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My gripe is the commercial monster that is Tesco. Having shopped in their numerous stores, ordered on line and used their wine service, I felt that they were a professional and responsible company. It wasn't however until something went wrong (with a simple home delivery of wine) that I discovered how lazy, uncaring and downright rude some of their employees actually are. I started ordering some wine when they offered (and THEY offered!) to 'double up' my points into Wine Vouchers. I decided to spoil myself for my birthday so I viewed, selected and ordered some nice Rijoca.
Waiting in on my Birthday before a day out I was disappointed when the van turned up and only had one box. "What about the rest I asked?" "Don't know" (the polite delivery driver!) said, you'll have to call them. I later noticed that the one box they did deliver wasn't even mine or the same choice I'd chosen - it was destined for someone else.
I called and was rudely told by the branch at Carnforth it wasn't their fault and told I should call the customer service line. This I did and initially spoke to a lovely lady who was apologetic and tried to help. Without going into every detail, I was passed from pillar to post and to several departments trying to get either my wine or my wine vouchers back!
A month later I finally managed to get the vouchers back and therefore had to re-order to get my money's worth. This time it went smoothly. I decided to e-mail their Customer Service web page with a lengthy but detailed tale of events to explain to them the problems they have with their systems and their service. That was on the 17th April and you guessed it - I've heard nowt from them since!
Why is it corporate faceless giants can just ignore the consumer with such apathy and ease? Have we created monsters that 'budget' for lost consumers and train staff to become impersonal and obstructive? Are their any giants left who actually care or are we as I suspect binary numbers in their million - sorry - Billion pound profit margins. When will the gluttony that is British Industry at present think they've made enough profit? If it isn't the food giants its banking or utilities. We feed off the offerings all these companies give us initially and chant success to the free world only to find we've been done up like kippers as they suffocate the host plants we are and steal all the natural light we naively assumed we'd all be using.
Much like politics nothing really actually 'happens' unless it affects those at the top. We should have a RIGHT to know the directors name, address and mobile number and he or she should be made to dedicate some of their time each week to listen to the customer. When was the last time they actually worked in a call centre? When was the last time they walked around a store and watched their bored and unhelpful staff?
As with all us Brits I'll no doubt have a chunter, a bit of a moan on the Internet and eventually I'll get bored. Nothing will happen - no one will listen and I'll carry on shopping at one of the fat cat stores because they own everything and hey - maybe I'll get a 2 for 1 offer on something useless. They know this and this is why they don't care. History teaches us we need to stand up for our rights but are we too gutless or too selfish to do this in the 21st century? Could we stop using fuel, tobacco and other bullying corporate fayres for a long enough period of time to make them go bust? Perhaps we should you know!
By: Jonathon Hodson
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"If every citizen of this country who felt aggrieved against a shop or a bank acted like you there would be complete mayhem," he told Caton. "Frustration is no defence or mitigation."
Of course the judge is right, but I bet if a few more did act like Mr. Caton customer service would start to improve!
Also, read "Tescopoly", it'll put you off shopping there for life
Of course you can also depend upon them for your income, so soon they will be able to look after you, or own you, from cradle to grave. What happens if you lose your job? It brings to mind the old song "I owe my soul to the company store".
Am I the only person who finds this prospect terrifying?
The name of the game is Profit, trouble is how much profit? And how much next year - the same, less, more, much more? Obviously much more. How does this happen? Do they just put prices up? May be a bit easier now with rising commodity prices but what about when it wasn't? They did it by sacking Brits and moving jobs East. As we know some of these jobs ended up being done by child (unpaid?)Labour. Used computers, cut office staff, now customers ordering online do the keyboard work! Tesco's don't even pay staff if they are sick! Bigger profits, seems to me are ONLY achieved by (easily) deceiving, cheating, ripping-off customers and workers who have come to EXPECT to be ripped off? If you expect it, your children will expect it and the shops will get away with it!!
And Shareholders? Well, whilst customers are being ripped off and profits and Dividend income (and pay for the Rich) is rocketing, the powers that be sat in The House of Commons are doing their hardest to make sure it stays that (nice) way for them and that (awful) way for the poor. Mr & Mrs Joe Public you ought to take a lot more interest in what is known as "The Poverty GAP."
There's only one way to survive the slump and that is to provide services and goods that the ordinary population needs at affordable prices. Our current retail trade needs to learn this very hard lesson. If it goes bust, that would ultimately be good for the nation at large.
Get in the real world 29-Jun-2008 20:23"
The comment I made was directed at Docherty, unless you are the same person using a different name and the little mind got confused!
What's wrong with being a worker (that's what you mean by w****rs isn't it?), you've said yourself you are one.
Well said too - these people really need to re-discover the front door...
However, a word to the original griper: Jonathon - I'm with you! Let's start the fire!
Try to write sense, try to be coherent, and try to write correct English. Then, and only then, will I engage in dialogue with you.
I know one should not mock the afflicted, but you ask for it! I won't attempt to insult you any further, nature did a far better job of that than any mere mortal could.
Markets are rarely saturated with suppliers. There is always room for more. Markets are generally growing.
The cost to join the cosy club of suppliers of a given product or service is frequently prohibitive. There is always a shortage of supply. Suppliers don't care about this. It benefits them.
Members of the "cartel" of current suppliers do not have to communicate with one another to set a market price for a good or service. They know what the "market price" is, and that it is always comfortably above the cost of bringing that good or service to market.
Markets never supply what is fully and technically possible. They are always reserved.
If a market was cut-throat there would always be price wars. They would be a permanent feature. Along with this high pressure sales would be a reality.
Goods sold today are composite making it impossible for consumers to compare real prices.
Ask yourself why when entering a street market of sellers of potatoes, they are not all screaming at you buy their produce. Answer the price they are charging provides them with a comfortable existence. They don't have to work harder. They do not have to sell everything they have.
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