UK: Asda Price Guarantee hit by glitch
By Katy Askew | 25 September 2012
 |
Asda faces website glitch |
Asda has conceded that it is facing technical difficulties with its Price Guarantee website that have resulted in customers claiming more money off vouchers than they should be entitled to.
The Asda Price Guarantee promises that Asda will be 10% cheaper than its large rivals on a comparable basket of products, or the company will refund the difference. However, a glitch in Asda's Price Guarantee website has meant that the retailer was undervaluing certain products sold at rival supermarkets.
This error has been highlighted by shoppers, with consumers sharing tips on how to use the fault through internet forums, with one shopper claiming to have made over GBP8,500 (US$13,785) by exploiting the loophole in recent weeks.
According to an Asda spokesperson, the glitch has enabled a "very small number" of "savvy" shoppers to "beat the system" and claim "larger than normal" money off vouchers.
As a result of the problem, the spokesperson revealed that Asda put a cap of GBP15 on the amount that can be reclaimed for a single transaction on Sunday (23 September).
"Saving customers money is in our DNA, but unfortunately this is a gift that can't keep on giving," the spokesperson told just-food.
However, Asda has down played the impact that the cap will have on customer's ability to claim money off vouchers under the Price Guarantee scheme.
"The cap with affect a tiny minority of our customers. In fact, only 0.24% of our customers generate vouchers for over GBP15, so this will have no impact on over 99% of people using the Asda Price Guarantee," the spokesperson emphasised. "We will continue to guarantee to be 10% cheaper on a comparable basket of groceries than our rivals, or we will refund the difference."
Meanwhile, the company said that it is "in the process of addressing" the glitch on its website.
Sectors: Retail
Companies: Asda
View next/previous articles
25 Sep 2012 -
25 Sep 2012 -
Currently reading -
UK: Asda Price Guarantee hit by glitch
25 Sep 2012 -
Related research
Asda | Verdict Company Briefing
A one-stop destination for unique data and opinion on Asda's food & grocery, clothing & footwear and electricals offer. We assess its performance, strategic direction and provide Verdict's view on its future....
Asda Stores Limited - SWOT, Strategy and Corporate Finance Report
Asda Stores Limited - SWOT, Strategy and Corporate Finance Report, is a source of comprehensive company data and information. The report covers the company’s structure, operation, SWOT analysis, product and service offerings, detailed financials, and...
Asda UK: Consumer Profile is the result of Canadean’s extensive online consumer survey Asda in the UK, presenting uniquely detailed data on Asda’s end-consumers. It provides retailer profiles for both Main and Occasional consumers (determined by the ...
Related articles
Editor's choice: the highlights on just-food last week
Last week saw the just-food team hitting the streets to bring you coverage from two key events in the industry calender: the IFE trade show in London and the Consumer Analyst Group of Europe (CAGE) conference.
HORSEMEAT: Asda corned beef found to contain 50% horse DNA
UK retailer Asda's own-label corned beef product has been found to contain more than 50% horsemeat following tests by a local authority.
UK: Asda launches fresh price offensive
Asda, the UK arm of Wal-Mart Stores, has launched a price promotion marketing campaign, the Asda Price Lock.
There are currently no comments on this article
Be the first to comment on this article