Ocado Anytime Smart Pass holders - have you received priority access yet?

[Milky77]

Email sent to anytime pass holders (at least) on Thursday

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We have experienced such extraordinary levels of demand in recent days that despite our best efforts, we simply have not had enough capacity to serve all our customers.
To put it into context, practically every Ocado customer, no matter how infrequently they may have shopped previously, is now looking to place an order every week. At the same time, with families at home, the average size of orders has almost doubled. This means there is an unceasing level of demand several times our current delivery capacity.
We’ve already taken decisive steps to manage this demand, closing our doors to new customers, and limiting customers to one delivery slot every seven days. However, despite these measures, we can see that not all Smart Pass customers have been able to book a delivery.
As an Anytime Smart Pass member, we consider you to be one of our best customers, so we’ve set up a temporary priority queue to enable you to book a delivery slot each week.
How you will get access:
We have divided all paying Anytime Smart Pass members who joined before 2020 into a number of equal-sized, randomised groups. You will be placed in one of these groups.
At spaced intervals, we will give each group access to the priority queue, enabling them to quickly get in and choose a slot for their weekly delivery. We will do this by sending each group an email and text message between the hours of 9am and 5pm, starting tomorrow.
Once you get your email, you’ll have the rest of the day to place and check out your order. Please wait for your message, as you won’t be able to access the priority queue at other times.
Please be aware that there is still high demand for slots, and you may not see full availability for all time slots. But, because we can now prioritise the customers we let on to the website, and each customer can only have one slot, you can be confident that there are enough slots – and groceries – to go around.
Our developers continue to work on a better solution which will allow us to manage this in a simpler way but, for now, this fix at least helps us to prioritise you in the short-term. It makes access fair, and helps to keep traffic to our website at manageable levels, ensuring you the best possible shopping experience in the circumstances.
Please note: our usually all-knowing Customer Service team can’t set-up or change this temporary process, so they won’t be able to tell you which group you are in, or when you will get your email.
Thank you for your continued understanding and patience. We all understand the huge responsibility placed on us, and we are working tirelessly to help feed the nation at this challenging time.
Your Ocado team
Terms & Conditions

Whilst in place, these measures override the relevant provisions of our Terms & Conditions.
You’ve received this message as it contains important information about your ocado account.
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© 2020 Ocado Retail Limited. Registered address: Apollo Court, 2 Bishop Square, Hatfield Business Park, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9EX. Registered in England – company number: 03875000.

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Will be v glad to have a slot confirmed. I would have cancelled my Ocado subscription otherwise. As a customer who orders weekly and should also be screened, I was getting quite concerned what the next few months would be like.

Anyone had their priority access yet?

Thats right poppy. In that same message from Ocado for those who can book slots every 10 days they said we should have access a week beforehand.

This is so stressful. The uncertainty is making me want to burst into tears.

We have bought most of our food from Ocado for over a decade, and as I am in the most vulnerable group and shielding I literally don’t know how else we can access food at the moment.

My email from Ocado said nothing about loyalty (despite being a smart pass customer for years) and says I may not be able to get a shop every week and will only be able to see potential slots up to 7 days ahead.

Normally I have my deliveries planned weeks in advance and now I am panicking as they have said I might not be able to get one every week and this will mean no fresh food for us as I haven’t been able to find anyone else to deliver to us.

Fortunately I have a slot booked for this Thursday night from ages ago and I have just added tons of food to it as I feel like it may be the last food we have for weeks (or even months, who knows?). I hate that they have forced me into being a hoarder as I don’t want to buy several weeks food all at once and would much rather be able to plan smaller reasonable shops weekly, which would surely be better for everyone all around?

They say only buy what you need, but how can I possibly know what we will need when they have also said they can’t guarantee I will get future deliveries and I have no other food access.

When I filled in the gov website I said I didn’t need the food parcel as I thought I would be ok with Ocado and it seems very wrong to be getting a free parcel when we aren’t in financial difficulties, but I might need the government assistance after all if I can’t rely on Ocado.

I am so angry with them. They will definitely be losing thousands of pounds of my spending after this is over.

@notanurse2017 I have been on a similar boat. I've used Waitrose and Ocado for a very long time and can get nothing right now.
I've just done an Amaxon Fresh order which has been almost as good.

@notanother I share your frustration and stress. Do try Morrisons. Their site is much more stable and the queues go quick. They release slots as and when they can.

Blowoff email from Waitrose. So much for for being all keen to help the vulnerable.
And I can't even reply to their emai

Thank you for contacting Waitrose & Partners.

We are very sorry, but during this time of uncertainty we are experiencing a much higher volume of enquiries. We hope that you will find the following information useful.

We have started to offer our elderly customers priority access to Waitrose.com The demand for these slots is very high and we know we won’t be able to reach everybody - as we simply don't have the capacity to offer slots to all. We’re currently working through this in a number of ways to help as many customers as we can who need our help.

We currently only have the ability to deliver a set number of orders, and we are working hard to increase the number of deliveries in the coming weeks to support as many customers as we can who need our help.

Our Partners are working tirelessly to keep our shops well stocked for customers who are shopping for themselves or on behalf of others who are unable to leave their homes. We've also set up a £1million support fund which our shops are using to support their local communities in a number of ways, including to create care packages for those that need them, and delivering boxes to essentials to local care homes and community groups.

