...to think Tesco should have done more?

[Cookerless]

Just over two weeks ago, a Tesco delivery driver dropped a bottle of wine as he was unpacking it, and it smashed the glass door of my 89 yr old father's oven, making the oven unusable. The oven is very old, and consequently it's not possible to find a replacement part. It's a standalone cooker, the oven isn't separate, and so the entire thing needs to be replaced, at a cost of around £400, including delivery and fitting.

It took two weeks for the local Tesco depot to get a form to their claims department, but within a couple of hours of receiving it, Tesco told me that they would not be offering us anything by way of compensation, as the oven 'had no intrinsic value' due to its age. When I pointed out that if we were to claim on Dad's home insurance, we would be £150 out of pocket for the excess, they offered me £75 as a 'goodwill gesture'. I'm afraid I told them where to stick it.

My father has dementia and cancer, and - when I'm not here - his carers use the oven to heat his ready meals - so the oven does have some value to him - I really thought that Tesco would do more to rectify the situation, given that it was entirely the fault of their driver, who readily admitted that (poor chap was very upset, but it was an accident). We've been Delivery Saver customers for over 4 years, and - until this happened - have been spending an average of £150 a week with them. I'm now boycotting them.

After Tesco told me they weren't going to make this good, I had no choice but to contact Dad's insurers, who were very good, and immediately sent out a cheque to the value of a replacement cooker, less the £150 excess.

We'll be getting a new cooker in the next week or so, but the more I think about it, the more I think that Tesco should have agreed to claim on their insurance - they're a huge company, Dad's a pensioner - why he should end up out of pocket is beyond me.

AIBU about this? TBH, am so angry with Tesco that I may be being a little unreasonable, so thought I'd ask. Bracing myself, 'cos it's a bit scary posting in AIBU, but that's what I'm asking!

[Angelika321]

I'm surprised at this. A couple of years ago I managed to injure myself on one of their trolleys, just a shallow gouge maybe 2cm x 1cm. When I wrote to them to let them know (it was due to some repairs to the trolley wheel where they'd used a bigger bolt than was required so it was sticking out) they sent me a cheque for £400 on receipt of a completed claim form.

[ilovewelshrarebit123]

I work in the Executive Office for a well know retailer, we absolutely would have paid out for this.

I think you need to google the CEO and email them, they will pass it to the Executive team and I imagine resolve for you.

[AliceInUnderpants]

sudocream. Why state something as fact when you clearly don't know? Tesco drivers are permitted by their company to deliver to the place of your choice...
www.tesco.com/termsandconditions/termsconditionsGroc.htm

[FuckOffDailyMailQuitQuotingMN]

They especially unpack if you have specified no bags as it can take a long time and they want to get out the door.

I have never had a driver leave the groceries at the door and I have had groceries delivered once or twice a week for 15 years (since Sainsbury's started). I've had Tesco, Ocado and Sainsbury's and they always come into the kitchen. If they have muddy boots they usually say as much as ask if I still want them to bring it in.

The Ocado surveys even ask you if the delivery driver asked you where you wanted him to put the groceries so they must be expecting to come inside!

[SnowBodyforrrrm]

Despicable way to treat any customer let alone an elderly gentleman whose suffering from bad health.

I don't have the words. Just contempt for Tesco for the way they have failed your dad.

[MidniteScribbler]

Such a shame they can't see the big picture. The cost to them would be so small compared to the bad publicity. I thought companies tried to give an act of goodwill to try and negate any bad publicity over incidents.

A few years ago I took an elderly relative to a store and she fell over in the carpark, breaking her glasses. They immediately offered to replace them, I think they were worried she would claim (which she wouldn't, it was just a silly accident). The good publicity from them being so accommodating far outweighed the cost of a pair of glasses (which they sell so it would have been at cost price).

[KoalaDownUnder]

This is appalling. Shame on Tesco. How tight and unreasonable can they get?

I'd boycott the fuckers myself if I lived in the U.K.

[miserablesod]

Tbh i would have taken the £75 they offered and used that for the excess. I wouldn't expect them to replace the whole cooker, its not their fault that the cooker is so old you can't source replacement pieces. They did offer you something, you said no.

I'll make sure i tell my dp under no circumstances to go into a customers property. Leave the shopping at the door. Could do without him losing his job!

[ShortLashes]

Forward this thread to the chief exec Dave Lewis?

[moreslackthanslick]

Sorry, something doesn't add up here. As a pp said delivery drivers do not have time to unpack generally - if your dad had been on his own then fair enough, some help may have been given but did you say you were there?

And how exactly can a bottle of wine break an oven?

But let's all boycott Tesco anyway.

