British Shoppers In Panic After Supermarket Websites Cancel Orders

Sainsbury’s and Asda customers in panic after websites cancel Christmas orders – and Waitrose shoppers complain about no deliveries

• Angry customers complained of delivery slots being cancelled by retailers
• Computer glitch scrapped slots chosen by those who had amended orders 
• Many took to social media amid fear their Christmas food would not arrive
• Panicked customers bemoaned not being able to phone customer services
• Sainsbury’s website crashed for half an hour while Asda’s stayed live
• The online retailers have assured shoppers their orders will arrive on time 

Shoppers ordering their Christmas groceries were left in a state of panic on ‘Mayhem Monday’ today as one major supermarket’s website crashed and two cancelled orders.

Sainsbury’s and Asda customers took to social media to complain about their delivery slots – booked weeks in advance – being scrapped.

The former’s website crashed for half an hour while a glitch in Asda’s website cancelled the delivery times allocated to around 40 customers who had amended existing orders online.

In addition, Waitrose customers also complained that their deliveries did not arrive yesterday.

Sainsbury’s customers were outraged when allocated delivery slots booked weeks in advance were scrapped, with the retailer’s website crashing for half an hour

It came on one of the busiest shopping days of the year with consumers rushing to get hold of last minute Christmas essentials.

Father-of-three Peter Dunbar told Sainsbury’s in a tweet: ‘Had an email last night cancelling our Xmas shop delivery. Website glitch. No delivery slots left now. What will you do to fix?’

Meanwhile Matt Richardson said: ‘Sainsbury’s have let us down 100 per cent. Delivery slot booked two weeks ago – Sainsbury’s make a unilateral decision to delete our order. Merry Xmas!’

Vikki Fuller, of Frimley, Surrey, said she had lost her Sainsbury’s order after trying to amend it online, despite booking her delivery slot three weeks in advance.

She will now buy her groceries from the shop, saying: ‘I will have to go out and do my Christmas shopping now but do find doing it online much easier as it’s hard trying to do it with a baby.’

Another customer, Emma Mottram, from south-east London, said: ‘I tried to amend the order yesterday but the website crashed and wouldn’t let me access it.

‘When I tried to amend it today instead, the order disappeared completely from my account, which is why I panicked.’ But she said after speaking to customer services her problem was resolved.

Asda shopper Patrick Harper stated: ‘Entire food delivery for our Christmas holiday just cancelled by Asda but they can deliver… on the 29th! Shocking service.’

Asda customer Justine Webster tweeted: ‘A problem with your website has cancelled my order and delivery for tomorrow! I could cry’

Matt Richardson said: ‘Sainsbury’s have let us down 100 per cent. Delivery slot booked two weeks ago – Sainsbury’s make a unilateral decision to delete our order. Merry Xmas!’

Asda customer Justine Webster tweeted: ‘A problem with your website has cancelled my order and delivery for tomorrow! I could cry.’

And Asda shopper Patrick Harper stated: ‘Entire food delivery for our Christmas holiday just cancelled by Asda but they can deliver… on the 29th! Shocking service.’

While Asda’s website did not crash and is still taking orders for Click & Collect shopping, around 40 customers were affected by the glitc.

An Asda spokesman said: ‘We’re contacting those customers today to reassure them they will be getting their orders, and to offer a little something extra for their inconvenience.’

Meanwhile Sainsbury’s confirmed that it experienced ‘a brief technical issue with our website last night which has now been fixed’.

A spokesman said: ‘We will be individually contacting the small number of customers affected to apologise and make alternative arrangements.

‘We would like to reassure all customers who have orders outstanding that they will receive their deliveries before Christmas.

Busy day: Shoppers on Oxford Street in central London today. Visa Europe expects some £1.3billion to be spent using its cards tomorrow

Packed: Christmas shoppers make their purchases on Market Street in Manchester city centre this lunchtime

Out and about: Shoppers pack Oxford Street, with today expected to be the most popular day for festive grocery shopping

‘We’d also like to reassure customers who did not experience issues on the website last night that their confirmed orders will be delivered as expected.’

Waitrose customers also took to Twitter last night to complain about Christmas deliveries that had failed to arrive.

Paul Mayo tweeted: ‘Appalling service from Waitrose. No delivery last night, no call to say it wasn’t calling – no call today to rearrange – Xmas stuff missing.”

Fiona Turner said on Twitter this morning: ‘Waitrose still waiting for my Christmas shop since 8pm last night. Not impressed as now have to sort out the shop with a six-month-old!’

Nadine Gibbs wrote: ‘Waitrose you cancel my Xmas food shop (inclusive of turkey) no notice and no one answering the phone to resolve. So angry, three days before Xmas.’

Waitrose said about 2 per cent of orders were seriously disrupted yesterday and have promised that all customers will receive their deliveries before Christmas.

Wish list: An hour at lunchtime tomorrow is believed to be the peak time for high street shopping

A spokesman for the supermarket said: ‘All orders will be fulfilled in time for Christmas. The temporary IT problem yesterday was swiftly and successfully fixed.

‘We have been in touch with any customers who might have a slight delay to their order to apologise and to arrange a delivery time to suit them.”