If you would like to know more information on how we are reacting to Covid-19 and how we’re supporting our customer and Partners, please visit our Customer Service pages on waitrose.com or on our App.

We’d like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families well, and to thank you for your patience and understanding towards all of our Partners during this time.

Waitrose & Partners Customer Care Team

Please note responses to this email are not monitored.

Well I received a letter from Ocado too. They confirmed receipt of my NHS England letter but ignored my question about changing my access to the same as the most loyal. Annoyingly they don't now allow reply to emails so had to send a new query through the website.

Watch this space

I have all but given up hope to get a slot this week. I've got a delivery last wednesday and another two booked on the next two wednesdays. So I know if I get any chance this week, it's Wednesday 8/4. I've been checking all day and no slots available. I logged in again when I was about to log off after work, suddenly, there are many slots available on 8/4!

It looks like they do hold onto slots for last minute release to those who aren't on the 'most loyal' tier. I can see 2-3 weeks ahead, but couldn't see these ones for this wednesday until around 4.45pm today!

I’m still getting the notice from Friday. Can’t log on and to add insult to injury ice just received an email telling me about how fab and low their prices are. How would I currently know?

I know several people who didn’t get the your so loyal and special email who have had two deliveries since it was sent out.
Still nothing 😔
I won’t be continuing my Dd to them. Last received a delivery on 23/3.

I have a delivery tomorrow and one the 18th. Because I can only book one slot every 10 days, I can't see any availability at all. I really hope May will be more sensible!

I had my last April delivery yesterday.

I haven't been able to see any slots for weeks.

I was then offered limited slots in seven days time. Mainly late evenings.

I'm guessing this is how it's going to work.

Also my orders have been turning up as and when. Not really a problem as I've nowhere to go😂

The people who got the 'you can try to look from a specific day' had any luck? Tuesday was my day to try and nothing so far.

I got a delivery yesterday and have just logged on and have been shown a few options for slots in the middle of next week so have booked for 14/4 and 22/4.

I’ve had the ‘most loyal customer’ email but I also emailed them when we received the shielding letter for Dd (who’s having chemotherapy) so I’m not sure if they’ve added us to their most vulnerable list as I never seem to have to queue to get onto the site.

Am a lowly Tuesday. Tried at midnight. Then around 4am. (Woke up to check the news.) Then about 7.45 this morning.

Nothing. A sea of grey both for my address and my relatives'.

Can only hope more independent shops/producers will have the capacity to deliver in the next few weeks.

Yeah same here. I'm not even sure why they bothered. They should have just said we cant book any deliveries at least we would have known where we stood then.

@NotAnotherUserNumber you can change your mind on the “access to food” bit of the gov.uk form - it’s clunky but if you now feed food you need to redo the whole form and now tick that box. I’m not sure exactly how long that takes to kick in. It’s obviously mainly tinned goods and pasta etc though, nothing fresh

*if you now need food, that was meant to say

It's worth checking at random times. Yesterday I checked a couple of times in the morning, then at about 6pm, there had been slots released for this Thursday.

I got the loyal customer email and it said I could get a delivery every 10 days. I used to get a weekly delivery, but I feel this is fair (I have also been researching local suppliers of fruit & veg etc or using Amazon)

However when I logged on 7 days in advance I couldn’t see any slots available. Tried a few times. Then last night I randomly checked and 3 slots popped up - very early in the morning, but that’s fine by me.

I got a delivery yesterday and they haven't even charged me for it yet!! Ocado are losing the plot!

I had two loyal customer mails on the same day - one saying 7 days, one saying 14 days. However no promised mails have arrived telling me slots are available (as promised originally) and chaos on the website. We spend quite a bit with them although with only two of us here most of the time its less than a few years ago.

I've had no deliveries from them since one slot which was booked before all this started.

I have managed to get slots with Tesco, Waitrose and from Sainsburys for my DM.

I won't be renewning my anytime pass, I'm wondering if they will be offering a refund to customers from whom they have removed any form of service.

I don't expect things to be normal, I'm fine with rationing slots. However they are a shambles and seem to be running a lottery for access to a free for all. I think its also exposed the weekness in not having a click'n'collect option available to take some of the straing off the delivery service.

I think they should have looked at their customers base and see who was having regular deliveries in eg Feb, and prioritised those people. They are the current regular customers. It’s disappointing as I now need to CHANGE my habits and do things I don’t usually because ocado can’t provide me with a slot.
I guess there are always going to be losers in this sort of senario though.
But the communication is SHOCKING.

Had al the emails, except the one saying access. Had a delivery on 23/3 haven’t been able to get past the gate keeper page since. Am furious as buying for my elderly mother too.

I won’t get a refund as I got a slot on 22/3 but have a friend who has had regular slots - no reason (no NHS letter) and lives two miles away.

I was one of their first customers - I won’t be shopping with them again.

Seems to be working as per email. I got straight in this morning and was given a choice of slots from 10 days after my next order (Friday).

I had the "you can check for slots from Tuesday" email.

There isn't even a 'book a delivery' button in the main screen once it's loaded, and when I look to check out my trolley there is nothing available at all.

Ten fucking years, and they know I'm a disabled lone parent (with a kid still waiting for the bloody shielding letter).

And there's all these people above able to book multiple orders. What the fuck?

Have been up and trying since midnight, apologies.

Am at the end of my tether.