Tesco delivery couldn’t bring shopping to my door

[anonforme7]

We live in a first floor new build (no lifts) and I have terrible sciatica, I’m almost 30 weeks pregnant.

I usually do the food shop and take the meat and fridge items up split in a couple of strong bags and DH will bring the rest in when he gets home from work so I’m not carrying much up the stairs.

We have our own business and he’s usually home by 5 as he leaves early however he is on a big job this week and isn’t home until gone 8pm so thought it would be easier to get a delivery instead of waiting hours for the rest of the shopping to come up.

Tesco delivery arrived this morning, I buzzed the door to let the driver in however he shouted up from the bottom of the stairs that I needed to come and get it.

I got down and explained I’m unable to carry shopping up the stairs due to my back and he said he couldn’t do anything about it, he’s got 6 open ulcers on his legs. I managed to convince my 2 year old to sit in her cot with some books for 10 minutes and went downstairs with bags.

He’d opened up a camping chair and had sat at the bottom with the crates piled up, I felt sorry for him as he was clearly in pain and you could see fluid leaking through his dressings, it smelled really really bad.

Luckily we only share the entrance with one other and I text her to say to be careful when she got home from work as I’d left some heavy bottles, family pack of laundry conditioner etc at the bottom of the stairs (she actually bought these up to me when she got home which was lovely of her).

The whole reason I got an online shop was to avoid carrying up the stairs, I’m tempted to put a complaint in but I don’t want to get him in trouble. He is clearly unwell, I don’t know how he is driving to be honest.

Will I get him into trouble if I complain as that’s not the intention? I just think what if this was an elderly person who physically could not possibly bring any shopping up stairs.

Helping ulcers when working with food is surely a hygiene issue?

To be honest I would question it. They have even whatsapp number and they reply very quickly. I’d ask if Tesco home delivery policy to deliver to ground floor only so you know for the future deliveries. I live on the 3rd floor and no lift, however they always bring it up upstairs without any issues. If the driver has problems with his health, they should not send him with deliveries that require climbing up the stairs. However as you are a customer it is not up to you to manage the delivery routes. It happened to me several years ago with Asda delivery. I lived on the second floor and the driver refused to bring it up, so I send enquiry to Asda, and they said this was not a usual practice and the driver should have brought it up.

What a goady comment.

I’ve lived previously in a first floor flat for 6 years and out of regular Tesco, Ocado, and Sainsbury’s orders on only one occasion have they not delivered to my door. It’s absolutely nothing to do with stairs as they all bring the special trolley for taking the crates up.

The one time they didn’t was during the pandemic when they had to hire a lot more people and the vetting process was not that good. (Guy went to wrong building which was his mistake, there was lots of swearing etc)

I agree it would be kind not to complain about this particular bloke as he sounds like he’s going through problems but don’t let the other comments convince you it was unreasonable to expect it to your door. You were just very unlucky this time.

Another vote for Ocado (and they price match with Tesco) and all of the drivers have been excellent. Always on time but ring if they are going to be early to ask if it is OK. Very few substitutions - a handful over 5 years. Good use-by dates in line with the dates shown on on the items on their website. Deliver to my kitchen.

As an aside, occasionally get a female driver. I always ask if she wants to use my loo. (Easy for men to pee in the bushes but much harder for women to find a loo, and a clean one at that). Every single offer has been gratefully accepted.

Similarly I was going to mention Ocado and Waitrose take into my kitchen and most of their drivers are very helpful and polite. Our house is up stairs so they have to be reasonably fit to carry it. Really sounds like he shouldn’t have been working. I’m guessing it’s SSP.

I live in a house and last week the delivery driver didn't even come to the door. My husband had to go out to the van and carry the trays in! This was Sainsbury's btw not Tesco. But we won't be using them again! Tesco used to bring the shopping up to our second floor apartment.

What has that question got to do with the delivery issue? She said she needed help bringing the delivery upstairs. Typical MN response, trying to find issue and not answering the question or can't read....

Both Morrisons and Sainsbury’s delivered to our second floor no lift flat for three years with no issues. I assumed they all did 🤷🏻‍♀️

Exactly this.
Apparently there's too many sick and disabled people claiming benefits to sustain, they must work. Just not anywhere that might be of inconvenience to a customer, ever.

I feel for OP here, sciatica is bloody painful, but what do people think is going to happen when sick/disabled people are having to take any job they can get to survive?
Of course that's going to impact on the service that can be offered, especially when it's a physical problem in a physical job.

And then people complain about the service and likely they'll get managed out for not being able to do the job.

Society can't have it both ways.

Another vote for Ocado. Use by dates are always good, drivers are always very helpful and polite. Excellent customer service too.

I would try Ocado, they've never let me down including to a holiday cottage that had 50 steps from the driveway (we did offer to help)

What a shame. We lived in a first floor flat (only two flats, no lift) when I was pregnant with DD. I generally order from Asda & none of the delivery drivers had an issue bringing the shopping upstairs for me - although none had the health issues you describe (that I could see anyway).

If DH was home for the delivery, he’d say to leave it downstairs & he would bring it up - but there was never any grumbling if he wasn’t home.

It’s unfortunate from both sides, I feel sorry for the delivery guy who probably shouldn’t be working but I’m sure needs the job but I also agree that a lot of people ordering for delivery do so because they can’t lift heavy shopping either.

Playing devils advocate, would it not be wise to have the delivery at a time your husband is at home, as you are pregnant, sciatica and a two year old ?

The weeping smelly ulcers is not something you associate with food delivery

🤢

regardless of going up the stairs he shouldnt be working like that surely its unhygenic

Yes that's part of the Ocado service, they bring your shopping into your kitchen if you ask.
My parents started using them recently because of that.

Feel sorry for poor drivers

Well this driver was obviously ill too so it's just unfortunate that both he and OP weren't really up to taking the shopping up.
I don't think this comes under shitty customer service.
Tesco only pay SSP not really enough for get by on

Tesco probably has a similar sickness policy to the supermarket I work in, 3% or 3 separate sickness absence in a year and we get an investigation. Usual outcome is if you have any further sickness in a specific period, then it's further disciplinary for capability. (There are some exceptions)

So, I can see why the driver is working. Not that it helps the OP, but if they usually deliver to the door, it was just an unfortunate match on the route today.

He should not be delivering food with leaking leg ulcers, I would complain on that level I wouldn’t have even accepted the food because of it, he’s clearly not fit for work

We use Sainsbury’s and have only had issues a handful of times in hundreds of deliveries to our first floor flat (though one driver randomly shouted at me and called me a bad woman, I have no idea why and should’ve reported him). On one occasion we did have a driver who was determined to come up the stairs but was clearly unwell so I sent my husband down to help him — he was lovely.

Next time use Ocado. They’ll bring it into the kitchen for you if you ask!

It is their shitty terms and conditions. I won’t use them as they don’t use carrier bags and I can’t lift the crates, same for Asda

use Ocado, they deliver to the room of choice and are beyond helpful. They also price match Tesco and never use ridiculous substitutions

Morrisons deliver to flats too. They load it all on a big set of wheels and bump it up easily.