Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

What would you expect from Asda? (Do not read if eating your breakfast or squeamish!!!!)

23 replies

Sparkler · 09/02/2010 10:13

Just before Christmas I bought a whole fresh chicken from Asda. A day or two later I made a roast dinner with it. I dished up my two DDs meals and they sat down at the table while I finished dishing up DH's and mine. I cut through the middle of the chicken and (this is the horrid bit!!!) found the giblets had been left in and gone off (the label stated that the giblets were already removed!). The cavity of the chicken was full of green sludgy stuff.
DDs had just started to eat their dinner but fortunately I managed to stop them before they ate too much.
I bagged all the chicken up with the original label and packaging and put it in my fridge until I had chance to get back to the shop a day or so later.
When I got there they put the contents of the bag into their fridge and filled out a form with all my details and told me they would send it off to head office. They also gave me a refund for the original price. About a week or two ago I went into the store to tell them that I hadn't heard anything back and they told me it could take up to a month or so for someone to contact me.
I went in again this morning to tell them again that I still haven't heard anything and they checked on their computer system. She found a record of my complaint and said that there are two boxes on the system "For Feedback" and "No Feedback". Apparently these hadn't been ticked and therefore I hadn't been contacted.
At this point I was not happy (and I'm quite an easy going person) and told the woman that it wasn't good enough, that I had told them at the time that I wanted them to contact me with an explanation and how awful this experience was for us. Not only could we have ended up with food poisoning, my children had actually started to eat a little of the meat before we realised but I didn't feel the whole situation had been dealt with very well at all. I did get a refund when I took the chicken back to the shop but didn't get an apology.
The assistant phoned the shop manager (who is currently filling in for sick leave) who is apparently going to contact me later today. He has said that he is going to phone the main Asda office to inform them of the goings on and that the shop themselves are going to take it in their own hands as the fault lays with them that I received no feedback.
So Mumsnet ladies/gents - what do you think I should get back for this?
Oooh I feel quite typing all this out and reading it back. I'm starting to wish I hadn't been such a decent person and taken it to Environmental Health instead of back to the store.

OP posts:
PureAsTheColdDrivenSnow · 09/02/2010 10:16

Not sure really. I cooked a chicken from Sainsbury's fairly recently that was well within date, but after half an hour in the oven it was clear it was off (the smell almost made me boak), so I emailed them and they refunded me and added £5 worth of nectar points to my card.

What is it that you're thinking of asking for?

Sparkler · 09/02/2010 10:18

Not sure what I want really? Some compensation I guess (vouchers maybe).
I know my mum has taken meat back there before (she found a dead fly in her prepacked steak) and they gave her vouchers. I shudder to think what could have happened to DDs if they had eaten more than they did and on top of that I feel really let down with the way the whole thing has been dealt with.

OP posts:
Sparkler · 09/02/2010 10:20

I think the chickens were trying to get their revenge on me - I normally like to buy free range chicken but this particular time I was a bit strapped for cash so bought the next one up from the standard shop one!

OP posts:
Poledra · 09/02/2010 10:23

You have been let down by how it was dealt with BUT it was a mistake, and mistakes happen (I'm referring to them not ticking the right box, rather than not gutting the chicken properly BTW). They sound like they are taking you seriously - they're not trying to brush you off, the store manager is doing something about it. I'd wait and see what he comes back with - an apology and some vouchers would be fine with me TBH, as they have already refunded the cost of the chicken.

Sparkler · 09/02/2010 10:25

Thanks - I look forward to their call!

OP posts:
detoxdiva · 09/02/2010 10:27

Tbh...the chicken although disgusting wasn't the fault of the individual supermarket as obv they just put out the chickens that arrive in deliveries. However - the matter should have been investigated and you should have heard back much much sooner than a month

I would write to the store manager personally and send a copy to the customer relations department at the head office - and explain that you feel they haven't dealt with the matter of the chicken in a responsible and timely manner.

Some vouchers and an written apology would be a reasonable way of saying sorry for your inconvenience.

SoupDragon · 09/02/2010 10:27

"what do you think I should get back for this?"

Er.. a refund on the chicken and an apology.

detoxdiva · 09/02/2010 10:27

X-posts!

Veritythebrave · 09/02/2010 10:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

susue · 09/02/2010 10:48

For a start if it's Asdas own brand chicken you should get a double refund and if ever we have returned disgusting food items back to them we have always received an explanation and vouchers.

ShowOfHands · 09/02/2010 10:49

I don't think in that situation I would want anything beyond a refund for the price of the chicken, an apology and them looking into why it happened and making sure it doesn't happen again.

Otherwise, I find the sense of entitlement a bit distasteful.

And if your Mum found a dead fly in their meat and you some rotting giblets, I'd vote with my feet and buy meat from somewhere reputable.

Sparkler · 09/02/2010 10:51

Yep ShowofHands - I don't buy my meat there anymore!! In fact I only tend to pop in there now for the odd thing now and again.

OP posts:
sarah293 · 09/02/2010 10:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

TheButterflyEffect · 09/02/2010 10:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

kif · 09/02/2010 11:11

It's not exactly a dead mouse, is it?

Something that belonged to the chicken hadn't been fully removed.

Surely you wash the chicken inside before you cook it anyway?

Try buying meat on the continent.... I've clipped beaks off my Sunday lunch in France....

OtterInaSkoda · 09/02/2010 11:13

susue

How many times have you had to return "disgusting food" back to Asda? In 20 odd years of food shopping (only once or twice at Asda mind, perhaps that's the key) I have only once ever had cause to complain about the condition of food I've bought - and that was mussels (a good 3/4 were dead so didn't bother trying to eat them).

OtterInaSkoda · 09/02/2010 11:16

kif - you're not supposed to rinse poultry before cooking.

old link but I guess it'll do

piratecat · 09/02/2010 11:21

well their system sounds shite, but it was human error, on all counts.

i'd def expect a voucher now.

TheButterflyEffect · 09/02/2010 12:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

TheButterflyEffect · 09/02/2010 12:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Sparkler · 09/02/2010 13:09

Just had a phone call from my local store. They have been in touch with head office and they will be writing to me with a letter of apology and, in her words, possibly a voucher.
Voucher is an added bonus but I just didn't want it to go by without knowing it's been looked into.

OP posts:
TheButterflyEffect · 09/02/2010 13:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Linnet · 09/02/2010 13:57

I bought sliced ham just before christmas from Asda and found an earwig in it a few days after opening it and eating some of it and it was still alive!

I took it back and filled in the form and received a letter of apology and a £10 voucher.

Glad to hear that you got a result.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread