Ocado priority, tips and hacks and Toblerone

[FredAstaireAteMyHamSandwich]

Carrying on from the last Ocado thread that is about to fill up. Still haven’t been given a toblerone yet.

Still no toblerone here

Bestbe Waitrose are increasing the number of shops that they deliver out of according to my last delivery driver. Now as my local one is half the size of the one they currently deliver from and seeing as stock is often substituted already I can't imagine this is going to be great with regard to missing items and substitutions. But I think this is because of the current situation as they are using the spare John Lewis drivers, maybe if there is a huge uptake because of the Ocado switch they will keep it.

I have found Waitrose deliveries excellent since lockdown and intend to drop Ocado if they continue to prove reliable.

@Noflora I think my deliveries are all Ocado. I didn’t know you could her just a Waitrose delivery. How do you do that? I’m very keen to stick with Waitrose.

www.waitrose.com/ Check here if they cover your area or are taking new customers in the current crisis. I've used them for many years. Their drivers are very helpful and professional. Stock problems are similar to other supermarkets who pick your order from an actual shop rather than a warehouse like Ocado.

And they have a much greater range of Waitrose goods than Ocado eer did.

@Notflora. Thanks so much. I looked and I’ve got a slot. Lots of things I wanted.

We've been with Ocado for years and were able to book weekly slots throughout, and can now book every other day (have always just done the one weekly delivery though). Have always spent over £100 but now just inching above £200. We're jumping ship as soon as the M&S deal comes along. We like Waitrose own brand and only shopped with Ocado because Waitrose delivery used to be crap. They seemed to have upped their game recently though so we will be switching.

I have been with them from 2005. At the beginning was allowed a slot every 14 days. Now it’s only once every 7 days. Since lockdown, every slot I have given to my elderly Mum. I’m guessing I’m not allowed more than one a week because being a pensioner she only spends £50-60 a week.well if they let me have more frequent slots I would spend more! I’m not interested in overpriced Marks and Sparks food, so will stop my delivery pass once my Mum no longer needs them. To be honest, I have filled my freezer with frozen veg from Iceland. More nutritious than fresh, and half the price.Ocado, you lost another customer.

Sorry for those who are unhappy about the M & S replacement of Waitrose products but in another way happy if it means they actually let me into their site.

I am really angry to hear that they are allowing some people to have a slot every other day whilst other potential customers can't even log in.

I think they have to show loyalty to existing customers, from a business point of view. I’ve had bi-weekly deliveries with Ocado for years. We adjusted to the once a week arrangement back in April but I’m very pleased they now allow me to check the website and grab an impromptu slot at short notice. In the mornings they seem to release a few slots for a day or two away.

If they didn’t show some loyalty to existing customers, they would lose them. I’m sure they could have taken on millions of new households at the beginning of lockdown but it would have compromised the service for everyone. At the end of lockdown they’d have lost all their customers because people would think Ocado was a bit shit.

I think they’ve managed it very well and kept us politely and regularly informed.

I did get a Toblerone. DH nabbed it.

I feel like a git for agreeing that they needed to prioritise existing customers, but they did. Existing customers will be there after this has finished. I don’t think enough new customers would do to be honest.

I’m not worried about the change to M&S. There is very little I buy that is Waitrose exclusive and I like the idea that I can get Percy Pigs and packets of knickers delivered.

I’ve not had a toblerone, I’ve had an anytime smart pass for 4 or 5 years and currently spend about £150-200 a week with everyone home all day.

Been offered extra slots, but I imagine it’s regional..

Oh Lord!

Making my coffee, milk carton in hand, why has it not occurred to me before now that Duchy Organic unhomgenised milk is a Waitrose product?

How will I live? It's the one apparently unnecessarily fancy food item that I really really notice when I don't have it. No matter what's on the label, nothing picked up on another supermarket shelf is quite the same. I always end up wondering why my coffee tastes wrong.

Dang ...

I've had two toblerones and my next two orders have free toblerones on them too. It just kept asking me to add a free toblerone to my orders and I couldn't say no to free chocolate.

Not helping my lockdown waist spread though

I agree that they had to prioritise their existing customers but now it appears that those customers can have multiple deliveries in one week whereas others have zilch.

I am an existing customer, I just didn't have regular weekly deliveries and I resent not being allowed in at all.

I’m still stuck on the one order a week which my parents are using, I could really do with being able to do a second order for myself as I’m now back at work.

Seen on Twitter and on here that people have got £5 vouchers for inconvenience on damaged goods, mum’s delivery had a damaged drink which spilt in the crate and the driver refused to give her any of the shopping in that crate. I was just told to lump it when I complained that a shielding household was missing a reasonable portion of their weekly shop!

No toblerones. Not sure where I seem to be going wrong with them!

Most people who can now get an order every couple of days will use it to have flexibility over when they get their order, I should think. That's certainly the main benefit I'm seeing - I still don't have more than one order a week on average over a month but being able to vary the gaps between orders is very handy.

I had the same realisation about the Duchy Organics products the other day. I'm definitely going to miss some of those. I'm still looking forward to the M&S ones though.

When do you all think we will be able to go back to placing orders whenever we need them, like it used to be?

I’m still only allowed 1 order a week on the same day each week.
And no toblerone.

I’ve noticed on local Facebook pages many local food businesses complaining that they were getting lots of orders when people didn’t want to go out shopping but not restrictions are easing people are going back to the supermarket and they are barely getting any orders now.

Do you think the same will happen with Ocado? People started using them when they wanted at the beginning back in March but won’t bother with the ease of lockdown?

It's still a faff to go to the supermarket now though, if you have kids or are limited as to when you can make it. It takes longer at our Waitrose - always a queue to get in, and limited opening hours. We have another supermarket where queues are shorter but they don't always have what I need (and I still have to go when I don't have the kids).

The App is working again!!

We used to shop with Ocado regularly. Thought would try it again last week as was offered a slot as shielding.
Never again. Half of the shop was missing. The driver just told us to contact customer services which we did, still waiting for a refund (over £30).
The driver also did no social distancing and came to to our front window touching our blinds and curtains. Will be sticking to Tesco now.

@Nurse1980
Did they charge you for unavailable products?
That's highly unusual. They normally only take money from your account for what you receive.

@Elizabeth, yes they did. The receipt I got before delivery stated that everything would be delivered that I ordered. But only half of the order showed up.

Blimey. That is bad.

I've never known that to happen in ten years, Nurse. You've been very unlucky and should definitely keep emailing them.

App back??? Let's see ...!