‘We have contacted any customer affected to ensure we meet their needs in any way we can in time for Christmas (rescheduling delivery or, if they would prefer, collect from their local branch).

‘No orders have been cancelled. We are now back on track with orders today and tomorrow.’

Tesco sent emails to customers with more than one delivery slot, asking them if they could cancel one of them, although it was understood that this was a standard email often sent ahead of peak times such as ahead of Christmas.

A spokesman for the company told MailOnline: ‘We’re pulling out all the stops and are opening up more delivery slots wherever we can.’

Tomorrow, an hour at lunchtime is believed to be the peak time for high street shopping.

Supermarket aisles will be filled today as some 36 per cent of consumers plan to do their main Christmas food and drink shop, according to a survey.

This was followed by 35 per cent who are due to stock up on festive treats tomorrow. And from Saturday until Christmas Eve, £300million is expected to be spent in London’s West End.

Tablet computers and video games have been the biggest online sellers for Tesco, which expects to shift 175,000 turkeys and 1.5 million Christmas puddings in the run-up to Christmas.

This Christmas, Waitrose expects to sell enough ‘gingerbread activity kits’ to build a street of houses a mile and a half long, as well as more than 800,000 kilos of turkey, 2.2 million slices of smoked salmon and enough Brussels sprouts for every Briton to have six each.

In the four weeks before Christmas, Tesco expect to shift 2.5 million bottles of champagne and 55 million bottles of wine.

Some 15million Britons were said to have hit the high street at the weekend for last-minute shopping, with 12million planning to continue purchasing right up until Christmas Eve.

Christmassy: People take a photograph in front of a festive window display on Oxford Street in London today

The figures came from multi-store gift card company One4all, which also found in a study of 2,000 UK that one in five people in Britain struggle to be creative with presents.

This weekend saw over 800,000 people visit Westfield centres in London and shopping hours have been extended until midnight on Monday and Tuesday to allow more last-minute shoppers the chance to purchase presents.

Westfield director Myf Ryan said: ‘It seems shoppers still leave their shopping to the last minute – with more than three million visitors leaving their shopping to the last 12 days of Christmas.’

Meanwhile Visa Europe expects some £1.3billion to be spent using its cards tomorrow, making it the busiest day on the UK high street in the run up to Christmas.

Some £916,667 will be spent every minute or £15,278 every second on Visa cards, the company predicts. The peak time will be in the lunch hour break from 1pm to 2pm.

Crowded: Christmas shoppers pass a ’50 per cent off’ sale sign on Oxford Street in central London today

Kevin Jenkins, Visa Europe managing director, said: ‘Black Friday kick-started Christmas on the high street and online this year but the busiest bricks and mortar day will likely remain in its traditional slot close to Christmas.

‘Retailers’ multi-channel approach should cause a surge in footfall from click-and-collect sales too, with the opportunity for further shopping in-store when consumers arrive. Across Tuesday we are likely to see £1.3billion spent in total.

‘Lunch hour should prove the most popular time for a shopping trip, either for last minute gifts or final ingredients for Christmas dinner.’

Some 34million transactions are expected to take place which is 7 per cent higher than in 2013, while spending is predicted to rise 6 per cent.

Jace Tyrrell, deputy chief executive of New West End Company London, said: ‘The weekend got off to a strong start across the West end with footfall up 6.8 per cent year-on-year on Saturday and up 4.7 per cent year-on-year for the weekend as a whole.

Oxford Street: 15million Britons were said to have hit the high street at the weekend for last-minute shopping

Mayhem Monday: The peak for festive food treats like these

‘Retailers reported confident sales over the weekend hitting the expected £150million spend mark with menswear, accessories and technology proving popular purchases.

‘We are expecting shoppers out in force as the countdown to Christmas begins with 75 per cent of shoppers on Christmas Eve set to be men for the traditional last-minute “Man Dash”.’

The Mail also reported today how traditional Boxing Day sales could become extinct following a rise in pre-Christmas discounts, with shops starting their sales earlier every year.

The British retail ritual on December 26 is coming to ‘the end of its life cycle’, experts said, with footfall on Boxing Day falling by four per cent between 2011 and 2013.

Amazon is expecting Christmas Day to be its busiest day ever for sales of digital books, music, television, films and video games – and said its Boxing Day sales will start at 4pm on December 25.

Tables provided by MoneySavingExpert 

More than 1,600 offers will be available, with an average of 35 per cent off current Amazon UK prices. Offers will include £37 off a £170 Sony smart-watch and £15 off a £40 Philips blender.

Discounts will also include £129 off a £259 Briggs & Riley cabin trolley bag, £44 off a £144 Makita cordless drill, £172 off a £633 Yamaha piano and £301 off a pair of £500 Clogau glod earrings.

Some 88 per cent of Britons plan to hit the Boxing Day sales – although 54 per cent will buy items or styles they would not purchase at full-price, according to a study by retailer B&Q.

The poll also found 43 per cent of people think they will later regret purchases, with an estimated £14billion of post-sale regret on ‘big ticket’ items such as kitchens or cars in Britain this Christmas.

Other research, for online marketing firm Webloyalty, found one in 20 people will spend Christmas Day shopping on the internet and more than half of Britons plan to shop in low-cost supermarkets.

Sourced from: www.dailymail.co.uk