Me vs. Tesco (prices in sterling???)

Miguel_Sanchez

Went shopping in Tesco on the Headford Rd. in Galway yesterday. Among my shoopping were two chicken alfredo microwave dinners which were marked down from 2.99 to 1.99 (There was a big sticker on the pack which showed no other price)

I noticed at the checkout that there were being scanned in at a higher price so I queried it and was told that I'd have to go to Customer Service to get the difference back. Fine.

I went to customer service and they pointed out that the price label had been in Pounds Sterling so I had been charged the right price. When I asked why they were allowed to display sterling prices with no euro price I was told very rudely that it was an English company so they were entitled to.

It seems highly dubious to me and I would think that there must be some sort of law preventing this sort of practice as when one looks at a price in an Irish shop you presume it's in euros and bring it to the counter without actually taking notcie of the pound sign.

Anyone know?

seamus

Nope, they're completely in the wrong. All products must have the price in euro displayed beside them, or on the packet, as well as the unit price per kilo.

It can have Sterling near it too, it's irrelevant, but the price in euros must be displayed. If the euro price is on the shelf edge, then they have more weight, but if the price on the packet wasn't marked as STG£ then they're wholly and completely in the wrong.

Miguel_Sanchez

That's what I thought alright. I was in too much of a rush to get back to college to start arguing and looking for the manager which I normally would have done.

They're now added to my list of companies that have wronged me. Vodafone being my number one enemy at the moment.

Me Vs. Vodafone

maxheadroom

but, the fact is that the price on the price label is just an invitation to treat, and they can charge you whatever the hell they like at the till (you always have the option of saying you don't want it). In this cae though, given that you were told that the price in the till was incorrect and you based your decision to purchace on that fact, they either have to give you a refund or the difference back.

Miguel_Sanchez

Originally posted by maxheadroom
but, the fact is that the price on the price label is just an invitation to treat, and they can charge you whatever the hell they like at the till (you always have the option of saying you don't want it).

I'm sure there's a law somewhere saying that a shop has to sell you an item at the price advertised on the shelf. Tesco ran into a lot of trouble when they first came to Ireland for hiking up prices at the till as far as I remember.

And it's scanned through the till before you know that the price is higher and then it's a huge rigmarole for them to refund it.

hussey

The Tesco near me (artane shopping centre) has a no quibble money back guarantee, so if an item is wrongly priced you get the Item + goods

I once bought 2 crates for a party, as I had a car so bought everyones drink, they had the price wrong by 1quid

the sign had just gone up in teh window, before we purchased it, when we got there paid for it .. realised they over charged us,and received money back .. Happy days .. got about 50quid worth of free beer

Lump

Originally posted by maxheadroom
but, the fact is that the price on the price label is just an invitation to treat, and they can charge you whatever the hell they like at the till (you always have the option of saying you don't want it). In this cae though, given that you were told that the price in the till was incorrect and you based your decision to purchace on that fact, they either have to give you a refund or the difference back.

HA HA HA, a treat???!!! Its called false advertising if you advertise anything cheaper, looking different, saying it carries out a function it doesn't etc. You can't have the price marked on an item and then turn around and charge more for it. You can sue a company if they do that......... (Mong)


Oh I did business in school, we did a section on false advertising, I'm not just whittering on about nothing.




John

Elmo

61c (This is an est.) is €1 so 1.99 sterling is €3.26 how much did you pay for the product.

I went to customer service and they pointed out that the price label had been in Pounds Sterling so I had been charged the right price. When I asked why they were allowed to display sterling prices with no euro price I was told very rudely that it was an English company so they were entitled to.

They recently put more laws on supermarket changes about how they display pricing in Ireland so while Tesco maybe an English company they have to abide by Irish and European Law when selling Ireland. I am sure Tesco Ireland aren't to happy with an employ saying their an english company.

The New Law (Thanks Seamus)

Nope, they're completely in the wrong. All products must have the price in euro displayed beside them, or on the packet, as well as the unit price per kilo.

damnyanks

Originally posted by maxheadroom
but, the fact is that the price on the price label is just an invitation to treat, and they can charge you whatever the hell they like at the till (you always have the option of saying you don't want it). In this cae though, given that you were told that the price in the till was incorrect and you based your decision to purchace on that fact, they either have to give you a refund or the difference back.

