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AIBU?

To think just offering a refund is not enough?

63 replies

CircleofWillis · 04/08/2016 04:18

I went to a nationwide supermarket yesterday and bought a trolley full of shopping including some kiddy food ready meals that were on offer. My DD is a bit of a fussy eater so I thought I'd have a go at offering her new foods without the effort and pain of having to cook and probably throw away a home cooked meal. (I normally cook everything from scratch so this is a bit of a departure for me.) When I got home I discovered one of the ready meals was dated best before end April 2015. The product contains beef but does not need chilling. I immediately called up the store to warn them. I got through to customer services who apologised and offered a refund. I had to suggest they should check the rest of stock and they said they would and would have hung up if I hadn't asked 'don't you want the details about the product?' I insisted on giving the name of the item and then the assistant did go and check to make sure there was nothing left on the shelves. I also gave the barcode and asked if there was any way they could check to see if any more out of date ones had been sold. Not sure if that was possible on the system but the assistant really didn't seem concerned or proactive considering children could have been eating a meat product 16 months out of date. Am I being too fussy? I'm not someone who throws food away the moment of midnight on their bbe but 16 MONTHS!!! I think just offering a flat refund is a bit paltry too. To me it suggests that their whole storage and stock rotation and staff training needs monitoring.

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DonaldTrumpTriggersSJWlol · 04/08/2016 04:21

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Sirzy · 04/08/2016 04:40

I don't know what more you wanted tbh?

Yes it was wrong and the shop certainly need to check things out on their level but they refunded you the product, thankfully it hasn't been eaten so what else did you expect from them?

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CircleofWillis · 04/08/2016 04:51

Sirzy, it isn't the money. I haven't been refunded yet and probably won't get to go back until next week for my next shop. I had the conversation over the phone. I wanted them to take the risk of a child eating potentially dangerous food seriously. I felt I had to walk the customer services assistant through very obvious safety procedures. She didn't even ask what the product was. I also thought she might consult a manager and take my details. And maybe even thank me for alerting them to the situation.

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Tanfastic · 04/08/2016 04:54

I'd have asked for a refund pointing out that it was way out of date and left it at that.

It's in their hands then isn't it? not sure what else you can do to be honest. I once found shards of glass in minced beef from a large supermarket chain. I got a refund but they weren't the least bit interested when I showed them the glass and they might want to check the rest of the batch.

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puglife15 · 04/08/2016 05:09

I think yanbu op

They should have shown you they were taking it seriously, reassured you they would review restocking processes, taken your details etc.

I doubt that an ambient product even 16 months out of date would do any harm but some foods if out of date really could.

Tanfastic I would have done everything in my power to get them to guarantee they would check that batch. I would have escalated it if I felt the person I'd told wasnt taking it seriously and/or contacted head office. Someone could be seriously hurt.

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TheDropBear · 04/08/2016 05:19

If it's best before rather than use by it won't be dangerous just not at the best quality.
And I think it's legal to sell food past the best before, approved foods does.
It's annoying and not really expected to be sold at a regular supermarket but offering a refund is reasonable.

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insancerre · 04/08/2016 05:52

Best before refers to the quality of the food not the safety
It is perfectly legal to sell food past its best before date
You won't get Ill
Yabu and a bit hysterical

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PitilessYank · 04/08/2016 05:54

CofW I'm quite happy that you were assertive and on-the-ball in reporting the expired food. It makes me happy to think that you were looking out for the public health like that. (Especially since I often fail to check expiration dates. I once got sick eating five year-past expired cheese from a friend's fridge. Her mom was a hoarder and had lots of expired food, I found out later...)

Nice job.Star

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Whatthefreakinwhatnow · 04/08/2016 05:58

Yabu and a bit hysterical

This!

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Amelie10 · 04/08/2016 06:00

Oh come on, you're being a bit dramatic now. How do you know they weren't going to take a look at it? Anyway you'll get the refund so not sure what more you wanted.

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Charlie97 · 04/08/2016 06:06

When I got home I discovered one of the ready meals was dated best before end April 2015. The product contains beef but does not need chilling


Not sure that this is actually beef then? Bigger worry than sell by date I think!

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insancerre · 04/08/2016 06:10

Beef that doesn't need chilling?
Was it in a box?
Like a Vesta curry?

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Scrumptiousbears · 04/08/2016 06:14

Are you going to be another one of these people who say "it's not about the money but making sure it never happens to others"?

Take the refund and move on.

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BarbaraofSeville · 04/08/2016 06:15

Of course it will have been beef. There are loads of products in the ambient section in sachets, foil trays etc that don't need chilling and have a long shelf life

This product is unlikely to be harmful as long as the packaging is undamaged but it might taste a bit stale. The Manufacturing date is likely to be 2 years before the BBE date.

The shop should be doing more, it is showing extremly poor stock control/rotation if it has things on the shelf this far out of date.

I would email the supermarket in question with a photo of the packaging. The least I would expect would be a refund, plus a little extra on top as a token gesture (£5-10) and an apology and reassurance That Something Has Been Done - ie that the shop has been reminded of stock checking/rotation procedures - I would hope that they would be checking the ambient sections for dates etc once every few months at the very least.

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Florrieboo · 04/08/2016 06:55

Would anyone really feed that to their child, even if it was in date.

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Missgraeme · 04/08/2016 07:23

Shops can get £1000 fine for each out of date item left on the shelf. Shop assistant was prob wondering how to get them binned without being seen!!

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Klaptrap · 04/08/2016 07:34

If it was a "best before" date then YABU. And stupid.

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NapoleonsNose · 04/08/2016 07:41

I used to work on a supermarket csd and I'm not sure I'd have offered any extra in the way of compensation. A refund and an apology when you go back in would have been my standard reply. As others have pointed out, its not illegal to have something with an expired best before date on the shelf. Use by, yes, but best before is just an advisory. The supermarket were probably a bit blase about because it happens all the time.

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Owlytellsmesecrets · 04/08/2016 07:49

A couple of days out of date I wouldn't be bothered... Over a year !!!! Yes I'd be bloody fuming!

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Catsize · 04/08/2016 07:56

It was probably a typo.

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user1466690252 · 04/08/2016 08:00

Ahhh there's so many additives in those ready meals it's probably fine Wink

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JessieMcJessie · 04/08/2016 08:04

You didn't really need the "I normally cook everything from scratch so this was a bit of a departure for me" stealth boast did you?

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Roystonv · 04/08/2016 08:13

I am a complainer I admit but I continue to complain because if people just ignore poor standards in whatever it is standards fall, customers lose out and those poor standards become the new acceptable. Four times last week I encountered poor standards in four very differing areas; I complained formally each time. I would definitely advise head office. Well done and keep at it.

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mouldycheesefan · 04/08/2016 08:17

I would complain to the local environmental health dept. When they are inspecting food outlets it's one of the things they look for. And the food standard agency and head office of the shop.

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Birdsgottafly · 04/08/2016 08:24

""As others have pointed out, its not illegal to have something with an expired best before date on the shelf""

You've got to make it clear that it's past its BBD.

OP, is this a typo, was it April 2016, if not, then environmental health, would ask how this has got through stick control and where it's been stored, that it's so over date, without making the shelves and being in a reduced isle.

It goes alongside of not caring how Horse ended up in a Beef Burger.

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