Ocado slots

[HealingCalmingSoothing]

For those with the smart pass have you now been managing to get slots?

Just went on their website and wait was just one minute, then I had lots of options for slots.

They seem to have got their act together pretty quickly. Prices seem to be higher though but I think that's the lack of special offers.

Checked Sainsbury's and cant even log in so the same situation there

Ocado is clearly rewarding the loyalty of those of us who spend £££ on the site. Fair enough perhaps, but I feel a bit guilty about being prioritised over the vulnerable list.

I FINALLY managed to get a slot. Thank fuck for that. I can add stuff for my neighbours now too.

I'm lucky to be in the position that we are classed as very loyal customers- but also on the extremely vulnerable list.

It is making me so angry that they keep using the word “loyal”.

We have been using Ocado for the vast majority of our shopping (with local top ups) for around 15 years and have been smart pass members for many years. I literally can’t understand how anyone can be considered more “loyal” than that, but apparently we don’t qualify.

If they just said that we don’t spend as much money in total as some others in our area I would respect them more for their honesty. These lies about “loyalty” are infuriating!

I am also on the extremely vulnerable list and Ocado acknowledged that they know this (sent me and email saying it was noted on my account), but this makes no difference to them.

I am managing to get deliveries around every 10 days to 2 weeks at the moment. This means eating a lot less fresh food, but we do have enough food altogether.

I was thinking of starting a thread on sharing ideas for how to manage with irregular food supplies, tips for using more dried and tinned food etc. Does anyone have any good ideas?

I don't consider us "loyal"customers. We have a midweek smart pass and use Ocado maybe 2-3 times a month. I logged on yesterday and it was showing 3 late evening slots, so booked one. Relieved, because DH is on vulnerable list, & DS has asthma. It was worrying me every time I had to go to supermarket.

There will be some overlap between smartpass customers and vulnerable customers. People who are ill, elderly or have mobility problems are more likely to want regular online deliveries even without a pandemic. So it's not as simple as vulnerable people vs smartpass high spenders. We and other family members are in both groups. We have long had smartpasses and spent lots with ocado precisely because we have conditions that make visiting a shop difficult and which are now also making us more vulnerable to covid. I'm not sure now if we should worry that ocado don't officially know we're vulnerable, so we might suddenly lose access. I really hope not.

I am also on the extremely vulnerable list and Ocado acknowledged that they know this (sent me and email saying it was noted on my account), but this makes no difference to them.

Is that what they said? I registered with ocado as extremely vulnerable having also done so on the government website. When I log on there is a section for normal slots and 1 for vulnerable?

The email confirming I had access came several days after I saw that I had access through regular checking

Dear XXXX

We want to update you on how to get the best possible shopping experience with us at the moment.

We’ve made many changes across ocado.com to give priority to our longest-standing, most loyal customers. In the past few weeks, we’ve given our loyal and regular customers almost 90% of our capacity. That’s up almost 10% from 81% this time last year. We are also doing everything we can to serve more than our fair share of extremely vulnerable customers identified on the Government’s shield list.
To make this email as helpful as possible, below are the changes that you need to know about.

Booking a delivery
You are a regular Ocado customer and you are identified on the Government’s shield list. As a priority customer we are offering you the chance to have one delivery every 7 days.

Even if you are in a queue when you visit the site, it doesn’t mean all available slots will be taken by those ahead of you in the queue. You will still have a fair chance. You may not get a slot every week, but we will try to make as many additional slots available as possible.

Seeing slot availability
If you’ve had a recent or upcoming delivery, you may not see future delivery slots. Delivery slots will not be visible 6 days either side of a delivery, in order to manage the frequency you’ve been promised.
If you don’t have any deliveries booked but still can’t see any available slots when you log on, it could be that you’re trying to view too far in advance, or we haven’t released extra slots yet.

If you have any questions, hopefully our dedicated Coronavirus FAQs page can give you any more information you need.

We’re pleased to say that we've worked hard with suppliers in order to start removing restrictions on most products. We’re still temporarily limiting certain products to one or two items per order but, as supply improves, the list is getting shorter every day.

We also want to take a second to say a huge thank you to all our collegues, especially those working round the clock to get groceries to as many customers as possible. They’re truly doing an amazing job.
And to you, our customers, we can't thank you enough for your patience and understanding during these unprecedented times.

Ocado Customer Service team

When I say we class as loyal, we use them every week without fail, occasionally twice. Spend 2-300 a week on a normal week and more on special occasions.

It is completely clear that we rely on then totally- that is loyal.

I am also on the extremely vulnerable list and cannot cope with shipping multiple times a week in local shops- which is what would be required for the number of people in our house because of the own restrictions in shops.

Before Ocado got its system sorted the other week, I was having to trek round multiple shops daily! I'm not just talking about avoiding one trip to a supermarket a week.

@GiantPinesAhem so do you spend at least 300 a week with them?
I do and I have a slot once every seven days
do you think you need to spend around 300 a week to have the slot

I buy everything from them except my clothes

@cultkid it's 200 on a low week, 240-70 most weeks, 300+ on a stocking up week.

