Pret a Manger founder Julian Metcalfe has expressed his disappointment in the mishap surrounding its loyalty program, amid mass customer dissatisfaction and claims of “chaotic” management.
Metcalfe, who co-founded the sandwich chan in 1986, said he also empathised with staff who had to deal with complaints over the problematic Club Pret app.
The Telegraph reports that industry insiders have said Pret’s “risky” choice to provide customers with five daily coffees for a £30 monthly subscription turned out to be more financially burdensome than anticipated.
This was partly due to the ease with which subscribers have shared their memberships with friends and family.
Metcalfe, who sold his Pret stake in 2018 and now runs the restaurant chain Itsu, which he also founded, told the Telegraph, “As the founder of the company my heart goes out to the staff who have been dealing with this very difficult situation and to the customers who feel let down.”
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Another industry insider with knowledge of Pret’s thinking told the title: “The management of this has been chaotic.
“When you take £30 off someone and then change the terms and conditions you lose people’s trust.”
The same source likened the crisis to the Hoover flights promotion, in which anyone spending more than £100 on the company’s products could claim flights to the US worth £600. Hoover assumed most customers would not bother taking up the offer, but take up was so high that it had to renege.
“You have to ask the question of how many people were sharing it,” said the insider. “They had to do something about it, but the way they did it was abrupt.”
Pret has already been forced to refund some of its subscribers after its crackdown on membership sharing left many unable to use its app.
Previously, a spokesman said: “We recently updated how Club Pret subscribers access their QR codes as we continue to invest in our digital offer for customers. Live QR codes are now available to all subscribers exclusively via the Pret App.”
“Our app is currently functioning as normal, but some customers may still need to complete the login process to access their new codes. Anyone with problems accessing their code can contact our customer support team who will be happy to help.”
Last year, the business revealed it would be raising the price of its monthly coffee subscription service by 20% to £30 as it rebranded to ‘Club Pret’.
It initially charged £20 a month, increasing it to £25 in February 2023.
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