John Lewis wouldn’t trade my free breakfast for a vegan alternative

I am a regular John Lewis customer and have a My John Lewis membership card, which means I receive coupons and special offers.

I was recently sent a voucher to use at Juan Luis restaurants, which was for a breakfast bagel with bacon and egg.

I’m vegan so I contacted John Lewis customer services to ask if I could exchange it for a vegan item of similar value.

I was surprised to be told that it was not possible to exchange the reward.

What about people who can’t eat some foods for dietary or religious reasons? Is this discrimination? CL

Helen Crane from This is Money responds: All you wanted was a breakfast that matched your values, but you ended up in a row with John Lewis when they denied your request for a vegan alternative.

The token you receive is what is known as a custom bonus.

Every time you swipe your My John Lewis card in a John Lewis or Waitrose store, it records what you’ve bought and then supposedly offers you benefits tailored to your preferences.

Some retailers have adopted this system instead of a points-based one where you get money based on how much cash you spend.

However, something must have gone wrong with John Lewis’ digital data collection, as you never bought bacon and eggs.

In a John Lewis customer service email shown to me, a member of staff said they were “sorry to hear that you find it discriminatory to have been sent the offer you received.”

They said the vouchers were allocated using a “sophisticated computer programme” based on your purchases, but that “when rewards are allocated, they are allocated at random and we do not know the dietary requirements of a My John Lewis customer”.

Then they refused to replace it with something more suitable.

So, you were entitled to a vegan muffin? I looked at the fine print on the My John Lewis card and, on paper at least, it doesn’t look like you were.

Regarding personalized vouchers, it says: ‘The customer is not entitled to receive an alternative item or to receive any refund, cash alternative or redeem an alternative voucher for that offer window or selection date, as applicable.’

Whether this counts as discrimination is a more difficult question to answer.

In general, companies are free to set their own rules about the products they sell (or give away) to customers.

Restaurants, for example, are not required by law to offer a vegan option.

However, ethical veganism is a protected characteristic under the ‘beliefs’ section of the Equality Act 2010, which carries certain rights.

According to the Vegan Society website: ‘You have the right not to be treated unfairly or unfavorably by any service provider because you are vegan. This includes the restaurant industry.

“You have the right to request and receive vegan food (advance notice may be required).”

But doing something about it would require filing a legal case, which would cost a lot more than a vegan sausage and egg sandwich.

Whether or not you were legally entitled to one, I felt like John Lewis had made a bit of a pig’s ear out of this.

I contacted John Lewis to ask why they were refusing to go ahead and offer vegan bread.

I’m pleased to inform you that what you were told above was wrong, and vegans can get a meat and dairy-free alternative to items that form part of a My John Lewis reward.

A spokesperson said food rewards were “based on a member’s location in relation to a John Lewis store that has a Place To Eat cafe”.

She continued: ‘The breakfast bun can be swapped for a vegan alternative, and there are other vegan alternatives available for our other catering rewards, such as vegan milk alternatives and a vegan cake option for our cake rewards.

“Unfortunately, it appears that (CL) has received incorrect information on this occasion and we are following up to ensure this option is communicated more clearly.”

They have also contacted you to offer you a £25 voucher as an apology for the confusion.

I’m glad the retailer fixed this issue and avoided being left with egg on their face.

CRANE IN THE CASE