AIBU to expect compensation from Tesco after finding MAGGOTS in the sweetcorn?

[BobbleHat102]

Pretty much what is says in the title.

I bought a bag of frozen sweetcorn from Tesco. It looked normal when i poured some into the pan of boiling water. After a couple of minutes I took a bite to see if it was ready. It tasted a bit odd but I didn't think anything of it. Drained the pan and tipped it out.... maggots. Little white ones. They had obviously been inside the kernels prior to it being frozen.

Obviously I was straight down there to complain - very politely, obviously not the staff's fault. They were very nice, refunded my 79p and I got a call yesterday from Tesco HQ saying they were very sorry, maggots had been comfirmed and they had opened a full investigation with the supplier. They have promised to update me in three weeks. I stated my main concern was that clearly the whole batch was contaminated and that other people will have been affected too. The product was still on sale 3 days after my initial complaint, though I suppose it could have been from a different batch.

My AIBU is am I being reasonable to request a small amount in compensation- maybe £50 in tesco vouchers? I'm not physically affected, just very upset about it. I was about to mash the sweetcorn up and feed it to the baby, it will be a long time before I ever touch sweetcorn again. Rice is freaking me out too, because the grains look very similar to the little white maggots!

Am genuinely interested to know if I am being reasonable here, or just clouded by the emotional response to eating a mouthful of unexpected maggots (bleurgh!!).

I always look on mumsnet for a heated debate..it never lets me down. I think they will send you a voucher for £5-10 pounds with the letter explaining they have looked into it.

I hope you are practicing you Compo Face ready for the Daily Mail?

I wouldn't go to the store for the sake of 79p.

I found a bug living inside a pepper a few years ago. It was disgusting. Complained via their online contact form and they gave me a refund plus £10 Tesco voucher.

My Mum found a moth in her sausage roll from Tesco. You know what she got? Sweet fuck all because sometimes this happens.

I would say that you have suffered harm. You have suffered upset and distress and that is classed as nervous shock, which is able to be compensated for. You would get as much as if you had suffered gastroenteritis resulting in time off work or a hospital stay, but it would certainly be a decent gesture from Tesco to offer a small amount of compensation or even vouchers. I think £50 is fairly low actually. Particularly if they query it and demand more proof, which will obviously cost you more time and effort than just returning it to the store.

FWIW I think people are confusing compensation under contract and under tort/delict here. In contract, you are only entitled to be put back in the position you would have been in had the breach of contract not occurred, in tort/delict you may claim for additional losses such as distress and nervous shock. Although you won't get a lot for them, its a fairly standard head of damage. You are also entitled to any out of pocket expenses.

I think we got a £2 voucher after finding maggots in a fruit bag from Tesco. What annoyed me more was that it was an ongoing problem at that store (yes Tesco Notting Hill Gate) but customer services said they were powerless to help.

If it is easy to get compensation from the retailer, you are less likely to go to trading Standards or the Council's Food hygiene department. I'm not sure this is a good thing.

I think a goodwill gesture would be nice. The OP could have taken the bag of corn, with added maggots, to the environmental health department - they would have taken a lot more action about it.

A few "thank you" vouchers would have been an appropriate offer IMO.

I guess some of you have ever had your own vegetable garden (?)… you will find all sorts of creepie crawlies attached to your produce. You wash them off and carry on!

never not ever

My AIBU is am I being reasonable to request a small amount in compensation- maybe £50 in tesco vouchers?

Yes - because Tesco have already told you they are opening an investigation with the supplier. They haven’t concluded the investigation but when they do you will get your vouchers “as a gesture of goodwill”.

give them time, they have kept you in the loop. It’s not like they are giving you the brush off but you are having a laugh if you expect £50 for a bite of sweet corn that may or may not have had a little maggot in it.

YABU.

I found maggots in my figs about 10 years ago. I was pg. I took them back straight away, and got a £5 voucher from Asda. Funnily enough, the shock sent me into labour and dd1 was born at 4am after contractions starting at 9pm.

£50 🙄 you’re chancing your arm there op.

SHE ATE THE MAGGOTS

I once found a maggot in my wrap from Boots. After complaining I got a £15 voucher. That's the best you may get, although I didn't eat it.

I found a caterpillar in some brccilli after I steamed it , I felt really guilty because I steamed to pooor little bugger to death

But I picked it off , gave the brocilli to DH and consoled myself that it might have been a moth not a butterfly so felt a bit better .

Can I have £10?

Yabu. I used to work on customer services for Tesco and I'd be very surprised if they gave you anything like £50. I took a chicken back once that was green inside - apparently chicken bile is green and sometimes when they butcher them it can leak onto the flesh - and I got £20. I was happy with a refund and a replacement chicken so was shocked when a £20 voucher came through the post.

It isn't Tesco that wears the cost of the compensation either. Everytime a product report is made, the relevant supplier is charged £25. May be more now as this was 10 years ago. The supplier also has to reimburse Tesco for any compensation.

I don't think you're being unreasonable at all to expect some compensation OP. Something like that would affect me quite badly. I would very likely throw up and then be put off that particular food for life. It would also I'm sure make me over cautious about checking things over before cooking and eating, and anxiety over food is not an ideal condition to be left with, so yes I would certainly be expecting more than my 79p back, Jesus just the time it took to take it back to the shop is worth more than that, plus they should be thanking you for bringing the problem to their attention the cheeky twats.

Every "story" talks about what you found. SHE ATE THE MAGGOT - she did not just see it and think "ooh" she ATE the bloody thing. So her story trumps all of yours 100 times over.

THANKS FOR SHOUTING THAT AGAIN, M00RFARM

I NEED compensation and bleach for my eyes after seeing that photo!

I’d voted YANBU but you are!!! For posting a sick 🤢 pic!!

I represent the family of the deceased maggot.

They require compensation for their loss. And the spouse of the decease has done a Daily Mail sad face for the masses should you not comply.

deceased obvs.

@NumbersStation, RIP. The poor maggots. You should ask OP for financial compensation due to emotional suffering as she published their mutilated bodies without the family’s permission.

Oh give over all these posters who would be happy to eat maggots and be happy with their 79p back. I call bollocks.

OP I think a token of goodwill would be appropriate but you’ve lost everyone with suggesting your own figure

You’re a chancer. Everyone seems to want compensation nowadays, it’s ridiculous.

I once bought a cheese baguette from Morrisons that transpired to be tuna. I went in, they refunded me the money and profusely apologised. Problem solved. I didn’t demand compensation because I almost ate tuna (I am a veggie so wouldn’t have been too great).