Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be really p****d off with Tescos response to purchasing rotten meat.

29 replies

poopscoop · 03/03/2009 13:48

On Saturday I had my shopping delivered which included a leg of lamb for sunday.

On opening it on sunday morning i noticed it had a peculiar smell, but went ahead and popped it in the oven. Was a bit apprehensive about what it would be like, but once it was cooking the stench was pretty obvious that it was rotten. The date on the package was 6th March so plenty of time and less that 24 hours after delivery.

So dinner went in the bin, and i emailed tesco, who apologised and gave me a refund for the meat. No extra for the inconvenience. I emailed back to say thanks for the refund but thought something extra would have been a gesture at my ruined lunch.
Just got a reply saying sorry the pickers would not have known the meat was off and therefore a refund was all they could offer.

WTF

OP posts:
JustCallMeGoat · 03/03/2009 13:50

yabu - you buy meat at tescos.

TheButterflyEffect · 03/03/2009 13:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

CurlyhairedAssassin · 03/03/2009 13:54

I've had chicken pieces from Tesco before that smelt off, well within date. I never got round to taking it back or complaining so it makes you wonder how many others don't bother either. At least you complained! Would have thought they could have given you a little something as a goodwill gesture.

Original poster
poopscoop · 03/03/2009 14:00

i am not blaming the picker at all, how were they to know, as i didnt even know until i broke through the plastic. I have emailed back and now they are asking for the bar code, which I still have and have emailed it to them. They said they can go back to the supplier. I have also told them i have the lump of meat in question outside in the bin and as proof that i have not eaten it am thinking of dumping it and its stink on customer servic es desk at my nearest tesco. I have told them i am disgusted that they are treating this lightly as it is meat, and could have made someone seriously ill.

rant over, will calm down shortly I am sure they think i have just eaten it and am trying iton, buyt have not c omplained to tesco about rotten food before. Wankers (sorry!)

OP posts:
cilitbang · 03/03/2009 14:13

Escalate it - definitely you are totally within your rights, they shouldn't have been stocking rotten meat in the first place and its not up to you to recognise if it is rotten or not, its down to them and their duty of care. They are negligent. Throw the book at them! Some background reading for you - the most famous case in consumer law - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donoghue_v_Stevenson. Good luck!

CharleeInChains · 03/03/2009 14:18

I have put in 2 reports to Trading Standards before not something i would o lightly but these 2 times i was horrified.

  1. I brough some goats milk form Tesco i went to pour some for DS to find it was soli, i looked at the sell by date it was 6 weeks out of date Tesco said it was my fault for not checking the sell by date, i took it to trading standards and they got me a full refund and £100 in compensation.
  1. I brought some Sun cream from Wilko's and i somthered DS1 in it reguarly and he burnt i also smothered myself in it and got badly burnt. It was supposed to be factor 50. Again i took it to TS and got a refund and £50 of WIlkos vouchers.

Never give the product back to the shop or they get 'misplaced' very easily.

MadamDeathstare · 03/03/2009 14:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

blondie80 · 03/03/2009 14:21

i think you're going a bit over the top, you got you're money back, why do you want more??

would you expect an extra guesture from any other retail outlet? or is it just because it's tesco?

Original poster
poopscoop · 03/03/2009 14:21

very interesting reading thanks cilit!

They have just sent another email saying they are refunding my service charge as a gesture of goodwill. Have sent them a snotty one back saying that they must think this is some kind of joke just to offer the refund in the first place, and hey ho we live and learn, no tescos shopping for me for a while, ocado/asda here i come. Plus a local butcher for my meat.

I have just taken the lloyds bank to the financial ombudsman and won my case last week, and if i can do that with them, tesco should be a walkover!!!

Not that i am a serial complainer of course, just believe in fighting for what I believe is right.

OP posts:
Original poster
poopscoop · 03/03/2009 14:24

yes blondie of course I expect a gesture from any retail outlet, If i have been given a bad service, and rotten meat at that, it has nothing to do with it being tesco. Whoever it is they should do this. We are the customers. If nobody does anything except get a refund, the shop wont have to improve standards will it?

