AIBU to think Tesco are having online shopping trouble?

[YouCanDoItYesYouCan]

Out of interest I've been reading the review thread, and yesterday I placed an order online for shopping to be delivered today as I have a horrible cold and needed some easy to prepare food for DD. And tissues, lots of tissues as I have run out.
Shopping was due to be delivered this morning, halfway through the slot time I got a call to tell me the van had broken down. This has never happened to me in ca. 5 years of deliveries.

Is it just me, or does it seem to happen quite a lot with Tesco at the moment? Shouldn't it be possible to make alternative arrangements? (Not talking about picking shopping up myself or different delivery day, which they've offered me.)

This is not so much a consumerist rant (although I could really do with my special offer ice cream, 5kg of chips, paracetamol and tissues right now!) as a lighthearted attempt to start a conspiracy theory - what is really going on with all those vans? Alien abduction en route? Double booking? Some Spooks-style attempt to save the nation with Tesco vans?

Whatever it is, it clearly involves double cream as this was mysteriously not to be found anywhere on the website when I did my order...)

I don't know, but the last three times I've gone to the Tesco site to try to order shopping they've either had no delivery slots or delivery slots so far in the future that I'd need to go out to buy food in the meantime....so I've ended up shopping on Ocado.

There does seem to be something up, like they have underinvested in delivery vans.

I've been using Tesco for years. Other than the couple of times because of heavy snow, only once have they not been able to deliver my shopping and that was when someone crashed into the back of the van. They did arrange to bring it later on that evening and gave me £20 for my trouble!

So in some cases they deliver it later the same day? The fact that they didn't offer me that option makes me even more convinced that the van breaking down was just a cover story. I also doubt I'll be offered any vouchers, the bloke on the phone sounded quite grumpy.

I worked for a company that does deliveries/collections for three years.

Telling customers a van had broken down was one of their favourite excuses! In their case, it was normally a driver had gone over his time and we had to cancel calls to get him back. A break-down is the last excuse I wold believe now.

I've had the deliveries for just over 4 years. We had a cancellation in last years very heavy snow so understandable but we got cancelled because of staff shortages and they totally messed up rescheduling the order. I've never had that before and local store said they'd had a lot of complaints. Hopefully it won't be long until local store takes deliveries back on again.

Veeeeery interesting OhBrother ...

How do people manage to get a voucher out of their delivery misfortune? In the past they've been very reluctant to even let me have a fiver for delivering the wrong size nappies when they were the reason for the order in the first place.

Anyone else want to speculate what's really going on with their vans??

Ring them up and give them a hard time.

Argh, never been good at that, especially having been a phone monkey myself once upon a time. Any key phrases that would help me achieve the desire result?

Ring the store manager. Ask to be first drop tomorrow. Ask for the delivery charge to be refunded and compensation vouchers.

Van break downs happen but they should be bending over to help you really.

Or Tweet it, that seems to be the done thing now!

I had a call from the driver that he had broken down but was about 2 miles away. Didnt know what would happen about rescheduling, as short staffed, but if wanted I could go meet him and collect it from him! So I met him on street corner and offloaded. I assumed I would get delivery refund seeing as I collected it but didnt. I guess this was genuine as he was on rounds but suppose he could have gone over time on tacograph

No bending over to help in my case - bloke on the phone really couldn't have cared less! I was too surprised to make a big fuss, so will see what the driver says tomorrow and ring Tesco depending on delivery charge refund/vouchers offered.

mrsseed I was offered to pick up my shopping, but I only order online when I need lots of stuff or can't go out for some reason, like being unwell, and I don't drive, so it's just not possible.

They've only ever let me down once, about 4 years ago when I was heavily pregnant (and I mean, days from dropping) with ds. I had done a big order of food, some of it for a dinner I was cooking for some visitors coming that night. They called with half an hour left of the delivery slot to say a driver hadn't turned up for work, but my shopping was all ready at the store if I wanted to drive down and pick it up. I pointed out, in about 5 phone calls to the store, that the whole point was I don't drive, so not really an option. In the end I think they got fed up with the mad hormonal woman on the end of the phone and sent one of the teenage weekend staff down in his little car with all my shopping. No kind of compensation though, but I got my food in the end. I tend only to use them if we're all stuck at home being ill now. I noticed on our last delivery that they had to substitute things (a 3 pack of caramel eggs ) with 3 individual ones, and that they now had a policy of not charging over the price stated on your original order for substitutions. That certainly never used to be the case so I do think it's a step in the right direction. Never had a problem with the freshness of their meat or veg either, which is the reason my mum never internet shops.

