Punterization: Tesco's Systematic Error in Their Favour Pricing Policy

So now our annoyed criminologists is told that Tesco's habit of always overcharging is simply a random clustering of errors in their favour - and they make as many errors in our favour.

What do you think folks? Does that match your supermarket experience?

Below is the laest installment of the Tesco Spat

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Dear David

Thank you for your reply. I see that you have understood the nature of my complaint.

You see the problem is that I have been shopping at supermarkets for many years - as have my many friends. Never once have any of us (I can reassure you because I've checked) been undercharged for an item at the till. But we all have several experiences that are exactly the same as the one that led me to make this complaint. Namely, that we are always told that the reason the discount on the shelf was not applied at the till is because 'it's not yet in the system'.

Such mistakes are, of course, never identified when we have a basket full of shopping. Because, as I am sure Tesco is aware - most customers do not check the price of items against their till receipt. And so these errors make Tesco an undue profit as people pick up items (that otherwise they would not buy) that are a bargain but never get them at the bargain price. And I wonder whether these 'mistakes' are counted in your data - since no complaint is made?

I look forward over the coming years to find that my negative 'error in your favour' experience is simply a random effect and that over time things will even out so that several times this year I will be undercharged at the till for expensive bottles of wine that have been erroneously reduced by being 'filed in the wrong place' in your computerized system. I expect this to happen at least three times this year. I'm a bit of an optimist I suppose. I can't speak for my friends of course.

Tell you what I'll do David: over the next year I'll make a point of picking up a discounted bottle and a non-discounted expensive bottle of wine together every time I shop.

Now, according to your explanation we can propose the following hypothesis:

'We should expect an expensive bottle of wine - as priced on the shelf edge ticket - to be (wrongly) under priced at the checkout till as often as the discounted one - as priced on the shelf edge ticket - is (wrongly) not discounted at the till.'

This will be an interesting little study.If I'm disappointed, I'll be back in touch.

Kind regards

Mike Sutton

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From: David.Harmon@uk.tesco.com
To: drmikesutton@hotmail.com
Date: Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:36:51 +0000
Subject: Tesco Nottingham Metro

Dear Dr. Sutton,

I have been passed your details by our Customer Service Centre following the recent overcharge issue you had in my store.

I am sorry you had a pricing error in store as I know the frustration and annoyance this causes.

We are working hard to minimise and eliminate all pricing errors from our store operation and hopefully the processes and policies outlined below will give you greater confidence that we take this issue seriously.

We record every pricing error in the store and reason code its source - either through a cashier double scanning a product, a product being replenished in the incorrect place, the tills scanning a different price to the displayed shelf edge label or a promotion offer not working through the tills.

We then go through the pricing errors at our daily meeting and discuss the remedial action we need to take for example retraining of a cashier or the removal of products from sale if a promotion offer is not scanning.

The store and each Manager has their own Action Plan to reduce pricing errors on their department which is reviwed weekly.

Our pricing routines are audited externally on an annual basis the result of which was favourable. In addition the volume of pricing errors in store is a key performance management measure which the store is performing well against - our current performance is one error per 8444 Customers.

The administration of changing prices and ensuring our checkout and labelling systems are aligned is facilitated by Head Office. We are aware that too many mistakes are being made in administering these changes - all are down to human input errors. I am aware the a Senior Manager has been seconded to resolve this issue as we know how important it is to maintain accurate pricing.

In relation to the overcharge for the bottle of wine the error was caused by a member of staff filling a similar albeit more expensive bottle of wine in the wrong place. All staff on this department have had refresher training to minimise such errors occurring.

Our policy to protect Customer's against the pricing errors we make is to offer the product for free and give double the difference of the error. It would seem that you were not offered this at the time for which I apologise. If you can supply your address I can arrange for this to be added to a Tesco gift card and posted to you.

I hope to have reassured you that we are committed to ensuring Customers have accurate prices and that when we do make mistakes we deal with them in a fair and appropriate manner

Apologies again for the inconvenience this has caused and if I can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate in contacting me.

