Out with the old (Tesco) in with the new (Lotus's)

[DowntownAl]

Ran into an interesting thingy. As many of you know Lotus's is killing off the Tesco brand and part of that is killing off is the Tesco online shopping platform is being axed. I say “killing off” because the only part of my previous data they've kept is my phone number and name. Everything else, including delivery address is gone. Very sloppy and almost feels vindictive.

 

Anyway, after swearing a lot at the spike if pricing, especially for meat. I managed to get one last order in the Tesco platform where I got 2 kilos of minced port at 149 baht kilo, Lotus's has the same thing, now coming in a styrofoam/plastic wrap package for 239 baht/kilo.  (didn't the Thai gov say they would stop price...?) Just checked, it's been deleted as has all Tesco pork.

 

Second anyway, after I decided to register regardless I came across a curious thing. You need to enter your phone number before you can actually access the registration form then, if you were already registered with Tesco, it loads with your name but no other info. Just below that area it asks for your “Thai National Identification Number” Are they saying we must be a Thai national to buy food on their website? Seriously? I've sent them an email asking that question and have not heard back from them. 

 

Now, here is an interesting wrinkle, and I have no idea how it will work out but, after swearing at my computer for a few seconds I got the big idea to use the number I had been assigned on my COVID vaccination certificate by the Thai MOPH. It's an official Thai gov ministry, so why not? The certificate reads, หมายเลขบัตรประชาชน (ID card number) where there is a 13 digit number, so I entered that and their system accepted it. Does that mean I can finally get the refund money Lazada owes me? They put refunds in their 'Wallet” system that can only be accessed if you have a Thai National ID, since they're being super careful about 'money laundering' when I cancel that order for a pair of socks...can hardly wait to buy that bag of spicy seaweed treats.

 

Discuss.

[worgeordie]

Will put it well ...."Much ado about nothing"

CP who own Lotus's bought Tesco Thailand ,so naturally

they are not going to use the Tesco system ,but

their own.

regards Worgeordie

Edited March 28, 2022 by worgeordie
correction

[Kenny202]

No ones out to get you bro. This is Thailand and things don't work well, for Thais as well. I have also noticed Tesco prices over the top and why wouldn't they. Their owners just about own everything in Thailand. Vote with your feet and shop elsewhere. I use Tops these days....website far superior to Tesco and prices more mainstream these days. 

 

I honestly hope Thais never come on Thai visa and see how petty and small minded we expats are. Would confirm everything they have probably been told. I wonder if all this got worse when covid started....cabin fever took hold

[DowntownAl]

5 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Will put it well ...."Much ado about nothing"

CP who own Lotus's bought Tesco Thailand ,so naturally

they are not going to use the Tesco system ,but

their own.

regards Worgeordie

Yeah, that's kind of obvious, but moving data like addresses etc is easy. Having said that my primary point(s) the spike in meat prices (most of the rest seem in line) and the use of a Vax Certificat number as a Thai ID is of no interest? Each to their own.

[DowntownAl]

I should have known better. I point out the use of a vax certificate number as a Thai National ID worked and all you guys want to talk about a whiny expats and other grocery stores. Waste of time here, total waste of time. 

 

I'm going to go do something worthwhile. 

[redwood1]

18 minutes ago, DowntownAl said:

I should have known better. I point out the use of a vax certificate number as a Thai National ID worked and all you guys want to talk about a whiny expats and other grocery stores. Waste of time here, total waste of time. 

 

I'm going to go do something worthwhile. 

Hey I appreciate this info a lot......Who knows it might work on other things too.....Thanks

 

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by redwood1

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

I gotta hand it to them, their new benefactor Mr. CP has been unusually generous in giving the Mini Lotus's's's's in my Issan country bumpkin town a nice makeover. Now it's got a few more aisles, more fresh food, and even a little coffee and pastry shop inside.

[yeahbutif]

Yes I have thought about the covid ID. . will try next time they ask for a Thai ID.  ...good information.thanks

[redwood1]

17 minutes ago, Kenny202 said:

 

 

I honestly hope Thais never come on Thai visa and see how petty and small minded we expats are. Would confirm everything they have probably been told. I wonder if all this got worse when covid started....cabin fever took hold

Many farang expats are not afraid to call a spade a spade where as most Thais seem to accept what ever is dished out....

 

If you call this whining then maybe look up the word snowflake... 

[impulse]

On 3/27/2022 at 11:13 PM, Kenny202 said:

I honestly hope Thais never come on Thai visa and see how petty and small minded we expats are. Would confirm everything they have probably been told. I wonder if all this got worse when covid started....cabin fever took hold

While I agree with the sentiment, this thread isn't a good example of the bwana rearing its ugly head. 

