Following on from my earlier article about Nanny's trolls lacking initiative, I have this personal experience from Sainsbury's to relate to you.
I made the mistake of assuming that when ordering online for a home delivery that basic products, such as cat food potatoes etc, would be available.
How stupid was I!
They were not.
Not only that, having dropped a wee line to Justin King (CEO) of Sainsbury's suggesting that a bit of initiative (eg get someone to bring the missing order across to me) would be a good idea, I am still waiting for some form of "intelligent" resolution to this (aside from "We are currently looking into the comments you have raised and will come back to you more fully as soon as possible").
Sadly it is not just the Nanny state that employs people who are lacking in initiative!
My advice is not to shop at Sainsbury's.
"Thank you ***,
I would suggest that, whilst the wheels of admin crank slowly looking into this, someone from Sainsbury's shows some initiative and delivers the missing products to me today without charging me for the cost of delivery (I will of course pay for the products).
By taxi or van, I don't really care!
Or shall I write to the other supermarkets (with a copy of my note to you) and ask them if they are able to supply me with potatoes and cat food?
Thanks
Kind regards
Ken Frost
www.kenfrost.com
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Subject: RE: Delivery 91371601
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:21:53 +0000
From:
To: kenfrostcia@hotmail.com
Dear Mr Frost,
Thank you for taking the time to send an email to Justin King about your comments regarding our online service.
We are currently looking into the comments you have raised and will come back to you more fully as soon as possible.
In the meantime, thank you again for getting in touch.
Yours sincerely,
Sainsbury plc | 33 Holborn | London | EC1N 2HT | Mail box / 314
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From: Ken Frost
Sent: 10 February 2010 10:43
To: Justin King
Subject: Delivery 91371601
Justin
A brief "heads up" about my Sainsbury's delivery made this morning.
Here is a list of products that were not available, and for which no alternative was available
- 10kg of baking potatoes
- mixed herbs
- sea salt
- tabasco
- dishwasher salt
- cat food pouches
Whilst I appreciate that "sea salt" may be considered to be exotic, how on earth can Sainsbury's run out of potatoes??? I do not believe for one moment that Sainsbury's could not find me some form of potato in stock.
I am faced with having to re order the potatoes etc at a cost to me in terms of wasted time and delivery charges.
Online shopping has no value if you don't have at least the basics in.
I would appreciate to hear from you as to what I should do now in order to obtain my potatoes without incurring delivery charges? Walk to my local Tesco perhaps, which is nearer?
Kind regards
Ken Frost"
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Ken,
ReplyDeleteMy daughter shops online and has experienced similar short comings in the service.
I must agree with you, the attractiveness of shopping online becomes non existent if basic products are not stocked nor alternatives offered......I would not consider sea salt an exotic product and I would not consider a supermarket to be super if it did not stock sea salt...In fact, I would expect a supermarket to stock several varieties of sea salt.
May I recommend Waitrose as a good source of food items including "exotics" I don't know what their delivery service is like but, in my experience, Waitrose still regards the customer as king and feels we do them a favour shopping there rather than them doing us a favour serving us. I accept they are more expensive compared to some others but, they do at least stock basic items.....Perhaps your cat needs to offer you some advice about on-line shopping....Poor cat;-)
Enjoy shopping on-line responsibly.
Phone Sainsburys food advice line on Nuneaton, eight nothing, eight nothing, eight nothing.
Search on-line for supermarkets that stock sea salt.
We've had a Sainsbury's just down the road for some 15 years now. It has been revamped and enlarged twice in that period. Yet every time I go in, there will always be empty shelves - and it's normally basic everyday items. Never any shortage of exotics!
ReplyDeleteI have tried complaining to the store manager, but he just blames head office, which begs the question: why have a store manager anyway?
On a side note, I picked up a bottle of cider last night along with some other items. Mindful that I might be asked for I.D. I chose a checkout operated by a middle aged lady, thinking she might be less likely to ask. Just before I got to the till she was replaced by a teenaged lad! I asked if he was going to want proof (I'm 54, and beginning to loose my thatch). He said "I was going to" but didn't say why he changed his mind. I told him I was glad about that, or I would have made a scene. I proceeded to show him the back of my hand, and asked him how many 21 year olds had wrinkled skin like that - he just grinned...
It must be just your Sainsbury's Ken. We've been using ours for a couple of years now. Probably around 100+ online deliveries, and we've usually everything we order arrives, except for stuff where if they run out there is no alternative (e.g. there's only one brand on the market for 4-7 years overnight nappies).
ReplyDeleteI would personally give Sainsbury's a big thumbs up for their home delivery service. They have a short delivery slot and always turn up on time.
Tescos OTOH, they were hopeless. You were *always* missing something, and they would still have charged you for it. One time we were charged over £100 by Tesco, but only about £30 of shopping actually arrived... Then they have a 2 hour delivery slot, and often turn up late..
Ken,
ReplyDeleteWe've had the same experience the three time's we used their service. Last time, they didn't bother to pack the six large mineral waters, one of the big reasons to have the stuff brought in. The list of other items it's impossible to imagine them not having in stock I won't bore you with.
We called the first time they messed up the order, and our complaint wasn't met with any surprise.
I emailed them last week and explained to them why we would be using Ocado until they can offer some kind of guarantee of service.
Best,
M Lang