Short shelf lives, spoiled goods, late deliveries and other reasons to complain to your supermarket

With grocery prices constantly increasing, Katy Ward examines six legitimate reasons to complain to your supermarket.

With supermarket prices soaring, it’s particularly galling if you don’t get what you pay for – whether it’s a damaged item or a late delivery.

However, we don’t think you should sit back in these situations. If you’re not satisfied, you should let your supermarket know about it.

In many cases, the customer service agent will simply apologise and offer you a full refund.

In this article, we examine six reasons you should always kick up a stink with your supermarket.

The best supermarket deals this week

1. Damaged or spoiled items

Defective goods are the most obvious reason for complaining to a supermarket.

Not only can this be extremely frustrating, but some spoiled items can be dangerous for our health.

Say, for example, you buy a carton of milk well within the use-by date, and it has already curdled, this is a definite cause for complaint.

Annoyingly, however, we often don’t realise there is a problem until it’s too late – we’ve taken the goods home from the store, or the delivery driver has already left.

If you purchase damaged goods, it goes without saying that you should be entitled to a full refund.

In some serious cases, however, you may also want to request further compensation. While supermarket policies vary, the retailer may offer you a credit note, voucher or gift card to make up for their error.

If the supermarket won’t play ball, it doesn’t hurt to let them know you’re familiar with your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

According to the legislation, all goods should be of an acceptable standard and fit for their intended purpose.

2. Late deliveries

When you’re waiting for a supermarket delivery, there’s nothing more irritating than the driver turning up late.

Although most supermarkets claim they make ‘every effort’ to inform customers about potential delays, this isn’t good enough when they’ve wasted our time.

If you’ve paid for a time-specific slot and the driver doesn’t arrive on time, you can request a refund on your delivery fee.

Of course, the same applies if your driver is unreasonably early, as this can be just as inconvenient.

Christmas supermarket deliveries 2024: when you can book slots at Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda and more

3. Short shelf lives

Short shelf lives are another bugbear at loveMONEY.

This is still unacceptable even if you plan to eat the food that day.

A few months ago, I received an online shop at nine o’clock at night with a Mediterranean veg pack that had an expiry date of the same day.

There was no way I’d eat a whole tray of veg that late in the evening.

I got in touch with the supermarket and received a full refund.

And you should really kick up a fuss if you receive something actually past its use-by date, as this is a serious health hazard.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve picked these items yourself from inside the supermarket. Goods beyond their use-by date should never be on the shelves, and this is a significant oversight.

If you have serious concerns about hygiene levels at your supermarket, you could also complain to the Food Standards Agency.

4. Misleading prices

Misleading prices in supermarkets come in different guises.

In some cases, in-store items are not labelled clearly, meaning you often get to the till and find the item you planned to buy is more expensive than anticipated.

If a promotion or price is unclear, we recommend you return to where you picked up the item and take a photo of the misleading pricing on your phone. This way, you’ll be armed with evidence when you complain.

Even more worryingly, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has broader concerns about a culture of misleading supermarket prices.

As part of an investigation last year, the body probed pricing across 11 supermarkets and identified what it deemed “unhelpful inconsistencies”.

For example, tea bags may be sold per 100 grams on some products, while others display prices per bag, making it almost impossible to draw a meaningful comparison.

While there isn’t much we can do about this individually, it’s reassuring to know the CMA is investigating.

5. Incorrect items

About a year ago, I ordered plain salmon fillets from my Tesco online shop.

While unpacking my groceries, I noticed the supermarket had sent me ‘hot-smoked’ fillets.

I could see how the supermarket worker had made the mistake since the packaging on the two products was nearly identical.

Nevertheless, I complained, and Tesco refunded my money.

Admittedly, I ate – and enjoyed – the hot-smoked salmon. However, this wasn’t the point, as it simply wasn’t what I’d ordered.

Supermarket prices, Council Tax, internet and other bills shocks on the way

6. Bizarre substitutions

Most of us have read articles or seen social media posts about mind-boggling substitutions in supermarket shops.

For example, there was a case of a customer receiving toilet rolls instead of bread rolls, which went viral.

A Tesco shopper also received an Easter egg after ordering hot dog rolls.

While these stories are amusing, you have cause to complain if you believe a substitution is unreasonable.

Although we can’t expect supermarket pickers to know our personal favourites, there should at least be an element of common sense.

Even if you can’t get a refund, your complaint could potentially stop the same thing from happening to another customer.

Supermarket rip-offs: bags for life, misleading prices, and confusing layouts

How to complain to your supermarket

When contacting your supermarket, it’s always wise to complain in writing, whether over email or social media. This way, you’ll create a paper trail to escalate your complaint further.

Gathering as much evidence as possible is always helpful. Try to take photos of damaged items and keep hold of your receipts.

Remember to be polite but firm. If the supermarket is at fault, you have every right to get your money back.