Tesco moved to reassure customers in the Republic today that they will receive a refund on all returned Irish pork products.
This follows complaints that Tesco stores were issuing refunds only on their own-brand produce in the wake of the recall on pork products.
Several Tesco stores in the Dublin area this morning said they had been instructed to return only Tesco own-brand products when contacted by The Irish Times.
However, Tesco Ireland communications manager Seamus Banim said this policy had subsequently been extended to include all Irish pork products and the company was in the process of informing its 116 outlets in the State.
Mr Banim said: “We have a policy in relation to our own-brand Irish pork products that we will be offering a refund with or without a receipt.”
“And in relation to Irish branded pork products, a full refund will be issued to customers with a receipt,” Mr Banim said.
When asked why Tesco had originally issued an instruction to offer refunds only on its own-brand produce, he said the situation yesterday was an “evolving one” and the initial priority was to get all Irish pork products off the shelves.
The National Consumer Agency (NCA) said consumers were entitled to be refunded. NCA Chief Executive Anne Fitzgerald said this afternoon that, under legislation, consumers were entitled to “repair, replacement or refund of a faulty product”.
“In the case of pork meat or other food products containing pork, consumers are entitled to a refund as a repair or replacement does not apply in this instant,” she added. She said, in general, consumers should have proof of purchase, but urged all retailers to be “reasonable”.
