Supermarkets discussion

[Hadders]

Same thing happened to me with Sainsbury’s Nectar… original offers and reductions (that are one-offs) disappear on a rescan, multibuys will still remain. I lost £5 in discounts because the till ‘crashed’.

The rescan was doen incorrectly by the store colleagues. If a full rescan is required then the staff must scan everything with the smartshop handset. This is for two reasons:

1. Nectar offers won't get applied if the rescan is done throug a main till
2. The rescan will get recorded as abandoned if it isn't done on the handset. This then means you'll have an increased chance of a rescan in future

 

[Acfb]

Asda which used to be Booths in Hale Barns is becoming Waitrose.

I am very pleased about this. I have never been to the Altrincham one and the Wilmslow one has awkward access.

I am mainly in Edinburgh and mainly go to the Morningside one most days but when I'm in England (and staying in Whaley Bridge), we tend to go to the Buxton and Poynton Waitroses. I am 37 and I don't drive, my mother drives me but I hope to learn in the next few years.

 

[londonbridge]

I’m impressed. I used the ‘contact us’ feature on the Co-Op website and told them about the problem with the milk voucher. Within three hours I had an email with an apology and a “20p off your next shop” voucher added to my card.

 

[styles]

I’m impressed. I used the ‘contact us’ feature on the Co-Op website and told them about the problem with the milk voucher. Within three hours I had an email with an apology and a “20p off your next shop” voucher added to my card.

That's a low bar for being impressed in my view!

After being denied the discount twice, then trying to rationalise with a staff member, then sending an email to HQ, you were eventually given the 20p discount you were already entitled to?

 

[ChrisC]

Same thing happened to me with Sainsbury’s Nectar… original offers and reductions (that are one-offs) disappear on a rescan, multibuys will still remain. I lost £5 in discounts because the till ‘crashed’.

Last week when I shopped in Sainsbury's I didn't receive a total of 420 nectar points that I should have got. This was 300 as the final shop on a shopping challenge and 120 from my weekly bonus offers. When I presented my nectar card at the till it bleeped and the assistant indicated that it had been accepted. I hadn't seen the usual message Nectar accepted so I asked for my receipt only to see that my nectar card hadn't been accepted.

The assistant called the manager over and he did something on the till and he asked me to scan my nectar card again but all I seem to have received is my 10 base points for that shop. I explained that I was also due around 400 bonus points but he wasn't very forthcoming about what would happen. I have contacted the nectar helpline and they got all my details and assured me that I will receive my missing points within 28 days. I very much have my doubts that this will happen. I know they are only worth £2.10 but it was not my fault so I feel that I should receive them.

 

[Sonic1234]

After being denied the discount twice, then trying to rationalise with a staff member, then sending an email to HQ, you were eventually given the 20p discount you were already entitled to?

Customer service standards are very different in different industries. If that was the railway or a bus company, you'd get nothing. If it was a bank, you'd get £50 compensation from the complaints department.

 

[jon0844]

Customer service standards are very different in different industries. If that was the railway or a bus company, you'd get nothing. If it was a bank, you'd get £50 compensation from the complaints department.

There was a time when Virgin Atlantic used to chuck a very generous amount of miles to people who made any complaint, and I heard they might have even done it to a fair few people who wrote in to compliment the service but just got a standard 'Sorry, here's nnnnnnn air miles' reply.

I flew Upper Class once and got loads of points, but managed to let them expire and lost them all. I found out from someone who worked at Virgin some years later that if I'd called up nearer the time, they'd have restored them and given me a load more.

I guess it's all about how much a company values customer service, although I don't think giving points for no reason is necessarily good for the long-term as I'm sure people learned out to game the system which is probably why they aren't doing it today.

 

[Sonic1234]

It depends a lot on how much they value repeat business, what the regulatory constraints are and the image they try to project. Virgin Atlantic are a premium airline, hence the good customer service, even if it does cost them a bit.
Co-op: they want repeat business, but mostly fill a convenience niche or serve those that can't get to larger shops. Where else are you going to get milk at 9pm on a Sunday?
The railway, unfortunately, has taken the attitude that you're on the train because you have no better option. Capacity is constrained, so why spend the money endearing customers to us. Someone else will take your seat if you do give up on it.
Banks: highly competitive market and highly regulated. Ombudsman referalls cost banks serious money, and the FCA takes an interest in complaint statistics, so it pays them to buy off complainants early.

