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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

This is a genuine AIBU: do I take on Tesco tooth and claw, or retreat gracefully?

57 replies

hester · 13/07/2011 22:42

This is trivial, but I'm livid (am very stressed and on a short fuse, to be fair). Bleedin Tesco delivery tonight - I know, I know, it's Tesco, but I've always found their call centre charming and helpful when I ring to complain about bizarre substitutions.

Tonight - I'm upstairs with baby - dp accepts delivery. Including 152 nappies - £19 worth - of nappies that are two sizes too small. So I ring Tesco and they tell me I have to take the nappies back to the delivery centre, two bus rides away. I politely decline, tell them I am a working mother of two small children and I don't have a car (hence needing a delivery service). They then tell me the only other option is to have it picked up when I do my next order. But they won't refund me in the meantime.

I think this is not good enough. They have charged me for something I didn't order, and are now telling me I have to spend more money to get a refund. My favoured solution is that they refund me NOW, and pick the nappies up at their convenience (I'm on a main road in London, not the outer Hebrides, they must have vans down this road every day of the week). They think IABU.

How hard should I fight this? I'm aware that my area of weakness is that my dp did accept the delivery. But still...

OP posts:
faverolles · 13/07/2011 22:53

Did they send the nappies as a substitute which your dh ok'd, or were they part of the main shopping?

If it was a sub, I'm not sure you can do much about it.
If their mistake, I thought there was 24 hrs to report a problem that they will then rectify.

TBH, if that happened to me and dh accepted the wrong size, I would go along with one of their options.

bumpybecky · 13/07/2011 22:54

Sorry but I think they are being fairly reasonable in saying they'll collect next time and refund. I've had them write off silly mistakes before (8 1.5kg packs of value bananas rather than 8 bananas) but never costing as much as £19

How much was the total spend? you've got a stronger argument if it were a huge shop and so won't be having another delivery for a while.

I think try and compromise and suggest that they offer you free delivery on the next shop and then order a small amount of longer lasting stuff (loo roll,. washing liquid, tins etc)

CQrrrneee · 13/07/2011 22:55

they should pick them up - they have loads of vans out all the time

Valpollicella · 13/07/2011 22:56

It completely depends on whether they were a substitution (which should, but may not have been) pointed out at the time of delivery

If it was a substitution, it would show up on your delivery note - have you checked that?

Hassled · 13/07/2011 22:56

I think you're right to be cross and it's worth at least a few more strongly worded emails. Nobody checks each and every item of their shop, do they? Most of it is in bags which the delivery guy is lobbing in the house at a furious speed. Keep ranting, I reckon.

Tchootnika · 13/07/2011 22:58

With CQrrrneee (have I spelt that right?)
What's the point of delivery service if it pushes you into schlepping across Lodon because they haven't sorted it out properly? (Unless, of course, there's a good reason why you/DP should have sorted through delivery on arrival).

CocoPopsAddict · 13/07/2011 22:58

Ummm... When we do our Sainsbury's order the delivery guy always explains any substitutions to us, and shows them on the print-out.

If it's the same with Tesco, then if I were you I'd be sending my DP out to buy some nappies.

thursday · 13/07/2011 22:59

this happened to me (not £19 worth! just one pack) it wasnt a substitute, they'd just brought the wrong ones. i didnt realise til i'd opened them and tried unsuccessfully to attach one to the baby. i just emailed them and explained, they just refunded the money, no question. i do find they generally agree to refunds on the spot no question with these things, can only assume that they arent doing because its a sizeable sum. i would stand your ground, they are at fault (unless it was a sub your DH agreed to) and why should you be out of pocket (and nappies) indefinitely. did you ring the store? try the main number instead?

CocoPopsAddict · 13/07/2011 23:00

Although... who on earth substitutes nappies two sizes smaller? Who at the warehouse thought that up? I would definitely take them up on educating their staff...

pinkyp · 13/07/2011 23:00

I think you should argue, what would they do if they forgot the nappies? It's THEIR mistake - therefore they should correct it.

nannyl · 13/07/2011 23:00

YANBU

id be fuming too.... you didnt order them so why should you pay?

Mare11bp · 13/07/2011 23:00

Your nappies would have been listed as a substitution plus usually the driver tells you you have substitutions when he arrived
DH would have signed documentation accepting the shopping with substitutions
Sorry but YABU

Mare11bp · 13/07/2011 23:00

Arrives not arrived

Valpollicella · 13/07/2011 23:00

My point to them would be that if it wasn't highlighted verbally as a substitution by the driver, as it should have been, then you definately should keep on at Tesco HQ.