Just had a new email, this time mentioning loyal customers, of which I wasn’t regarded as in their previous email. Now offering me slot every fortnight and advising how to cancel my pass should I wish too. Much better than the take whatever is left of slots in the next three days (none) I was offered before. Means I can order with some certainty for my highly vulnerable and shielding parents. They’ve obviously taken note of the negative feedback at last.

@GiantPinesAhem
I've been buying for my in-laws so for the last 7 weeks it's been at least 400 a week I bet that's why
When it's just my family then we spend at least 200 and then another 100 on another shop
I see why they prioritise High spenders And I'm so grateful for the slot but I feel bad for everyone else

Just got an e mail today, moving me from 7 days to 14. We are a shielding household but ocado are not acknowledging it, it’s a good job Tesco and Sainsbury’s are or my anxiety over getting enough food would be through the roof!

Incidentally I have shopped with Ocado for years I am a smart pass holder and previously shopped weekly with them spending upward of £100 a week on the 3 of us it is disappointing we have not yet been acknowledged as vulnerable / shielding I’m sure at some point we will. Over the last few weeks I have messaged / tweeted them on numerous occasions but I only ever get a Bot response ..also very disappointing.

I've just received my email from Ocado and they are "very kindly" giving me a slot every 14 days.

Despite being an anytime smart pass holder and having shopped with them for many years, I'm not financially valuable as many on here. It seems pretty clear now that their decisions are based on money, but I wish they would came out and say that. I wouldn't have tried to rely on them if I had known.

I've just gone through our transactions from January 2019 to February 2020 and the lowest I spent in a month is £90.00 and the highest is £442.71, with an average of £250.00. I had a delivery at least once a month and sometimes 3 times. So I'm loyal, but not quite loyal enough.

Prior to Mid 2018 we used them very much more, but a change in circumstances (not financial) made it less easy to organise our food shops. Looks like I'm paying the price now.

Very cynically I'm going to try to book my once every 14 day slots and jump to another supermarket when this is over. It's not a hill I'm prepared to die on right now. Having said that I'm not at all convinced that any slots will be available when my time comes. I will see what happens with others on here.

gillybean2

Just had a new email, this time mentioning loyal customers, of which I wasn’t regarded as in their previous email. Now offering me slot every fortnight and advising how to cancel my pass should I wish too. Much better than the take whatever is left of slots in the next three days (none) I was offered before. Means I can order with some certainty for my highly vulnerable and shielding parents. They’ve obviously taken note of the negative feedback at last.

I don't want to be a doom monger, but I'm not counting on getting my slot once every 14 days. They aren't allocating us one as far as I know. We will still have to be scrabbling around for those precious delivery slots. I just wish they would tell us when they were coming and we could plan accordingly. I'm not picky. I'd rather accept a delivery at 5am than be hunting for slots at 3.30am.

Eating my words once again.

Just went on to the site and managed to book a slot for Saturday 18th, which is exactly 14 days since my last one. There is hope.

We are a shielding household but ocado are not acknowledging it, it’s a good job Tesco and Sainsbury’s are or my anxiety over getting enough food would be through the roof!

Have you filled in the extremely vulnerable form on the ocado website? Have you registered on the government website?

It was about 7 days after I did this that we got the slots. The same day that Tesco sent us an email. It took 3 more days to get contact from Ocado but I saw the slots when checking regularly.

help.ocado.com/hc/en-us/articles/360007364898-I-m-an-Ocado-customer-living-in-England-and-I-m-classified-by-the-government-as-extremely-vulnerable

Yes all those things actually filled out the Ocado form twice and we are registered on government site. After a bit of a meltdown and a ranty tweet I finally got a response and have DM all our details to them so hopefully by this time next week / week after we will be on priority slots. We literally can’t leave the house due to my partners life limiting condition and although we have never run out food anxiety is high and we have a four year old who is a permanent snack monster. I feel a little better now I definitely rate and prefer Ocado to other supermarkets.

I finally got a response and have DM all our details to them so hopefully by this time next week / week after we will be on priority slots.

Thats good.

My email says I can have a slot every 7 days. We spend average £100 a week, have a smart pass and shopped with them for about 8 years. I’m currently alternating deliveries between us and my parents (in their 70s, never done online shopping).

I'm very grateful to have finally gotten a slot, I'm a smartpass customer and have shopped with them weekly for years, but the sheer amount of people here who think loyalty makes them more important than people on the extremely vulnerable list, need to give their head a wobble.

Keep the "I didn't say it makes me more important", because you sure as hell thought it. It's frustrating as fuck, I get it. But there are people out there who are seriously fucking sick, and they need those slots. There are people not yet on the vulnerable list that should be, and their families are panicking because they know they need help, and can't get it, but sure. Complain about loyalty.

I'm immunocompromised, and living alone means I have had to put myself at risk to get shopping, and I know I still don't qualify for the list. Loyalty doesn't stand for shit right now, nor should it. People are fucking dying. So I'm asking my neighbours some of which I know are desperate, what they need, so the slot I've got can be as helpful as possible. There are several really elderly couples on the street, and they probably don't even know the damned list exists.

Get a fucking grip.

@knittingaddict sorry for my late reply. I'm
so pleased that you finally had luck with Ocado, and that you took my initial advice and also got an Asda slot.