To think ASDA punishes loyalty and wants to lose my business?

[YankNCock]

I can't believe this faff over my delivery pass.

Last year, ASDA started doing delivery passes, like Tesco. I signed up to a 3 month pass which expired 4th January, it cost £15.

Then on 5th January I signed up for a new delivery pass. Costs were £8/month or £24/3 months. Was a bit dismayed there was no incentive to sign up for 3 months vs 1 month, but I did it anyway. Ordered groceries for 6th and 11th January.

Then last night, as I went on to do the weekly shop, I noticed a new offer. '£15 for 3 months, keep that price all year if you Auto-Renew, all your shopping for £60/year'. Sounds great, but can I get it? No, because I already have a delivery pass.

So I think, 'I'll just wait till the current one expires and then get this promotion'. But I can't, because my current pass expires 8th April, and this promotion ends 10th February. This seems quite unfair, the only reason I can't take advantage of the offer is because I signed up for 3 months (LOYALTY).

I called customer services. First I can't get the person to actually understand the problem. Then he tells me that the offer doesn't guarantee it's £15/3 months all year (uh YES, it does). He has to admit he is wrong later.

I'm not allowed to cancel my pass because it's over 7 days since I bought it, and I've used it (twice). Fine, I say, then drop me down to a 1 month pass for £8 and refund the difference (£16), and then when that expires I will be able to apply for the promotional deal. I think this is quite reasonable.

What followed was essentially the Little Britain 'Computer Says No' sketch. 'No one can override it'. Is it SkyNet? Do the computers control us now?

I was promised a call back 'in the morning' but 'everyone will just tell you the same thing, no one can override the system'. Bullshit. Having worked in IT and customer services, there IS a way for something to be done. No one has called. I've written, but no reply. Twittered, and NOTHING.

So apparently, ASDA would rather screw loyal customers and the lose guaranteed sales for a year. What a business model!!

Time to start looking into Tesco again. I've missed those clubcard points.....

[skittycat]

Better business sense, yes. But that does not make them unreasonable, punishing loyalty nor does it make them want to lose your custom. There are always conditions to offers, it's not going to make a difference whether you have shopped somewhere years, or just started shopping there yesterday. The conditions are there to level the playing field as such across all of the customers.

You may not be asking to cancel directly, but you are asking to change the details of the contract the you agreed to.

The problem is, and always will be, that if they start changing their rules etc for a few customers, when does it stop?

[IamInvisible]

When it comes to the time to renew my contracts I look for the best deal. Midcontract I do not throw my toys out of the pram. That is the difference between you and I!

[YankNCock]

skitty, they don't have to change their rules for all customers, you're arguing the classic slippery slope fallacy. Just the ones that phone up and point out the unfairness of the situation, exactly the same as other companies who will offer you a better deal to keep your business.

Invisible, don't get personal. You are not some sort of saint because you like giving money to big corporations who are out to wring every penny they can out of you. I'd rather fight back, that is the real difference.

[IamInvisible]

I don't like giving money to big corporations, FFS. I just accept the terms and conditions of the contracts that I enter into.

What are you going to do in a months time if they drop it down to £10 for 3 months, shout louder? Honestly, grow up. You missed a special offer that is all!

[YankNCock]

If you want to meekly accept the crumbs of what some multimillion pound corporation wants to give you, that doesn't make you a grownup. Why does it bother you so much that I dared to challenge a big company?

Nevermind, you just keep patting yourself on the head for the 'rules is rules' attitude. Real grownups know the world is many shades of grey.

[YankNCock]

Oh and by the way, I did phone up Virgin Media MIDCONTRACT and said I was unhappy that new customers were getting faster services for less money. Guess what?? They changed the RULES! I now pay less! They kept my business!

Is that morally repugnant to you?

[higgle]

I find it is infidelity that pays with Tesco. If I have a little dalliance with Asda or Aldi Tesco usually send me a few vouchers or I get a discount slip from the till.

[IamInvisible]

It doesn't bother me. I think you are being ridiculous and childish by the way you are ranting on here.

You asked if YABU, many of us have said you are but you are adamant that you are not. So why did you ask?

If you go through life getting stressy and pissy over every special offer that you miss, well you can't be very happy imo.

When I take out a contract I read the T&Cs, if I like them I proceed, if I don't, then I don't.

No-one held a gun to your head and forced you to sign up to the delivery pass, you did it voluntarily.

[honestpointofview]

Good Evening YanknCock

Two things;

1. I have reread your post given you think most people were misunderstanding your AIBU. I think YABU to think their refusal to modify your pass shows they are punishing loyalty and want to lose you business. They are simply saying your purchased a service at x price and just because it is y now does not mean I am going to allow you to change the terms of the contract. It happens day in day our with special offers and sales as others have pointed out.

