Alex Kent got asked for ID at Tesco when purchasing a bottle of red wine and was not happy about it...

This morning, I went to buy a £10 bottle of red wine from Tesco Express Polegate but was refused because I didn't carry ID with me. I'm 29 years old and haven't carried ID in years. When the supervisor was called over, she said that even though I was clearly over 18, that because the assistant had asked the question that she couldn't over-ride her decision.

Clearly customer satisfaction does not matter at Tesco! "Every little helps" is not good enough when talking about customer service.

I offered to pay using a Visa credit card only available to people 18 years old or older, but apparently Tesco are more worried about teenagers purchasing fine wine than youngsters using an adults credit cards. It wasn't as if I was purchasing a bottle of White Lightning – perhaps Tescos believe kids have gained a finer pallet than what I had 11 years ago when I legally drank my first beer.

For shame.

You made a customer very angry, lost the sale and for what reason? What moral high-ground can you possibly take over this? Last time I checked, in the UK it is not compulsory to carry identification around with you – have I woken up in some kind of Tesco endorsed Orwellian nightmare?

Alex Kent
April 2010