Regards

David Harmon

(Store Manager)

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Dear Mike

Thank you for your reply.

I am sorry that you remain unhappy with my responses. Unfortunately, despite the amount of correspondence on this issue, it seems that I have been unable to resolve your complaint satisfactorily.

After discussing this matter fully with my supervisor and viewing the information that was sent to you, I am sorry that you feel I have been dishonest in my approach to your complaint. We do read all the correspondence that is sent to us before answering our customers.

However, if you wish to find out further information regarding the stores pricing targets, this would be an issue that you would need to address with the store. When I spoke to James he did advise that you could speak to a manager and they would gladly be able to help.

Kind regards

Sharon Donnelly

Tesco Customer Service

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THURSDAY, 9 FEBRUARY 2012

Punterization: Tesco's Systematic Error in Their Favour Pricing Policy

TESCO IS PUNTERISING CUSTOMERS WITH ITS PRICE CUTTING SYSTEMATIC ERROR IN ITS FAVOUR POLICY

Punterization describes well any treatment whereby customers of a service suffer rather than benefit as a result of sub-standard advice, attitudes and policies

Mike's email spat with Tesco's Customer Complaints Department is getting interesting. Spot their extra dishonesty: See how "Dear Valued Customers" Get Double-Punterization Points at Tesco

• 
  Tesco(customerservice@tesco.co.uk)

RE: TES1104425NI: Re your recent enquiry

Dear Sharron

Forgive me. I might be living in a parallel universe where what someone writes is considered as normally the opposite of what they mean. If that is the case then when you wrote: "I will then be able to investigate this issue, and to make sure that all of the shelf edge labels have the correct price on them in future." What I was supposed to interpret this to mean is not that you actually understood that the shelf labels were NOT wrong, but that you understood the computerized price system entry was wrong at the checkout till and that is what you were explaining.

If, however, despite shopping at Tesco and having to deal with apparently dishonest Customer Complaints service personnel as well as a their systematically dishonest employer I am not living in a weird - whatever people write they mean the opposite parallel universe - then I would like to register a second complaint with your service to add to my compliant about the systematic error in its favor policy that Tesco operates. Could you please put my complaint through to someone who can understand it and answer it?

For the record, do any of the prices that people get charged at the till fall below that advertised on the shelf edge labels? Is that something that Tesco managers have a to be within their targets for? A straight answer would be much appreciated. I ask this question because I am beginning to realize it might be a better way for you to understand the nature - or even the essential meaning of my original complaint. Which, for the record you have totally failed to deal with or even try to correctly understand or answer.

Kind regards

Dr Mike Sutton

Subject: TES1104425NI: Re your recent enquiry
From: customerservice@tesco.co.uk
To: drmikesutton@hotmail.com
Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2012 11:59:43 +0000

Dear Valued Customer

Thank you for your reply.

I can assure you that I did read your email, I asked you to confirm the name of the wine you noticed was incorrectly priced i.e. it was scanning at a different price to the price on the shelf. I am sorry if this was misinterpreted.

As a result, I have spoken to James, the Duty Manager at the store. He was most apologetic that this situation occurred.

There is a Price Integrity team in the store that constantly monitor special offers and promotions on a daily basis to ensure that our customers are always charged the correct price. Furthermore, our Store Managers’ receive daily updates notifying them of any discrepancies with regard to the pricing of special offers.

James explained that each store has to meet a target to ensure the pricing of items is correct, and the store is within its targets. However, he will raise this with his colleagues to make sure the store is extra vigilant in the future. James also said that if you realise there is a mistake with pricing, do not hesitate to speak to a manager and they will arrange for it to be changed as soon as possible.

Thank you very much for bringing this to our attention, we'd much rather know if something's wrong, so we can put it right as soon as possible. Your feedback will always be appreciated, so please do not hesitate to contact us again if you feel we can help in any way.

Kind regards

Sharon Donnelly
Tesco Customer Service

TUESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2012

Consumer law change needed

We thought you might like to see the on-going exchange between Mike and Tesco re their "systematic error in their favor" pricing policy.