[MargaretCavendish]

As a pp said delivery drivers do not have time to unpack generally - if your dad had been on his own then fair enough, some help may have been given but did you say you were there?

And as a lot of other posters have said, yes they do unpack. We have a Tesco delivery weekly and they always bring it into the kitchen, where all three of us (me, my husband and the delivery driver) get the stuff out of the crates and onto the side as quickly as possible. They don't put things away, obviously, but given we order the shopping to come without bags this is much quicker than if they handed it to us, item by item, at the door!

[hmcAsWas]

How commercially stupid of Tesco - the costs of liaising with you plus the costs of lost custom and affects on public image must completely eclipse the small sum they would have had to pay to sort this out for your dad

[SuperFlyHigh]

tesco are disgusting! Surely this is one thread for Daily Fail to catch onto!

[Catsize]

Dreadful.

[Megatherium]

I suspect there is something in the small print relating to the delivery arrangement which sets out what Tesco's legal liability is in this situation. But I agree that for both moral and commercial reasons they should pay the £150 at the very lest.

[abbsisspartacus]

Yes they do unpack

[EmeraldScorn]

Contact your local media (Radio station, newspaper).

You are not being unreasonable!

[TrashPanda]

I agreed with the coming in and unpacking thing. We get a Tesco delivery almost weekly and I always ask them to take it through to the kitchen, in the trolley still if they wish. I then unpack as quickly as possible onto the sides and if I have lots of shopping the driver will sometimes ask if I want any help, can they just put it anywhere. I heard somewhere that they have 6 minutes per delivery and as we live on the 1st floor some of that time is taken up by coming up in the lift, so I'm happy for them to do whatever makes it quicker. If they damaged something like in the OP, I would expect it to be repaired/replaced. If they got mud on the floor because I asked them to come in then I would sort it as it's a reasonable/not unexpected thing to happen when they come in.

[KathArtic]

But OP, remember, they have just paid £3.7 billion for Booker's, so they have to make savings were they can - every little helps!

Outraged on (you and) your dads behalf!

[SuperFlyHigh]

Hopelessly Inagree with yiu re sainsbos.

I've never had an issue with them but a few years ago there was a parking issue to do with one of their car parks being managed by a local council as a pay and display but also being used the only sainsbos car park (dual purpose). When my mum used it (as a one off) didn't see the PAD machine (it was hidden behind a pillar) and got a ticket from the council and sainsbos told her "yes this happens all the time, a council problem, not ours, wish they (council) would not do this" and the council were of course unsympathetic my mum wrote to the then CEO Jstin Rose who was really sympathetic and sent nectar points card to value of parking ticket (£80) plus a bouquet of flowers.

my SIL hates Tescos quality anyway but it's the nearest store to her where she lives. besides the point

[Cookerless]

About the unpacking issue - just to clarify - we order our groceries without bags, which means that everything comes in one or two large crates. The driver always brings them through to the kitchen, and usually we both (the driver and I) unpack them at the same time, for speed, just taking things out and putting them on the side. On this occasion this is what we were doing, and my back was turned because I'd just taken something out of a crate and was looking for a spot to put it down.

In my absence, Dad could not manage to unpack the shopping. Tesco have been bringing our groceries into the kitchen, and either unpacking or helping to unpack them for the past four years, without an issue.

The reason I didn't accept the £75 was a) it was derisory and b) it didn't cover the excess, which is £150. Also, to be honest c) I wanted to tell Tesco's representative where to stick it, but didn't - refusing it was the best I could come up with - I was actually shaking with outrage at the time.

[Only1scoop]

I would have just CEO complained as soon as told no....rather than all the Social Media stuff.

[HollywoodStunt]

They just did a similar thing to me but with selling me a faulty games console that they couldn't then replace. I ended up £100 out of pocket for the online subscription and games etc and they didn't offer me a penny compensation in fact they even took £2.29 Clubcard points off me when I claimed the refund (I know this is standard practice but the refund was their choice not mine, I asked for an exchange). I want to take it further but don't know where to start.
Good luck sorting your issue out though

[Gooseygoosey12345]

This is disgusting but quite frankly Tesco treat people like shit. Their customers, staff, manufacturers and suppliers. We've boycotted them too because of this and shop locally where possible. It doesn't surprise me but you should escalate it and keep on with social media, get friends to share it so it gets seen by as many people as possible

[Numptywallice]

I was driven off the road by a Tesco delivery van a few years ago. He was speeding and on wrong side of the road. I swerved as I had my 3 year old in the back and hit a Bollard. The driver just drove off and left me in a written off car, in pain and a baby screaming in back. When my husband called them they told him they had delivery appointment times to keep, the police were not impressed. Tesco at first wouldn't except liability but after sticking with it and getting a solicitor they did finally admit to liability.