Broken trust

I had in my freezer a couple of things bought at Tesco: steak and kidney pies and some fresh beef.

I telephoned Tesco and asked if checks were being carried out on their fresh beef (not at the meat counter, but the beef that is packaged and sold for stew or for casserole and placed on their shelves) in order to be sure that no horse or other meat had been substituted.

Tesco said that they ‘would probably’ be carrying out such tests.

I said I had a couple of beef products I’d bought two or three weeks ago and had in my freezer, but now I was reluctant to eat them.

Could I, I asked, bring them back to Tesco, and would they offer a refund?

After the person I was talking to made some telephone calls, I was told: ‘Yes, If you feel unhappy or uncomfortable about these products, bring them back. Go to Customer Services and we will refund your money.’

Today, Tuesday February 12, I went to Tesco Bognor and took the two products to the Customer Services counter.

I told them I’d telephoned, asked about returning these products, despite the fact they are not among the ones already discovered to be at fault, and was told that, yes, I could take them back, and yes, they would refund my money.

Customer Services said they couldn’t and wouldn’t.

I told them I’d been told they would.

They telephoned management at the store, and then repeated that no, they would not take them back; that no, they would not refund any money.

Every little helps?

I don’t think so... not in this case!

Angela Waller

Greenfields

Middleton-on-Sea