Dear Tesco

Thursday
Dear Madam/Sir

I live immediately adjoining the site at Streatham Place which is scheduled to be a new Tesco store opening 28 July. We had to endure drilling and hammering beyond five pm last Saturday, and we are having to endure it now at quarter past nine in the evening, quite contrary to LB Lambeth's policy on building noise.

I have witnesses that heard one of your builders say that they were perfectly aware of the rules, but by the time anybody tried to take any action, they've finished the job and moved on, so it doesn't matter. So much for Tesco's Ethical and Corporate Responsibility Policy.

I am very concerned at the impact that the new Tesco store will have on my peace and homelife, and therefore request a meeting with the store manager. She or he can contact me on xxxxxxxx so that we can arrange a meeting at a time that suits me. At that meeting we can agree a number of actions that I will expect Tesco to take if their shop or their customers have a detrimental effect upon my home life. I will take notes, and I will expect a written confirmation from Tesco of what is agreed in that meeting.

I will, of course, contact Lambeth's Noise Control officers on the morning of Friday 14 July.

I look forward to your prompt response

Yours faithfully

Monday
Wot, no Dear Gert!

Thank you for your email.

I was very sorry to learn about your recent experiences and I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and upset that this has caused you.

In order to organise your request I would suggest that you contact our Head Office on 01992 632 222.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us at customer.service@tesco.co.uk quoting XXXXXXXX.

Kind Regards

Helen Bowie
Tesco Customer Service

Monday evening

Dear Helen Bowie

This is really not an professional response. Please could you (or a colleague) forward my message to Head Office. It is quarter past ten in the evening and this building work is continuing.

I am not prepared to be fobbed off. I work during the day so it is not convenient to telephone your Head Office. Furthermore, I want everything in writing. I have been informed that a Lambeth Case Officer is dealing with the noise aspect of this case. But there are other matters, too.

If I do not receive confirmation by close of play on Tuesday, I shall escalate the matter.

Your sincerely

And now I have to sit around unrelaxed enduring the delightful summer music of hammer on metal and waiting for a hone call to inform me that a Noise Officer is en route.

Tesco think that if they fob people off for long enough, they just give in or give up. Which is probably true, because people generally have complicated enough lives as it is and often can't deal with the added stress.

Money grabbing bastards.

Comments

[Silverfin]

As do many companies, and as people have busy lives, they're usually right. But once in a while it's worth keeping the hassle going and going until they respond appropriately, even if it's a complete pain in the arse - to stand up for the principle of the thing.

Last year, with a file of 42 emails (both directions), I got the €10 of credit owed to me by Skype.

Silverfin

[Gert]

I'm going to have to keep having a go at them, because the 24/7 building work is so that they can get their shop opened a week on Friday. And from then on it will be breach after breach of the planning consent. I expect their delivery lorries will make all sorts of racket including beep beep beep beep at silly o'clock. And I do not want their customers blocking access, including emergency access, to my house (or my neighbours'). I have one or two legal demands I intend to make out of Tesco eg signs saying "No Parking - Access Required 24 hours", but I shall at the ripe old age of ^% suddenly become one of those vandals who bends windscreen wipers and keys car paintwork. I think it may prove to be therapeutic...

[Gert]

Oh and for some reason Silverfin, you and a couple of other people eg Pewari seem to keep falling through the Email whitelister for comments. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's because your email addresses have non-standard Top Level Domains but there's no way I can prove that or do anything about it, except keep adding your email addresses. Almost everyone else is either .com, .net, or .uk; I think .cz was also failing, and I don't think .de and .nu have been back.

It's not personal, anyway.

[Scaryduck]

Yes, Tesco don't care. Any planning breach comes with a piddling slap on the wrist that is a gnat's bite to their profits. The same with ripping off their suppliers.

I suppose we're well past the dog turd through Mr Tesco's letterbox by now, aren't we?

[Gert]

Latest Tesco cop out:

Thank you for your reply.

Please accept my sincere apologies for any offence caused by our initial response, as this was certainly not our intention.

We were concerned to learn of your complaint regarding the building works at our store and we understand that you have taken the matter up with your Local Authority Enforcement Officer.

When an Enforcement Officer agrees to undertake enquiries on behalf of one of our customers, we are unable to make direct comment to that customer until we are informed that all investigations have been concluded. No customer details are released until that time.

As soon as we receive confirmation from the relevant department that the matter has been finalised, we will contact you again.

However, if this has not yet been passed to a Local Authority Enforcement Officer, please advise us by responding to this email and I will investigate further.

Thank you for your time.

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us at customer.service@tesco.co.uk quoting XXXXXXXXXX.

Kind Regards

Steven Phillips
Tesco Customer Service

Extraordinary: because I have referred the matter to the proper authority they are not prepared to disclose whether or not they intend to continue with their post-midnight hammering...!