To think M&S Sparks card should be aware of its own T&Cs?

[Notmoreantihistamines]

1st world problem, I am fully aware there are local regional and national news far more compelling and worthy than this incident.

Yesterday I selected a Sparks reward, "£5 off all bras".

Today I went to my local store specifically for bras. Before perusing the assorted fripperies I asked the shop assistant to clarify the deal, was it on a specific bra, any bra, all bras bought now or in the 6 day window the offer was available.

She kindly confirmed that all bras would have £5 off, but only in one transaction. I duly filled my basket.

I got to the till, lady at the till also thought the offer was all bras. Scanned first bra, £5 off, second bra, no deduction. She called the supervisor who said try it as a seperate transaction, it might only apply to one per purchase. Till said no, so supervisor concluded the £5 was for only one bra in one transaction.

I bought the basket of several as I had hoped 5 x £5 off the bras I bought would pay for the last one. I spent over £100.

By the time I had paid my parking £3, my marvellous offer saved me £2. .

Irritated by the lack of clarity I called Customer Services. They explained it was only one bra, only one transaction. I took issue with this as that is not what the offer said, or the shop staff said. Unfortunately there was nothing Customer Services could do my arse, ever heard of customer satisfaction.

So more irritated, I went online to have online "chat" with M&S Customer Services. it's a slow day chez antihistamines. The advisor advised if I had done each bra as a seperate transaction then I would have got £5 off each time, this was not what I been told over the phone. Customer Services directly contradicted each other.

Advisor then quoted in online chat (I have a transcript) T&Cs ""Refresh your lingerie drawer....we've got a bra for every outfit....excludes sale and clearance items....valid in store and online...not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.... Valid on presentation of card at till. Offer can be used only once"

This doesn't say only one one item. This says used only once. Bras is plural. In the abscence of clarity what happened to the customer is always right? If there was an offer, why hadn't the staff in the relevant dept all been told the correct details? This is not the shopfloor staffs fault.

This ad campaign is misleading, the staff misinformed, and the Customer Service unsatisfactory.

AIBU to think M&S Sparks card should be aware of it's own T&Cs?

FYI There will be no Daily Mail sad face in the side bar of shame.

I went in to M & S today to buy white socks for DD and pyjama bottoms for ds. They have moved EVERYTHING in the clothes sections, on both floors, except ladies shoes. It took me ages to find children's socks then ladies socks. THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY WHITE SOCKS IN LADIES, other than trainer ones and no plain, none holes, none pattern, none sparkly in children's.

Free advice - talk to local schools to find out what they specify for uniform AND THEN SUPPLY IT.

DD is 12 so ladies are fine now but I check the children's just in case.

I just want plain white socks....

hollyisalovelyname : Trouble is, just reading MN threads will only get the disgruntled people's views. I'm reading the thread with interest but I'm happy with my local store - the mainly young staff are lovely and really helpful.

Some of the Sparks offers don't appeal but I don't think too much about it.

That said, I think I'd assume the discount was on every bra in my basket...

Comedyusername, I don't think it is just about disgruntled people. Its about M&S not meeting customers expectations. They have had previously good customer loyalty and that is waning.

I complete plenty of their stupid surveys, giving both good and bad feedback, yet I don't feel that my opinion actually counts as nothing changes.

Hence plenty of disgruntled people on this thread. At least these opinions mean they don't have to commission more expensive surveys.

M&S trade too much on brand loyalty.

It will get you so far but crap service is never acceptable.

Couldn't find what I wanted today. No staff on the shop floor to ask and I heard another customer commenting there was no one to ask.

Notmore I should declare an interest here - I worked in market research!

But yes, I agree obviously the customer service here has been below par and clearly there wouldn't be so many people commenting here if everything was hunky dory

Comedyusername surely M&S would like to know why customers are disgruntled and may not shop again in M&S?
They would like to know what would make the shopper have a good shopping experience so they would part with their cash in M&S and not in another retailers.

Didn't someone once post that M&S had told them they dont bother with social media etc implying they think they know best

Goingtobeawesome

Someone did post exactly that, on another thread about their ladies' fashion.

It is breathtakingly arrogant. Yes, we are disgruntled users, yes, satisfied users rarely bother to express their satisfaction, but to just ignore free comments and go lalala is perilously arrogant.

I bet many people never thought woolworths or BHS would go under. Imagine if M&S were under threat..

Yes absolutely hollyisalovelyname. I didn't mean they shouldn't look at MN, on the contrary, it's bonkers not to look at social media. But as a researcher (clearly not for M&S!) I wanted to say a company needs to look at the whole picture, not just one side. I'm going to gracefully withdraw from this thread now!

Comedy, thanks for your contributions.

Layest update: the promised £15 evoucher has bot turned up.

Another follow up phone call, I have been pursueing this since Friday, Monday and Tuesday and it still isn't resolved. That is utterly ridiculous.

You couldn't make it up.

So many typos, sorry, latest, not, but was actually on the phone to M&S making the phone call.

I am sending this whole thread to customer support, they should be ashamed of themselves.

RIGHT

I know we all have far more shit to worry about at the mo than shitty Sparks card

THAT SAID

I had an offer for 20% off Made Without products (that's all it says, MW Wheat and MW Dairy)

This is pretty good for me, I'm coeliac, so great, an offer I can totally thrash actually USE. So I sent my old man to our local branch to load up with GF stuff

just found the receipt- the discount was paltry

That's because they'd only applied it to the grocery stuff, not the frozen or chilled (all have same Made Without brand and packaging)

just checked the offer again- nowhere does it say it doesn't apply to chilled or frozen

they can fuck off out of it. I'll bung a few quid to Unicef myself- which is more than they'd get off my Sparks

totally irrationally mad about this

they're taking the piss NOT giving you the proper t&cs on the offer email

I was thinking of you lot when I was at the Royal Highland Show (big Scottish agricultural/country show) at the weekend. M&S had an "exclusive Sparks lounge". I got excited!! Sparks Lounge was a corner of the tent with cafe tables and chairs so Sparks holders could sit down and eat their sandwiches (which you had to pay full whack for).

We didn't go in.