I once had cause to complain to McDonalds HQ and they couldn't care less. You can see why if you go to McDs especially at the weekend or in school holidays. They can't cope with the level of business they have. A customer saying "I'm never eating here again" isn't a bad thing for them, they could do with a few more customers abandoning them to cope with the demand. Consumers may in theory hold the power in the market, but with a large and growing population, an individual consumer's choice means very little (See also XC).

 

[Bald Rick]

I once had cause to complain to McDonalds HQ and they couldn't care less.

Yes I had cause to comllian, abou ttheir app, and it wasnear impossible to actually lodge a complaint. In the end Ihad to go to McDonalds US, and predictably that was the last I heard of it.

 

[Russel]

Yes I had cause to comllian, abou ttheir app, and it wasnear impossible to actually lodge a complaint. In the end Ihad to go to McDonalds US, and predictably that was the last I heard of it.

Have you been to the pub?

 

[styles]

There was a time when Virgin Atlantic used to chuck a very generous amount of miles to people who made any complaint, and I heard they might have even done it to a fair few people who wrote in to compliment the service but just got a standard 'Sorry, here's nnnnnnn air miles' reply.

I flew Upper Class once and got loads of points, but managed to let them expire and lost them all. I found out from someone who worked at Virgin some years later that if I'd called up nearer the time, they'd have restored them and given me a load more.

I guess it's all about how much a company values customer service, although I don't think giving points for no reason is necessarily good for the long-term as I'm sure people learned out to game the system which is probably why they aren't doing it today.

I think it's also about the British attitude of not asking, and not bartering.

Every year or other year (depending on contract length) for maybe 15 years my broadband provider has tried to put up my broadband by a silly amount. Call up, and they always manage to bring it back down, often to exactly what it was before, which is a real-terms cut. In fact the same is usually true for new customers.

You can bargain in shops, including supermarkets. I've done some very large shops for events before now and supervisors or managers have managed to apply up to 10% discounts. I've had discounts from Tesco, Currys, Staples, Argos off the top of my head, just by asking.

The same goes for airlines. A few years ago I was travelling back from a funeral, after which, after a series of trains owing to its remote location, I was shattered. When the checkin counter attendant asked how I was I was maybe a bit too honest that I felt like crap, and why! I wasn't fishing for anything, I was just tired and mentally dumped it on her a bit when asked. Anyway, she upgraded me to business, which meant I could at least get a lie-down bed instead of an upright seat and have a chance of sleeping. It was massively appreciated.

Of course, there's a tone to this as well, including when making complaints/grievances. The person in front of you dealing with your refund request in a supermarket when you've forgotten your receipt is following policy. You might find a way of getting around that policy with supervisor or manager discretion, but not if you start kicking off demanding things.

 

[Peter Sarf]

I think it's also about the British attitude of not asking, and not bartering.

Every year or other year (depending on contract length) for maybe 15 years my broadband provider has tried to put up my broadband by a silly amount. Call up, and they always manage to bring it back down, often to exactly what it was before, which is a real-terms cut. In fact the same is usually true for new customers.

You can bargain in shops, including supermarkets. I've done some very large shops for events before now and supervisors or managers have managed to apply up to 10% discounts. I've had discounts from Tesco, Currys, Staples, Argos off the top of my head, just by asking.

The same goes for airlines. A few years ago I was travelling back from a funeral, after which, after a series of trains owing to its remote location, I was shattered. When the checkin counter attendant asked how I was I was maybe a bit too honest that I felt like crap, and why! I wasn't fishing for anything, I was just tired and mentally dumped it on her a bit when asked. Anyway, she upgraded me to business, which meant I could at least get a lie-down bed instead of an upright seat and have a chance of sleeping. It was massively appreciated.

Of course, there's a tone to this as well, including when making complaints/grievances. The person in front of you dealing with your refund request in a supermarket when you've forgotten your receipt is following policy. You might find a way of getting around that policy with supervisor or manager discretion, but not if you start kicking off demanding things.

Agreed. I always try to keep the person on the front line on my side.

