If it can't be scanned or keyed in, you get it for free... or do you?

K

koconnor

Registered User
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Hi all,

Really interested to know your opinions on this situation...

Using the Superquinn scanner I was doing the food shopping. Came to the cucumbers and scanned it, but it didn't scan...

Anyway up at the till I see the phrase
"If it can't be scanned or keyed in you get it FREE!"

So I told the girl the scanner didn't pick it up, and she looked the price up on the machine.

I figured as I couldn't scan it I could get it free. Apparently as it was keyed in I couldn't.

Isn't that phrase a little unfair? Can't they always look up the item and then charge the customer? I just felt the consumer really doesn't have any chance of "having a win" with this.

Any thoughts??

Kevin.
 
Nope, they're entitled to look it up. It's only when the product isn't on the system at all that you can get it for free. This usually is because the stock control section messed up and didn't stick it into the system, therefore as a goodwill gesture they give it to you. You get your win!

A lot of products have to be keyed in for various reasons - barcodes bent funny/special offer etc. If supermarkets gave away things that didn't scan straight away you'd get one tenth off your shopping each week and they'd probably go out of business.

The sign did say keyed in too!
 
I had an issue with this once.
I bought 2 packs of sliced ham and neither scanned in at the checkout or could be keyed in. The girl shrugged her shoulders and said you get those free. Next thing over pops the supervisor who then went to the refrigerator section and bought over a similar pack to scan in. I complained and asked what was the point in having signs to the effect if they wern't going to honour them and the only reason she did give a refund in the end was that both packs differed, one had 20% extra free, the others didn't! I had to point that out to her as she wasn't going to budge! I felt humiliated by the supervisors treatment and the whole thing and had a quiet word with her on my way out.
 
koconnor said:
Anyway up at the till I see the phrase
"If it can't be scanned or keyed in you get it FREE!"

So I told the girl the scanner didn't pick it up, and she looked the price up on the machine.

I figured as I couldn't scan it I could get it free. Apparently as it was keyed in I couldn't.

Isn't that phrase a little unfair?
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Wearing my pedantic Boolean logic hat I would agree with you and argue that they should have said "if it can't be scanned and can't be keyed in then you get it FREE" to allow for what actually happened. Wearing my pragmatic reasonable hat I would disagree.
 
ClubMan said:
Wearing my pedantic Boolean logic hat I would agree with you and argue that they should have said "if it can't be scanned and can't be keyed in then you get it FREE" to allow for what actually happened. Wearing my pragmatic reasonable hat I would disagree.
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This was the logic I was going by, and stated so. The OR made it one or the other, and as the scan didn't work, the logic would jump to the end result; FREE.

I was looking at it in a logical manner, and thus felt wronged by their decision.
Still, I would wonder whether I would have some case to argue with management taking my logical view on this. Not everyone sees things in the same manner.

I assumed the whole point in this would be for Superquinn to tidy up these minor errors and lose less revenue and make the customer's experience that little bit better.
 
kathio said:
A lot of products have to be keyed in for various reasons - barcodes bent funny/special offer etc. If supermarkets gave away things that didn't scan straight away you'd get one tenth off your shopping each week and they'd probably go out of business.

The sign did say keyed in too!
Click to expand...

In all fairness out of a full week's shopping, the cucumber bar code was the only one that didn't scan.

It was clear, straight and behind a plastic case. It did scan, but was not recognised.

I guess I am just a stickler when it comes to displayed company values. I read them and hope they abide by their rules.
 
Oh, this story did go on a little longer... I just wanted to get the bare facts over to you guys.

Had to speak to supervisor, manager, supervisor again.

Wasn't happy with speaking with the manager as firstly was told there wasnt one on duty, then it turned out there was one, but that his English was very bad ( I was told). and the supervisor went off and I could hear her speaking with him for about two minutes. He was (in my opinion) about 20, seen him stacking shelves, neck tie wide open as if you were just from school, and the collar on his shirt up around his ears.

But that was a different matter. Thanks all for your opinions though.
 
That happened to me in Superquinn in Kimmage a few years ago with the microwave popcorn, the two boxes didn't scan at the checkout so she said I could have them for free, I wanted to go back and get more but she wouldn't let me.

Strange to hear that the manager was a bit out of his league, God be with the days when Superquinn had the best store managers in the business.
 
nicelives said:
the two boxes didn't scan at the checkout so she said I could have them for free, I wanted to go back and get more but she wouldn't let me.
.
Click to expand...

Well if you are trying to take the p*ss out of a genuinely decent conusmer promise then why should Superquinn facilitate you?:(
 
I've never heard of this before but it might have been interesting to use the knowledge when shopping at the local supermarket at the weekend.
Got an item off the shelf. At the express checkout it wouldn't scan nor would the till accept the keyed in code.
The assistant went to off another checkout. I didn't overhear what went on but she came back and tried to re-scan, presumably the till trying to use information sent from the other till?
No joy.
In the end, the checkout girl kinda just said, sorry. I left the item. It wasn't an essential item and there was a queue forming.
There was no suggestion that the item might be free as a result.
Wishful thinking! :)
 
ClubMan said:
You didn't mention Boolean logic or the specifics of OR and AND combination of terms as far as I can see.
Click to expand...


Indeed I didn't expressely lay out the full details of my conversation with you all here at AAB but did explain my logical thinking to the staff of AND OR logic and used Google search as an example to them.
 
nicelives said:
That happened to me in Superquinn in Kimmage a few years ago with the microwave popcorn, the two boxes didn't scan at the checkout so she said I could have them for free, I wanted to go back and get more but she wouldn't let me.
Click to expand...
No such thing as a "free" lunch, its always paid by someone. If you were in Germany, chances are you would have paid for your two boxes. If everyone paid for everything, prices would be lower.
 
The people encouraging this is Superquinn themselves. They have those signs all over the place. We all expect to pay for what we buy of course, no one expects anything for nothing. But if the supermarket is willing to advertise that you can have an item for nothing if it doesn't scan in then they should honour that.
BTW, what has Germany got to do with it?



rabbit said:
No such thing as a "free" lunch, its always paid by someone. If you were in Germany, chances are you would have paid for your two boxes. If everyone paid for everything, prices would be lower.
Click to expand...
 
Would put this rule on a par with the one that Dunnes Stores seem to apply in some branches and not others. If you are overcharged for the item you get it for nothing. Also some managers within one store apply it and others don't.
 
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