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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be cross with Sainsburys customer services.

63 replies

Foobydoo · 08/04/2021 20:28

I ordered six bottles of wine with my grocery order, taking advantage of the 25% off six bottles offer. On the day of delivery two bottles of the same wine were out of stock.
The two unavailable bottles were substituted for just one different bottle of wine! This meant I lost the discount and had less wine.

I complained to customer services and did not get a response for nine days.
After chasing I got a very dismissive response saying I no longer qualified for the offer as I only received five bottles.

The customer service representative was dismissive, bordering on rude. No explanation as to why the picker would substitute two bottles for just one and no apology for the inconvenience. She refused to escalate my complaint to a manager and told me to return the wine to store if I wasn't happy.
Am I being unreasonable to be very cross?
I expected more from Sainsburys for some reason and has left a bad taste in my mouth than cannot be washed away due to a lack of wineWink
I cannot go to store. I get online shopping due to disability.

OP posts:
Happycat1212 · 08/04/2021 20:33

This reminds me of what happened to me the other day, I ordered from Sainsbury’s through deliveroo and if it is under £20 they charge a “small order fee” of £5, I went slightly over to avoid the fee even though I didn’t need the extra item. Well it wasn’t available and I was then charged the small order fee despite the fact it wasn’t my fault it wasn’t available. Sainsbury’s are useless 🙄

FoxAndCocks · 08/04/2021 20:43

I ordered some pillows in my last Sainsbury’s shop, they substituted them with..... 2 face cloths.
I’m sure I could have folded them up to rest my weary head on at night but I wasn’t prepared to try.

Sparklingbrook · 08/04/2021 20:45

Was there an option to request 'no substitutions' for the bottles in the offer?

Original poster
Foobydoo · 08/04/2021 20:50

@Sparklingbrook

Was there an option to request 'no substitutions' for the bottles in the offer?
Yes there was but I would have been in the same situation. The picker could have substituted with any two bottles but as they replaced two with one I lost the offer.

I am more miffed about the response from customer services it was just so dismissive.

OP posts:
Soontobe60 · 08/04/2021 20:52

Do you not have the option of returning the wine when it’s delivered?

LubaLuca · 08/04/2021 20:55

I've been going round in circles trying to get a response from Sainsbury's customer service. I don't want to keep ringing them in the evening when I get home from work, but it's either that or Twitter/Facebook. You'd think that an online ordering service would have some way to contact them via the website, but no Hmm.

I only want a refund for a gammon joint that was grey and smelly when I received it Shock Grin

PenfoldPenny · 08/04/2021 20:57

I wouldnt have accepted it - knowing that if I did I would have lost the discount and also wouldnt have what I wanted.

I think YABU.
Pretty often stuff isnt available and when thats the case its either agree on what does turn up or refuse it. Cant win everytime.........although I did once end up with a very nice £5 product substituted for the £2 one I had origonally chosen........ but usually I reject subs.

kittybee · 08/04/2021 21:00

Bizarrely I was talking about this very thing to a friend earlier. They’d ordered 6 bottles of wine online with a 25% discount. They were sent 5 bottles only as apparently the 6th bottle was out of stock. They were charged the full price for the 5 they received. Their relative had this happen to them twice. The relative told Sainsbury’s to collect the (in this case) champagne, or give the discount.

Oblomov21 · 08/04/2021 21:01

Keep pushing. Don't back down.
Go back to your chat and request a full refund.

I had 3 wrong items delivered last week. I had a chat with them on the online chat and the bloke was really dismissive, very rude saying why didn't I highlight it at the time, and I said because the substitution wasn't highlighted to me and I didn't spot it till later and he was really really rude and in the end I asked for it to be escalated to a manager and I was asking for a full refund and eventually I did get a full refund.

vyff · 08/04/2021 21:02

Could you phone back and speak to someone else who might be more helpful?

Were you given the option to return them to the delivery person? That's what I do with this type of substitution problem but it is a different supermarket delivering mine.

FiloPasty · 08/04/2021 21:03

At Christmas I took back an expensive bottle of wine that was corked, I just wanted to replace it but hasn't kept the receipt. Customer service were so rude. I ended up just leaving the bottle of wine with them and stomping off.

