Online supermarket shopping

[Bears1969]

As situation is and like many others been forced into online supermarket shopping.

I've just managed to prove and confront a large supermarket on this.

So ordered shopping week ago delivery date arrives arrange someone to collect as I can't drive. Due to time and illness (not Covid) I could not go through email and ring friend to reject sub'd items. Some I don't mind if reasonable.

Once shopping home went through it all - suspicious at some of items that had been swapped. Like on offer cheese swapped for non offer, cheap store brand jam replaced with top range, washing liquid that was £3.50 swapped for £8 one. Lots more items.
So another friend who was visiting said supermarket for when it opened checked for me if the store had said items sure enough majority of items they had and nor looked like it just been totally restocked and certain items not those that are sell outs.

So my shopping collected at 08:30 and store opens 10:00 friend goes in as it opens.

So feeling confident we have enough evidence that not all of items were genuinely required subs - supermarket contacted.
They don't price match sub'd items so you get charged more, they first refused to take items as they been in my house 'Covid'.
Discussion that all items could be wiped down and how many people in store as to someone shielding etc finally agreed all items could be wiped down. Agreed to refund if I took items back so agreed to ask friend to do within couple days. Nope they wanted that day.
I then questioned fraud that if items in stock why send subs. No denial or defending of statement put to them. Then said about discrimination which they questioned why it would be discrimination explanation given to them no further comments.
They then said they would refund before call finished they refunded £17.36
I asked that the allegations of the fraud and discrimination to those who can't or choose not to shop in store investigated so that it stops. I will follow up as I feel this will not be done.
But please check and challenge because if they do £20 per customer or see it as way to shift items not selling it is not appropriate.
That money could be the electric for someone, a child's lunches, money to pay a debt. What if this is someone who is confused or has someone order shopping for them.
I've not named as yet as I'm sure they are not only the only ones.
I stopped with one supermarket as they kept sending close to use by/eat by dated food.

Thankfully I use local smallbusinesses for meat, veg and milk/eggs.

Supermarkets have done very well during this awful time they don't need these tactics to increase profit.

This is not a dig at any staff - staff in supermarkets have worked to hard and put themselves in high risk situations. I doubt they see increased profits in wages!
Thank you.

Managers and CEO's of supermarkets you are responsible - lo

ok after your staff and customers.

Are you talking about click and collect #@Bears1969 ?

I'm confused.

Which supermarket? Like others said they usually just go you the more expensive item for free (or double quantity if it was the more expensive item missing). I have never been charged extra. Looks like you need a new Supermarket!

@EssentiallyDelighted

Sainsburys refund you the difference a few days later (by voucher) if your sub costs more. They also don't pick at every store, mine comes from a larger one 10 miles away, because of this I have rejected subs just after my store has opened, gone in and found them in stock there.

I’ve had the same experience with Sainsburys, i just use the voucher I’m given for the difference in my next shop, or reject the sub when I collect it.

I think their service has been great throughout the pandemic, couldn’t fault it. I think this is a bit of a reach from OP..

Glenorma

Morrison’s doesn’t allow you to say no substitutes, and if they give you a more expensive substitute they charge you full price.

Actually, that doesn't sound good at all.

We've got a Morrisons near us and had been wondering about a click-and-collect.
Anyone else had a similar experience?

To be fair, after your order is picked you can still reject the substitutes and they take them away and don’t charge. I always reject substitutes at Morrison’s because I can’t be bothered figuring out if they cost more.

Fraud? What are you talking about. Okay, shops have deliveries at different times of the day. Your items may not have been there when your order was picked, possibly throughout the night. You’re not the only person they’re shopping for, there’s no conspiracy. You get an email, you decline or accept, knowing the rules.

So you have time to do all of the investigating but not time to check your email so you can say no thank you to the unwanted substitutions?

Bloody hell, your poor friend has to collect for you AND then return subs for you because you didn't select no substitutions??! I doubt you'll have a click and collect issue again because if I was your friend there's no chance I'd be doing you a favour again!

Morrison's is by far the worst I have experience for substitutes - they don't tell you the cost and it's a right faff. What annoys me about them most is when they don't sub 1 - one week they sent zero subs so despite clearly ordering two different types of cooked meat, nothing for a sandwich was send. I don't believe all their cooked meat shelves were empty!!

You can’t select no substitutions at some supermarkets!

Do you realise the supermarket pickers start at 4 or 5 in the morning?
If something isnt in stock them (or at 8.30) it might well be later after a delivery has been received. So your friend would see it on the shelf.
Pickers are only allowed to sub things on thier approved list due to ingredients/allergy rules and no its not always higher priced goods it's only those if no alternative . They cannot chose themselves. They try to get longest dates but unless fresh deliveries are already in they are limited.

