For those who aren't British and/or have never visited the Sceptred Isle, Tesco is a supermarket chain that also dabbles in a few other odds and ends. Like 360s. Anyway, being a supermarket, they have a long-standing policy that if you're over-charged at the register you get the item for free. Which is a sound policy. If you're buying bananas.

Tesco, however, just weren't prepared for the lengths today's "savvy" consumers will go to score free shit.

Over the past few months, a growing number of self-styled consumer activists has been sharing information posted on websites deliberately to buy goods that are priced incorrectly and get a full refund.

Again, this wouldn't be that big of a deal if all you were talking about was a packet of biscuits. But when Tesco muffed the pricing on the 360 in January, it was a big deal.

A pricing error in January meant that XBox 360 games consoles were advertised in the store for 297.81. When the machines' bar codes were scanned at the till, customers were asked to pay 299.97 — 2.16 more. Under the policy, Tesco allowed the shoppers to take the consoles for free.

Ouch. Great news for crafty British shoppers, but for Tesco, not so much. They've now, rather wisely, ditched the offer, replacing it with a deal where "customers will get back double the amount they were overcharged". Luke Plunkett

Tesco stops refunds over 'free XBox' loophole [The Telegraph]

[Thanks Janson!]

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