You say their actions mean they have lost out because you would have spent more money with them for an entire year; they do not know that. In fact the lower the value of the pass the less you need to spend with them to make it worth your while in having got the pass, so you might spend less. So in fact selling it at a higher price is best for them. Consider the fact supermarkets Gross Profit margins are less than 5% so you need to spend a lot to make up for the lower charge of the pass.

I would also point out that if for example petrol prices suddenly went up you would be annoyed if they came back to you and said we have increased the price for new customers and you pay more as well.

Re the mobile phone example you gave. Most mobile companies only allow matching terms when your contract is up for renewal. Further until recently they could increase terms mid way through the contract which was unfair and has been banned.

1. As Skittycat has said I am not sure why you have asked if YABU. Nearly everyone on here says you are, yet you keep, keep arguing you are not. I do appreciate you feel annoyed with ASDA but please just consider we are giving our unbiased views and the majority, for the reasons outlined above, think YABU.

[honestpointofview]

Good Evening again Yank.

As Iaminvisible said it does not bother us that you challenged a big company. We just think YABU. I have to add I do think you YABU to threaten them with anything like mumsnet. Whilst you might not agree with them, they have not done anything wrong. If companies are threaten in such a way when they haven't done anything wrong they can stop listening which could they miss listening when they have actually done something wrong and treated a customer badly.

[HyvaPaiva]

YABU

[YankNCock]

And like so many people, you have answered the wrong question. I don't care if you think I'm unreasonable for trying to get a better deal for myself. That wasn't the question I asked.

Does what ASDA is doing punish loyalty? I say yes, and I don't see where you've proven otherwise.

Does ASDA want to lose my business? I say yes, and I don't see where you've proven otherwise.

If you think I'm ridiculous and childish, why keep engaging with me? And how does it make you feel that by calling Virgin Media midcontract, knowing full well 'rules is rules', I managed to get a better deal for myself? I'd really like to know how that fits into your rigid world view.

And please don't use the phrase 'gun to your head'. As someone who actually has had a gun held to my head, it brings back quite bad memories.

I'm not spectacularly happy in life, but I am content. I have enough to get by, and I'm not materialistic. If YOU get stressy and pissy because someone doesn't believe in handing over money when there is no good justification for it, and it affects you NOT AT ALL, perhaps you ought to look at your own life.

Keep telling yourself that 'following the rules' makes you a grownup and not a mug.

[YankNCock]

'They are simply saying your purchased a service at x price and just because it is y now does not mean I am going to allow you to change the terms of the contract.'

No, they are saying, 'I can't change it because computer says no'. That's a daft reason to lose a customer, for any business.

And how about the Virgin Media example? No one seems to be taking on that one.

[honestpointofview]

Evening Yank

I hope you are having a good evening?

I think i have answered your question and explained why, in my opinion, why what they are doing is not punishing loyalty and why it is not designed to lose business. in fact the opposite because the higher price may encourage you to spend more so you get full value out of the pass.


To answer your point re virgin yes in raising it with them they changed the terms of the deal for you. Your question however was not AIBU to ask them to change the terms. In fact when people did answer that question you reminded them that was not the question. Your AIBU as you reminded everyone again was AIBU to think they are punishing loyalty and want to lose your business. The fact that they could change the terms as Virgin did does make you reasonable in thinking that ASDA are doing it to punish loyalty.

I do appreciate that we are not going to agree on this. We are certainly not going to agree that anyone one, including you, has to prove your point as you have suggested.

[IamInvisible]

I'm not stressy and pissy Yank. I don't need to take a look at my own life, tbh.

You asked for people's opinions and you got them, only you didn't get the ones you wanted.

Asda aren't obliged to do this for you. They won't miss your custom, just as they wouldn't miss mine if I went elsewhere.

[TripTrapTripTrapOverTheBridge]

Dear asda CEO,if you end up reading this don't turn into a sap by giving in.

This thread is ridiculous and childish.

[YankNCock]

Not true, Invisible, a number of people did agree with my conclusion, that ASDA place no value on loyalty and don't care about losing my business. And I've already convinced a few people not to use ASDA on this basis. So I've done what I set out to do, which is publicly call them out on this, and I will take take my custom elsewhere as soon as possible.

As a side note, to all of you who think majority rules on AIBU (even if the question is misunderstood by most): If you have been on mumsnet for more than 5 seconds, how has it escaped your notice that at least 75% of posts in AIBU are asked by people who don't think they are being unreasonable?

At least I phrased my title properly in the form of an AIBU, that seems to be sorely lacking these days! But at risk of doing a 'things ain't what they used to be' deviation, I'm going to log out now and go watch more Breaking Bad. Addictive stuff.

[Custardo]

i can't possibly see how people thing yabu.

you bought a service, at one price and it is now being offered at a cheaper price

you want to pay for the service you have used, you want to cancel it and take up the cheaper service

excuse the hsit out of me for not feeling the least bit worried about tesco

btw - you shouldn't shop at tesco - they are wrong in so many moral ways