Isnt that just junior cert baloney ?

seamus

Originally posted by damnyanks
Isnt that just junior cert baloney ?

Yep. maxheadroom, the correct price must be displayed at the shelf edge.

Incorrect prices charged at the till will result, at best, in bad opinions, and at worst in a criminal prosecution.

sceptre

Originally posted by damnyanks
Isnt that just junior cert baloney ?

More like first year contract law

pickarooney

I used to go around Tesco when they first opened picking up any items with no prices on (there were loads) and items with two price stickers on (there were loads). Invariably the higher price would be charged and I'd bring the item to the customer service checkout for my money back and the free product. I reckoned if more people did it they'd eventually cop themselves on, but alas no, they have a fairly complacent customer base in Ireland.

"Ah sure we should be glad they're even willing to trade with us". Or worse

"The shower o' thievin' baxters, if I could get me hands on them!" as opposed to exercising your consumer rights.

Miguel_Sanchez

Originally posted by Elmo
61c (This is an est.) is €1 so 1.99 sterling is €3.26 how much did you pay for the product.


I paid 2.89 for them I believe. But I bought two because I thought I was getting them for 1.99 euro.

I think I'm going to complain to Tesco and see if I can get anything out of them.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Silverfish

Not true at all. There is no obligation to sell anything at the price on the shelf as long as the price being wrong on the shelf is an accident and not diliberately misleading pricing

AFAIK, this is NOT true, otherwise they can always claim it was an accident.

There was a very interesting case with Tesco where stock was being moved around on shelves, as you do, and ended up above price stickers for a different product.
They were fined for displaying incorrect prices.

From my retail studies we found that where there is a price sterling on a product, and no other price displayed, the sterling price MUST be covered with a local currency price sticker.

In further studies in several major retailers, Tesco actually came out the best, in that I purchased an item of a certain weight, the price displayed directly below it was that of a lower weight. There were none of the lower weight items on the shelf.
When I went to the till, it scanned in at the correct, higher price. I went to the customer service desk, and they went and checked where the product had been, some of the items were above the correct shelf edge label, some were above the incorrect one.

So, they gave me the item for free, as they admitted it was their error, if there is no more of a product remaining on a shelf, the shelf edge label must be removed.

Basically, if there was no sticker over the sterling price, and no shelf edge label directly beneath the item, it's their lookout, not yours.

The customer should not have to hunt for the correct price prior to selecting the item for purchase.

CuLT

Beligerence gets you EVERYWHERE in the supermarket world. They still abide by "The customer is always right" and the less known,
"If s staff memeber accuses a customer of being WRONG they are in big ass trouble". Learned that one at my first job with Superquinn.

If you complain and stick by your guns you will be accepted as being in the right. Had a minor problem with Tescos a while back when they charged me extra for a "3 for 2" offer. I complained, the price was checked (afaik) and I was charged at the "3 for 2" price.

I only later realised that I had been quite wrong, that the 3 for 2 thing didn't apply to my purchases... but the sign was misleading...

Victor

Regarding "invitations to treat", most of the common / contract law has been overridden by statute & regualtion.

Read http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=79725

"selling price" means the final price in euro,including value-added tax and all other taxes, for a unit of a product, or a given quantity of a product;

Just mention the €3,000 fine for misleading pricing.

Originally posted by Jeff_Lebowski
When I asked why they were allowed to display sterling prices with no euro price I was told very rudely that it was an English company so they were entitled to.

Then just start a rant about how we fought the 'tans' once and that we will rise up again....

Elmo

I paid 2.89 for them I believe. But I bought two because I thought I was getting them for 1.99 euro.

But the product ended up being cheaper in Ireland due to the exchange rate.

Did the sticker have 1.99 or £1.99?

If it says £1.99 you owe them 37c or so.

Miguel_Sanchez

Originally posted by Elmo
If it says £1.99 you owe them 37c or so.

Damn - do you think they'll take a cheque?

Victor

Originally posted by Elmo
If it says £1.99 you owe them 37c or so.

No, if it says "£1.99", there is no valid price, so under Tesco's no quibble policy they owe him.

A little note to their head office might work wonders (and pay you).

