manager asked for my receipt number & refunded to clubcard or similar, then it would have been fine. Problem was, attituide was couldn't care less, not my problem, blame head office. - For €5 - I couldn't be arsed going to the hassle of taking the complaint further, just move shopping elsewhere.

mikemac

irishbird wrote: »

I never shop in Tesco anymore - they are rude, ignorant and complete rip off people

Agreed. Have to say M&S is expensive but the staff are fantastic! They are always friendly and helpful. Good staff and good management imo.

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

Sounds like a better idea than my complain-and-just-leave-it-there responce when it happened to me. Thanks for that.

I do it all the time. Used to get free magazines most week as they never bothered to correct the display.
Remember, a good company welcomes complaints. For the sake of a few refunds, I'm doing there price-checks for them. Tesco don't care about giving refunds as it lets them correct their prices quickly

Sure what till I tell you.
Back in college during rag week, they mispriced 24cans crates of Budweiser. Got four for free. Took a bit of argueing but got them in the end, score!

bigpinkelephant

mcaul wrote: »

Just be wary with getting sucked in by tesco offers in store.

Currently they offer Global Cusine Ready Roasts at 2 for €7, but price is 5.99 each on till recipet with no reduction. - Excuse from branch, head office makes prices and they acn't change them!

You are wrong. Their Head Office control their prices. How else do you think all the prices are controlled- do you think the stores ring each other every day asking "how much do you charge for a pint of milk?".

mcaul wrote: »

Another widespread scam, is putting a similar product above where a promotion price is displayed when the promotional product is sold out. E.G Denny ham lagrge pack sold out (33% off) - small pack placed directly in same place.

From your 2 points above it sounds like you have trouble reading the label on the product and comparing it with the special offer.
Of course all the Denny Ham is kept together. Similar products always are. It's up to you to be able to read the labels.

axer

mcaul wrote: »

Currently they offer Global Cusine Ready Roasts at 2 for €7, but price is 5.99 each on till recipet with no reduction. - Excuse from branch, head office makes prices and they acn't change them!

I presume you pointed out that they were displaying them as a special offer? I have never seen them offer something for a certain price and then refuse to give them at that price. I have seen mistakes where a special offer was not put into the system but they have always honoured the offer for me and people I know. They then would let head office know of the problem since if the special offer was not entered for that shop then more than likely it is not in any of the shops thus that needs to be fixed.

mcaul wrote: »

Another widespread scam, is putting a similar product above where a promotion price is displayed when the promotional product is sold out. E.G Denny ham lagrge pack sold out (33% off) - small pack placed directly in same place.

Usually similiar items are displayed beside each other anyway. It is up to the customer to be vigilant.

mcaul wrote: »

If it was just one branch I'd put it down to sloppy display, but I've seen the expensive replacement product placed above promotion signs in Newbridge, Carlow & Maynooth, and simply the blatant display of a promotional price with a couldn't give a sh1t attitude when brought to their attention (no offer of refund) is showing a different side to teh supermarket.

It is displayed clearly which item is on sale and if a customer does not pay attention then it is hardly the shops fault.

mcaul wrote: »

No offer of refund unless I drove back down to the store (35km) and applied in person. Manager couldn't give a sh1t. - And incase anyone is wondering, I don't rant on the phone. - i just simply switch stores. (i'm in retail myself but would never dismiss a problem blaming a head office!)

It is not their fault if you live 35km from the store. What did you ask for? i.e. did you ask for a refund?

mcaul wrote: »

as for putting similar products on shelves, - I notice it becasue I know it was a practice in a supermarket in the UK and a good percentage of people won't look at the specifics of a product and rather believe the shelf sticker.

People need to wake up and look at what they are buying. Ignorance is not an excuse.

mcaul wrote: »

It was €5 difference - not enough to spend €8 on petrol on!

It is not the shop's fault if you have to travel.

mcaul wrote: »

I used to work in a supermarket (not tesco) in the UK as a store merchandiser and this was done on purpose by some local managers. Same as I suspect in certain branches here.
Tesco have their special offers together in a fridge unit at the end of the aisles. When the product is sold out a similar product seems to appear in the special offer fridge with all the special offer signs still all over the shelves. - The only difference is usually the size of packet or a slight variation to the product.

From what I see, the name of the goods and the size are usually very clear on the sign. I always watch at the till for special offers to make sure they are applied in case there are mistakes. Any mistakes I have noticed in Tescos have always been rectified resulting in the special offer being applied.

mcaul wrote: »

All i'm saying, is you really must watch your receipts to ensure you get the right pricing - if the attitude was right and the manager asked for my receipt number & refunded to clubcard or similar, then it would have been fine. Problem was, attituide was couldn't care less, not my problem, blame head office. - For €5 - I couldn't be arsed going to the hassle of taking the complaint further, just move shopping elsewhere.

It is not the manager's fault that you live 35km away - how come you didnt check your receipt after purchasing the items or watch as they are being scanned or better yet I always use the self service checkouts so that I can see everything even clearer.

Overheal

I've often seen the misleading product/pricetag placement thing going on. Usually in the meats and dairies.