The emails below are awaiting reply from Tesco Customer Services (we'll publish them/it as soon as we get them/it). First a Tesco supermarket and then Tesco Complaints service have really got our favorite tame criminologist wound up tighter than a rubber band on a toy airplane

As you can see - he is now not only complaining about Tesco's bent "systematic error in their favor" rip-off, he is now complaining to the Complaints Service about the Complaints Service.

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I WISH TO REGISTER A COMPLAINT!

I filled in a customer complaint at https://www.tescocomments.com/

Here is what I wrote: and it is followed by what your customer services person wrote back by way of reply. Clearly she never read my complaint – or else failed to comprehend its simple message. I would like to know (1) what Tesco intends to do about its systematically bent practice of putting price reductions on the ticket prices displayed on its shelves before said reductions are entered into its computerised system – since this leads to a systematic over-charging error in its favour at the checkout till and (2) what Tesco intends to do about its appalling complaints service. A reply from someone who has actually read the first complaint and this second additional complaint properly would be somewhat appreciated and appropriate to a complaints service that is set up for the purposes of rectifying problems rather than simply winding customers up even further.

To customerservice@tesco.co.uk - from Dr Mike Sutton

Please read my complaint again. If you do you will see that the problem - as I very clearly stated in capital letters - is that it WAS correctly labelled on the shelf. It WAS NOT (as is so often the case - due to your systematic policy) entered into the "system" that registers the bar code on the product at the till. The excuse we customers always get in such frequent circumstances is the old "I'm sorry it is not yet entered into the system".

So once again, let me advise you how to prevent such systematic "error in your favour" dishonesty in future: (please note my advice is in capital letters once again: ENTER IT INTO YOUR SYSTEM BEFORE YOU PUT THE REDUCTION PRICE TAG ON THE SHELF.

Really - it's that simple. Do you understand this yet?

By the way it was a bottle of Rioja Reserva.

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Dear Valued Customer

Thank you for your email.

I'm sorry to learn that you were nearly overcharged when you visited our Nottingham store. I can understand how annoying this must have been for you.

May I take this opportunity to assure you that we recognise the responsibilities we have to our customers and would not deliberately mislead them and or be anything less than open in our approach with our pricing.

This is a matter I would like to bring to the stores attention, so I would be grateful if you could confirm the name of the wine you noticed was incorrectly priced?

I will then be able to investigate this issue, and to make sure that all of the shelf edge labels have the correct price on them in future.

Thank you for bringing this to my attention, and I look forward to hearing from you at your convenience.

Kind regards

Sharon Donnelly
Tesco Customer Service



.................. Original Message ..................

To: customer.service@tesco.co.uk

Received: 05/02/2012

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Original email from Mike to Tesco

I filled in a customer complaint at https://www.tescocomments.com/survey/thanks

Here is what I wrote:

Like so many times in the past I chose a bottle of wine that was half price (£6.49p) only to be told at the till that the price is £15.99 - and the member of staff has to walk to the isle and check the bar code and see the ticket to come back and give me the discount. How many people with a basket full of shopping are not picking up on this "accidental" systematic con? You are duping customers (systematic error in your favour) by putting the discount on the shelf BEFORE you enter it into the system. Here's how to stop this error in your favour: PUT THE DISCOUNT IN THE SYSTEM BEFORE YOU PUT THE TICKET REDUCTION ON THE SHELF!!! It's not rocket science - it's called honesty.

TUESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2012

Consumer law change needed

We thought you might like to see the on-going exchange between Mike and Tesco re their "systematic error in their favor" pricing policy.

The emails below are awaiting reply from Tesco Customer Services (we'll publish them/it as soon as we get them/it). First a Tesco supermarket and then Tesco Complaints service have really got our favorite tame criminologist wound up tighter than a rubber band on a toy airplane

As you can see - he is now not only complaining about Tesco's bent "systematic error in their favor" rip-off, he is now complaining to the Complaints Service about the Complaints Service.

££££££££££££££££

I WISH TO REGISTER A COMPLAINT!

