Tesco has angered online customers by overriding their accounts so they are set to accept substitutions for unavailable items when it makes deliveries.
The move, announced last week as the supermarket braced itself for its busiest two weeks of the year, has led to a stream of complaints from shoppers angry at the settings being changed without their consent.
Tesco emailed its online customers last week to tell them about the change.
It said: “We wanted to let you know that you never need to be without an essential item. You don’t need to do anything - we’ve just turned on your ‘substitutions’.”
The email added: “On the odd occasion that we haven’t got an item you’ve ordered in stock, we’ll substitute it for another suitable alternative. That way, you’ll never be missing an essential ingredient or item just when you need it.”
Explaining the move it said: “There’s a chance that we turned off your substitutions by accident. So we’ve decided to turn them back on so that you don’t miss out on getting something you really need.”
The Grocer understands around 80% of Tesco online customers choose to accept the substitutions function on its grocery home shopping website, and it claims nine out of 10 customers keep the substitutions that are offered to them.
Tesco also stressed that, unlike some supermarkets, the vast majority of substitutions are more expensive but not 100%.
Customers could also hand products back to the driver if they were unhappy with the items that had been used as replacements for a ‘no questions asked’ refund, it said.
The email added: “If you really don’t want us to make substitutions, that’s totally fine. You have the option to turn substitutions off before you place your next order … and after you’ve added items to your basket, you can leave notes for our pickers, too. You might like your bananas green and prefer your avocados firm, for instance.”
But many Tesco customers saw red over the move.
Nathan Hornby tweeted: “Wanting users to accept substitutions is understandable business practice; changing their preferences without their consent and claiming that it’s for their benefit is insulting.”
Another wrote: “How irritating. Substitutions are rarely any good. No, Pepsi Max is NOT the same as Pepsi Max Cherry!”
“I turned my substitutions off because I’m very particular about what I order, but apparently @Tesco know better,” raged another online user.
“Tesco I’ve just received an email saying you’ve turned on substitutions - why do you presume that I don’t know my own mind? I find this rude & an unpleasant marketing tool,” added another upset customer.
One said: “No, @Tesco how dare you override my express wish and turn on automatic substitutions when delivering. This is wrong. Please reverse this bullying action now.”
A Tesco spokesman said: “Our customers can opt in or out of receiving substitutions. On the rare occasion that a chosen product is unavailable, our personal shoppers do their best to find the most appropriate alternative. If the substitution is not quite right, customers can return the item and receive a full refund.”
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