In march there was a sale on Australian honey, 2 for 5: but when I got home apparently since I had gotten 2 different 'flavors' of the same brand of honey that was in the sale i got charged full price for both.

dudara

TBH, I've found that once you read the fine print on the special offer signs, it's usually pretty clear what is included and what isn't. I wouldn't say that Tesco are rip-off merchants (though they do undoubtedly do make mistakes), it's more due to the fact that people don't generally fully read the notices.

jahalpin

Superquinn in Finglas have a terrible tendency to not input special offers to the system.

Almost everytime I go into this shop and get something on special (eg BOGOF or 2 for x), it hasn't been programmed into the till and the girl has to go down to the shelf and check the offer

A Dub in Glasgo

A lot of the supermarkets will put a very similar product in the special offers space and charge full price. It happened to me a couple of times. Safeway were notorious for it as well as Tesco.

eg, Buy One Get One Free on Coco Pops. The space is filled with Coco Pops and it is only when you look at the small print it states 'Coco Pops 'Megamunchers' variety only.

It is shoddy practice that attempts to fool some people into buying the full priced item and not checking until they get home.

After being stung, I am extra careful now although it is difficult if you are shopping with kids

mcaul

A Dub in Glasgo wrote: »

A lot of the supermarkets will put a very similar product in the special offers space and charge full price. It happened to me a couple of times. Safeway were notorious for it as well as Tesco.

eg, Buy One Get One Free on Coco Pops. The space is filled with Coco Pops and it is only when you look at the small print it states 'Coco Pops 'Megamunchers' variety only.

It is shoddy practice that attempts to fool some people into buying the full priced item and not checking until they get home.

After being stung, I am extra careful now although it is difficult if you are shopping with kids

Many posters obviously did not read the posts properly. The scam with special offers (it was safeway in the UK) works very simply. At the end of an aisle facing the tills / back of the store are the shelves with special offers. EVERY shelf has special offer signs and there are usually large specal offer posters over the whole unit. Normally only special offer items are on these shelves - it it not the general area where the products are normally displayed.

For the unsuspecting punter, it seems everything on this shelf is part of an offer. and as the post above says, the small print (and I mean VERY small) gives you further detail such as the particular size. - When this offer is sold out, a similar product appears on the shelf thus falsely getting people to think that the replacement product is on offer.

As to axer - I did ask for a refund, but was told I'd have to get to the store. I offered to give the receipt number and this was not acceptable. - Even though it is a totally unique number and can be looked up within seconds!

It is for the store manager to ensure correct pricing is in the system and to inform head office if an error is made.

Attitude of the manager I talked to was "not his fault" "not his problem" and that basically is where my originalk gripe comes from. - All retailers make mistakes (even I do:D) - it how you deal with the mistakes that counts!

axer

mcaul wrote: »

As to axer - I did ask for a refund, but was told I'd have to get to the store. I offered to give the receipt number and this was not acceptable. - Even though it is a totally unique number and can be looked up within seconds!

How do they give you the refund if you do not come to the store? How is it their fault you cannot come to the store?

I think your "Tesco Rip-Off" title is a bit sensationalist since they haven't ripped you off. They made a mistake which they would rectify if you came to the store since that is where the mistake was made.

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

A Dub in Glasgo wrote: »

A lot of the supermarkets will put a very similar product in the special offers space and charge full price. It happened to me a couple of times. Safeway were notorious for it as well as Tesco.

Yep, this happens so much it has to be deliberate. Fair play on all the posters on this thread who read the specials details, but most of us don't and that's who the supermarkets are happy to make money out of.

parsi

Certainly have to be careful with instore offers.

I complained to the customer service desk of Tesco in Douglas a few years ago after an offer didn't show up. I whipped the sign off the display and walked down and told them what happened.

Ms customer Service looked at the sign and said - in a haughty tone- that the offer ended on the Xth of the month.

That's fine says I - the Xth isn't for a few days yet so the offer is valid..

Seriously you have to be well conscious that the offer signs and the products are the same - I find Dunnes are more reliable than Tesco and much less likely to quibble.

Davidth88

Tesco are usually pretty good at refunding if you SPOT the error. I go through every reciept before I leave the store , I spot 1 mistake every 10 reciepts or so.

My brother who is more diligent than me got a tank of free petrol , the sign / pump said xxx p per litre and the receipt was xxx+1 p , took some arguement.
( yes that was in the UK )

Jip

Roundtower2 wrote: »

Fair play on all the posters on this thread who read the specials details

Fair play to the posters who read the details ?!??!
WTF, shame on those that don't and then cry "rip-off" when THEY purchased the wrong product but try to blame the supermarket for it.

Seriously, people need to have a bit of sense when buying anything anywhere.

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

You could be right JIP, but tbh i resolved a long while ago to avoid reading things like small print on the assumption that it was going to be written in such a way as to favour the seller and there was very little i could do about it.

Surely we have better things to do with our time than to read all of those details in a supermarket? If i am buying dorritos i really just want to be able to buy them. If they are on special then well and good. It is deceptive of the store to play off this common attitude by trying to deceive the casual shopper.

