Tesco And The Everlasting Toaster
Monday, August 27th, 2007
7th November 2006
I would like to point out an excellent service offered by the Supermarket Tesco.
This offer is only available to those of us lucky enough to reside in the UK.
It is even better that the BOGOF (Buy One Get One Free) offers that you see in the supermarkets everywhere, it is a BONBANO (Buy One Never Buy A New One) offer.
If you follow these instructions you will only ever have to buy one toaster in your life.
The procedure may not work for on-line purchases so I suggest you go into the local store.
There are three factors that make this work.
1) The EU directive that all small electrical products are now guaranteed for 2 years.
2) The fact that a lot of really cheap Chinese made electrical products are built to last about 6 months.
3) Tesco’s ineptitude.
This is what you do.
A) Purchase a cheap Tesco own label toaster for £4.78- keep your receipt.
B) When it goes wrong as it usually does after 3 to 9 months (mine first clapped out in November 2006 - purchased in April 2006) take it back for a replacement under guarantee. Showing your receipt as proof of purchase.
C)Tesco give you a new receipt as proof of purchase dated from the day you picked up the replacement!!!
D) Repeat steps B to C as required.
I urge everyone to take up this offer it serves the retailer right if they sell crap products when they know they have to guarantee them. It’s a small blow against the forces that are driving down prices and consequently quality in our electrical sector.
Unfortunately you don’t get clubcard points each time you get a replacement. For some reason they take them off then add them back on again. No idea why.
This is why we are “Great Britain”! You won’t get a deal like that in Wallmart.
7th April 2007
Just a quick update to let you know the plan is still working, the everlasting toaster is now in its third incarnation, and again they have given me a guarantee starting from yesterday.
I feel slightly cheated because the toaster has been reduced in price - it is now 3.76 including vat.
Good old Chinese workmanship the first one lasted nearly six months, the second one just about five months so if this is a trend I should be onto number 4 by sometime in August.
This time the Tesco customer service guy seemed surprised that I should want a replacement, I suppose everyone else just asks for their 3.76 back. Losers! I will never have to buy a new toaster.
Tesco seem to miss the point about guarantees, I sell Italian made domestic cleaning and ironing appliances in the UK, and like most manufacturers we will continue to repair or replace a faulty item up until the guarantee period is over, the guarantee runs from the date of the original purchase. When we replace or repair we make a point of telling them “you have X months left on your guarantee” so there is no argument.
Tesco either don’t realise that this is the way the system works or they have a different policy so they give you a new purchase receipt dated the day you get the new exchange model. It really is an everlasting toaster. If they sold products that lasted more than a few months then they would not have a problem.
I suspect that they are just sending them back to whoever imports them from China for them so Tesco won’t suffer, just the poor supplier as usual.
There is no extra cost involved in making lots of trips to Tesco. I drive by the shop every day and quite often call in to get a paper or some milk so there is no cost really.
As it is a shoddily made piece of Chinese engineering I take the precaution of keeping it turned off when it is not being used.
3rd August 2007 - Update - Now on version 4
As I so accurately predicted in my post of 6th April the toaster gave up the ghost again this week, and has duly been replaced yesterday (Saturday) afternoon when we did our weekly shop. Once again my guarantee runs from the day of exchange. It is weird; they check my details on the Tesco clubcard so they know that I am now on my 4th Toaster but they make no comment. One would assume that they would think I was involved in some sort of toaster scam and give me the third degree, but no they meekly exchange it . They must have a mountain of these knackered toasters somewhere. The young lad who exchanged it for me did comment that he has one the same that he’s had for 2 and a half years and it’s still going strong. Perhaps Tesco staff trainers tell them to say that in a vain attempt to keep up morale.
If anyone else would like an everlasting toaster details are here Tesco Cheapo Toaster
They are even cheaper now £3.75 “cheap enough to buy to throw at the cat to make the baby laugh” as the market traders used to say.
I hesitate to make a firm prediction, but if the trend in toaster longevity continues I should be replacing it again in late November or Early December. Watch this space.
12th February 2008 - Update - It’s still working!
This could be the worst case scenario - this one isn’t faulty so far - if it lasts until the guarantee runs out then cacks out I may have to invest £3.76 in a new one. I’ll keep you informed…
12th February 2008 - Update - It’s still working!
One is pleasantly surprised that this last incarnation of the device has soldiered on so long, it is definitely out of warranty now so when it turns up it’s toes (as it probably will now) I will bin it and probably buy a better one.
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