I blogged last month about my online shopping experience with Tesco ‘Home Delivery’ – A Disgrace!
Having published my blog, I sent a copy to Tesco for transparency, allowing them to comment if they wanted to. At 1636 hours the same day, 35 minutes later I was sitting with my iPhone in tow, when an email notification popped up. The Last name read ‘Leahy’ and the first name read ‘Terry’. Yes, I had received an email from the Chief Executive of Tesco, ‘Sir’ Terry Leahy about my online shopping experience. I had finally received an email from a Knight.. c/o his Julie. Being a fellow Scouser, Sir Terry will know how passionate we are about things!
Tesco for some reason were having problems reading my blog, ‘yeah right’ some may say! So, to ensure Sir Terry knew what I was saying and ensuring he could read it at his leisure, I forwarded my blog to him by email. If you read my previous blog, I wasn’t having a go at Tesco, merely commenting on my customer experience at the UK’s number one food retailer not being as it should have been.
What followed was contact from everyone who was anyone in Tesco. On the actual day of Tescogate (as I’m now calling it), I received an email from the local Depot Manager Paul about the delivery driver’s behaviour. Paul explained that drivers don’t go above the third floor with shopping due to their union. So, it was the union’s fault now that the driver refused to bring the shopping up the stairs. I’m betting the unions are the cause of the current recession too! Paul to be fair, did say the driver’s behaviour (excluding his refusal to deliver ‘home delivery’) was not acceptable. I wanted to tell Paul that I could get attitude for free from the local kids and that I didn’t need to pay Tesco for it, but I forgot to tell him!
I then got an email off a Customer Service Manager (Catherine) who too was looking into my complaint and the Tescogate scandal. Maybe Catherine was trying to show Sir Terry how good she was at dealing with Scousers who complain! I then got a telephone call from another Paul (I’m sure this one was Scottish), a Customer Service Executive who explained Tesco’s home delivery policy. Paul told me that Tesco actually only deliver to the ‘main’ door of a communal building and this was in the ‘small’ print. It must be very small, as we hadn’t seen it.
Anyway, what Paul was forgetting is that Alex and I were actually doing our bit for the environment, ordering our shopping with no ‘plastic’ carrier bags. The shopping just arrives in trays, which the driver brings into your home. If the driver doesn’t have to bring your food to your actual flat door, but only the main communal door, I ask how the heck do you get your numerous items of shopping not bagged quickly and efficiently to your actual door? Hmmm..
Paul further passed my ‘concerns’ on to Matt, the Home Shopping Team Leader who was already aware. I now couldn’t keep up with who was who. Paul provided Alex and I with a £10 eCoupon voucher, which wasn’t the reason for contacting Tesco, but as the food giant says so well… ‘every little helps’.
Alex and I yesterday realised we needed some food again and had a dilemma.. who to shop with online as there aren’t any big supermarkets near us, only convenient stores. That’s our stupid fault, I hear you say! Alex wanted to go with Tesco, but I didn’t, but we did in the end. Today, the delivery came and not with the original guy, lucky for him mind you. We ordered today’s shop in carrier bags (sorry environmental friends) as we expected Tesco not to deliver our shopping to the door of where we live, but the communal door on the street, although we might be there soon!
I helped Steve (the driver) up the stairs with the shopping, as this was never an issue. Steve was the most warming, courteous delivery driver I’ve met yet. Even after he delivered our food, Steve and I continued to chat briefly about health (the gym) and travelling, in particular Tokyo and the culture of Japan. Steve is a credit to Tesco and as I have always said, it is easy to complain (even though my previous contact with Tesco was more of a constructive criticism!), so it should be ‘as’ easy to compliment. I’m to send a copy of this, my second blog on Tesco to my fellow Scouser Sir Terry and ask that he consider ‘cloning’ Steve, then he really will have cornered the market!
I too was mindful when writing this not to bite the hand that may one day feed. Nothing to do with food, but I read a couple of days ago that Tesco are going into the film production field! As a wannabe writer, I am mindful not to upset Tesco too much, as I may one day be sat in front of it, deciding if to finance my blockbuster or not, as the case may be. Maybe I could call it the Tesconator, where a large carrot-like person goes around swallowing up other supermarkets? Food for thought! I must go, as I have to help Alex unpack and think of something to do with all the plastic bags we have, which by the way is enough to make a large paddling pool!
Tesco didn’t get it right the first time with regards to my customer experience, even though it’s the number one retailer, but today, food aside, Steve redeemed what little faith I had in Tesco. It was a genuine pleasure to chat with him, hence this blog. Good customer service is important, as it is this which guarantees both big and small food retailers future shoppers. If Tesco doesn’t listen to the little guy and gal, it may well end up back as the corner shop, where it began!
This has been a Tescogate exclusive in my ‘View from the Bottom’ and remember.. every little ‘does’ help, Max.
© 2010 Kevin Maxwell Media & Performance – Published by My Mum