I ordered a Tesco Hudl online as soon as they were available, and got mine delivered 24 hours later – which was faster than expected.
It is an excellent device – especially at that price point – but mine turned out to be one with a defective display (grey areas were heavily red-pixellated)..

I returned the device to the local Tesco store for replacement, as per the instructions, but was told that they had none in stock, and the replacement had to be re-ordered, and delivery would probably take at least two weeks!    As the staff seemed to be unable to provide any alternative, I accepted this and then wrote to Tesco’s ‘customer service’, asking if they could expedite the delivery, as this was a replacement for a faulty unit, and not a ‘new order’..

Their response was depressingly familiar…   The apology was not for the delay, but for the (imagined, and somewhat patronising) ”not explained clearly by staff”, thereby completely missing the point of my request!    Needless to say, there was no offer to actually do anything about the delay.

Maybe I am expecting too much – especially for the UK – but I have dealt with many consumer ‘tech’ companies over the years, and many would have had a small number of units set aside for these return/replacement situations..     In the end, it was a business decision, to prioritize new deliveries over ‘existing customer satisfaction’..    After all, Tesco is primarily a FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) company, and mainly sells groceries!

So..  I will just have to be patient…

Robert Gadsdon.   October 10, 2013.