WhiteWashMan

to be honest, as a student, i'd think you had better things like study to be doing than complaining about getting done for a few cents and then spending half your time whining on boards about it.

of course, i suppose you could be playing cs, so i will thank god for small mercies....

Elmo

Damn - do you think they'll take a cheque?

You're the person compaining so there is no need to get sarcastic. It's only 32c.

Did you read the article in the Sunday Tribune today about the CEO of Tesco Ireland.


Why do these Multinationals always put one of their own to run their local companies? Usually someone who has not got a clue about Ireland.

Victor

Originally posted by Elmo
Why do these Multinationals always put one of their own to run their local companies?

Actually they hung on to a lot of the senior management for several years.

Part of it is they are simply rotating management between areas (compared to the size of Tesco, moving from Manchester to Ireland is no different to moving from Manchester to Bristol)

Elmo

What about Ireland to Manchester?

And As far as I know Ireland is a country and manchester is a city, Big differance.

Actually they hung on to a lot of the senior management for several years.

Where they let go, told to go or Transfered?

Maruice Pratt is working for C&C, I would say he was given a nod and a wink and told of F off. Just like Dennis O'Brien. But then they got big cheques to make it look like they resigned on their own.

Victor

Originally posted by Elmo
What about Ireland to Manchester? And As far as I know Ireland is a country and manchester is a city, Big differance.

Population Ireland 4 million. Population greater Manchester 5 million. Is Ireland a country?

Originally posted by Elmo
Where they let go, told to go or Transfered?

eh?

Originally posted by Elmo
Maruice Pratt is working for C&C

How many people are working for the same company they worked for 5 years ago? He did stay on for 2-3 years which is probably the exception rather than the rule. Other directors / senior managers also stayed.

Originally posted by Elmo
I would say he was given a nod and a wink and told of F off. Just like Dennis O'Brien. But then they got big cheques to make it look like they resigned on their own.

You are just being paranoid and irrational here.

Miguel_Sanchez

Originally posted by WhiteWashMan
to be honest, as a student, i'd think you had better things like study to be doing than complaining about getting done for a few cents and then spending half your time whining on boards about it.

LOL - are you serious?

Since when do students spend all their time studying?

And plus, it's not the money that I'm pissed off about it's the fact that Tesco can get away with doing stuff like this and the way I was dealt with when I queried it.

So - to be honest, I think I have every right to complain and I don't consider my post 'whining' at all.

Elmo

How many people are working for the same company they worked for 5 years ago? He did stay on for 2-3 years which is probably the exception rather than the rule. Other directors / senior managers also stayed.

How long was Maurice Pratt in Quinnsworth before it became Tesco nearly 15 years, fine maybe he needed a change but when you get older you tend to stay in the job that you are in its not like if you are 23 and have no family.(Yes I know Mr. Pratt is well known and respected therefore it was unlikely that he would not get a new job).

Why would Dennis O'Brien leave a company behind if he wasn't told to go, and I know BT bought him out but why wasn't he kept on or replace by the man below him?

You are just being paranoid and irrational here.

If I am tell me where the CEOs of these Irish companies are from:-

NTL
Esat BT (o2)
TV3
Tesco
Vodafone etc.

rubadub

Originally posted by hussey
The Tesco near me (artane shopping centre) has a no quibble money back guarantee, so if an item is wrongly priced you get the Item + goods

I once bought 2 crates for a party, as I had a car so bought everyones drink, they had the price wrong by 1quid

the sign had just gone up in teh window, before we purchased it, when we got there paid for it .. realised they over charged us,and received money back .. Happy days .. got about 50quid worth of free beer

you can screw tesco (deservedly!) for their own policy. if you buy something and you are charged the wrong price do NOT go back to customer complaints. go home or to your car, come back and buy all of that product that you can afford (hopefully spirits, cigarettes, - high cost per weight) then pay as normal and go and complain and get it for free. i know a guy whose freezer was packed with burgers for months. another method is fill a trolley with various beers and go up to the in-store price scanner, most tescos have these. scan all your beer, and if you find one thats priced wrongly -JACKPOT! i mostly find dairy products are priced wrongly, a lot of the time the "3 for 2" type offers do not register at the till.