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AIBU?

To think ASDA punishes loyalty and wants to lose my business?

68 replies

YankNCock · 20/01/2014 14:19

I can't believe this faff over my delivery pass.

Last year, ASDA started doing delivery passes, like Tesco. I signed up to a 3 month pass which expired 4th January, it cost £15.

Then on 5th January I signed up for a new delivery pass. Costs were £8/month or £24/3 months. Was a bit dismayed there was no incentive to sign up for 3 months vs 1 month, but I did it anyway. Ordered groceries for 6th and 11th January.

Then last night, as I went on to do the weekly shop, I noticed a new offer. '£15 for 3 months, keep that price all year if you Auto-Renew, all your shopping for £60/year'. Sounds great, but can I get it? No, because I already have a delivery pass.

So I think, 'I'll just wait till the current one expires and then get this promotion'. But I can't, because my current pass expires 8th April, and this promotion ends 10th February. This seems quite unfair, the only reason I can't take advantage of the offer is because I signed up for 3 months (LOYALTY).

I called customer services. First I can't get the person to actually understand the problem. Then he tells me that the offer doesn't guarantee it's £15/3 months all year (uh YES, it does). He has to admit he is wrong later.

I'm not allowed to cancel my pass because it's over 7 days since I bought it, and I've used it (twice). Fine, I say, then drop me down to a 1 month pass for £8 and refund the difference (£16), and then when that expires I will be able to apply for the promotional deal. I think this is quite reasonable.

What followed was essentially the Little Britain 'Computer Says No' sketch. 'No one can override it'. Is it SkyNet? Do the computers control us now?

I was promised a call back 'in the morning' but 'everyone will just tell you the same thing, no one can override the system'. Bullshit. Having worked in IT and customer services, there IS a way for something to be done. No one has called. I've written, but no reply. Twittered, and NOTHING.

So apparently, ASDA would rather screw loyal customers and the lose guaranteed sales for a year. What a business model!!

Time to start looking into Tesco again. I've missed those clubcard points.....

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SuzanneUK · 20/01/2014 14:27

Tell the story to their Chief Exec, Andy Clarke.

I'm sure he'll be more sympathetic than most of his minions.

[email protected]

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DollyHouse · 20/01/2014 14:28

Did you ask to speak to a manager? They refunded my monthly pass after I'd used it twice. Both deliveries were damaged and I didn't want to use asda anymore but didn't want to lose my money. First woman said computer says no and tried to hang up on me. I asked to speak to her manager, she buggered off for ten mins and then came back and said yes. So they definitely can do something!

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YankNCock · 20/01/2014 14:36

Yes, asked to speak to the manager, who was conveniently 'busy'. This was after I got left on hold for ages, twice. Then I was promised the call back this morning, which didn't happen.

Thanks for the email address, I will link to this thread!

What really irritated me, was this offer of a '£5 gesture of goodwill'. I wasn't trying to get freebies, I was perfectly willing to pay for the deliveries I already had! On principle, it's WRONG for my loyalty to be used against me, and for it to cost me at least £36 over the year, possibly more.

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cozietoesie · 20/01/2014 14:46

They're not interested in loyalty - only in continued purchasing, which is subtly different. Any way they can find to hook you in, they'll use. (And I doubt the poor blighters in Customer Services have that much discretion really.)

I'm lucky in that I can use nearly all the main supermarket chains for delivery, which I need, and I'm quite ruthless in playing them off against each other - timing my purchases among them to take best advantage of (supposedly) tempting offers and vouchers which they think will reel me back in again. You have to play them at their own game.

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YankNCock · 20/01/2014 14:53

cozie, yes that's why I thought I had quite a good case. I'm TRYING to sign up to continue purchasing with them for a year, but they are stubbornly refusing because 'computer says no'.

Here's what I've send to chief exec, probably will go nowhere, but hey ho.

Dear Mr Clarke,

I am having an issue with ASDA customer services and cannot seem to get it escalated to anyone who is willing to help. I have posted on Mumsnet this morning, following your employees' failure to resolve my problem or even ring me back as promised.

I am asking for something perfectly reasonable, to be treated like a loyal customer, not fobbed off with 'the manager is busy' or 'have a £5 goodwill gesture'. There should be procedures in place whereby if a customer service rep is unable to assist, they pass the call to someone with more authority or discretion to make account adjustments.

What follows is my post on Mumsnet, where it will be seen by other customers and come up in google searches. I am sure ASDA will not notice losing a single customer, even for a year, but perhaps by telling your target demographic exactly how ASDA rewards loyalty, I will get someone's attention and get this matter resolved to my satisfaction.

Sincerely
Yank

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ChaosTrulyReigns · 20/01/2014 15:00

That's an appalling CS strategy.

I know Andy Clarke.

He'll work his magic.

Smile

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IamInvisible · 20/01/2014 15:05

I think you're being OTT!

I've got an Asda delivery pass and will be re-newing it on Friday because that is when mine runs out. It is sheer luck that it has turned out like that and I can take advantage of this offer.

When I had a Tesco Delivery pass, I had just renewed it for 6 months, then about 2 weeks later they did them at half price for a limited time. I was a bit peeved, but thought that's life and got on with it.

It wouldn't have occurred to me to have complained. You can't complain because you miss a special offer imo.

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OhGoveUckYourself · 20/01/2014 15:06

I think there are more threads on here about bad customer service from Asda than all the rest of the supermarkets put together. It certainly would never encourage me to shop at Asda. Maybe they should invest some of their profits in training their employees and better IT systems if ' computer says no'.

