Tesco have changed their returns policy - I am not happy

[Jaybee]

Just thought I would warn everybody that Tesco have changed their returns policy. If you do not have a receipt they will not even offer an exchange any more. I recently bought two pairs of trousers for me - I was doing a large shop in my lunch break and grabbed them along with a few bits for dd - needless to say I did not have time to try them on. I put the receipt in one of the shopping bags and returned to work. When I got home dh unpacked the grocery shopping while I helped ds and dd with their homework, I think he must have thrown the receipt away. Dds stuff fits ok but these trousers just don't fit - I returned them to the shop I bought them from and they won't let me return them - not even for an exchange. I have contacted Tesco Customer Services online and they say that it is down to individual stores. I am really annoyed, I now have two pairs of trousers that are completely useless to me - I have exchanged stuff there before without a receipt so the policy change was a surprise to me. BE WARNED if you think you may need to return anything - keep your receipt. Does anyone know whether Asda have the same policy as I think I will take my trade elsewhere.

Asda have a 100 day returns policy. You don't need the receipt, but you will be given vouchers or offered a direct exchange, I think.

Looks like it is Asda here I come - only problem is that I will have to travel further to get to one.

Jaybee, do make a point of ringing your local store and telling the manager that you won't be shopping there any more, and why!

It is true that no shop is obliged to exchange at all, even with a receipt, if something isn't faulty, but for a big store like Tesco it's a very short-sighted move to stop doing it.

Message withdrawn

Go to a Tescos that don't have the new policy???? (That is if it is down to individual stores really??)

You want to pay for carrier bags, secur? You should shop at Lidl!

There are a few more Tescos in the area that I will try over the next few days. As Janh says - it is very short sighted of them.

About a year ago I returned a faulty toy to our local Tesco, the toy had disintegrated, small screws had fallen out of it etc. The woman at Customer Services was very insistant about needing a receipt to return the toy (I think I still had the original packaging just no receipt), until I pointed out how unsafe it was and pointed out that I had a smaller DS who was just at the age of putting everything in his mouth and how shocked I was to have received such a toy from Tesco. The woman quickly changed her tune and an exchange was granted. She did however say that in future I should keep receipts if I wanted a refund/exchange and I asked "Do you expect people to keep receipts for everything? and she said "Yes". Naff policy if you ask me especially as most people are picking up an item of clothing/toy etc with their weekly shop and are not likely to keep the receipt for long.

I find ASDA usually give a refund whilst I am still rummaging about in my purse looking for the receipt, when I produce the receipt, they either just have a quick glance or say "don't bother". Never had any problem returning things to ASDA without a receipt either.

Demented that bit about needing a receipt for a faulty toy is complete rubbish - it violates your statutory rights - that's absolutely disgraceful that you had to fight your corner for that!

Exchanges because it doesn't fit or it's unwanted fall under the shop's discretion legally (although most retailers value their customers' goodwill!), but faulty goods are a completely different matter.

There is one valid reason for wanting a receipt for something defective - although it sounds as if Demented's person didn't say this, but I've had it at Matalan in the last week - if you can't prove what you paid for it, you are only entitled to a refund of the price that comes up on the till. (I was returning something that cost £8 before Christmas and the till showed £2 But I have found the receipt now )

I had a similar problem with Tesco's about 6 months ago (just after they changed their returns policy). I had bought too many pull-up nappies and my son decided to take only 2 days to be toilet trained at night, so I wanted to exchange them for a smaller sized normal nappy so I could use them for my daughter. They were unopened and I even had the till receipt. However since I had bought them 31 days ago (more than 28 days) they would only give me back what they were currently selling for, less than I had paid for them and I would have to buy the smaller nappies at a higher price. I was particularly angry, because I had to wait 20 minutes in line with both children crying while an employee pushed to the front of the line and returned a bunch of stuff and some lady returned 2 bags of clearly half eaten groceries (guess she bought them less than 28 days ago). I insisted on speaking to the manager who told me I was lucky they were even considering taking them back as they had been bought more than 28 days ago and that she didn't think 20min. was an unreasonable time to wait to be helped at customer service. I called the national customer service number who were equally uninterested in my custom and finally wrote a letter to the president who's office sent me an boringly standard letter quoting the 28 days and telling me they didn't have to do anything for me as the 28 days was statutory.
I now spend my £100 a week shopping (+£60 a week petrol) at ASDA or Sainsbury's. They are both much nicer, have nicer products, are closer to my house and have much better return policies. In fact once when I complained to the manager at Sainsburys that there were no mother and child spaces in the parking lot as they were all filled up with imposters, he gave me a £10 voucher towards my shopping and a bagful of free cherries (selling at £4/lb) for my ds.
Tesco's....never ever again will I shop there.

OMG - I didn't know all this, and will certainly bear it in mind. They have been brilliant in the past ...

... exchanging a bottle opener cos I took in one that had been damaged opening a reluctant bottle of wine. All she said was "did you buy it here?" And I mumbled something about buying the wine here, and she got me a (much better) exchange. We'd had the thing for years, no idea where it came from.

... giving an exchange for old (unopened) packs of nappies that ds had grown out of. I exchanged newborn and size 1 at the same time for size 2 - so they could see I had had them some time!

Whatever happened to the days of "I don't like the expression on this trout's face"?

Actually, they did screw me around at Xmas by sending me home with an empty DVD case that I'd paid £22 for! When I went back they said they didn't have any more in stock. I pointed out that the maths didn't work on this - if I had an empty box, the DVDs must be there somewhere. I was given a full refund (had receipt) and apologies and promises to search out and shoot the silly checkout girl (although at first she tried to blame me for being stupid enough to take an empty case home). So I went to look for an alternative pressie for my brother ... and there on the shelf were about 10 of the DVD I'd just been told was out of stock!

ASDA are the best shop in the whole world.

And their produce manager in Hull is fanastic (not that i am married to him or anything )

Fisil-at least they believed you. I bought my mum a nigella "hanbag whisk" as a stocking present from debenhams and when she opened it the box was empty. I took it back and they basically said I must be lying and I couldnt "prove" the box had been empty! Had to demand to see a manager and rant that the Bl**dy whisk was worth £4 and it had cost me more than that in petrol/parking and I really wouldnt bother to defraud them for that! Ripped up my account card on the spot(made me feel better anyway!)

make that "handbag"

JennH - Would that be Kingswood or Hessle Rd? Wow - someone else from 'ull on the board - thought I was the only one