I filled in a customer complaint at https://www.tescocomments.com/

Here is what I wrote: and it is followed by what your customer services person wrote back by way of reply. Clearly she never read my complaint – or else failed to comprehend its simple message. I would like to know (1) what Tesco intends to do about its systematically bent practice of putting price reductions on the ticket prices displayed on its shelves before said reductions are entered into its computerised system – since this leads to a systematic over-charging error in its favour at the checkout till and (2) what Tesco intends to do about its appalling complaints service. A reply from someone who has actually read the first complaint and this second additional complaint properly would be somewhat appreciated and appropriate to a complaints service that is set up for the purposes of rectifying problems rather than simply winding customers up even further.

To customerservice@tesco.co.uk - from Dr Mike Sutton

Please read my complaint again. If you do you will see that the problem - as I very clearly stated in capital letters - is that it WAS correctly labelled on the shelf. It WAS NOT (as is so often the case - due to your systematic policy) entered into the "system" that registers the bar code on the product at the till. The excuse we customers always get in such frequent circumstances is the old "I'm sorry it is not yet entered into the system".

So once again, let me advise you how to prevent such systematic "error in your favour" dishonesty in future: (please note my advice is in capital letters once again: ENTER IT INTO YOUR SYSTEM BEFORE YOU PUT THE REDUCTION PRICE TAG ON THE SHELF.

Really - it's that simple. Do you understand this yet?

By the way it was a bottle of Rioja Reserva.

£££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££

Dear Valued Customer

Thank you for your email.

I'm sorry to learn that you were nearly overcharged when you visited our Nottingham store. I can understand how annoying this must have been for you.

May I take this opportunity to assure you that we recognise the responsibilities we have to our customers and would not deliberately mislead them and or be anything less than open in our approach with our pricing.

This is a matter I would like to bring to the stores attention, so I would be grateful if you could confirm the name of the wine you noticed was incorrectly priced?

I will then be able to investigate this issue, and to make sure that all of the shelf edge labels have the correct price on them in future.

Thank you for bringing this to my attention, and I look forward to hearing from you at your convenience.

Kind regards

Sharon Donnelly
Tesco Customer Service



.................. Original Message ..................

To: customer.service@tesco.co.uk

Received: 05/02/2012

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Original email from Mike to Tesco

I filled in a customer complaint at https://www.tescocomments.com/survey/thanks

Here is what I wrote:

Like so many times in the past I chose a bottle of wine that was half price (£6.49p) only to be told at the till that the price is £15.99 - and the member of staff has to walk to the isle and check the bar code and see the ticket to come back and give me the discount. How many people with a basket full of shopping are not picking up on this "accidental" systematic con? You are duping customers (systematic error in your favour) by putting the discount on the shelf BEFORE you enter it into the system. Here's how to stop this error in your favour: PUT THE DISCOUNT IN THE SYSTEM BEFORE YOU PUT THE TICKET REDUCTION ON THE SHELF!!! It's not rocket science - it's called honesty.

Mike Sutton

SUNDAY, 5 FEBRUARY 2012

New Consumer Law Required: Tesco still playing the old systematic error in their favour con

Duffers Edge

DUFFER'S EDGE WANTS A CHANGE IN THE LAW

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2012

Tesco are at it again: we need a law to ban this kind of systematic error in their favour

I filled in a customer complaint athttps://www.tescocomments.com/survey/thanks

Here is what I wrote:

Like so many times in the past I chose a bottle of wine that was half price (£6.49p) only to be told at the till that the price is £15.99 - and the member of staff has to walk to the isle and check the bar code and see the ticket to come back and give me the discount. How many people with a basket full of shopping are not picking up on this "accidental" systematic con? You are duping customers (systematic error in your favour) by putting the discount on the shelf BEFORE you enter it into the system. Here's how to stop this error in your favour: PUT THE DISCOUNT IN THE SYSTEM BEFORE YOU PUT THE TICKET REDUCTION ON THE SHELF!!! It's not rocket science - it's called honesty.

Mike Sutton