Either accept the subs or reject them.
We had 1200 orders in one day last week try to remember you are not the only one on the list.

You can contact your local store to discuss concerns in a polite way but can you imagine the faff and time taken up if everyone wanted them to take back something they didn't like when it suited them not the shop?

@Bubbles1st

Morrison's is by far the worst I have experience for substitutes - they don't tell you the cost and it's a right faff. What annoys me about them most is when they don't sub 1 - one week they sent zero subs so despite clearly ordering two different types of cooked meat, nothing for a sandwich was send. I don't believe all their cooked meat shelves were empty!!

You see, people just don’t think things break down at supermarkets, just that they’ve been wronged somehow. No cold meat at all? This sounds like a fridge breakdown.

Believe me, nobody shopping in any supermarket is told to give close to out of date products, expensive products because they don’t sell or anything else I’ve been reading in this thread. Online shopping is through the roof, there are so many orders going out it’s like Christmas every single day now, cut them some slack and try to think that not everyone is out to get you but in fact, just doing their best in difficult circumstances.

Having read this thread I can see Morrisons is likely the place you mean. I’ve never had any issue with substitutions or not being reimbursed. Have only ever used Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco or Waitrose though.

We rarely get subs and always get decent ones when it has happened, that we’ve not paid any difference for.

Sounds like a complete misunderstanding of how online shopping works!

I used ASDA for the first time this week as the only place to get an online delivery, I had five subs, but all were more expensive thanwhat I ordered, but no increase in price at all, so was well pleased. Also, the next day, I had an email from them, saying,we are sorry that you weren't pleased with the oranges, and bananas that were returned to us, so they refunded the money immediately into my bank account, But I didn't return anything at all, as all the fruit I had ordered was perfect !!

@Willow2017

Do you realise the supermarket pickers start at 4 or 5 in the morning? If something isnt in stock them (or at 8.30) it might well be later after a delivery has been received. So your friend would see it on the shelf. Pickers are only allowed to sub things on thier approved list due to ingredients/allergy rules and no its not always higher priced goods it's only those if no alternative . They cannot chose themselves. They try to get longest dates but unless fresh deliveries are already in they are limited.

Either accept the subs or reject them.
We had 1200 orders in one day last week try to remember you are not the only one on the list.

You can contact your local store to discuss concerns in a polite way but can you imagine the faff and time taken up if everyone wanted them to take back something they didn't like when it suited them not the shop?

In my experience the supermarket pickers do a great job and as I don’t want to go inside a supermarket, I’m especially grateful for them doing they job and selecting any substitution.

If you have a morrisons nearby they do specific vulnerable people shopping (well ours does) You get on thier list and phone in your shopping list. Someone picks exactly what you want. If its not in stock you can chose something else or they won't sub it.
Worth a try.

So you didn’t check the substitution email or ask your friend to reject anything more expensive, and that’s the supermarket’s fault? They have systems in place to stop this issue but you just chose not to use them.

@Bubbles1st

Morrison's is by far the worst I have experience for substitutes - they don't tell you the cost and it's a right faff. What annoys me about them most is when they don't sub 1 - one week they sent zero subs so despite clearly ordering two different types of cooked meat, nothing for a sandwich was send. I don't believe all their cooked meat shelves were empty!!

Pickers can only take things from thier approved list. They cant randomly give you corned beef instead of ham or similar.

One of our freezer broke down last week so nothing in the frozen potato section at all. Everything was removed and put in the huge walk in freezer piled up in crates. Impossible just to go grab a specific bag of chips!

Why are people saying you can't select no subs for Morrison's? We can on our online delivery.

@Sirzy

So you have time to do all of the investigating but not time to check your email so you can say no thank you to the unwanted substitutions?

It wasn't big investigation another friend happened to be in there and I don't need to explain illness and how it's affects me to you. Please don't judge someone's illness without knowing information

We have found Morrisons to be rubbish. You can't click no subs and they charge the extra. They do email to say what is being substituted but sometimes they sub a product for a different size which isn't on the same offer and they don't go into detail on the email. Multi buys can be a pain too as if there's a sub you won't get the offer on the other items as you no longer qualify for the offer. At one point they were refusing to take rejected subs back too. We had loads of occasions where the rejected substitutions(when they started taking them back again) weren't refunded. We were only using them as getting a Tesco slot was chaos for a few months but we've got a delivery pass now and have been ok for a while. I wouldn't bother with Morrisons online again and we are lucky to have the choice not to use them.

@LaMarschallin

You must tell us what the special meal-transforming tomato puree is called!

@MintTpls

Why are people saying you can't select no subs for Morrison's? We can on our online delivery.

I retract my previous comment, yes you can but not on an item by item basis like you can with Tesco which is much better as there are some things we wouldn't bother with if not specifically what we ordered. On the other hand, there are other things we wouldn't mind substitutions for.