Tesco "simplifying" Clubcard

[yorkie]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42700758

Tesco has made changes to its Clubcard loyalty scheme - dropping the value of some rewards and raising some others.

Shoppers collect points for money spent with the supermarket giant and these then become vouchers which can be used for things such as restaurant meals.

Some could be used for four times or two times their value, but to "make things easier" Tesco said most are changing to three times their value.

But the move provoked an angry response from customers on social media.

On its website, it said it was "simplifying" the rewards available so people did not "have to keep checking whether you're getting two times or four times the value depending on which reward you're claiming".

Martin Lewis, founder of the Money Saving Expert website, called on Tesco to rethink its decision, especially its immediate introduction.

Calling the move "a slap in the face to hundreds of thousands of loyal customers", he said: "This is a terrible policy implementation by Tesco.

"I call on it to urgently review its policy ....

Has someone from Rail Delivery Group started working at Tesco HQ recently?

When will organisations learn that reducing the value customers get from products is not excusable with the excuse that they are "simplifying"? All consumers know that "simplification" in this context is used to mean reductions in value or flexibility for customers. It does not work and just backfires. We see right through it!

 

[SS4]

Doublespeak is alive and well in the corporate world it seems. We saw it with Just Eat last week and people saw through the bull poop.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-42700758

The 50p charge simply means that along with our restaurant partners, we can continue to deliver the best possible takeaway experience, and applying the charge equally across the customer base ensures fairness for all

Tesco will get away with this though, the furore will die down and people will still sell their personal data for what is now even less value. What needs to happen is a mass boycott of clubcard and/or Tesco

 

[johntea]

Just Eat is a 'bargain' compared to Deliveroo, I fancied a Nando delivery last night for a change, £2.50 delivery - OK I got round that with a free trial of the premium - but then because my order was under £15 (It was a reasonable £11 order still!) they wanted to slap on a £2 charge!

In the end I gave up and spent £6 at KFC down the road instead!

Back to Tesco and Aldi/Lidl etc don't even have to do anything to become more and more popular! They just let the other supermarkets shoot themselves in the foot!

 

[DaleCooper]

We should have a whip-round for those impoverished by Tesco's action.

 

[yorkie]

On a rail-related theme, I'm informed RedSpottedHanky is 3x. However, it does charge fees, so may only be worth it for higher value fares.

We should have a whip-round for those impoverished by Tesco's action.

You are completely missing the point, which is the choice of language is designed to deflect from the facts.

 

[Busaholic]

On a rail-related theme, I'm informed RedSpottedHanky is 3x. However, it does charge fees, so may only be worth it for higher value fares.

You are completely missing the point, which is the choice of language is designed to deflect from the facts.

I'm so old and wedded to reading newspapers that I remember a financial journalist named Patrick Hutber, who must have been dead for several decades now. He is remembered by some for just one remark, made in relation to the sort of guffe that Tesco are the latest in a long line to bring out. 'Improvement means deterioration' is what he wrote, and it's even more true now than when he said it.

 

[Kite159]

And when did Martin Lewis start sounding a bit like Mike Cash with that "slap in the face" style quote?

Just be thankful Tesco hasn't gone down the route of Sainsburys and halving the value of the points (i.e. 1 point = 0.5p) with "personalised deals to earn extra points" [which in my case 9 times out of 10 are "get 700 extra points when you spend £70" style]

 

[Busaholic]

And when did Martin Lewis start sounding a bit like Mike Cash with that "slap in the face" style quote?

Just be thankful Tesco hasn't gone down the route of Sainsburys and halving the value of the points (i.e. 1 point = 0.5p) with "personalised deals to earn extra points" [which in my case 9 times out of 10 are "get 700 extra points when you spend £70" style]

Didn't Tesco do just that, though, and halve the value of points before Sainsburys got in on the act?

 

[Kite159]

Didn't Tesco do just that, though, and halve the value of points before Sainsburys got in on the act?

I forgot they had a shortish (6 month?) period of "double points" as a promotional tool.

 

[najaB]

You are completely missing the point, which is the choice of language is designed to deflect from the facts.

Well, you can't deny that "Some things are 4x and others are 2x" is more complex than "Everything is 3x..."

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Is the Air Miles ( Avios ) conversion now worth more or less per Clubcard point? I turn all mine into that one scheme...

 

[najaB]

Is the Air Miles ( Avios ) conversion now worth more or less per Clubcard point? I turn all mine into that one scheme...

I don't know what the rate was before, but it's £2.50 = 600 miles now.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I don't know what the rate was before, but it's £2.50 = 600 miles now.

That's meaningless to me as I don't actually know how many Clubcard points are becoming how many Avios...

 

[najaB]

That's meaningless to me as I don't actually know how many Clubcard points are becoming how many Avios...

Sorry, linked the wrong page - £2.50 of Clubcard points are 600 Avios.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Sorry, linked the wrong page - £2.50 of Clubcard points are 600 Avios.

Well... what was it before?

 

[IanD]

And when did Martin Lewis start sounding a bit like Mike Cash with that "slap in the face" style quote?

He's always liked his over the top reactions.

Not everything is 3X. Most railcards are still £15 in vouchers - so only 2X. Simples.

 

[trainmania100]

I don't use Tesco club card due to the fact that I have no Tesco near me
I use Morrison's more and Sainsbury's nectar card for my rewards, and have almost £20 available to spend on my nectar card.

 

[richw]

I like nectar and coops card as they allow you to spend when you want without waiting for vouchers.

