Really irritating Tesco habit

Madd Finn

OK. Have had a Tesco loyalty card for years. Yesterday a bunch of money-off vouchers arrive in the post. Save €10 if you spend €50 or more in a single visit.

So last night hightail it up to my local Tesco and spend far more than I would normally have done stocking up on things to make it over €50 and get the money off.

Voucher not accepted. Checkout girl can't understand it. Tries another one. Can't understand what's going on. No expiry date on these vouchers as there are with some of them. Calls manager. He scratches his head and then finds the answer.

"These vouchers are not valid....yet. You can't use them until next week, sir"

I had already packed all the groceries into my bags as I like to do this while they are being rung up because I'm normally a conscientious shopper who doesn't like to unduly inconvenience people waiting in the queue behind me.

I'm really pissed off because I would not have bought as much as I did if I wasn't going to get the discount, which I didn't. So now, to avail of the discount I am going to have to do a similar oversized shop later and hope again that nothing goes wrong.

Why does Tesco do this? Send out vouchers that cannot be used immediately? I can understand the notion of an expiry date but a delayed validation date? Is it just because they hope that people will not read the small print (very small print as it happens) and overspend with them TWICE while only availing of the discount once?

How very Ryanair of them!! And at least Ryanair makes every effort to inform customers in advance of their rigid attitude to their own terms and conditions. And it's hardly the case that Tesco's prices and range are so unbeatably better than their rivals that they can afford to treat customers a la O'Leary.

My other half said I should have just walked away, leaving the groceries there and forcing them to reshelve them. Well, maybe, but I did badly need some of the items and anyway, I had already packed them up.

Of course if I were to go around to several Tesco outlets tomorrow and in each case run €50+ of goods through the till only to then turn around and say, once the voucher had been refused, "Oh. I wouldn't have bought all that if I had known there wouldn't be a discount!" and then walk away leaving them to clear the checkout tray before they could process the next customer......I would piss a lot of people off, not least those shoppers in the queue behind me. And I would unduly inconvenience the checkout operator, who is completely blameless in all this, and you would doubtless think I was a crank.

But if everybody who got caught like this did it........maybe sufficient gripes would travel upstairs that they might discontinue this irritating and smart-arse policy.

I know, many of you will say "Read the small print already, Jack!" but it's very small print, written vertically and it's not like I was trying to catch them out. I was trying to use the vouchers in good faith and felt I was taken for a ride.

Just something to think about.

Neon_Lights

<SNIP - The OP is just ^^. No need to quote>

The whole concept of paper vouchers being issued to me is absolutely ludicrous full stop in this day and age. Think of the amount of money they're wasting on posting paper and printing. It's costing them nearly an extra 3 quid per letter I'd say to even send them out.

Madd Finn

Madd Finn wrote: »

I know, many of you will say "Read the small print already, Jack!"

Pretty much

johndoe99

i would have said, fine i'll use them next week and unpack the groceries and leave them there. Let them enjoy putting all the groceries back.

Meeeee79

If its a habit as you say then you'll know for again. You're really making a mountain out of a mole hill to be honest in my opinion

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Madd Finn

Meeeee79 wrote: »

If its a habit as you say then you'll know for again. You're really making a mountain out of a mole hill to be honest in my opinion

Maybe. But it's the little things that irritate you. Well me.

Madd Finn

But can anyone enlighten me as to why the vouchers aren't valid on the day you receive them. what's their thinking, other than to try and catch people out?

Sofiztikated

Madd Finn wrote: »

But can anyone enlighten me as to why the vouchers aren't valid on the day you receive them. what's their thinking, other than to try and catch people out?

We've got your money this week. We want it next week as well.

mel.b

Discovered the other day that they (well, my tesco store anyway) won't/can't process other competitor discount coupons through the self serve checkouts which is really annoying. I think the CS person thought I would just pay the full amount but I kicked up a stink about it being ridiculous and they eventually saved the transaction and I had to take all my stuff down to a full checkout to pay. The checkout operator at the full checkout wasn't happy about me doing it either which was just bizarre (although, I think she always seems to be sour when I go through so maybe that's just her personality).

fxotoole

Next time, check the "valid from" date before you do your "big shop"

#JustSayin'

L1011

Madd Finn wrote: »

But can anyone enlighten me as to why the vouchers aren't valid on the day you receive them. what's their thinking, other than to try and catch people out?

Because there's four of them for four weeks. It's a very specific tactic to try break people out of the Dunnes shop and save habit.

SuperValu do exactly the same thing - same reason.

Sixtoes

All supermarket vouchers have valid from / to dates. You should have checked.

nava

The reason you cannot use when you get it is because letter could be delayed on the post, delayed getting printed, posted, etc if 1 of the voucher was already expired when customers got it they would complain about it.

TheDriver

mel.b wrote: »

Discovered the other day that they (well, my tesco store anyway) won't/can't process other competitor discount coupons through the self serve checkouts which is really annoying. I think the CS person thought I would just pay the full amount but I kicked up a stink about it being ridiculous and they eventually saved the transaction and I had to take all my stuff down to a full checkout to pay. The checkout operator at the full checkout wasn't happy about me doing it either which was just bizarre (although, I think she always seems to be sour when I go through so maybe that's just her personality).

I used one last week at self service with no issue (lady obviously had to do something on screen but with a smile). Never had issue using competitor vouchers at any checkout

Quackster

TheDriver wrote: »

I used one last week at self service with no issue (lady obviously had to do something on screen but with a smile). Never had issue using competitor vouchers at any checkout

Likewise I've never had a problem using competitor coupons at the self-service tills in the Tesco stores I shop at.

L1011

Lucan don't take them at self service. Never had it elsewhere