OP posts:
ohdearwhatamess · 03/03/2009 14:27

This is why I would never buy meat from Tesco.

I bet they'd have given you more if it was in a store to avoid you making a scene.

Original poster
poopscoop · 03/03/2009 14:29

i wonder really if i should fish it out of the bin and go there in person. The store i would return it to is not the one who does the home delivery though.

I think i am being unreasonable for buying meat in the first place from tesco !! As per justcallmegoats post above

OP posts:
herbietea · 03/03/2009 14:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

ICantFindAFreeNickName · 03/03/2009 14:31

We had a similar situation with Tesco's with a chicken. The shop would only refund me the cost of the chicken. We complained to Head Office and got a £5 voucher, which did not even cover the cost of the rest of the roast dinner that went to waste, never mind the fact that we had to get a take away as we did not have anything else in the house.

MadamDeathstare · 03/03/2009 14:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MadamDeathstare · 03/03/2009 14:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
poopscoop · 03/03/2009 14:35

I shall calm down and think about it for a little bit now! You are right, i have had the refund, and now the cost of the delivery. I think i am just angry that i had to fight to get them to understand that it could have been more serious and felt it had been brushed aside with the refund, which incidently they got wrong too and did not give me the full price of the meat back.

Tesco should know better than to cross me when i have a touch of PMT

Still not shopping with them for a while though so ner !

OP posts:
Blu · 03/03/2009 14:38

I agree with MadameDeathstare - the purpose of complaining should be to improve standards, so perhaps you should send it towhatever department of your loca council deals with dodgy meat - but I think it would be fair to compensate you for the cost of the rest of the roast dinner too.

steviesgirl · 03/03/2009 14:39

YANBU. Tesco are tight money making twats. They don't care about you the customer only their mass profits. I'm not, however, surprised that you were only given your money back. Big companies don't give you any more than they have to.

I personally never shop in Tesco. I'm a farmer and I've heard of many stories of how they screw their suppliers into the ground.

Original poster
poopscoop · 03/03/2009 14:39

oh god, now am back in a quandry of what to do!! will need mask and gloves to venture to the bin!

OP posts:
oldnewmummy · 03/03/2009 14:40

In early 1997 (!) we had a jar of marinated peppers from Sainsburys. I found a small piece of broken rasor blade inside!

I was horrified and told their Head Office immediately so they could investigate as I was concerned there could be other bits that someone could swallow.

I was shocked how blase they were. We then moved abroad so my brother in law took the matter over. In the end they gave us 100 pounds, but it wasn't the money it was their attitude that appalled me.

(And I did quote Donoghue v. Stevenson but it didn't do any good!)

Original poster
poopscoop · 03/03/2009 14:41

i hope tesco customer service are reading this! They could learn a thing or 2!

OP posts:
Rhubarb · 03/03/2009 14:43

Whenever you buy meat that is rotten, you should take it straightaway to the Environmental Dept of your local council. They will examine it and write to Tescos on your behalf. They'll get a much quicker response and you'd probably get a huge refund. It's the job of the Environmental Agency to check that supermarkets do not flout any of the hygiene laws.

Your local newspaper would also be a good ally to have.

RockinSockBunnies · 03/03/2009 14:48

Sorry - but Donoghue v Stevenson is not relevant here. For a claim to be brought in tort, there has to be harm suffered and luckily (for you) you haven't actually suffered any. If you'd eaten it and become ill then you might have a claim.

Otherwise, Tesco have fulfilled their statutory obligations under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 - have given you a refund which is all that they are obliged to do. There is no law requiring them to go above and beyond that.

Whilst it's certainly annoying, there's not much you can do, other than to buy your meat elsewhere!

Rhubarb · 03/03/2009 14:49

Ah, but if they are found to be breaching hygience - surely health and safety comes into it?

Swipe left for the next trending thread