A customer was “extremely frustrated” with the FairPrice Group App after he did not receive freebies despite meeting the required spend for his grocery order.
In an email sent to MS News, he said he met the required purchase of S$88 on Unilever products to receive a tote bag and a Mayer air fryer.
Image courtesy of Mr Ari
The freebies were reflected on his billing invoice, but he did not receive them when his order was delivered.
He also claimed that his account malfunctioned following this incident.
The customer said he saw an advertisement for the freebies online on 16 July.
It stated that customers would receive a tote bag worth S$25 and a Mayer air fryer worth S$144 if they spent S$88 on Unilever products.
The customer said he immediately placed an order, and both freebies were reflected in his billing invoice.
Image courtesy of Mr Ari
The following day, he visited the app again and noted that the promo was still live and that both freebies were still in stock.
However, on 25 July, when his order was on the way, he received a notification that some of the items he ordered were unavailable and that he would receive a refund.
“When I checked it, I was extremely pissed off and annoyed,” he said. “I spent close to S$100 on Dove items just to get the S$144 Mayer air fryer and S$25 tote bag.”
He stressed the freebies were still in stock on 17 July, so he should still have received them since he placed his order before then.
Additionally, he said the freebies had been listed on his invoice, and it did not state whether he would receive them based on availability.
“If shown on the billing invoice means NTUC will give it to you,” he stressed.
To make matters worse, the customer claimed his account was “hacked” after the incident.
He said he could not place any grocery orders online, which was disappointing, as he had paid S$9.99 for a 30-day Digital Club membership.
Image courtesy of Mr Ari.
This membership entitles members to free delivery for orders above S$59.
The customer said he reached out to FairPrice regarding his missing freebies and account issue.
He claimed the company has not replied to him for days.
Speaking to MS News, the 35-year-old executive, Ari, said he has been using the FairPrice Group App for his groceries since 2019.
He orders from the platform three to four times each month for its online-exclusive freebies.
Mr Ari said he has reached out to FairPrice regarding his missing freebies.
Image courtesy of Mr Ari
He said they responded, stating that his feedback had been forwarded to the relevant department for investigation, and they would provide an update as soon as possible.
Mr Ari also said his account was disabled after his freebie was not delivered on 25 July.
He has not been able to use it as of 28 July.
I try to order more grocery. I discovered I can’t even pay at all.
Mr Ari claimed that he received the same response from FairPrice regarding the issue.
The customer also shared that he joined the Digital Club membership whenever he sees a good freebie promo.
He mentioned that this was the first time he experienced such issues.
On 29 July, Mr Ari told MS News that FairPrice responded to him regarding both issues.
They said they will arrange for the delivery of the free tote bag and air fryer on Thursday (30 July).
As for his account, Mr Ari said he was asked to delete his saved addresses and re-enter them, which allowed him to place orders again.
“No idea why, for the past few years, the addresses are there also no issue,” he expressed.
The customer said the company initially did not extend any gesture of goodwill for being unable to use his account from Saturday to Tuesday.
However, upon asking their representative for this, they agreed to give him a S$20 FairPrice voucher, which he is currently waiting for.
Mr Ari said he hopes his experience would serve as a “wake-up call” for the company not to “overpromise” free items and so “their warehouse side can do a proper inventory check”.
MS News has reached out to FairPrice for a statement.
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Featured image adapted from pixelshot on Canva. For illustration purposes only.