 

[lopburi3]

Indeed there are issues with the new website - most of all regret loss of "my favorites" for my shopping list but they seem to be using a new data base for items in the new system so probably could not be ported.  My Tesco link still works fine however and no loss of data (although there were periods of specific category loss for week or so since sale but they seem to be allowing use of both web sites.  I note on new web site you do not have option to amend an order as before - more like Tops now.  But you can cancel and get immediate credit card refund.  Have not used for delivered order yet.

 

I believe the Thai ID card request is only required for some membership program - not for general use.

[starky]

On 3/28/2022 at 11:32 AM, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

I gotta hand it to them, their new benefactor Mr. CP has been unusually generous in giving the Mini Lotus's's's's in my Issan country bumpkin town a nice makeover. Now it's got a few more aisles, more fresh food, and even a little coffee and pastry shop inside.

I've been having a ball with my missus calling everything lotusess's's's Es es sssss as well. Then I got a headache trying to explain why the apostrophe indicates possession. Then it got longer defining plural possessives.

Edited March 30, 2022 by starky

[realfunster]

On 3/28/2022 at 11:32 AM, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Lotus's's's's

I think you will find the correct pronunciation is Lotus's's's.

4 s in total, and the 3 superflous s's have a nice flow to them.

 

Repeat after me :

Lotus - s - s - s

[realfunster]

On 3/30/2022 at 8:16 PM, starky said:

I've been having a ball with my missus calling everything lotusess's's's Es es sssss as well. Then I got a headache trying to explain why the apostrophe indicates possession. Then it got longer defining plural possessives.

It's the other way around for me.

My wife can't understand why I keep calling it Lotus's's's and why I find it amusing when I do.

[KanchanaburiGuy]

My wife didn't get it when, after loading the car, I said, "Well, now it's mine's's's!" 

[Aforek]

Before, Thai people said " lo tat " , because there is no " s " sound at the end of a syllabe  in their language ( they even have problems to pronouce them in needed " ) 

 

if when in the shop, you listen to the guy who speaks in the microphone, you will notice that he stresses on the " s " at the end, because it's not natural for Thai people, I think that the double "s" on the new name is to express that's it's now " lo tas " and not "lo tat " as before 

Edited April 6, 2022 by Aforek

[GrandPapillon]

On 3/27/2022 at 11:49 PM, DowntownAl said:

Everything else, including delivery address is gone. Very sloppy and almost feels vindictive.

more likely incompetence on the new team when client data was migrated to a new "Thai" system ????

Edited April 6, 2022 by GrandPapillon

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Don't remember getting any notification, at least in English, from Tesco indicating the date when their online ordering website was going to disappear.  Only found out from reading this thread... Probably did a last regular Tesco order within the past week.

 

Now my prior Tesco favorites list is gone, and so is my prior Tesco ordering history.

 

Old Tesco log-in was with an email address. New Lotus's log-in ID appears to only be via mobile phone number. So even though it wasn't part of my old Tesco log-in, I tried the old mobile phone number that was associated with my Tesco account on the new Lotus's site, and then did a "forgot password" click.

 

Sure enough, within a few seconds, got an SMS code on my mobile phone allowing me to set a new password for the Lotus's site using the same mobile number that originally had been linked to the Tesco website, but not used for log-in purposes with Tesco.

 

The new Lotus's site had my name and home address populated in my profile info once I logged in. But it was blank for any delivery addresses, including my default delivery address. So I had to add that again manually.

 

There also was an entry in my profile for a "National ID" number that only shows as "************* and then 4 last digits". It's not my U.S. passport number, and off the top of my head, I don't recognize the last 4 shown digits at all.

 

It also doesn't match the ID number listed on my various Thai Govt. COVID vaccine certificates, nor does it match my old Tesco membership ID number.... I'm stumped!  ????

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I'd say it's your typical "we don't really care about our customers" M.O. here in Thailand.

 

PS - I always used to shake my head at how, in the past, Tesco clearly knew I was a farang. I only used and accessed their website via its EN interface. And yet on a regular basis, they kept sending me email and SMS promotional stuff entirely in TH language.  ????

 

But it looks like Lotus's has kept one crappy thing the same from the old Tesco... no apparent way to mark items as Favorites and save them manually to a Favorites list, unlike Tops, where you can do that.

 

The old Tesco only had an automatic Favorites list that reflected all the items you'd ordered with them in the past year or so. Since I haven't done an order yet with Lotus's, I dunno if that same approach will carry over to the new site.

