Rancid Chicken: Tesco refused to exchange
Discussion
Ok so I didn't handle this very well, but it completely floored me.
Bought fresh/chiller cabinet uncooked chicken in the morning, within date. Opened the bag in the afternoon & it was clearly off. Very smelly. Wrapped it back up, grabbed the receipt & headed back to the store. Maximum 3 hours between visits.
I was told that they don't exchange chiller cabinet raw meat. Why? Because the chain of custody had been broken. I asked what this meant & was told that their supply chain guaranteed x degrees /climate/conditions throughout the process, but in taking the item home I could've broken that chain. They wouldn't know what I'd done with it. I said I couldn't possibly have had the item sat boiling on my parcel shelf for three hours because it was still cold. New policy, we can't hep you.
I was so completely smacked in the gob area I felt I was going to say something I regretted, so I left.
Having had plenty of time to properly PH gammon stew over the situation, is this right? Anyone in food retail, Tesco, consumer law care to comment? Does the sale of goods now allow them to pass responsibility onto the buyer?
Undoubtedly it wil happen again (maybe a couple of times a year, from memory) & I completely accept that these things happen, but surely the consumer has comeback. What do I/we do next time?
Chs, CF
Bought fresh/chiller cabinet uncooked chicken in the morning, within date. Opened the bag in the afternoon & it was clearly off. Very smelly. Wrapped it back up, grabbed the receipt & headed back to the store. Maximum 3 hours between visits.
I was told that they don't exchange chiller cabinet raw meat. Why? Because the chain of custody had been broken. I asked what this meant & was told that their supply chain guaranteed x degrees /climate/conditions throughout the process, but in taking the item home I could've broken that chain. They wouldn't know what I'd done with it. I said I couldn't possibly have had the item sat boiling on my parcel shelf for three hours because it was still cold. New policy, we can't hep you.
I was so completely smacked in the gob area I felt I was going to say something I regretted, so I left.
Having had plenty of time to properly PH gammon stew over the situation, is this right? Anyone in food retail, Tesco, consumer law care to comment? Does the sale of goods now allow them to pass responsibility onto the buyer?
Undoubtedly it wil happen again (maybe a couple of times a year, from memory) & I completely accept that these things happen, but surely the consumer has comeback. What do I/we do next time?
Chs, CF
It can be hit or miss getting customer services to do anything. Not just Tesco either
Can you not just contact them directly?
Tesco Contact Us
No idea whether it helps but, reading this you should have been able to swap it out
Returns FAQ
"Please note, we don't accept returns for chilled and frozen products if you've changed your mind. But you can return other perishable food products if they're returned within their 'use by' or 'best before' date."
Writing to them you'll probably get vouchers or something. Doesn't help you immediately but better than nothing!
Can you not just contact them directly?
Tesco Contact Us
No idea whether it helps but, reading this you should have been able to swap it out
Returns FAQ
"Please note, we don't accept returns for chilled and frozen products if you've changed your mind. But you can return other perishable food products if they're returned within their 'use by' or 'best before' date."
Writing to them you'll probably get vouchers or something. Doesn't help you immediately but better than nothing!
CardinalFang said:
Ok so I didn't handle this very well, but it completely floored me.
Bought fresh/chiller cabinet uncooked chicken in the morning, within date. Opened the bag in the afternoon & it was clearly off. Very smelly. Wrapped it back up, grabbed the receipt & headed back to the store. Maximum 3 hours between visits.
I was told that they don't exchange chiller cabinet raw meat. Why? Because the chain of custody had been broken. I asked what this meant & was told that their supply chain guaranteed x degrees /climate/conditions throughout the process, but in taking the item home I could've broken that chain. They wouldn't know what I'd done with it. I said I couldn't possibly have had the item sat boiling on my parcel shelf for three hours because it was still cold. New policy, we can't hep you.
I was so completely smacked in the gob area I felt I was going to say something I regretted, so I left.
Having had plenty of time to properly PH gammon stew over the situation, is this right? Anyone in food retail, Tesco, consumer law care to comment? Does the sale of goods now allow them to pass responsibility onto the buyer?
Undoubtedly it wil happen again (maybe a couple of times a year, from memory) & I completely accept that these things happen, but surely the consumer has comeback. What do I/we do next time?
Chs, CF
Take a cooler bag with you?Bought fresh/chiller cabinet uncooked chicken in the morning, within date. Opened the bag in the afternoon & it was clearly off. Very smelly. Wrapped it back up, grabbed the receipt & headed back to the store. Maximum 3 hours between visits.
I was told that they don't exchange chiller cabinet raw meat. Why? Because the chain of custody had been broken. I asked what this meant & was told that their supply chain guaranteed x degrees /climate/conditions throughout the process, but in taking the item home I could've broken that chain. They wouldn't know what I'd done with it. I said I couldn't possibly have had the item sat boiling on my parcel shelf for three hours because it was still cold. New policy, we can't hep you.
