online grocery orders: deliveries for flat dwellers

toady · 26 August 2011 at 11:51AM

Hi

I have (until recently) had no problem with deliveries from both Tesco and Asda.

I live on the 2nd floor of a tenement block, with security entry and an internal close/staircase, but no lift.

Recently I had a bout of pneumonia,am still off sick from work recovering, live alone, and my store cupboard is starting to look empty, so decided on an online shop as my stamina isn't up to much yet.

Tesco and Asda have both told me that they won't guarantee to deliver my groceries to my door any more- the driver is only required to deliver to the ground floor, which is no help at all.It's a health and safety issue, they say.

Sainsburys has said they will deliver to the first floor- after that is at discretion of driver. Better, but not entirely helpful.

Is this the case countrywide- are these companies, having had our money for years, now saying they won't deliver to customers who live in flats? Do they say the same for their online furniture deliveries, for instance? I am pretty cross just now and a- wanted to vent but b- would be interested to know if anyone else has come across this.

Can anyone recommend online grocery shops which will deliver to the 2nd floor?

Can't help but wonder if deliveries to flats take longer than deliveries to houses, and if that has more to do with it than health and safety.

Thanks.

chocdonuty · 26 August 2011 at 4:27PM

Sainsburys and Iceland both deliver to my 2nd floor flat (security entry door and no lift) with no problem at all. (well apart from a rather red and puffed out delivery guy lol)

Owain_Moneysaver · 26 August 2011 at 5:09PM

I think they say that to protect themselves against someone ordering a hundred bottles of value water and expecting it to be carried to the tenth floor up stairs. Also large blocks of flats can be difficult for parking close to the entrance.

If you only order what the delivery person can comfortably carry in 1 or 2 boxes there shouldn't be a problem.

Otherwise (not very moneysaving) treat yourself to a takeaway delivery!

Kitty_Ears · 26 August 2011 at 5:46PM

Tell me about it... this sucks! As Mr.K & I are on a budget, we thought that we would do online shopping for this month. I have a hip problem so walking around a supermarket is a pain in itself and we live on a 1st floor flat, so poor Mr.K has to lug all the bottles and bags up the stairs. Both Tesco and ASDA said that they would only deliver to our ground floor and then I couldn't find a delivery time in where Mr.K wasn't at work.

In the end we had to drive to the nearest city to go to ASDA and I had an early night with some painkillers.

toady · 27 August 2011 at 10:13AM

Thanks for your replies.

Chocdonuty: that gives me some hope. I hadn't thought of Iceland, so thanks for that suggestion.

Owain: well, if they will put themselves in the delivery game, (and charge enough for it) I think they should take the occasional flat delivery with the super-easy detached house delivery in the drive! I'll bear in mind your suggestion of takeaways though, but not sure my GP would agree!

Kitty: you are precisely the kind of person I was thinking of; I am hoping my incapacity will be temporary, but what about those people who live in upper flats and then become unwell and can't sell, or get a transfer..how are they supposed to manage? It's another example of taking our money when all is well, but thrown onto the scrapheap when not. I hope things are going ok for you.

I think I will order and chance my luck, and refuse to sign for it if they refuse to bring it above the ground floor. I'm on my own, so don't consume that much anyway! A friend's husband has just retired as a Tesco delivery man, and he said that they are told only to ground floor, which was what I had suspected. A good get-out clause, so much for the 'we will put the items in your fridge if you want' advert!

Interestingly,the customer service assistant of every supermarket I rang had to refer to a Supervisor or Manager for clarification- each opened with 'oh, I've never heard of this'. Not surprising, I doubt they want it widely known.

shegirl · 27 August 2011 at 10:26AM

The problem with Iceland is you have to go to the store anyway to get all your shopping and they just deliver it later...

A friend of mine lives on the third floor of a block of flats and has her shopping delivered by Asda with no problems

Kitty_Ears · 27 August 2011 at 1:39PM

shegirl wrote: »

The problem with Iceland is you have to go to the store anyway to get all your shopping and they just deliver it later...

I wish Iceland would deliver to the home, it's where most of our frozen shopping comes from. The chicken fillets, 4 for a £1 are so much better quality and cheaper than ASDA etc.

Kitty: you are precisely the kind of person I was thinking of; I am hoping my incapacity will be temporary, but what about those people who live in upper flats and then become unwell and can't sell, or get a transfer..how are they supposed to manage? It's another example of taking our money when all is well, but thrown onto the scrapheap when not. I hope things are going ok for you.

Thank you so much! They are getting better, sadly I had to ask my Mum to get me some shopping this week due to lack of £££ & unable to face the shops

But yes, I was a little annoyed with ASDA & Tesco; the town we live in has a morrisons and a Waitrose, you would think they would bend over backwards for someone who is going to them for business. Oh well!

JayJay14 · 27 August 2011 at 2:16PM

Kitty - you go to Iceland and do your shopping then they arrange to deliver it for you. Ask in store. There is a minimum spend.

http://www.iceland.co.uk/page/view/deliver

chocdonuty · 27 August 2011 at 2:47PM

£25 min spend at iceland but you get to do the shopping yourself and get someone else to lug it home and for free!:money:

Kitty_Ears · 27 August 2011 at 4:35PM

I have to drive to Iceland anyways, so it's fine... I just bring it home myself!

toady · 27 August 2011 at 5:07PM

my local Iceland is literally round the corner from me; when I moved in, I went there to buy my new fridge, and the Manager and an assistant had carried it round the corner, up the stairs and delivered it to the flat before I got home! The Manager said it had seemed 'silly' to get the delivery guys to do it.

didn't realise they did 4 chicken fillets for £1 though- that's worth knowing! Are they frozen fillets?

online grocery orders: deliveries for flat dwellers

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