Every Little Helps

Yes – it’s Tesco’s slogan which I suppose means that saving pennies on all those boringly branded Tesco own-brand goods, actually helps. The old proverb of ‘look after the pennies and the pounds will after themselves’, is probably what they’re getting at.

But they don’t appear to practice what they preach. I mean who in Tesco’s purchasing department paid exactly £984,000 for six bicycles?

£984,000! What did they think they could sell them for? Having said that, I have witnessed the zeal with which some Tesco shoppers brandish their Club Cards and buy that little extra thing just to get an extra 20 points. There’s always a chance then that a Club Card happy shopper might have snapped them up, irrespective of the price.

The problem was that Tescos bought them from a right barrow boy who won’t give them their money back. And who is this barrow boy? Step forward Mike Ashley, owner of Sports Direct, a major sports company and the owner of Newcastle Football Club.

The thing is, I suppose like all major corporations buying something from another major corporation, forms and computer e-mails fly back and forth as they do, with purchase orders being sent and returned with acceptance of the Ts&Cs (terms and conditions). So it’s highly unlikely that a mistake was made in that area – I reckon some keyboard happy clerk, who is probably on the complaints section of Tesco’s worst store now simply keyed three zeros on the end by mistake. I seem to recall that some computer keyboards actually have 00, 000 and even 0000 as single keys to reduce keystokes and prevent errors. Not in this case!

Anyway, it’s all gone legal with Tesco claiming it should have paid £984 for the Muddy Fox Suspension Bikes and it is seeking restitution of the overpaid monies from one of Ashley’s companies, Universal, according to a legal action filed at the High Court.

Universal, an Essex-based company majority-owned by Sports Direct, has allegedly paid back £863,000 but Tesco claims it is holding on to more than £121,000 in outstanding funds. As well as the £121,412 it claims it is owed, Tesco has also sought legal costs and a further £1,783 – the sum the retailer claims it is owed in interest at a rate of 8pc a year.

8% interest a year – nobody gets that rate these days!

Back to the story. I don’t suppose Ashley has a leg to stand on. I mean, it’s quite obviously an error so what has he got to gain by not repaying the cash? Maybe he had cash-flow problems and needed the money short-term to tide him over at Newcastle? Whatever, it’ll all end in tears. Tesco will never buy another thing from Ashley’s companies and the poor clerk will never again be allowed near a computer keyboard although if he or she is on a checkout somewhere near you, you might get 984,000 Tesco Club Card points credited to your card rather than the 984 you were expecting! Of course you might also get a bill for £2,000 for a carton of milk!