Terrible customer service - this time it's TESCO

Tescos is the worst company I have ever come across regarding a complaint. Absolutely horrendous company to complain to, it's literally like hitting a brick wall.

Yanbu @wasntlikethisinthegoodolddays
Imagine buying something that said it was free from, say, nuts, but then you read on the back it contains nuts. Which one do you believe? You are allergic to nuts so you wouldn't risk it and you would return it and expect the store the clarify the labelling on their product.
Usually the reason for not freezing is because it's usually been frozen before, but I think it's to do with how freezing changes the structure of the food and not any safety measures (though I am sure someone will correct me on that if it's wrong).

The thing is, "Tesco" the company DO take that kind of thing seriously. The problem here is that the OP encountered "Little Miss Stroppy" on the counter who seemingly didn't get the memo about how to deal with perfectly valid customer complaints!

And it’s pathetic that you are so wrapped up in your own privilege that you don’t see that some people often just have £4 to see them through the day and that not everyone can afford for Tesco to just swallow their money.

I agree with all that. It's part of the job of customer service staff to deal with complaints/problems in a professional manner. If they don't want to do that, then they need to find other jobs.

And yes, I know that a minority of customers will be horrible, aggressive, etc., but that is absolutely no excuse for CS staff to treat badly the vast majority of customers who have valid complaints and are polite!

If Tesco can't be bothered to take food labelling issues seriously (there are huge legal implications and massive fines for this) then report to Trading Standards and let the chase it up.

Talking to some drone like RookieMa's daughter who hates customers won't help.

The irony in this post is utterly marvellous! Bravo!

It probably means it's either already been frozen at some point in production, or they tested freezing it and it didn't work - sauce may have seperated or something like that.

It may also mean that either microbiological testing for shelf life purposes hasn't been done for products being frozen in a domestic freezer, or it's failed the testing.

@needmorelego it's an automated process, so it's not so much the staff being able to contact the factory, as the process of giving a refund fires off an email. Not a favourite part of my job! Digging through a pasta meal that's been on a shelf for a week and sent second class post, looking for a fly that's long since decomposed is not enjoyable at all! 😂

@wasntlikethisinthegoodolddays you're welcome, and they really do investigate, because when tesco audit the factory they choose random complaints to review ,and you'd better hope they've been looked at properly! Something like this, needing a reprint, was my absolute nightmare.

Some of the comments on here!
So now we're not supposed to go into a physical shop to raise an issue with one of the items bought from said shop? Because we might annoy staff, staff are not equipped to deal with such matters or staff simply couldn't care less, there is a shortage of staff and working conditions are terrible?!
Is this turning into don't trouble the NHS with a health concern unless both your arms are falling off and you've had severe headaches for 27 consecutive days , blurred vision for exactly 52 days and you noticed your heart has not been beating for a couple of weeks!
Let's not trouble anyone with our any issues in case we are wasting someone's time or take away their attention from something more important or urgent.

OP you did the right thing. Customer service was appalling here. I'd stop shopping there to be honest. When we all vote with our feet and purses, supermarkets will notice.
As a personal observation, On the rare occasion I go to the nearest large Tesco store, I am always impressed with how helpful staff are.

I sometimes take bad fruit and veg that has gone off within a day or two of purchase. The Tesco counter staff take it back and issue a refund no problem at all. No stroppiness, no faffing nor arguments. We bought a "Finest" Christmas cake at Christmas - cut into it a couple of weeks later, after Christmas but long before the "best before" date. Nothing actually "wrong" with it as such, but it was dry and tasteless, so I took that back too, again, no problems at all getting it refunded.

I think we're lucky with our Tesco as the staff are mostly very helpful and pleasant and that encourages me to do most of my shopping there. I think customer service is something that spreads - good assistants spread the good attitude so that other staff around them are good too, but the nasty/unhelpful ones spread that nastiness attitude to others around them.

When it says not suitable for home freezing, does that just mean the consistency won’t be the same, it won’t be AS good if coming from frozen? I’ve always frozen things even when they’re labelled not suitable, now I feel like I shouldn’t! I didn’t think it was that serious, especially as I’d only freeze for a weekend or week, not for e.g. 3 months.

OP, I would have eaten it and then just emailed pics of the packaging to customer service, I’d never bother going back to the shop.

Hear hear...ridiculous!

Poster too lazy to read the OP properly 🍪

Yanbu. I'd have complained too. Best to go through social media and don't back down

Feels like physical supermarkets are under a lot of pressure to cut little costs - asking shop floor staff to do security duties, arguing over small appropriate refunds.

Everyone has to do their job, but this seems to be trickling down into giving incredibly bad service (to the point of being argumentative/aggressive) to customers seen as "easier" and less likely to complain (elderly people, non-white people, solo women).

You'll see shop floor staff congregating to dominate and talk down to a polite female acting normally, but then turning a blind eye if a middle aged bloke or a gang walks out without paying.

(Then wonder why they're losing customers when they argue with and treat regular customers like thieves!).

I do think if you have time and it feels appropriate then voting with your feet/wallet and letting the main company know why they've lost your custom may be appropriate.

(I've started online shopping with one supermarket - the fact that the delivery drivers have been polite and non-surly is a massive incentive to keep on doing this.

I'm British, I don't need or want someone being overly friendly or doffing their cap or American "have a nice day", but there is a point at which customer service is just unacceptable below a certain level).

Really didn't want to risk food poisoning I don't fancy risking it with chicken!

I assume you weren't planning on eating raw??? What an over reaction. I would have eaten it, heated/cooked through properly and sent pics of the label to head office. I agree the wording is incorrect, but that is why you send it to head office!

The customer service was poor, but maybe she couldn't believe you'd drive there, to complain and has numpties to deal with all day long?

While this is really annoying I agree with previous posters that a quick phone call or email to Tesco Customer services would have been better. They are normally fantastic.

Did you expect the shop assistant to actually take the chicken back from you ?

A bit harsh but made me 😂

@GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut that sounds good.
I left retail quite a few years ago so my knowledge is a bit out of date 🙂
Where I worked we didn't have access to anything that far up the chain.