tesco, you really are a bunch of arseholes

We all know that tesco have hit a bit of a slump over the past couple of years, for goodness sake even the likes of Aldi and Lidl are, on floor space and cost alone, giving them a hiding on the number of bums through the door each week, and is it any wonder.

They still continue to serve up the same old sorry and worn out ideas to try and tempt us through the door and then they still  give you the same shabby service and not just in-store either. Tesco mobile has to be one of the worst customer service providers out there.  You'd think that even with having call centres based in the UK that service would be top class but no, that is not the case.

And yet, time after time and disappointment after disappointment  I still try and give them a second and a third and a fourth chance, but just when do you give up on them.....

Earlier this year I visited tesco Thurrock on a Saturday, I had a couple of the grand kids visiting for the weekend. And while there we decided to purchase a couple of DVD's. We got one for the kids at about £7 or £8 and one for me about £15. On arriving home the kids wanted to watch their video so once we got settled in it went. Didn't work!  Tried the one bought for the biggies, worked, tried a couple more of the shelf, just to make sure it wasn't the player, it wasn't!

So off I trot back to tesco with dodgy DVD and receipt in the knowledge that I have been provided with faulty goods under the Sales of Goods Act  as described in the preceding link to aWhich? article.

When you buy goods it means you've entered into a contract with the seller of these goods. 

This means that under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 goods must be:

• as described,
• of satisfactory quality, and
• fit for purpose – this means both their everyday purpose, and also any specific purpose that you agreed with the seller (for example, if you specifically asked for a printer that would be compatible with your computer).

Goods sold must also match any sample you were shown in-store, or any description in a brochure.

Who to complain to

If your goods fail to meet any of the above criteria then you could have a claim under the Sale of Goods Act.  

If you want to make a claim under the Sale of Goods Act you have several possible ways of resolving your issue, depending on the circumstances and on what you want done.

Your rights are against the retailer – the company that sold you the product – not the manufacturer, and so you must make any claim against the retailer. 

However, the Sale of Goods Act doesn't apply to goods you've bought on hire purchase (HP). 

Instead the Supply of Goods Implied Terms Act 1973 applies, which makes the HP company responsible for the quality of the goods supplied and gives you slightly different rights.

If you want your money back

If you buy a product that turns out to be faulty, you can choose to reject it which means you can give it back and get your money back. 

But, the law only gives you a reasonable time to do this – what's reasonable depends on the product and how obvious the fault is.  YOU'D THINK MY COUPLE OF HOURS WAS OK THEN!

However, even with major purchases or complex items, it’s safest to work on the basis you usually have no more than three to four weeks from when you receive it to reject it.

So, knowing that and taking it back within a cpl of hours you'd think, NO PROBLEM, not on your nelly.  tesco staff in Thurrock insisted that they would not and could not give a refund, even in the face of the law and started citing some crap about copyright law!!! I assumed they think that you buy it, take it home and copy it, and then return it. Even although I had my receipt showing I purchased two videos and I was returning the one that was the cheapest, just how stupid and asinine are the people employed in these stores?  I was going to go to trading standards on the following Monday but when I got home I phoned their customer services, explained the situation and of my intention to inform Trading standards.  They were actually, on that occasion quite helpful and agreed that the store was incorrect and agreed to make a refund to my card.  But it shouldn't have taken the phone call in the first place and it then shouldn't have taken 5 days to make the refund....

The latest escapade which shows them to be incompetent idiots is with tesco mobile.

I am not a big fan of mobiles in the first place but they do have there uses.  Up until recently and by that I mean about two years ago, I had a bog standard one, but Ishbel and the kids kept going on to me about getting a smart phone.  Not using a mobile enough to get one on contract I looked around and opted for a pay as you go HTC from Tesco.  Not a bad wee phone and you got additional free credit when topping up.

A pain in the butt with all the preloaded stuff and numbers that I was never going to use and which you can't get rid of in the address book, but what the hell.

Everything seemed to go OK and then you start getting all these stupid text messages from them advertising this that and the other and informing you when your balance is getting low and advising you to top up again.  And when do they send these messages, well normally at the weekend when you are trying to have a lie in. Yes early on a Saturday morning AND YOU CANT TURN THEM OFF.   

Now if anyone out there is on a pay as you go, with anyone, you will know that after every call or text you make or send, that the phone operator automatically flashes a message to your screen telling you how much the call cost and how much your balance is SO WHY DO TESCO ALSO NEED TO SEND A TEXT ON A SATURDAY MORNING???????

Now I should point out at the end of these texts they do include a little message stating that if you want to stop them you should call 2702 to get the texts stopped.  The only problem with that is there isn't actually an option within that, that I can find, which allows you to do this!

You then call customer (unhelpful) services, Nicola, and explain the problem to her including the fact that when you get through to 2702 there isn't the promised option!

Nicola: we can do that for you now, just need to take you through security

Me: ok

Nicola: your mobile number

Me: give it her 

Nicola: Your balance 

Me: What?

Nicola: I need your current balance 

Me: What, don't be ridiculous, they only way I can get that is by hanging up dialling the number for the balance and then calling back and then I will get someone else and have to go through it all again.  If you really are CS and care about the customer and sorting their issues out why don't you call me back in about 30-40 seconds as it will only take about 10 seconds to do that?

Nicola: No. we can't make outgoing calls

Me: getting really rat arsed now But say is that all I need

Nicola: Yes and I will make sure notes are up to date on your file (I have a file) so the next person knows what it is all about!

Hang up get my balance and call again

Ryan: how may I help

Me: give him my name and number and say there should be a note on 'my file' from Nicola

Ryan: I see that I just need to take you through security

Me: (to myself) Oh my fucking god ) I've just been through this and all you need is the balance, which I give him

Ryan: Thanks, now When did you last top up, where did you last top up, how much did you last top up with, how did you pay for it, cash or card........

As you can imagine I went ballistic   I think I had every right to.  This is just downright fucking stupid.  It is a pay as you go mobile phone with the owner just wishing to have stupid text messages being sent to his phone stopped.  

I understand the need for security, I really do, but this is just taking it to ridiculous levels.  Even if someone had stolen the phone, are they likely to want to go through this much pain and crap just to get a text message stopped, NO, not bloody likely.  They would have sold it on or changed the sim card for a 50p one they would have bought down the market at the same time as they had the phone unlocked, which is what I will probably be doing so that I can put someone else's pay as you go sim card in rather than continue to suffer at the hands of this appalling company

TESCO YOU REALLY DO SUCK IN EVERY DPT  and people count your blessings I am not telling you about the mattress problems I was getting for the grand childrens new beds recently