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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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?

Wow! I had no idea - I’m clearly not writing enough reviews

It’s the lack of clarity that’s frustrating, by all means tell me I won’t get a slot like waitrose and Sainsbury’s - I have NO issue with that at all. I have issue with being told porkies and lack of consistency across regions and customers.

And having to get up in the dead of night until quite recently to get on the site. They are meant to be a tech company for fecks sake. And the HUGE bonuses they paid themselves!

This is getting tedious. I’m an anytime smart pass star reviewer who is being offered 14 day deliveries. I can just about cope with that but this bit from the email is ludicrous.

“Delivery slots will not be visible 13 days either side of a delivery, in order to manage the frequency you’ve been promised.”

So I basically can order the day before delivery IF there is a spot available but people who are on 7 day deliveries can just book 3 weeks ahead?

Ocado if you are reading this, smart pass anytime members should ALL be given the chance to book ahead. It’s impossible to plan buying food for a family on the off chance you may get a slot. I can cope with 14 day gaps between deliveries with careful management, but I want to book my spot!

I have one of the 7 day emails as well. Not vulnerable or shielding, but we are a family of five so spend a lot of money with Ocado every week and have done for more than 10 years. I’m using my deliveries to get shopping my MIL who is vulnerable and lives alone over 100 miles from us, and has no internet at all. I was overjoyed that it was possible to send deliveries to her address as the family were really worried about how she was coping.

Exactly that @byvirtue. And us every 10 days probably have to wait until our order is delivered. Wtf are they playing at?

I think is the not knowing/poor communication that’s the poor bit. My delivery came yesterday. If I knew I could get one in two weeks I would br fine with it, instead I have had to go to Tesco.

I only shop two/three times a month anyway.

And the plans change every week! What is going to happen next week?

I have been using Morrisons to shop for my DH who is on lockdown in another part of the country. We don't have a subscription. Apart from scarcity of slots I've not had a single problem.

I read it as “you won’t be able to see available slots within the 13 day period” not you won’t be able to see any slots.
The latter makes it significantly harder to the point of impossibility, but would explain why I am getting the grey calendar of doom.
If they think they can manage that level of demand why don’t they just allocate a set slot to smart pass holders every 7/10/14 days and then people can accept or cancel and any free slots be released into the wild. I honestly wouldn’t even mind a midnight slot if I could relax knowing it was coming.

Does anyone in the 7 day tier have access to May slots yet?

Just had an email from Ocado, first one. Telling me we can get a slot every 14 days. Or we can cancel our smart pass.

@UpperLowercaseSymbolNumber

I am a star reviewer but they don’t seem to consider me “loyal” so that is not their definition. I strongly suspect that “loyal” is measured by whether you are more profitable than other people in your immediate delivery area. It clearly isn’t time based as we have used Ocado for around 15 years. My guess is that I am not “loyal” because my household income is below median for my area.

@Fallpoetry

I think they have stopped the star reviewer scheme at the moment, at least we didn’t get the email last month.

@Paddingtonthebear

I am just the same as you, star reviewer, been with Ocado around 15 years, smartpass for many years, spend around £100 to £150 a week, also I am in the vulnerable group and Ocado have acknowledged they know this. I don’t get how anyone can be more “loyal” than us?

My latest email says I can get a shop every 10 days (in practice I seem to be managing to get one every 12ish days so far, but can’t seem to book it until after the previous one has arrived so can’t make any forward plans).

Like you, I don’t think I will stay with them after this. I’m going to switch to waitrose deliveries when all this is over.

@mangocoveredlamb Perhaps but I can’t see any slots whatsoever I just get the grey calendar of doom with 3 days outlined in green but absolutely no slots showing anywhere at all. Can’t click onto May either.

Yes mango it would make more sense to reinstate reserved (perhaps fortnightly) and then build other slots around it rather than the current chaos.

Yes I’d be happy with allocated slots too but then that would annoy the key workers so they probably can’t win on that front.

@byvirtue I am also only seeing the grey calendar of doom, except for a brief moment at 6pm last night when I saw slots for Sunday!

@Milky77 As of this morning I can now move the calendar into May, but nothing is showing as available yet. I have a delivery on 28th though so won't expect to see anything until we've moved into 7 days thence.

I don’t understand how an online only grocery company can be doing it so badly. I have just booked a Morrison’s delivery for four weeks time, so Tesco in two weeks, then Morrison’s.

Yet I am still paying Ocado for a delivery pass without any delivery slots on the horizon.

“We’re offering you the chance to have one delivery every 14 days”.

So you said 7 days which didn’t work and now it’s gone to 14 days.

“You may not get a slot every week”.
Not if you’ve said we will only get a slot every 14 days?

“Delivery slots will not be visible 13 days either side of a delivery”. How is that going to work then?

”We’re sorry that you are not experiencing the level of service and value you normally get from your Smart Pass membership. If you wish to cancel your Smart Pass, simply fill in our Contact Us form.”
Great cop out.

Just had that email Paddington. I am going to go with the surety of Tesco and Morrison’s.

A friend had a delivery yesterday, & today was finally able to see some slots and book one.

Have spent another hour adding to my alternative, fantasy Waitrose order.

I don't expect to achieve a delivery slot with them this side of Christmas.

Actually thinking about Ocado - I had planned to leave them when they switch to M&S anyway so it’s just a bit earlier

Have just had the 14day email, after the initial we'll send you a link a week email followed by the you can try on Tues email. All rather pointless considering theres no slots for me to book anyway!

I've just had the 14 day email. No idea if I'll be able to see anything other than the next three days which defeats the point!

Right weirdly this thread opted me to check yet again and I now have been able to book a slot - we are on most loyal, 7 day

I’m still really annoyed with them - have been booking fortnightly local fish, meat and veg box scheme to ensure we at least get something!