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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to be seriously annoyed at Ocado’s response?

53 replies

FairyLightFiend · 24/05/2018 15:01

Totally prepared to be told I’m unreasonable here.

I had some Ocado mozzarella delivered in my online order a week or so ago. It still has a couple of days left on its use-by and had been stored in the fridge since it’s delivery. I got it out today and cut it open in the sink as I usually do. As soon as I cut into it it exploded. Everywhere. All over the walls, my fancy radio, the food I’d been preparing and my first time of wearing (dry clean only) jumper. It smells absolutely revolting. The whole kitchen (and me!) does. I can only assume that it had been rotting and building up pressure.

I can’t get out for replacement cheese so I’m also faced with a mostly prepared, but now totally unusable set of ingredients for a meal for friends tonight. And I’ll have to welcome them into a kitchen that smells like rancid badger. I’m probably going to have to order takeaway or take them out.

I contacted Ocado via their online chat and the person I spoke to couldn’t have seemed less bothered. I was offered a refund on the mozzarella and, when I pointed out how ridiculous that was, a £5 voucher that they didn’t even send as promised. When I detailed again exactly what trouble their product had caused I wasn’t told that I could take it up with their insurance department, but that they didn’t know how that process worked!

AIBU to think that this is appalling customer service? They happily throw money off vouchers at new customers but clearly couldn’t give a shit that their product had caused me SO much inconvenience and expense.

OP posts:
Bubblesblue · 24/05/2018 15:05

What meal were you making to be so reliant on mozzarella?

notanurse2017 · 24/05/2018 15:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FairyLightFiend · 24/05/2018 15:13

It’s a vegetarian lasagna type dish - totally about the cheese unfortunately.

I was told that the voucher would be delivered immediately via email.

Unfortunately I’m unable to leave the house to get to the shops. It’ll be a takeaway or meal out if the kitchen keeps smelling this bad 🤢

OP posts:
Cacofonix · 24/05/2018 15:16

What would you have expected though if you'd bought the mozzarella from a supermarket yourself a week ago and the same thing happened? A refund? A voucher?

Although I do agree about the new customer thing. I've stopped using Ocado as I had smart pass for years and when the renewal came I complained that it was too expensive so I wouldn't pay it and they basically shrugged it off and let me cancel it. Yet every day an Ocado voucher pops out of a newspaper offering free annual smart passes and £20 off their first shop etc etc.

I use Waitrose delivery now. They're free. And they're good.

PorkyPortia · 24/05/2018 15:17

Can’t you get one of your guests to bring some mozzarella ?

smudgedlipstick · 24/05/2018 15:35

What do you expect them to do? Send someone to hand deliver a new ball of mozzarella and clean your kitchen? Accept the fiver and get on with your life

veggifriedbreakfast · 24/05/2018 15:39

I'm with @smudged they offered you a voucher above the value of the product, there isn't really more they can do surely?

Whatshallidonowpeople · 24/05/2018 15:41

Ask your friends to pick some up on the way

greendale17 · 24/05/2018 15:43

OP you have completely overreacted here.

FairyLightFiend · 24/05/2018 15:48

Wow - my fault for posting in AIBU I guess! Hmm

They provided me with a faulty product which has caused damage to my belongings. I at least expect them to cover the cost of that damage. £5 certainly doesn’t do that.

It’s shit customer service. It’s a shame that so many of you would accept it!

OP posts:
Nikephorus · 24/05/2018 15:49

Your voucher will come through - I had to wait a few hours for one when I had the delivery driver from hell.
Caco - you can usually get a free 3 months trial for Smartpass if you go on their website. I cancelled mine at the end of my deal and a couple of weeks later could get a free 3 months then £1.99 a month for 12 months Grin

Hercules12 · 24/05/2018 15:49

Surely this is just one of those things. Confused

Nikephorus · 24/05/2018 15:52

To be fair OP, you could have had the same problem with cutting into a big tomato or opening a difficult carton of OJ or something. These things happen. You can't expect Ocado to send round a decorator and a dry cleaner for a simple mistake. If mozzarella can explode under certain conditions then you bear that in mind just the same as I'm careful if I bite into a cherry tomato.

chickenchip · 24/05/2018 15:54

What would you want to happen to make it right?

GorgonLondon · 24/05/2018 16:32

Totally prepared to be told I’m unreasonable here

Really? Doesn't seem like it.

I mean, don't prepare food / open packets of cheese in liquid while wearing a brand new dry clean only top, surely, for a start?

Chartreuse45 · 24/05/2018 22:32

Sometimes mozzarella has gone off before the best before date but it was clear because when I picked it up instead of the package being floppy, a ball of cheese floating in brine, it was like a balloon. Was that not the case or did you not worry because it was in date?

OliviaStabler · 24/05/2018 22:36

I at least expect them to cover the cost of that damage. £5 certainly doesn’t do that.

How much would have made you feel properly compensated?

MyKingdomForBrie · 24/05/2018 22:41

The packet must have been really tight!

RLOU88 · 24/05/2018 22:42

What is it you actually want from them ? What was the cost of the “damage’?

enjoyingscience · 24/05/2018 22:42

Not totally on topic, but this reminds me of a bag of mozzarella I bought that was just brine, no cheese at all in there. Sad times indeed.

Nicknacky · 24/05/2018 22:47

Jeez there was no harm done, just some stinky cheese. What do you expect innway of compensation?

Eastcoastmost · 24/05/2018 22:49

So, by way of comparison I’m in the US and bought a pizza from Wholefoods recently. It was one of those 20 inch ones that you slide straight from the packaging onto the oven shelf. There was obviously something wrong with this one as the whole thing just fell apart when I tried to transfer it, coating the inside of my oven, the shelves, the crack where the hinge opens the door etc with grated cheese, which promptly melted and was a total bugger to get off.
I called them, emailed in a picture of said mess and got a $75 voucher.

Bumdishcloths · 24/05/2018 23:05

As far as they're concerned, the cheese could have been improperly stored in your possession causing it to go off, amongst other reasonable assumptions. They're not even obliged to give you £5 and could have just refunded the product so I'd stop bitching and just get on with it tbh. A normal human would think "ah fuck, that's a total pain in the arse but what can you do?" Hmm

CheshireChat · 24/05/2018 23:08

A picture of the mess might be a good idea as otherwise they're probably thinking you're trying it on as usually cheese isn't used as a weapon of mass destruction.

Ontheboardwalk · 24/05/2018 23:17

enjoying that’s an awful story. I feel your pain

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