Sparklingbrook · 08/04/2021 21:09

I don't use Sainsburys but there's an option to say 'no substitutions' where I do. Or note to picker maybe? But if that wouldn't have worked I would have known from the confirmation email I wasn't getting the deal and rejected what was delivered and got a refund.

tuliplily · 08/04/2021 21:13

@Happycat1212

This reminds me of what happened to me the other day, I ordered from Sainsbury’s through deliveroo and if it is under £20 they charge a “small order fee” of £5, I went slightly over to avoid the fee even though I didn’t need the extra item. Well it wasn’t available and I was then charged the small order fee despite the fact it wasn’t my fault it wasn’t available. Sainsbury’s are useless 🙄
This happened to me but with Asda. I was so pissed off. Anyway I complained and they gave me a refund.
Caterinaballerina · 08/04/2021 21:23

Try contacting them through Facebook messenger. I had the same, 2 if my 6 weren’t in stock so they replaced with 3 (?) of another. I had the advance notice on my email so used the Facebook chat to question whether I’d still benefit from the discount on the rest if I returned these 3. The answer was yes, once I had that chat set up I had to go back about 3 more times because they only refunded 2 when I returned them. Got a voucher for the third. So I’d press for them to honour the discount, they may do in the form of a voucher for your next shop.

CherryAndAlmond · 08/04/2021 21:28

Sainsbury's delivery service is appalling. When it snowed they cancelled my order (fair enough) but failed to tell me (totally unacceptable). It was my full weekly shop and I had very little left in the house, so had to trudge out in the snow at 10pm, after being on hold for an hour to customer services to ask where my order was, to get food. I avoid Sainsburys now.

shhsecretsquirrel · 08/04/2021 21:31

This sort of shit from sainos is why I order from Ocado now. And if there's anything wrong with any product delivered I can just go onto my order an request a refund. In the unlikely even I ever have had to contact customer services they answer the phone quickly and have always sorted out my issue there and then

FireflyRainbow · 08/04/2021 21:48

This happened to me with air fresheners I'd brought from Tescos. I emailed them and got a response the next day, they gave me a refund and i got to keep the air freshner. Wish it was wine 😆

BalancingStick · 08/04/2021 22:10

Sainsbury's customer service is terrible. Worst customer service I've ever experienced. I've needed to call them a few times and without fail I come away furious. For your own sanity, forget and move on.

Equalityumber · 08/04/2021 22:12

Perhaps try Twitter? I find tweeting complaints to be be the most effective in getting issues resolved.

orangegina · 08/04/2021 22:14

This has happened to me before too with Sainsbury's wine.

Just refuse the order. The driver will take back anything you don't want. We told him the reason and they have no quibble policy

Check the receipt before delivery arrives so you know what's been substituted

Chloemol · 08/04/2021 22:16

So just raise a formal complaint through the complaints process about the wine and how the customer services officer handled your call

Moondust001 · 08/04/2021 22:16

I am just waiting for my delivery pass to run out and then I am leaving them. I made a complaint about poor customer service that involved disability - the delivery driver literally threw the delivery through my door as I was opening it and nearly knocked me off my feet (I can fall over all on my own without help) because he was busy, and when I remonstrated he swore at me. So I complained, and - I jest not, this is a literal quote - I was told that "customer service is optional"! When I asked to speak to to a manager they refused. And this is all in writing via email. So I have told them that something else is also optional. Customer loyalty.

Moondust001 · 08/04/2021 22:17

@Chloemol

So just raise a formal complaint through the complaints process about the wine and how the customer services officer handled your call
That is exactly what I did - it was them that told me that customer service was optional!
Whalewithnosnail · 08/04/2021 22:19

Sainsburys is awful at the moment. They always substitute things for less of a more expensive item. So they don't have to pay any extra in the substitution promise, but I have to feed 5 of us on a quarter of the food. Loads of things delivered that go off on the day they are delivered (and this is never highlighted in advance as it it meant to be). Last week we were sent chicken with a use by date two days before the delivery. Sadly we have little other option right now. Grr

rainbowthoughts · 08/04/2021 22:24

Such Drama. You just say no thanks to the driver and they take it away and refund you.