TW Blog :: Archives for February 2009

Tesco Customer Service and Hostile Staff at Pool Tesco Extra

Relates to Blogging

We spend on average £120 a week in Tesco supermarkets - principally in Pool Extra and also in Helston. That is more than 6 grand a year! Out of choice we shop at Tesco because their service usually is efficient and their stock is reliable. Following the way I was treated in the supermarket at Pool on Monday night Tesco can kiss goodbye to our money since I will not shop there again!

On Monday we had the misfortune of getting caught in the rush hour traffic ensuing from the lorry fire on the M5 which left us stranded for nearly 4 hours and made our return journey from Birmingham excess of 8 hours! Poor little Olive having to spend so long stuck in her baby seat when perhaps a bit of better planning from the traffic authorities could have had us (and all other Exeter traffic) re-routed via the A303 saving a considerable amount of congestion I am sure.

Anyway, by the time we arrived at Tesco Extra in Pool shortly after 11pm to pick up some milk and formula we were all understandably exhausted and feeling quite irksome.

I hopped out leaving the car running expecting it to take a couple of minutes to pick up the milk and formula as Olive was fast asleep and would undoubtedly stir again if the engine stopped. Unfortunately when I got to the checkout it turned out to be very busy! There was a single operator currently checking through a large trolley of goods on a basket isle and four automated machines were in operation likewise with a queue of shoppers with semi-full trolleys.

I patiently queued with my three items behind one of the automated machines since the operator was clearly struggling to check through and pack items from the trolley in such a confined space. Nearly 10 minutes later I got to the rear automated machine and pressed Start on the touch screen. A message popped up telling me this machine was now closed and processing the end of day receipts! I notified the member of staff who appeared to be acting as support for the machines. He asked the operator on the manual till and she called back "Oh it will only be 5 minutes to process that and the machine will be back on".

At this point she had finished checking through the trolley of goods and was about to start on a full basket from a woman who had just come to the till. I would have thought this would have been an opportune moment to offer for me to come into that till with my tin of formula and two cartoons of milk which would take seconds to check through. But no! I was left to patiently wait several more minutes for the person on the front automated machine to finish. Once again I pressed Start and once again I was told that the till had closed. So I notified the same member of staff who said nothing can be done I would have to wait another 5 minutes for processing to end!

Understandably my patience was now wearing thin and I backed up to queue for the manual till. As I loaded my three items on the basket stand to be checked through I calmly remarked how service was a little poor with only two automated and one manual basket till open when the shop was so busy. To which I got an aggressive retort from the cashier telling me to be patient and that after 11pm only automated machines are used. I pointed out that while that seems reasonable enough two of those machines were offline currently while other isles were closed leaving only two working automated machines. The cashier seemed intent on making an argument out of this pointing out that the rear machine had just come back online as someone else arrived just in time to start checking through their trolley. But yes I responded, while I have been too-ed and fro-ed between machines and queues trying to find somewhere to check through my three items for nearly 20 minutes.

To my shock and total disbelief the cashier then became confrontational asking me in a most antagonistic manner if I wanted to speak to a manager as she flagged over the store security! Mr Tesco Security came and perched over me in a most hostile and policing manner and asked what appeared to be the problem. As politely as possible I clarified that I did not have time to speak to a manager because of course I was in a hurry with my exhausted 12 month old waiting in the car after a very long journey. Mr Tesco Security backed down and the cashier rather rudely checked my three items through dumping them the other side of the till without asking me about bags, club cards and all the other usual routines a cashier would be expected to go through.

Now I appreciate it is not Tesco's problem that I had had a long journey and was tired and in a hurry. But it is pretty clear that the shop was very busy and understaffed. All four automated machines were handling large trolleys as was the manual basket till and if it is the case that only automated machines run after 11pm then they shouldn't be shutting down and processing their end of day receipts at this time! In total it took me just under 20 minutes to check through my three items. On any other day I would expect to go into that same Tesco at peak time with a full trolley and reach a checkout almost instantly.

But what really got me riled was the aggressive response and belligerent attitude I got from the cashier and the way I was suddenly made to feel like a criminal by Mr Tesco Security for my lucid observations about the under-manned tills. Thankyou Tesco for responding so cruelly to the years of investment I have made in your customer service! I will shop with you no more…

And a lesson for everyone else out there. Watch out for the Tesco Police! The customer is clearly never right.

So if, like me, you have been mis-treated by Tesco and their bullying customer service team then stand up for yourself and shop elsewhere!

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 18, 2009 at 12:30:01.