We once missed our National Express coach out of Victoria due to trespassers on the line we were taking from Croydon. At the kiosk was a "customer" in front giving the girl behind the counter a right verbal battering. When it was my turn I sternly said "right this is NOT your fault", smiled and explained my predicament. She rushed, booked us on the next imminent departure without bothering with admin fees etc etc.

Of course that customer service kiosk has now been dispensed with. A computer is not so human but I see people trying it on with the drivers - sometimes works but of course always has to be booked properly if the coach is in danger of picking up more passengers further along the route.

I get on with the staff in the Morrisons near to me. Some of them have hidden disabilities. Only yesterday I got chased by the butcher - with a reduced price lamb shoulder I might like.

What goes round comes round.

 

[londonbridge]

That's a low bar for being impressed in my view!

After being denied the discount twice, then trying to rationalise with a staff member, then sending an email to HQ, you were eventually given the 20p discount you were already entitled to?

I meant that I was impressed that they replied that quickly instead of taking several days.

 

[styles]

I meant that I was impressed that they replied that quickly instead of taking several days.

Sure, I get that, but, at least to me, I wouldn't have been impressed by the encounter as a whole. It would irk me if anything.

 

[londonbridge]

Yes, it was irritating at the time but it wasn’t worth getting into a major argument over 20p. The plus side is that my comments were dealt with quickly, so I’ll leave it at that.

 

[Russel]

Sure, I get that, but, at least to me, I wouldn't have been impressed by the encounter as a whole. It would irk me if anything.

It's usually worth taking a step back and asking yourself if something is really worth getting worked up...

I'd put loosing 20p of a bottle of milk in the "almost certainly never" category and continue with my day.

 

[Bald Rick]

Have you been to the pub?

No! It was infuriating, I kept being directed to ‘common problems’ or the chatbot, which couldn’t answer my problem (app kept logging me out), with no option to ask a non-template question and no way of contacting them otherwise.

 

[davehsug]

That's a low bar for being impressed in my view!

After being denied the discount twice, then trying to rationalise with a staff member, then sending an email to HQ, you were eventually given the 20p discount you were already entitled to?

I had a complaint about Morrison's giving me a free gift of some "Dots" doughnuts, which it turned out my local store doesn't stock anyway. I complained by email, and got an apology & 5,000 more points. The following week, they actually had some of the doughnuts, and the offer still being in my app, I collected them too! As it happens, I wasn't that impressed and much preferred Morrison's own!.

 

[styles]

I had a complaint about Morrison's giving me a free gift of some "Dots" doughnuts, which it turned out my local store doesn't stock anyway. I complained by email, and got an apology & 5,000 more points. The following week, they actually had some of the doughnuts, and the offer still being in my app, I collected them too! As it happens, I wasn't that impressed and much preferred Morrison's own!.

That's the thing - it costs these companies practically nothing to make gestures like this.

The lost profits on some doughnuts could be pennies, but the customer feels satisfied.

Someone once told me that at Timpson's, staff are given a budget of I think £500 per year to basically spend how they like in order to solve problems. Somebody comes in with a key which doesn't work but doesn't appear to be cut by Timpson's? Whatever, it costs a quid to do a new one anyway, comes from the £500 budget as it's outside the normal policy, customer leaves with a great impression (literally and metaphorically). Also keeps the staff happy because it avoids arguments with customers. Less than a minute to make a new key and they're gone whether they were trying it on or not. It gives the staff personal agency.

 

[The exile]

No! It was infuriating, I kept being directed to ‘common problems’ or the chatbot, which couldn’t answer my problem (app kept logging me out), with no option to ask a non-template question and no way of contacting them otherwise.

I suppose companies have worked out that for every customer that gets furious enough to take this further there are 15 who just give up. So many “markets” are anything but, with a load of equally poor companies treating their customers like dirt, that most people just shrug and get on with it.

 

[styles]

I suppose companies have worked out that for every customer that gets furious enough to take this further there are 15 who just give up. So many “markets” are anything but, with a load of equally poor companies treating their customers like dirt, that most people just shrug and get on with it.

I had this with a budget holiday operator, who I eventually took to court, and then got a writ of control to send bailiffs to their HQ. They paid up, but guarantee I was one of a group I could count on my hand who actually took it anywhere near that far and the rest just accepted their cancellation and pittance voucher.