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Lioninthesun · 20/01/2014 15:11

I've boycotted them since they tried to tell me that the dollshouse I ordered which said "comes with all furniture included" meant the opposite, which was why I didn't have any of it. They changed the web page to say 'NOT included' but still refused to admit their mistake. It took about a week of letters about trade descriptions act, twittering and emailing and FB campaigning for them to realise that they weren't going to get rid of me. Evil buggers sent the furniture and the next day halved the price of the dollshouse online Angry I never got an apology at all.

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tiredoutgran · 20/01/2014 15:36

hmph, Andy Clarke didn't even bother to reply to me when my whole xmas shopping trip was ruined/brought to a premature end when they turned down the lights at 11pm meaning I couldn't even see the gifts I wanted to buy. I emailed him twice (assuming the first had got lost in the ether) and through his PA once. Asda lost out on over £700 of business that night but give the impression they don't care, their loss is Tesco's gain. I spend around £200 a week on food shop and have always bought clothing/uniform for the 4 children from there so it is a substantial amount. I have always been loyal to Asda but will not shop there again on principal!

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Lioninthesun · 20/01/2014 15:47

tired yes, we used to spend a lot there too. All food, most DC clothes and furniture/electrical. Even if they come out a couple of quid cheaper on an internet search I go for the next one now - not worth the hassle of their shite Customer Service (which is a laughable name in itself!)

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greenfolder · 20/01/2014 15:54

yabu to think that asda could care less about your custom. they seriously dont.

i would just take my custom somewhere else.

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TripTrapTripTrapOverTheBridge · 20/01/2014 15:55

Sorry,I think you are BU.People miss offers all the time,it's life not a reason to complain.

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confuddledDOTcom · 20/01/2014 16:19

You know what, if the pleb says no - GO HIGHER! I can't see why they could not do it for you, you've shown you're a regular customer so they could do it as a gesture of good will.

I'm currently shaking because I've just made a call I didn't think I'd make in ten years of my job. I work for my housing association, called up with some maintenance work I needed and they said no. I know for a fact this is their responsibility - I've worked for their department!!! So she checked with a superviser, they said no, so I said "Please tell Jane* confuddled wants to talk to her" "Sorry?" "Jane, your departments director, can you tell her I want to talk to her"

*not her real name (or name)

Still waiting on a call back but I know well enough that going higher works.

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CharlieAlphaKiloEcho · 20/01/2014 16:25

I'm also not friends with Asda anymore.

I've been using the passes since they were introduced ages ago and all has been fine but they have suddenly and without much fuss put the minimum spend up to £40 from the usual £25. I rarely spend that amount of money so I will just stop using them.

To top it all off, I sent them a complaint via the website about it and clearly ticked the email only reply box only for them to ring me at 8 am on a sunday morning to offer me a £3.50 goodwill gesture. on my first lie-in day for months!

£3.50 won't really make the difference between £25 and £40 feel any better actually.

I don't drive and I will struggle to get the heavier stuff home but I really can't change my budget around now :(

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kali110 · 20/01/2014 17:49

Also think you're bu.

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LoveWine · 20/01/2014 18:01

Sorry but emaling the CEO to complain because YOU missed a promotion is over the top. I think you're being unreasonable.

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hickorychicken · 20/01/2014 18:01

YAnbu asda are shite.

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specialsubject · 20/01/2014 18:29

no-one rewards loyalty now. Long-term customers of banks get the interest rates reduced, introductory telecom offers don't apply for existing customers etc etc

shop around and never be loyal to any brand or organisation.

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BeyondTheLimitsOfAcceptability · 20/01/2014 18:53

That is shit. Good luck with the email

Ps thank you for this thread as i wasnt going to renew mine until i did my next delivery, but if theres an offer on i wont wait :)

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Queeniethecorgi · 20/01/2014 19:22

I think it's wrong of you to basically blackmail them using mumsnet as leverage

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hickorychicken · 20/01/2014 19:26

Why not, companies hate bad publicity and if it makes them rethink there customer service...

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UncleT · 20/01/2014 19:33

In principle it seems like an unreasonable situation, being charged more than the currently advertised price. In reality though, promotions come and go - some people will always just miss out. Notwithstanding this, a more conscientious company would probably just accept your suggestion of compromise in light of your obvious dissatisfaction. You are being somewhat unreasonable, but they could also have dealt with it better.

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honestpointofview · 20/01/2014 21:44

Sorry but I think YABU. As others have said offers come and go. It would be no different to going and saying i bought this item yesterday and now it is on BOGOF. Can I have the other free one now. I appreciate it is annoying but really, really really, writing to the CEO? A little over the top.

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YankNCock · 20/01/2014 22:35

Queenie, what leverage would you suggest I use then?

UncleT, there are lots of businesses out there which will price match or refund if the price drops within a certain amount of time after purchase. In my case, we're talking less than a week. And again, I'm not asking for a freebie, I declined their £5 goodwill gesture.

I don't see this as 'I missed out on a promotion'. I haven't missed it, it's still ongoing, but I'm not allowed to have it. I'm not allowed to have it because I had already committed to buying from ASDA for 3 months. What I'm trying to get is the opportunity to commit to purchasing everything at ASDA for a year. This is win win for both me and ASDA.

honest, it is not only annoying on principle, it's at least £36 extra this year, which I cannot afford. Purchasing groceries online is the best way to stick to our tiny budget, as I can search and sort by price. I used to try to make lists of which things were cheaper at Aldi and drive to both, but it got ridiculously time consuming and any savings were eaten up by petrol costs.

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