Can't believe it. I feel like Coop ripped me off!

A question about : Can't believe it. I feel like Coop ripped me off!

Warning: this story contains scenes of mild peril!

I'm off to Greece at the end of next week so thought I'd take the weekend to look at getting my money changed ready (we wanted to ensure they still were a Euro country by time we left). I've settled on taking a float of cash and putting the rest on a Trevelex Mastercard. After going to Coop travel on Saturday we decided to look around but found that 1.18 seemed to be the going rate in Stafford.

So this morning I went back to Coop Travel in Stafford who gave a 1.18 to get the money changed. All went fine, I got home and started looking through the paperwork to find I'd actually been given a 1.13 exchange rate! I know it doesn't sound like much but it adds up pretty quick.

I called them and without telling them who I was asked what the exchange rate was. Sure enough, the reply came... 1.18! I explained who I was from the morning and was greeted with a barrage of excuses. Suffice to say they weren't about to go back on what they'd done. Here are some:

- We give a different rate over the phone
- We give a different rate because you used a Travelex card (despite the cash being converted at the same rate)
- We give a different rate on Sundays
- Sometimes the exchange rate is changed twice a day

Incidentally, it was the manager that both dealt with me in store and on the phone.

I wouldn't have been so horrified if I wasn't dealing with Coop of all companies! Call me old fashioned but I'd have expected better. I know there's not much I can do but suck it up but thought I'd throw this one out as a cautionary tale! I'm out of pocket by about Ј50 between 1.13 and 1.18 rates. Overall the whole conversion cost Ј100 (converting 1300)

Best answers:

• If I was you I would make an official complaint to them. they should have verbally confirmed the rate at the time of the transaction.
• A similar thing happened to me yesterday when I loaded a "Cash passport" card with US dollars. The exchange rate I expected would be around $1.49 give or take a few cents. Foolishly I did not check the exchange rate until I got home I was so busy asking other questions I completely forgot the most important question. On checking everything when I got home I realised I had been given an exchange rate of only $1.39. This resulted in being Ј35 out of pocket.
  I phoned the Co-op and I was given a refund of Ј35 without question. Their excuse was that a) The person who served me was new to the job b) They had just had a new system c) sometimes the system put in the wrong rate and had to be manually over-ridden. Ok if you spot the mistake, but what if you don't check!
  Is there something which needs investigating here?