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
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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?

Is that a mid week or anytime and where are you? I'm in the SE

That's an anytime smart pass as far as I am aware and I am in the East of England but more southern part if that makes sense.

Just realised I can't ditch Ocado for good at the moment as I'm sitting on about a grand's worth of carrier bags to hand back

@quarantino other companies take other shops bags

@cannotmakemymindup okay. Others around there have paid the same.

I've got every 14 days despite buying under one order for 3 households with most vulnerable in them. Also noticed they've hiked their prices. Will take what I can get from them, but will switch after all this

I just spent an hour in a queue because they said they had slots. Guess what.... no slots!! I hate Ocado. I hate Ocado so much I could scream.
Bloody waste of time. And I’m a smart pass holder. Awful awful awful.

milky ooh, do you get 5p for them?

I'm not sure that they have hiked their prices. But they definitely have far fewer offers, and that certainly added quite a bit to my typical total

I was a bit disappointed that the small shareholder revolt against Ocado senior pay, was unsuccessful

Yes you do @quarantino

Just managed to get a Prime Now slot on the 1000th attempt. It'll do, it'll do.

Prices have definitely gone up up. Not just covid but before that

@bestbe scream away. They truly are awful. The only way I'm keeping same is using other providers like Morrisons, Prime Now and some online meat and fruit and vegetable delivery places.

Wait until they start mucking about with the customers they are treating really well at the moment. They’ve been so inconsistent that they’re bound to do something.

The more you look into it and the current management team, the more it feels dirtier and dirtier

I doubt it unfortunately @wordofwarning. They've clearly identified who are the priority group and the rest of us are totally replaceable. I would bet they are also due to increase their subscription charges with the M&S merge so don't care if people cancel because they'll have to pay more if they want to come back later.

Actually Milky you are probably entirely correct. I don’t want m and a food so will be cancelling the minute I can get back on the website. I don’t trust them to cancel it until I can speak to someone!

Finding out the different smart pass prices has really dented my trust in them. I knew I needed to cancel or switch to get best utility, insurance, breakdown recovery, mobile prices etc. But never thought to do that it’s Ocado. More fool me!

Todays order arrived, missing yeast (no surprise) and some cheese but otherwise all there.
There were subs, all acceptable but driver wouldn't have known this as he never even acknowledged me. He dropped everything on the step without a single word, turned and left. Suspect my cheery "have a good evening then!" was lost on him.

It was my 'Ocadoversary' earlier this week. I suspect thats been suspended as well.

I pay £1.49 a month for a midweek pass in the south east. Am quite shocked at how much some others pay.

Thing is everyone will be so grateful when /if this goes back to normal that all the frustration will be forgotten!
I think the smartpass thing depends on when you got it. Mine was a 'trial' (midweek for £1.99 I think) then I kept saying I'd cancel it so they kept it at a low price. I'm on £3.99 for anytime now.

To be fair even in normal times I never failed to marvel at the fact I could click a device in my pocket and get whatever I felt like (within reason!) delivered in my next shop. When they're good they're good.

I’ve been with them over a decade - so maybe the incredibly high smart pass price is my special loyal customer reward

I’ve been with them over a decade

Same. Currently on a free anytime pass as I rang up to cancel mine after a catalogue of utterly shite service before this all kicked off. I have no intention of using them at all when this is done.

@Wordofwarning I really don't think it's a case of 'them' and 'us'. If people have been offered a delivery every 7 days then they are no different to you! If I remember rightly you have had the same emails that I have had saying I am a priority customer. You have the same chance to book that I have. If I log on and see slots and book them, that's not taking yours away! Me not booking a slot in my area (up north!) wouldn't free up slots for you down south! When I logged on today I was able to book for the 2nd may- and I could have picked any time on that day so there were multiple time-slots available, so there must have been plenty of slots for other customers within my local area too. Maybe you just live an area where there are more customers and fewer slots! I'm guessing in the deprived north fewer people will consider Ocado as it's expensive! Where are you?

I booked this afternoon for the 2nd of May which wasn’t available to book early this morning when I checked. The whole day was available to book (every single slot).

I have definitely noticed that the prices have hiked I think it’s largely because of the lack of promotions but I would imagine it’s similar everywhere?

Theres been no slots for me in the north. Last had a delivery on 31st march which I had booked pre lockdown. Was every Tuesday then every 7 days now every 14. Very confusing.

The more you look into it and the current management team, the more it feels dirtier and dirtier

I don't understand what you mean by this- because some once worked for M&S? And?

@Freakstar - there is definitely them and us.

All “valued” and “priority” customers appear have been sent the email with (I’m going to assume the same or very similar wording) the following:

^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.^

*(I’m on a mobile so hope my italics/bold have worked).

That was sent on 26th March, I’m yet to have any further communication from them, can’t access or log in to even see if there are slots. If I was able to get onto the site to even see slots and there were none - so be it. But they sent that email and no further follow up so effectively I’m not seen as a customer at all. Please remember they sent that email to me, but have not followed through.

I’m not alone in this, despite having an anytime pass and being a customer for well over a decade. To top it all, they won’t tell me if I will ever receive the access email/text.

That’s why I’m pissed off, not that bother people are getting slots, that you can book weekly slots until May yet I can pay the same and not even be allowed on the site. Oh to be allowed to even look at what the prices are, at the greyed out slots.....

Does it now make sense as to why I’m so utterly frustrated. I have had two emails since 26th March - the one above and a second one on Monday to say there were changes to their Low Price Promise. Literally nothing else, and THAT is why there is an “us” and “them”.