If you are living in North london it is because they have stopped doing the orders from the actual supermarket and are using a new depo in Enfield. They may be doing this in other parts of the country too. Our order 2 weeks ago never turned up at all. We rang and mildly complained and got sent a £10 evoucher. Last week it was 3 hours late and the driver said they were having terrible problems with the new system and half of the deliveries just were'nt making it and he had been brought in on his day off to try and clear some. I have stupidly made an order for tomorrow but will not be surprised if I dont see it.

thanks ellaeleven....i suspect I may be in the Enfield depot belt.

Its a big screw up they are making. If they let people down a few times i doubt they will go back.

Actually after just reading the other thread about Tesco getting night staff for free I think I'm pretty much done with them. Tomorrows order, if it actually arrives, will be my last.

Yes, I'm close to that point too. They seem to be getting more expensive and caring less. Absolutely outraged by the 'slave labour' scheme.
Not sure the Enfield depot would apply to my area. Interesting though.

Interesting. They are not delivering, yet they must be trying to get sales up as at the moment, if you place an order you get £5 off your next order. Which.gives you another five off your next order and so on. Been doing this for at least three weeks now...

I order online almost weekly because i am having problems with my disability at the moment. I usually do a big shop once a month then either nip round the express if its going to be under £20 or to Aldi's if its a bit more than that.

The last three weeks, i have had suff missing from my order, and most of it has juts been dumped into the delivery crates. I ask for it in bags because i can pick up three bags at a time if they're not too heavy, but only two items if they are loose IYSWIM? Porr delivery man took pity on me last week and helped me unlaod the crates - first time it has actually been brought into the house too, normally grumpy git just leaves it on the doorstep for me.

Phoned to complain, first two times the just refunded me what was missing, last week they offered to refund the delivery charge as well. They have refunded the delivery but not the £4.19 for the jar of coffee and three packs of biccies i was missing.

Am seriously considering trying Asda again, because i find Sansbury's too expensive tbh.

Sorry for typos - really tired tonight

My order was 2.5 hours late last week. Numerous calls asking where the bloody hell it was. Fifty quid in vouchers. Mine also now comes from the enfield depot although i am 40+ miles frlm enfield.

I miss my old, local tesco men. They were so nice. Having a whimsical moment abahhht tesco delivery men is rather worrying.

Am now strictly click and collect. Woud nt ever use home deivery again,

I've got the choice of Tesco or Waitrose. I've been doing some price comparison work. Tesco is cheaper if you buy middling to cheap food, but Waitrose wins hands down if you want quality, eg meat that isn't plumped up with water, its standard (Essentials) brand is the same quality as the Tesco Finest range but costs a lot less.
And Waitrose doesn't employ 'slave labour' (see other thread) and doesn't drive suppliers out of business by unilaterally changing contract conditions with no notice.
Sorry, gone a bit off topic here.

The plot thickens! Delivery didn't turn up today because they didn't complete it or something. They offered me a fiver off my next one which is a bit rubbish , so I will give Tesco a miss from now on. Sainsburys it is.

I am quite annoyed now actually. Will have to spend either this evening or tomorrow morning running round a supermarket when I'm feeling like poo.

I must be lucky. Our Tesco delivery around here (west Yorks) is great. They always come on time and will ring if they might be a bit early or late. They are always nice. cheery blokes who don't complain about finding my house (out in the hilly wilds) or hefting the boxes down the lane as they can't park immediately outside my door, and will always bring the boxes inside for me, and sometimes voluntarily help with the unpacking. I get the occasional substituted item but generally speaking find it a good service.

It used to be great, always on time/early, nice drivers etc, but then I moved to the posh part of town and now it's rubbish. Perhaps this is more of a Waitrose area. No use for my, tbh, Asda budget though.