I was so completely smacked in the gob area I felt I was going to say something I regretted, so I left.
Having had plenty of time to properly PH gammon stew over the situation, is this right? Anyone in food retail, Tesco, consumer law care to comment? Does the sale of goods now allow them to pass responsibility onto the buyer?
Undoubtedly it wil happen again (maybe a couple of times a year, from memory) & I completely accept that these things happen, but surely the consumer has comeback. What do I/we do next time?
Chs, CF
-crookedtail- said:
"Please note, we don't accept returns for chilled and frozen products if you've changed your mind. But you can return other perishable food products if they're returned within their 'use by' or 'best before' date."
Some ambiguity here. Does changed your mind mean I bought this chicken for dinner but then decided I'd rather have lamb so I'm taking it back - or I bought this chicken for dinner but changed my mind when I saw it had gone rancid?jonsp said:
-crookedtail- said:
"Please note, we don't accept returns for chilled and frozen products if you've changed your mind. But you can return other perishable food products if they're returned within their 'use by' or 'best before' date."
Some ambiguity here. Does changed your mind mean I bought this chicken for dinner but then decided I'd rather have lamb so I'm taking it back - or I bought this chicken for dinner but changed my mind when I saw it had gone rancid?I had some Gressingham Duck legs a year or so ago and they had a good date left when we took them from the 'fridge a day or two after purchase. They were slimy and putrid with a smell that would put off even a fox I suspect. Our local Tesco refunded me without a quibble. They are always prepared to give the obviously aggrieved custom the benefit of any doubts.
I suspect that you found a rancid customer (dis) service person.
I suspect that you found a rancid customer (dis) service person.
HTP99 said:
jonsp said:
-crookedtail- said:
"Please note, we don't accept returns for chilled and frozen products if you've changed your mind. But you can return other perishable food products if they're returned within their 'use by' or 'best before' date."
Some ambiguity here. Does changed your mind mean I bought this chicken for dinner but then decided I'd rather have lamb so I'm taking it back - or I bought this chicken for dinner but changed my mind when I saw it had gone rancid?What if you just went to the chiller and dumped the rotten chicken, but taken a new pack out with the receipt?
Thanks all, you’re right, I should’ve complained, but for some reason I felt like I was going to explode, so shut up & left. Summer madness, silly season, hungover, hot headedness or something.
Maybe in the back of my mind I’d recalled best before dates being withdrawn & thought I’d missed some new piece of legislation.
I am ancient though. So there’s that.
Maybe in the back of my mind I’d recalled best before dates being withdrawn & thought I’d missed some new piece of legislation.
I am ancient though. So there’s that.
motco said:
I had some Gressingham Duck legs a year or so ago and they had a good date left when we took them from the 'fridge a day or two after purchase. They were slimy and putrid with a smell that would put off even a fox I suspect. Our local Tesco refunded me without a quibble. They are always prepared to give the obviously aggrieved custom the benefit of any doubts.
I suspect that you found a rancid customer (dis) service person.
There used to be a particularly obnoxious one at my local.tesco. I think anyone that ever had dealing with her cheered when she went to prison for Fraud/theft. https://www.otsnews.co.uk/formby-tesco-worker-jail...I suspect that you found a rancid customer (dis) service person.
I would have upended the chicken onto their desk and lrft them with the rotting carcass
A refund costs them nothing essentially.
I bet they couldnt provide accurate temperature records to prove that the chicken was below 5c the entire time it was in their manufacturing, transport, warehousing and selling processes.
A refund costs them nothing essentially.
I bet they couldnt provide accurate temperature records to prove that the chicken was below 5c the entire time it was in their manufacturing, transport, warehousing and selling processes.
otolith said:
Someone getting a rotten chicken should be ringing their alarm bells for their own cold chain, not fobbing the customer off. If they think that refunding a fiver for a chicken is expensive, wait until they poison someone.
They probably have already, probably the whole batch was bad. Quite possibly a supplier issue but 100% their responsibility.
king and a re-education of the refund policy.I'm not worldly in these matters so, like the OP, I'm also gobsmacked - in my case that they don't have a satisifaction guarantee that simply refunds any item that you're not happy with.
Do the mainstream stores not do that sort of thing?
I told this story to my wife and apparently she had a major falling out with a staff member in M&S yesterday who refused to bring some unsliced loaves to the counter so she went into the bakery area and got one herself.
She said shop staff generally seem to have become very unhelpful - and I'd say she's someone who can usually get staff onside to get what she wants, I stand back and let her deal with anything awkward!
Do the mainstream stores not do that sort of thing?
I told this story to my wife and apparently she had a major falling out with a staff member in M&S yesterday who refused to bring some unsliced loaves to the counter so she went into the bakery area and got one herself.
She said shop staff generally seem to have become very unhelpful - and I'd say she's someone who can usually get staff onside to get what she wants, I stand back and let her deal with anything awkward!
Edited by Sheepshanks on Friday 11th August 19:40
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