 

 

Edited April 6, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[whereyougo]

Good luck trying to order meat of any sort. 2 orders in a row meat was deleted from delivery

And now you can only order from seperate stores which means hunting around trying to find a store that has everything I need but thats imposable and todays order didnt even turn up . Time for a change they are now hopeless

[phetphet]

Some bright spark at an ad firm probably thought, "Lets just copy the way foreigners call Tesco, Tesco's."

So Lotus became Lotus's.  Should it not be Lotus' ?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 minutes ago, phetphet said:

Some bright spark at an ad firm probably thought, "Lets just copy the way foreigners call Tesco, Tesco's."

So Lotus became Lotus's.  Should it not be Lotus' ?

 I've never understood how they came up with the current abomination of a name.... with its "s's"...  Why not just Lotus?

 

I'd say the new version s'sucks....  ????

 

 

[JayClay]

7 hours ago, Aforek said:

if when in the shop, you listen to the guy who speaks in the microphone, you will notice that he stresses on the " s " at the end, because it's not natural for Thai people, I think that the double "s" on the new name is to express that's it's now " lo tas " and not "lo tat " as before

And good luck to the man on the speaker....

 

We all know everybody is going to continue to call it "LoDud"... Some might have a crack at reading the 's and call it "LoDuDud" one time, but that just kind of feels like you're in this weird kind of infinite loop... 2Dud just don't feel like enough. "LoDuDud Dud"

[JayClay]

On 3/28/2022 at 4:49 AM, DowntownAl said:

They put refunds in their 'Wallet” system that can only be accessed if you have a Thai National ID

Firstly I'm pretty sure I've read on this forum that you can now access the wallet without a national ID.

 

Secondly, you can raise a support ticket and they will offer an alternative refund method.

[ivor bigun]

I dont order anything from Lotus online but one thing i will say is that the N Pattaya one was not up to much when it was Tesco ,and its managed to go downhill from there .

[Aforek]

27 minutes ago, JayClay said:

And good luck to the man on the speaker....

 

We all know everybody is going to continue to call it "LoDud"... Some might have a crack at reading the 's and call it "LoDuDud" one time, but that just kind of feels like you're in this weird kind of infinite loop... 2Dud just don't feel like enough. "LoDuDud Dud"

of course, their "lotus's "is ridiculus, I don't like, it's not beautiful and of course, like every body I shall continue to say " lo tat " ( excuse for the phonetics, I use it as I hear it in my language , I don't know how to write in English phonetics ) 

[fredscats]

Lotus s,.... few days ago in their restaurant,,way out in the sticks,huge wall signs and more than a few all in English,no Thai wording "eat with friends" etc.   Amazed, not one farang observed anywhere in area I was in for week or so    Lotus working on the idea "a little delight every day"

[fusion58]

Not digging the new site either.

 

First problem I encountered was that I couldn't access my old account - had to create a new account just to place an order.

 

Managed to get around the Thai National ID requirement when creating said new account by using the wife's ID.

 

Finally, most disappointing of all, I was unable to use the same international credit cards I've been using for the past six years to pre-pay.

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, fusion58 said:

Finally, most disappointing of all, I was unable to use the same international credit cards I've been using for the past six years to pre-pay.

 

I ran into a similar problem yesterday when I tried, and failed, to place a delivery order on their new Lotusssss website.

 

My habit in the past, which always worked fine with Tesco, was to pay using my home country bank card upon delivery, and not using the prepayment method on the website. And never had any problem with the delivery person swiping my card using their little hand held credit card machines.

 

However, now with Lotusssssss, they appear to have eliminated the option to pay with bank card upon delivery. And, when I reluctantly tried to use my home country bank card for prepayment via the Lotusssssss website, as I feared from past reports, it was denied.

 

So, until and unless they change that approach and allow the delivery person to swipe bank cards for payment upon delivery, they've just lost a longtime past customer.

 

[lopburi3]

2 hours ago, fusion58 said:

Not digging the new site either.

 

First problem I encountered was that I couldn't access my old account - had to create a new account just to place an order.

 

Managed to get around the Thai National ID requirement when creating said new account by using the wife's ID.

 

Finally, most disappointing of all, I was unable to use the same international credit cards I've been using for the past six years to pre-pay.

 

 

Perhaps because you used wife ID number - believe that ID request was for a financial point system of some kind and not required if you do not want to use it.  I had no issue using US based credit card (Thai address) and received immediate refund when order later canceled (freezer failed so did not want a lot of new frozen stuff).  

Edited April 8, 2022 by lopburi3