A MAJOR supermarket chain has sparked customer fury and confusion after quietly changing its loyalty scheme.
Waitrose shoppers on the retailer’s myWaitrose membership programme can earn personalised discount vouchers when scanning their app or card after a shop.
Shoppers used to automatically qualify for two vouchers each week which could be redeemed in-store or online for the following week.
But in a change to its terms and conditions, customers are no longer guaranteed to receive them every week.
Waitrose said it had not changed the frequency of its vouchers, but admitted there would be “brief windows” when vouchers aren’t issued.
They said these windows could be up to four weeks long, adding the change won’t affect the vast majority of its nine million loyalty customers.
However, the update has sparked fury and bafflement among customers.
Waitrose confirmed to The Sun it updated its policy in October, but scores of customers have only just realised in recent weeks.
One recently said: “I don’t get any vouchers at all, any more.
“I complained to customer services, they referred me to IT and I have heard nothing since.
“Absolutely disgusting and I am now shopping elsewhere.”
A second bemused customer said: “Why no personalised vouchers please? Third week this has happened.”
A third recently said: “Have you stopped personal vouchers, second week none are available.”
A fourth added: “@waitrose hi just wondering when I will start getting personalised vouchers again?
“Two weeks now I did not get them.”
And a fifth added: “4th week without personalised vouchers. So disappointed in this service.
“If they are discontinuing please have the courtesy to tell us.”
A Waitrose spokesperson said: “We haven’t changed the frequency of our vouchers; customers still receive these weekly – alongside benefits like daily free hot drinks and exclusive member-only discounts.
“Just like all other supermarkets, our T&Cs simply reflect the fact that there may be brief windows when vouchers don’t update.
“These are very infrequent and only ever impact a very small number of customers, whose vouchers will return very soon.”
It comes after The Works announced it would be ditching its loyalty scheme on March 30 to customer disappointment.
And in January, Co-op ditched its points scheme in a massive change to its membership club.
Despite the recent changes to myWaitrose, there are still some perks to signing up to the loyalty scheme.
Customers can get a free hot drink at one of its self-service machines after making a purchase in-store.
Shoppers also get 20% off on selected fish counter products on Fridays, free Waitrose magazines and 5% off dry cleaning and laundry at Johnson’s the Cleaners services.
JUST because something is on offer, or is part of a sale, it doesn't mean it's always a good deal.
There are plenty of comparison websites out there that’ll check prices for you – so don’t be left paying more than you have to.
Most of them work by comparing the prices across hundreds of retailers.
Here are some that we recommend:
If you’re a myWaitrose member and have a Vitality health or life insurance plan, you can also get up to 25% cashback on Waitrose Good Health products.
You can sign up to the scheme for free by downloading the app on to your smartphone via Google Play or the Apple App Store.
You can also order a physical plastic card to be delivered to your home address.
It’s worth looking out for yellow sticker bargains as well, which is what staff add to products that have been reduced in price.
Richard Price, director at online supermarket Britsuperstore, told The Sun the best time to visit Waitrose to snap them up is two hours before closing, when you can get products reduced by up to 50%.
It’s worth opting for products in Waitrose’s budget “Essentials Range” too, which could help you save plenty on your weekly shop.
Most major supermarkets now run loyalty schemes, including Lidl, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda.
The Lidl Plus scheme lets customers earn points on purchases which unlock free products such as bakery items.
Customers can also get discounts on shops if they build up enough points, and win money-off coupons.
Meanwhile, the Nectar Card for Sainsbury’s offers customers points on their purchases, with shoppers receiving one point per £1 spent.
You can also get one point for every £1 spent on fuel and bought at Sainsbury’s’ petrol station.
Each point earned is worth 0.5p, and you can redeem the points when you earn £2.50, or 500 points.
The Tesco Clubcard scheme works similarly to the Nectar Card, which gives customers one point for every £1 spent in-store and online.
One point equals 1p, so 250 points gets you £2.50, for example, and you need 150 points minimum to request a voucher.
The Asda Reward scheme works slightly differently, in that customers get Asda “pounds” for completing certain tasks in-store and online.
These pounds go into a cashpot which you can then convert into vouchers to get money off future purchases.
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