Tesco online deliveries - the good and the bad

Doc_N

Not sure there’s a current thread specifically for Tesco online delivery customers, but a lot of people use them pretty much exclusively, so it might be a good place to exchange thoughts.

The good - pretty reliable, I’ve found, and lower prices than Waitrose.

Higher prices than all the others, apart from Ocado, though, and it’s very annoying to discover that you can’t access all the items sold in the store the deliveries are made from. I learned this from Customer Services the other day when it proved impossible to order items which the app shows as in stock. It’s only selected popular items that you can buy, which makes for a pretty limited range by comparison with the others - particularly Waitrose.

Also can’t understand why they can’t email you changes to the order before it turns up.The others do this, and it would make it far easier to consider the changes before the van arrives and you get that sheet of paper. Much less rushed, and less hassle for the driver too.

Misslayed

I get an email receipt detailing any substitutions on the day of delivery, it might be because they are testing this is my area - I've been warned that before long I won't get a paper receipt as well. I very rarely get anything so unsuitable I want to return it (in fact only once since the first lockdown)

Doc_N

Misslayed said:

I get an email receipt detailing any substitutions on the day of delivery, it might be because they are testing this is my area - I've been warned that before long I won't get a paper receipt as well. I very rarely get anything so unsuitable I want to return it (in fact only once since the first lockdown)

Could be a trial, as you say.  Nothing like that here, and when I raised it with them 18 months ago they said they were looking into it, but didn’t have enough IT staff to do it.

Trace-T

Doc_N said:

Not sure there’s a current thread specifically for Tesco online delivery customers, but a lot of people use them pretty much exclusively, so it might be a good place to exchange thoughts.

The good - pretty reliable, I’ve found, and lower prices than Waitrose.

Higher prices than all the others, apart from Ocado, though, and it’s very annoying to discover that you can’t access all the items sold in the store the deliveries are made from. I learned this from Customer Services the other day when it proved impossible to order items which the app shows as in stock. It’s only selected popular items that you can buy, which makes for a pretty limited range by comparison with the others - particularly Waitrose.

Also can’t understand why they can’t email you changes to the order before it turns up.The others do this, and it would make it far easier to consider the changes before the van arrives and you get that sheet of paper. Much less rushed, and less hassle for the driver too.

Agree with everything you said there. 
I've noticed past couple of months the app won't let me choose items that are in stock and delivered from that same store. It didn't use to be like that. Driver confirmed he was coming from my local store as always.
I would also prefer a PDF version of the invoice in advance. I always end up with additional sheets with just their logo at the top!

KxMx

We've been longing for Tesco to implement email ahead of delivery, fab news that it's being trialled! 

Mnoee

I find the delivery saver, particularly the ability to pay for it with clubcard points at 3x their value a big plus. I'm still on the now discontinued 3.49 per month midweek one - so it costs me £14 in points every year for deliveries.

I've seen elsewhere online that Asda don't sell some value things for home delivery, so it's not just Tesco who have streamlined what's available. It may be because of the huge uptake in the last 18 months. You can still choose between 60 jars of jam (as a random product example!) which is enough choice for me. 

It's been a while since I used other supermarkets, but I like being able to add notes, which was not available with Asda or Sainsbury's last time I used them. Some things for specific people have to be vegetarian or vegan, and adding a note helps stop subs we can't use. 

Usual moans of stock issues - at the moment I can't get clumping cat litter or cornflour and haven't been able to for close to a month. I know it's not true of only Tesco, though. 

I absolutely hate the way they currently do loose items. One banana is one item. 20 mushrooms is 20 items. I would like to order 500g of loose mushrooms instead of trying to guess what size they have in stock and most importantly for it to count as one item - with the new item limits, its very easy to use up a large chunk of your 115 items on loose fruit and veg. Sometimes you get 200g of mushrooms for your 20, sometimes it's 500g or more. I understand there's a natural variety to them, but you used to be able to order by weight or by number which was much easier. I'm aware the website let's you choose from set weights, but it's all converted into 'X items'. 

I've spoken to customer services about this and they don't seem to understand the issue or want to fix it. At least they're now available in some form - when it was a blanket maximum of two or three of any item, buying loose was out the window. 

I would love them to email receipts. 

Doc_N

Yet another delivery today with two substantial items missed out as 'no appropriate substitute available' - despite the fact that the store where the picking was done was showing both as in plentiful stock both yesterday evening (Sunday - store closed) and this morning (when the picking took place).

This is a fairly regular occurrence, and it's difficult to explain why it happens.

Anyone else getting this (you can check live store stocks via the app, but not, for some odd reason, on the website)?

Mnoee

If you're just talking about it showing as available on the app, then its probably a mistake there or the picker just couldn't find it. I've tried to buy a pack of scissors for four weeks running that are always 'in stock' but never actually arrived. Always household things, I had the same with a hand trowel and some bowls for cats but gave up and went elsewhere after two attempts.

If you physically went to the store the night before and morning of your delivery... Why, why would you do that?! 

Doc_N

Mnoee said:

If you're just talking about it showing as available on the app, then its probably a mistake there or the picker just couldn't find it. I've tried to buy a pack of scissors for four weeks running that are always 'in stock' but never actually arrived. Always household things, I had the same with a hand trowel and some bowls for cats but gave up and went elsewhere after two attempts.

If you physically went to the store the night before and morning of your delivery... Why, why would you do that?! 

Showing as in stock on the app. Happens fairly often too. 

Mnoee

Doc_N said:

Mnoee said:

If you're just talking about it showing as available on the app, then its probably a mistake there or the picker just couldn't find it. I've tried to buy a pack of scissors for four weeks running that are always 'in stock' but never actually arrived. Always household things, I had the same with a hand trowel and some bowls for cats but gave up and went elsewhere after two attempts.

If you physically went to the store the night before and morning of your delivery... Why, why would you do that?! 

Showing as in stock on the app. Happens fairly often too. 

If you're getting an early morning slot, it might be that the delivery hasn't arrived yet - I know my 8-9am delivery this morning was already picked and taken from my bank at just gone 7am. I always get this slot and bread products sometimes aren't there yet - so I make sure to write in the notes section things like 'sub any bap you could fit a burger in please' or 'brown or white is fine' - basically encouraging them to pick absolutely anything bready. Probably 50% of the time there's a substitute. 

Otherwise - who knows. Supermarkets basically have an impossible job trying to stock keep now that self checkouts are a thing. I remember reading an article saying supermarkets consistently sell more loose carrots than they have in stock due to them being the cheapest per kilo. 

Flat_Eric

Another vote from me on getting advance warning of your order that's being delivered by e-mail, particularly if you have been at work and have an afternoon or evening slot because then at least you have forewarn if something isn't going to be available (eg newspapers) and have the opportunity to buy elsewhere if needed.

I find it frustrating that when updating your order, items get removed as "not available" yet on the day of delivery they are back in stock and available (so no doubt would be included in your order if their website hadn't automatically removed them for you). I wish they would just give you a warning to say, this item may not be in stock on your day of delivery giving you the option to pick something else if you wanted.