Do you use OCADO?

[yoyo]

Have just had my first delivery which was 30 mins late and had lots of items missing. These don't bother me too much. However, all the "fridge" stuff was dripping wet and the cardboard packaging on meat, yogs, etc had disintegrated. I phoned them and will obviously be refunded on the missing things but the very nice man said that it was up to me to gauge the safety of the other stuff. They will refund me if I think they should not be eaten. The driver has control over the temp of the fridges and is not allowed to deliver if it rises above a certain limit. What would you do? Would you eat it or not?

[misdee]

i wouldnt risk it, not in this heat.

wjereabouts did they deliver from?

[SoupDragon]

I would judge each item individually and either use or freeze (short term) immediately.

I wouldn't use the yoghurts at all.

[yoyo]

The warehouse is not that far away but I assume that they load up in the morning and deliver all day. I have not done an internet shop before so am not sure if the stuff arrives like this or not (I would hope not). The fact that it was wet suggests that the fridge might have been open for a while..aargh. I really did not want to go shopping this week especially after spending ages setting up the order.

[Twiglett]

there is no way you can guage safety of stuff that looks ruined - how do you know what state it has been kept in and for how long .. take the safest path and ditch it all and get refunds on it all

[misdee]

it shouldnt be wet at all. my brother works at the hatfield depot and was going to see if he could the vans checked if it is a prob.

[lunavix]

I'm very surprised, one of the reasons I love ocado is they've never done this to me. Sainsburys on the other hand...

[yoyo]

It is Hatfield Misdee. Blast. I am so annoyed.

[misdee]

will text him, and let him know. think he is a supervisor or something higher than abod.

i used to live near the depot, the vans were good for teaching dd1 her colours

[flashingnose]

Ocado are very very helpful and accommodating IME. I would phone back and explain your concerns and also say that you're unable to get to the shops to replace it, so can they deliver the items again tomorrow.

[yoyo]

The man on the phone was very helpful. I won't ring again tonight as it took 20 mins to get through but I will do so in the morning. Would they deliver again do you think?

[misdee]

should do.

[NotQuiteCockney]

I've never had this happen with them. Their vans are certainly properly cooled, although their definitions of what needs to be refrigerated and what doesn't are a bit odd: eggs don't need to go in the fridge, but onions do?

[flashingnose]

yoyo, IME it depends how firm you are with them. If they've left something out that can wait until my next shop, I'll accept a refund but if it's stuff that I would have to go and buy (like milk or yoghurt), I insist they deliver it again - the whole point of internet shopping is that you don't have to go to the shop!

[yoyo]

Flashingnose - as there will be rather a lot of food that was either missing or needs replacing I will ask that they deliver it to me. Had another look at the food in my fridge and can honestly say I wouldn't buy it even if it was in the reduced section. Most people seem to rate them though so I will see how they handle this and decide whether to place another order with them.

Thanks for all your comments.

[SaintGeorge]

I'm surprised at their initial attitude to be honest - surely it should have been obvious to them that if the cardboard cartons were soaking wet then the stuff was too warm.

I had an Asda delivery last week and it was the driver that spotted the yoghurts were in a similar state - he removed them immediately and said he would have them refunded, I didn't even have to ask.

In the same vein, I will always refuse frozen items if they have any solid ice clinging to the boxes - it is a sure sign they have been defrosted and refrozen at some point.

[yoyo]

Just spoke to ocado and they are happy to refund on meat and dairy but will not deliver. So supermarket here I come.
Interestingly they said that frozen and refrigerated stuff are stored together so if the frozen food is frozen (which it was) there should not be a problem. She suggested that it was just condensation but surely this only occurs if the freezer has warmed up at some point?
Perhaps my days of carting a toddler around supermarkets will continue for a little while longer.

[Marina]

This is not typical of Ocado yoyo, I am very surprised at your driver's attitude to the state of the goods when they were delivered.

On Friday night we were missing about 60% of our order, all the fresh/frozen stuff, because of a serious logistics failure at Hatfield. I was fuming but the driver was most apologetic, explained the safety reasons for not letting us have ANY of it (still on the van apparently), and we got a £15 voucher off our next shop.

Normally any fresh stuff (we have been using them for two years with very few problems) looks and feels as though it has just been taken out of the fridge. Never any dampness from condensation etc. The vans are refrigerated, so there should be no deterioration of the kind you describe.

As you have had stuff delivered in such bad nick and it is your first shop, I would get on to Head Office and say how unhappy you are with this. I think you need to make a fuss. They are always super-polite on the rare occasions we have complained (three times in about 100 shops!)

[yoyo]

Thanks Marina. In fairness to them they have refunded me for the stuff. I will put it in writing to Head Office though. Maybe Hatfield are having problems as I had to wait 20 mins for my call to be answered this morning too.

[Marina]

Something really has gone badly wrong this week then Yoyo - I had to wait 15 mins to bag my voucher too.
I promise they are normally excellent and much less hassle than Sainsbury's "Sod You" or Tesco's, certainly in my experience!
Hope you get it sorted and they do too.

[SaintGeorge]

Refrigerated and frozen items shouldn't really be stored together like that.

If you look at the instructions for freezer bags/boxes they always say NOT to mix in refrigerated items as this can possibly raise the ambient temperature.

[bran]

Perhaps they've over-stretched themselves and they're not doing things properly. I did my first Ocado order last week and 55 mins after the end of my slot I phoned to find out where it was. Everyone was very polite and the driver phoned me back to say the van had broken down (which probably can't be helped), but it turned out the van had broken down 30 mins after the end of my delivery slot so it would have been very late anyway and nobody had told me. By the time my dh came home to look after sick ds it was too late to go to Waitrose and I ended up doing my shopping in Asda (I hate Asda).

I still can't decide whether to give them another chance or not. I suspect not.

[NotQuiteCockney]

bran, that's really not typical. I do find Ocado often runs late (or early) but they generally call to tell you that's what's happening (and ask if early is ok, if they're early).

The one time I couldn't wait for them, so didn't get the delivery, they gave me vouchers. And they've generally not been more than an hour late, when they're late.

At any rate, if you complain, you'll be showered in vouchers.

[Stilltrue]

ooh dear!! But try them again. After wrestling with sainsbury's and Tesco (some of the STUPIDEST substitutions I've ever seen) I started using Ocado a couple of years agop and they are by far the best. Put it down to bad luck' and I hope you become a convert soon.

[binkie]

Yes, do give them another try. We've used them since they first started and I have never had things delivered in a disintegrating state - that sounds dreadful. Normally it's all in perfect order. Also the delivery chaps still manage to be cheery even after they've made it up to our liftless third floor flat with the nineteenth load.

Agree that they do quite often run early or late - but they at least used usually to call to say so - have noticed that happening less recently. Have also noticed that it has become much easier to get a delivery slot within two/three days notice - I don't think that's because people have gone off them, I suspect it's because they're expanding and haven't quite caught up with themselves.

Pity you've had to take the effects of that, yoyo. Make sure they give you incentives to try again (as well as a refund), I say.

[sophy]

I have been using Ocado for about two years on a weekly basis and could count the number of problems I have had on the fingers of one hand. When there is a problem they rectify it quickly or offer vouchers for compensation. IMO they are vastly superior to the other internet shopping services and I would strongly advise you to give them another chance.