As others quite rightfully have said, you aren't going to check off each item against the delivered list to ensure no subs before you accept an d sign for the order. Hence why it should always be pointed out verbally when they hand over the delivery note.

hoolabombshell · 13/07/2011 23:01

Call them again and ask to speak to a manager, and don't give up until you get one on the line. Ask the manager if he/she thinks it's acceptable that they are not even trying to correct an error that they have made and subsequently taken your money for. A delivery van was able to get to your house the first time, it can bloody well come back again, surely. It's Tesco and they won't even refund you 19 quid. Really, it beggars belief the way some of these companies expect the customer to do the donkey work to fix their mistakes.

YANBU. Fight 'em!

Hufflepuzzpig · 13/07/2011 23:03

If it was a direct substitution (and they can be really bloody amusing stupid and annoying sometimes can't they!) then I don't think you have much evidence really - at least on Asda they show you the substitutions when they arrive, and ask you to OK them, so if they did that and your DH didn't check properly then your beef should really be with him.

If OTOH they just put the wrong size in and didn't flag it as a substitution then yes, raise merry hell, because DH couldn't be expected to check every single thing on the main (ie non-substitute) list, you don't have time.

TAtops · 13/07/2011 23:04

It's really hard to check through everything as it arrives especially with kids around. Have you talked to head office or local store? Sometimes there's local discretion in how to handle things and the local managers can be a bit more flexible as they know what impact an exception to usual procedure would have. (Tesco locally were really good with me when I locked myself out and had to cancel a delivery which was on the way as stuff would've spoiled on the step while I waited for DH to get home. They rescheduled for the next day.)

HipHopOpotomus · 13/07/2011 23:05

I've found the call centre both rude and unhelpful. YANBU but they won't give a shit in my experience!

bibbitybobbityhat · 13/07/2011 23:09

Can you clarify how the mistake with the nappies came about? Are they the wrong size or did you not order them at all?

Original poster
hester · 13/07/2011 23:17

Yes, they did alert dp to the substitution in a hurried sort of way. And of course dp should have realised the implications (that is a whole other rant). But, you know, given that it was such a supremely idiotic substitution, and given that I have been a customer for nearly 20 years, and given that it was a big order and I won't be doing one again for another month, and given that the delivery centre I would have to return it to is miles away, I really found this piss poor customer care.

They are getting the store to ring me tomorrow, so I'll be pleasant but firm and hope they are nicer to me. Otherwise, well I was thinking of trying out Ocado anyway.

Thanks, everybody. I have now eaten my bodyweight in chocolate ice cream which has reduced my blood pressure back down to a reasonable level.

OP posts:
Original poster
hester · 13/07/2011 23:18

bibbity, yes I did order them. Two sizes up.

OP posts:
Valpollicella · 13/07/2011 23:23

Gah, Hester, unfortunately (as I have knowledge) unless you get a supremely nice person, as DP accepted the subs, you won't get a replacement/refund immediately....sorry

Valpollicella · 13/07/2011 23:23

Sorry, that was meant to read insider Tesco delivery knowledge...

Gentleness · 14/07/2011 00:00

YANBU to be upset but I think it would only be goodwill from them to do more than they have already said. They should show goodwill of course, but it is probably more likely to come out of you emphasising how necessary the nappies are and how difficult it will be to manage without them than through demanding recompense.

Sympathies with you about dp's great handling of online shopping arrivals. My dh accepted one for us when I was 4 days overdue with ds2. He agreed to just keep the baskets till the next Tesco order - because obviously what I really needed was a load of Tesco boxes hanging round the house when the baby came - no garage or space in the shed... Fortunately I heard him and as a result the delivery man probably thinks I am the worst harpy in existence.

Cloudbase · 14/07/2011 01:17

I would be gracious but firm when you speak to them tomorrow. Explain that you have been a customer for 20 yrs, blah blah, but, most importantly, that you now have a baby with no nappies that fit. You could explain that you were unaware of the substitution at the time, as you didn't receive the order personally. Although your husband was made aware of the sub, he assumed they were just a different brand, he never dreamed they'd be too sizes too small. Of course, you understand completely that mistakes are made, but you have paid £19 for a product that you cannot use. You would be eternally grateful if they could see their way etc etc...

It's worth a try. To be honest, you'd have to be pretty dopey to pick up nappies 2 sizes too small as a substitution - you usually get the same or v similar product but a different brand. What they've given you isn't 'similar', it's unusable! And I'd be amazed if a Tesco Manager would think it's okay if you explain the implications. (I can only speak from my own experience, but they've ballsed things up loads of times, but always sorted them out)

Good Luck!

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