Lipton
Complaint 330498 Details

I'm from Kyrgyzstan and our family used Unilever (including Lipton) products a lot and we have liked them till recent time. So I want to tell a story how this company scams their customers. It's connected to Lipton Ice Tea promotion took place in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It was organized by Kazakhstan's office (http://liptonicetea.kz/). Well, actually I don't know how they're affiliated to Lipton but at least they use the brand name. Or misuse better to say.
The promotion was to register codes printed under the caps of Lipton bottles for a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy or collect some amount of those codes and receive a guaranteed prize – flip-flops and towels. And I really wanted to have those towels for my family and was collecting codes.
After some time when I have had enough I started to call hotline to find out when I could take my prize. According to rules they already started giving prizes away. But they told me – next week for Kyrgyzstan. Ok. I called a week after that – they said they had only flip-flops that time, towels would be next week. I called a week after that – they said they didn't have any prizes for Lipton and asked me to call next week. I was patient enough, so I called again a week after that - they said again they didn't have any prizes. That was disappointing, have been calling during 4 weeks for nothing! And by that time I had enough codes for two towels.
A deadline of promotion was the 31st of July. But distribution points were working only Friday till Sunday and next Friday was the 1st of August! I've called them that day (01/Aug) and they told me – No prizes, promotion has ended! I was trying to argue – How it's possible, if you haven't given any towels to customers in Kyrgyzstan! That’s it, no prizes left, goodbye, - they told me.
As I found out later hotline has given me inadequate information. They actually were giving away towels that day. But only one day, only in one point instead of two in our city and in such small amount that they ended right after they started to distribute. They gave away only few for the whole big country from guaranteed 2000 and only few persons got them! And lots of customers including me had come there to get their prize just left disappointed and even feeling scammed! Can you imagine frustration of children who believed in "magic" and was waiting for those prizes, and how difficult was to calm them down?
It's all because of poor arrangement and incompetence of people who must have been managing all this. I know that quantity of prizes was limited and there was a limitation in rules like 2 items for one phone number. But I saw myself people taking 10-20 items per one person. I don't think that anyone could drink like 400 bottles during few months. They probably were just collecting the caps somewhere. Do you think it is fair that someone who didn't even use you product gets 20 items, but your real customers get nothing? I don't!
It's not the only case when these promotions fail. All previous from Pepsi and Lipton in our region had such problems. I know it from feedbacks on the Internet discussions from disaffected customers and some of friends of mine opinions. As you know it is newer good to lose customers loyalty.
I described this entire situation to Kazakhstan's office via their Facebook page and they promised to check everything out and then get back to me. What then? Nothing! I waited for a week long for their answer, but didn't get even an apology.
So, I decided to contact the head office (Unilever is the conglomerate that owns Lipton brand) and describe them what happened. I believed that they simply don't know what happening in remote locations and how their incompetent brunch offices ruin reputation of the brand. I sincerely wanted to help them in this and still hoped for their honesty – to get my prizes.
I explained all the above via their contact form and started waiting. After a MONTH of waiting I wrote them a message again and after TWO weeks they finally contacted me, asking to describe the situation. Yeah, like I didn't describe it in previous letter. So I had to write them all this again.
After two weeks more (the slowest support ever!) they answered "We can't help you. Contact your local brunch office." 1. I already mentioned that I contacted my local representatives prior contacting the head office and they did nothing. Seems they just don't even read letters. 2. Every other company (some of them even bigger than Unilever) I had addressed before solved my problems in just few days, including contacting local brunches with their authority and instructing them how they can help me; or helped me direct from the head office sending me what I need or replacing that.
I tried to reason with them somehow but "We can't help you" was everything I got.
To resume:
1. All those promotions are scam first place. I wanted to believe that company I trusted for so many ears will not betray me. But I was so wrong…
2. As far as you satisfied with Lipton (Unilever) products they seem OK, but if you need their help you can be very disappointed because they care only to get your hard-earned cash.
3. This company doesn't know and doesn't care about their branches and doesn't want to.
4. They have the slowest, most unhelpful and I would say "helpless" customer support ever! It took me almost TREE MONHT and tons of letters to get the "We can't help you" answer! That's ridiculous!
In case this message will be deleted I reposted it wherever I could and encourage anyone who experienced same dissatisfaction to do so – let people know how Lipton (Unilever) treats their faithful customers!