Maybe I’m missing the point but not all rewards are decreasing, some are increasing. From memory last time round, the rewards I’d use were all 2x so I’d infact be better off under simplification.

 

[Mojo]

Sorry, linked the wrong page - £2.50 of Clubcard points are 600 Avios.

Well... what was it before?

It’s always been that; the rate hasn’t changed.

(Well, by always I mean, for the several years that I have been converting them)

 

[whhistle]

As I understood it, the uproar is because Tesco just changed it without giving any notice.

It must be remembered that:
1) Tesco doesn't need to give notice
2) Not everything is going down in value
3) Clubcard points are a bonus, not a right

Yes, you could argue that you only shop at Tesco because of their rewards system, but it still doesn't change the fact it's something for relatively nothing.

Making everything the same is better as it means I don't have to mess about seeing what I get for how many points.

The person that claims they are down by £100 (from £400 to £300) is an idiot. What could you possibly be saving up that many points for? Plus, what excatly were they going to buy that was worth £400, but now have to save up another £100 worth of vouchers? I should think the items that were worth 4x the amount, at those sorts of values, were very few.

I spend about £15 on magazine subscriptions as I wouldn't subscribe with my own money (unless there was a really tempting deal), and other things that peaked my interest turned out to be duds. I don't live near any theme parks so a Merlin Annual Pass is useless to me too.

Didn't the same uproar happen when Avious changed the way their points were awarded? Then months later, many people worked out they were better off?

 

[Macwomble]

All the supermarkets are "at it" one way or another with their rewards. Not so long ago Morrisons halved the number of points you got for fuel (now 5 points per litre instead of 10).

 

[Puffing Devil]

As I understood it, the uproar is because Tesco just changed it without giving any notice.

It must be remembered that:
1) Tesco doesn't need to give notice
2) Not everything is going down in value
3) Clubcard points are a bonus, not a right

Shoppers have a choice of supermarket. Aldi and Lidl are on the rise. Many will see this as a slap in the face by Tesco and will take their business elsewhere.

It's a commercial decision by Tesco - I think the timing and method is a poor one.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Were people really expecting ANY private company to act in the interests of the consumer rather than their shareholders/bottom line?

Hahahahahahaha

 

[bb21]

I like nectar and coops card as they allow you to spend when you want without waiting for vouchers.

Maybe I’m missing the point but not all rewards are decreasing, some are increasing. From memory last time round, the rewards I’d use were all 2x so I’d infact be better off under simplification.

I don't understand all that furore over the value changing. It is always a bonus which you get by shopping with them (and selling them data on your shopping habits).

I think the point is being roundly missed in this thread. Product simplification isn't the real problem. (If one were banking on their "4x" deal to survive then may I suggest that one has bigger things to worry about and focus on in life?) The real issue which does stink for me is knowing that some of their customers were banking all their vouchers in good faith of the scheme continuing, they changed it without notice. That shows contempt and total disregard. Had they given people, say, one week's notice to redeem their exiting vouchers before things change, then fair play.

I would suggest that given RSH has gone up from 2x to 3x, this is good news for many on this forum, who would probably be better off overall.

 

[AM9]

I don't understand all that furore over the value changing. It is always a bonus which you get by shopping with them (and selling them data on your shopping habits).

I think the point is being roundly missed in this thread. Product simplification isn't the real problem. (If one were banking on their "4x" deal to survive then may I suggest that one has bigger things to worry about and focus on in life?) The real issue which does stink for me is knowing that some of their customers were banking all their vouchers in good faith of the scheme continuing, they changed it without notice. That shows contempt and total disregard. Had they given people, say, one week's notice to redeem their exiting vouchers before things change, then fair play.

I would suggest that given RSH has gone up from 2x to 3x, this is good news for many on this forum, who would probably be better off overall.

Martin Lewis announced on BBC R4 You And Yours today, that Tesco had delayed the implementation date to sometime in June, him suspecting that Tesco didn't get their release out early enough.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

It’s always been that; the rate hasn’t changed.

Oh good, thank you.

I've built up nearly 200,000 Avios; actually I had just over 200,000 but I used 16,000 of them so that I could give my son his first ride on an airliner this coming Saturday 20th; just a quick out and back return Heathrow to Ringway to see if he likes flying.

 

[Busaholic]

Martin Lewis announced on BBC R4 You And Yours today, that Tesco had delayed the implementation date to sometime in June, him suspecting that Tesco didn't get their release out early enough.

It was also revealed on the programme that the majority of Tesco's current 'collaborators' are leaving. I don't care, in order to get my £20 off at Café Rouge I'd have a 150 mile round journey, at least the same for movie tickets.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Oh good, thank you.

I've built up nearly 200,000 Avios; actually I had just over 200,000 but I used 16,000 of them so that I could give my son his first ride on an airliner this coming Saturday 20th; just a quick out and back return Heathrow to Ringway to see if he likes flying.

Is that one of those circuit flights BA do for those beginner flyers and those wanting to overcome fear of flying?

 

[Starmill]

Be careful converting points to RedSpottedHanky. Even with their fees it can represent great value but I think there is a relatively short time limit on the vouchers - 3 months? Much shorter than the 2 years you get for keeping the vouchers to spend at Tesco.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Is that one of those circuit flights BA do for those beginner flyers and those wanting to overcome fear of flying?

No, you can't book those with Air Miles. I did do one of those on a flight only basis for my daughter in November 2016 from Gatwick - for this one with my son it's a standard BA domestic. As soon as we land we'll be going straight back round to check in for the return flight! Just 2h45 between landing and taking off again...