Tesco fricking Club Card / two tier pricing

[Fahbeep]

AIBU to hate Tesco Clubcard App and the two tier pricing in store. It rely annoys me on principle that Tesco actively sets out to overcharge customers in store if they haven't got the app handy or the card, in which case, massive palaver at the tills. They do this so they can scrape your personal data. It just puts me off shopping there TBH.

Moan over. I'm in Tesco's car park as a I write as I've flounced out in outrage!

@justteanbiscuits the old was has gone.... fact!

Old was what???

There are legal restrictions in place when it comes to promotional pricing. If you think Tesco are breaching them, maybe you should go to the ASA and report them?

Fire example, from https://www.asa.org.uk/advice-online/promotional-savings-claims.html - this seems to cover what is alleged to be happening.

'Do not artificially inflate prices
Marketers should be cautious when making a savings claim based on recent prices. The ASA upheld complaints about a supermarket ad offering a multi-buy offer on cereals. The product was priced at 97p per box between January 2015 and 5 July 2015, and at £1.38 from 6 July 2015. On 7 July 2015 the product was then included in a mix-and-match multi-buy offer of three packs for £3. The ASA considered the offer misleading because the £1.38 was not the usual selling price'

My understanding is that Tesco don't claim it to be "discounted". By simply offering two prices (like, for example, in that camping and outdoors shop where you get a massive discount for having membership) they aren't bound by the "on sale" pricing rules for this. They simply state two different prices which is allowed.

The guidelines are for 'promotional pricing'. I don't think anyone would suggest that clubcard prices aren't promotional pricing.

I think that is how Tesco get round it - using this loophole. They're not like DFS who claim their prices are sale prices.

It's not really a "loophole" though, is it? They're not saying that the price used to be £x and is now £y so it's a discount, offer, 50% off or anything like that. The law was all about firms lying, i.e. making out that there was a genuine "sale" by claiming they'd been at a higher price previously when they hadn't. The law was all about misrepresentation. Tesco aren't doing any of that. They're not saying it "used to be £x" - they're simply saying it's £x without a card or £y with a card - no misrepresentation there at all. They're free to set whatever prices they wish whenever they want - what is illegal is misrepresentation which is not what they're doing. It's not a loophole.

Ah, yes, the important issue is the exact meaning of my word when explaining to someone that these deals aren't covered by the legislation.

Any loophole isn't covered by the law, which is why it's a loophole.

What they are doing, by inflating non club card prices is perfectly legal. My argument is around the morality of it.

Yes, I agree, but it's not really any different to the way that various shops sell a 4 pack of Kitkat for £1 but sell them individually at 85p each. It's clear the 85p each is gross profiteering, but there's no law against it.

Or the way that some branded items are always on "special offer" at one of the supermarket chains in a carousel, such as McCoys multipack crisps or multipacks of diet coke, or certain brands of washing powder.

The Tesco club card pricing (closely followed by others) is just a new version of those old tricks.

Or contracts for broadband, sky/virgin tv, landlines, mobile phones, power, etc etc where you have to sign up for a new contract at the end of the term unless you want to end up grossly over-paying on their "non contract" pricing.

Or new car dealerships where the "List price" is a work of fiction because no one ever pays the list price for a new car.

You can't legislate for everything. The likes of DFS claiming "50% off sales" was clearly misrepresentation as they were actually lying by saying that the price was previously £x when it wasn't, hence the more recent requirements to be able to prove it really was £x for the required number of days.

Tesco aren't lying, nor are Virgin, Sky, BT, etc - that's the difference.

I've not asked for legislation against it. Or claimed Tesco are lying. I simply responded to someone who posted about legal restrictions around promotional pricing.

I'm saying Tescos new pricing structure is unfair to the most vulnerable in society. That's it. That's my only message.

@justteanbiscuits

Can you not understand that most prices aren’t affected? Most products aren’t in the offers. It simply isn’t true that prices have been inflated across the store. That’s what I meant when I said you were making things up.

It’s completely unfair and a little unhinged to suggest that I “don’t care about the vulnerable” or some bullshit just because I occasionally like to save 50p on a packet of kitkats.

Don’t you know that all companies are bastards?! Every. Single. One. Every promotional offer ever is for the company’s advantage.

Is it not caring about the vulnerable if you donate your savings to a food bank @justteanbiscuits?

Is it food that was Clubcard card priced?

This thread is specifically about Tesco's. Hence I am discussing tescos.

And yes, a lot of the common food items ARE inflated. Comparisons amongst supermarkets show that. In the last few weeks a few of the ready meals my Mum buys (she buys the same every time) had increased in price (by around £2, so not a small amount), but were slightly lower than original price for clubcard. Yes, we could suggest she buys different meals, but if she could cope with picking different meals she could cope with clubcard.

Yes it's legal. Yes Sainsbury's do the same apparently. But I can still disagree with it and find those people who go on about how they saved 25p so it's OK to be uncaring of those who really struggle with these things. A simple "yeah, we see how hard it could be" rather than the "my parent was fine so yours must be" or "I save money so it's fine" would show a little empathy.

Sorry @justteanbiscuits it's lot bigger saving than 25p and yes I will save money when and where I can.

It was the cash.

Just had a completely embarrassing experience with this went into tescos did my shopping a trolley full! Get to the till to pay and go on my app and it says that I need to “authenticate” my club card in order to scan it!! Was using my son’s phone as mine was at home so couldn’t scan it. Called over a member of staff to be told there is nothing they can/ will do and suggested I went home to get my phone?! Was nowhere near home. So no the staff didn’t offer to scan theirs for me like people claim they do on here. Ended up having to walk out as I was only buying it because I was getting a discount some of the things I bought I would never pay full price for. Ended up walking out and going to Morrisons where I’m not forced to use a club card so the app isn’t as easy as everyone claims as why does it need to text my phone to use it?! I was logged in on my account but it needed to send a text to my number

You can get £21.50 and even more removed from your bill if you shop in Lidl, Iceland, or Aldi, and not Tesco. No need for a clubcard. Just cheaper prices all round.

100% this. ^

On a dozen items? I don’t think so. And Aldi’s inferior Irish Cream is £1.41 more.

@FreshWinterMorning but not all of us have time to go to more than one supermarket, nor have Aldi and Lidl nearby.

As this thread has proved, tesco seem to have stores where no other stores are available.

Funnily we have countless Aldi and Lidl
Tesco have JUST opened a store, the first one
We have tiny Tesco express ones but just got our first proper supermarket one

Didn't they tell you that you can reclaim your discounts and any points within two weeks, with your receipt and your card?

It is very easy to use - but if you want to use it on a different phone to normal, it stands to reason that you need to have it set up in advance, for security reasons. You wouldn't want someone else to help themselves to your clubcard vouchers, would you?

(oh, and Morrisons also do discounts for loyalty card holders)

Yes ,you are not shopping like for like, Aldi got pulled up for false advertising when their basket comparison was full of own brand when Tesco's basket had only big name brands ie Weetabix.