Maybe this is just a typical male attitude, but it has definitely saved me a lot more in time than i've lost in bad products.

axer

Roundtower2 wrote: »

You could be right JIP, but tbh i resolved a long while ago to avoid reading things like small print on the assumption that it was going to be written in such a way as to favour the seller and there was very little i could do about it.

Surely we have better things to do with our time than to read all of those details in a supermarket? If i am buying dorritos i really just want to be able to buy them. If they are on special then well and good. It is deceptive of the store to play off this common attitude by trying to deceive the casual shopper.

Maybe this is just a typical male attitude, but it has definitely saved me a lot more in time than i've lost in bad products.

The thing is there is nothing stopping you buying the dorritos. If there are special offers then there are going to be terms and conditions associated with the offer e.g. a certain flavour only or a certain pack size. How hard is it to check these when they are written under the big writing? I don't see the big deal. If you want to take advantage of the special offer then make sure you are picking the right items that the special offer applies to - it does require slightly more concentration but if you want to make the savings then you decide whether it is worth it or not.

tictac2580

I totally agree with mcaul...it is a complete scam by supermarkets to replace products above the special offer signs..it may just be a simple thing where the offer is for a 250gr product and they replace it with 450gr....totally and utterly misleading..if its not that its the product not updated at the cash register and stil comes up as the old price...why should the consumer have to continuously check every item..are people unable to do their jobs...its not rocket science so it clearly shows its done on purpose...I am wise to this and have stopped going to certain supermarkets(Super Value being one of them...I have found Dunnes Stores to be very good,have yet to find a problem at the cash register),the people they are especially catching out with this is the older generation who would not be aware of such scams and its a joke.

mcaul

In respect to Tesco, I rang their main customer line again just to see if I was just unlucky and the reaction was surprising.

They simply asked if I had a clubcard - took the number and said a full refund for the amount would be applied immediately along with an additional €10 which will be dispatched in vouchers in next clubcard statement. Also accepted that there had been an error on the particular item and had recieved other calls about it. Was also told that local store should have been able to make refund over the phone via the receipt number.


So basically I got a manager in a mood who couldn't give a rats ass, but which has been rectified by a second call to their customer support.


I still stand by the placing of goods in special offer sections, but it is a local issue rather than a store wide issue. - How many people with reading glasses bring them to the supermarkets?

Also in defence to Tesco, they have been changing their prices down, and there is very little difference on main items compared to Sainsburys in Sprucefield.

axer

mcaul wrote: »

In respect to Tesco, I rang their main customer line again just to see if I was just unlucky and the reaction was surprising.

They simply asked if I had a clubcard - took the number and said a full refund for the amount would be applied immediately along with an additional €10 which will be dispatched in vouchers in next clubcard statement. Also accepted that there had been an error on the particular item and had recieved other calls about it. Was also told that local store should have been able to make refund over the phone via the receipt number.


So basically I got a manager in a mood who couldn't give a rats ass, but which has been rectified by a second call to their customer support.


I still stand by the placing of goods in special offer sections, but it is a local issue rather than a store wide issue. - How many people with reading glasses bring them to the supermarkets?

Also in defence to Tesco, they have been changing their prices down, and there is very little difference on main items compared to Sainsburys in Sprucefield.

So is it still Tesco Rip-offs?

spurious

You always need to watch Tesco - one of their tricks is to have a 'Special Offer' (say, two bottles of shampoo for €4.99). Woohoo you say until you see the price of a single bottle is €2.35.
They do this a lot.

Jip

mcaul wrote: »

How many people with reading glasses bring them to the supermarkets?

I would imagine everyone who needs them do.

MOH

spurious wrote: »

You always need to watch Tesco - one of their tricks is to have a 'Special Offer' (say, two bottles of shampoo for €4.99). Woohoo you say until you see the price of a single bottle is €2.35.
They do this a lot.

Kitchen/Bog roll is another example, although not technically a rip-off, you can often find 3 x 4-packs cheaper than 1x12 pack of exactly the same brand.

craichoe

Mother of God ..

How about you Tesco rip off lunatics go shop someplace else ???

Vote with your feet and quit it with the 'Tesco tricks' 'rip offs' and other such crazy stories.

Gives an image of boss at the top in tesco dancing around giggling "heheh .. i'm going to rip everyone off .. evilll"

bigpinkelephant

craichoe wrote: »

Mother of God ..

How about you Tesco rip off lunatics go shop someplace else ???

Vote with your feet and quit it with the 'Tesco tricks' 'rip offs' and other such crazy stories.

Gives an image of boss at the top in tesco dancing around giggling "heheh .. i'm going to rip everyone off .. evilll"

LOL... there's a lot of paranoid people on this thread!

Perhaps it should be in the Conspiracy Theories forum!!!!!! :rolleyes:

LolaDub

Dunnes in kilnamanagh (sp?) is the worst i've ever come across for incorrect special offers. Most of the time when i complain i've been over charged i find them saying the offer expired and the sign wasn't taken down but they still don't take it down. Nearly every time i've been there somethings been wrong so i only go there as a last resort. They've moved their customer service desk upstairs now and there is hardly anyone manning it ever!