 

[The exile]

I had this with a budget holiday operator, who I eventually took to court, and then got a writ of control to send bailiffs to their HQ. They paid up, but guarantee I was one of a group I could count on my hand who actually took it anywhere near that far and the rest just accepted their cancellation and pittance voucher.

Good for you. I’d almost certainly have given up.

 

[Russel]

I had this with a budget holiday operator, who I eventually took to court, and then got a writ of control to send bailiffs to their HQ. They paid up, but guarantee I was one of a group I could count on my hand who actually took it anywhere near that far and the rest just accepted their cancellation and pittance voucher.

You must have some serious time on your hands.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Must be a heatwave forecast!

Just been down to Tesco and all the freezers are being emptied. Aisle full of plastic trays themselves full of frozen peas (or whatever). I suppose it avoids waste but I'm not sure what this does for customer satisfaction. Got some decent ice cream lollies before they took those away and hid them out the back.

 

[Russel]

Must be a heatwave forecast!

Just been down to Tesco and all the freezers are being emptied. Aisle full of plastic trays themselves full of frozen peas (or whatever). I suppose it avoids waste but I'm not sure what this does for customer satisfaction. Got some decent ice cream lollies before they took those away and hid them out the back.

Given how the frequency of heatwaves are increasing year on year, let's hope this isn't their long term plan.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Given how the frequency of heatwaves are increasing year on year, let's hope this isn't their long term plan.

That was my point last time around. My local Tesco is a new installation, they really should have factored in 'climate change' in the specification. The old set up of 30 years never failed in multiple, just the odd individual unit. Someone needs a stand up interview without coffee, unless this is intentional and in future you can only have frozen product when the temperature is below 20 degrees C.

 

[jon0844]

That was my point last time around. My local Tesco is a new installation, they really should have factored in 'climate change' in the specification. The old set up of 30 years never failed in multiple, just the odd individual unit. Someone needs a stand up interview without coffee, unless this is intentional and in future you can only have frozen product when the temperature is below 20 degrees C.

On the unofficial Tesco staff Reddit page, it seems Tesco (and other supermarkets) bought freezers that had a choice of roof mounted heat pump - one being able to cope with higher temperatures than the other. I guess they all purchased the cheaper one and didn't consider the cost in ruined stock (and loss of sales, as well as customer anger) when all the freezers fail at once.

Obviously it may not be true and just postings from someone with a grudge, but the reality is that many supermarkets are losing freezers on these hot days and it surely shouldn't be a thing. Not that I know how big a problem it is for supermarkets in hotter countries, although I've never seen it on my travels.

 

[Russel]

On the unofficial Tesco staff Reddit page, it seems Tesco (and other supermarkets) bought freezers that had a choice of roof mounted heat pump - one being able to cope with higher temperatures than the other. I guess they all purchased the cheaper one and didn't consider the cost in ruined stock (and loss of sales, as well as customer anger) when all the freezers fail at once.

Obviously it may not be true and just postings from someone with a grudge, but the reality is that many supermarkets are losing freezers on these hot days and it surely shouldn't be a thing. Not that I know how big a problem it is for supermarkets in hotter countries, although I've never seen it on my travels.

As you say, it may not be true, but it does sound believable, as a whole we really have become incapable of long term thinking.

 

[Cambrian359]

That was my point last time around. My local Tesco is a new installation, they really should have factored in 'climate change' in the specification. The old set up of 30 years never failed in multiple, just the odd individual unit. Someone needs a stand up interview without coffee, unless this is intentional and in future you can only have frozen product when the temperature is below 20 degrees C.

Problem with newer systems they are specified lowest possible for energy efficiency so when things heat up there’s not much spare capacity for the refrigeration packs to kick out.
Also doesn’t help that many stores often have their refridgeration packs on the buildings roof in prime heat all day!

 

[Peter Sarf]

Problem with newer systems they are specified lowest possible for energy efficiency so when things heat up there’s not much spare capacity for the refrigeration packs to kick out.
Also doesn’t help that many stores often have their refridgeration packs on the buildings roof in prime heat all day!

I was just thinking knock up a white reflective roof over the heat exchangers on the roof.

Then I thought, how about sides and a cooling system to help keep the heat exchengers in this roof room, you know, cool...........

More seriously I have seen external heat exchangers being hozed down to help them (I think it was a hospital).