Pret a Manger app chaos hits Krispy Kreme customers

THE owner of Pret a Manger is facing fresh questions about problems with its loyalty scheme after similar complaints were made by customers of its sister company Krispy Kreme.

People using the Krispy Kreme app were unable to redeem rewards earned through the scheme and also reported problems resetting passwords.

Both companies are owned by the German firm JAB Holding Company, which bought Pret in 2018 and owns multiple food and coffee chains around the world.

Pret faced calls to offer all subscribers to its £30 a month Club Pret scheme compensation after some complained of being “locked out” from its app, meaning they could not claim the five daily drinks they are entitled to.

Pret changed its app earlier this year to force users to log in every time they wanted to access their membership code, and Krispy Kreme also updated its app in January.

One user of the Krispy Kreme app posted a review on Google this month saying it was “the worst app” and kept losing points they had earned.

The one-star review said: “The login details are not stored and every single time it asks to enter a password. I’ve made better apps than this. Krispy Kreme needs to change their contract with a more competent app designing company. This is the worst app, very temperamental. Shows points then the next moment they disappear.”

One customer wrote: “It was fine up until about 2 months ago. Since then I’ve been trying to login on the app but have struggled. Contacted customer support who seem to want to help but appear to lack the technical expertise with the login issue I have been having.”

Customers can earn 10 “Smiles” for every £1 spent in-store, which they can redeem against the value of doughnuts or hot drinks. The equivalent of £125 spent means that customers can claim a box of 12 doughnuts free.

A spokesman for JAB said individual brands were responsible for their own loyalty schemes and apps.

A spokesman for Pret previously told The Telegraph that: “Anyone with problems accessing their new code can contact our customer support team who will be happy to help.”

‘Krispy Kreme needs to change their contract [for] a more competent app designing company’