Ocado faces customer backlash after a warehouse malfunction left orders incomplete just before Christmas.
- A significant number of Ocado deliveries arrived missing some chilled and frozen items.
- Customers expressed their frustration on social media, with some long-time clients vowing to cut ties with the retailer.
- The malfunction occurred at the Erith Customer Fulfilment Centre, impacting up to 200,000 orders weekly.
- Ocado pledges to reach out and apologize to affected customers, though criticisms remain widespread.
In a critical time frame for grocery deliveries, Ocado encountered a major operational hiccup at its Erith Customer Fulfilment Centre. This technical malfunction led to numerous deliveries being incomplete, particularly missing essential chilled and frozen items, which are vital for festive meals.
Customers turned to social media to share their dissatisfaction. One customer highlighted their disappointment, stating, ‘Well thanks very much @Ocado – due to deliver our Christmas order between 8 & 9 this evening and didn’t show up. That’s Christmas ruined for 16!! And a £50 voucher doesn’t come close to compensating! You’ve lost 20 year customers.’
Another disgruntled shopper mentioned, ‘@Ocado for the second year in a row, We’ve booked a Christmas shop in October and you’ve sent us a message 2 hours before delivery telling us 14 items were out of stock and 8 items substituted. My partner has celiac and you subbed her gf dessert for a bread and butter pudding.’ Such instances indicate a breach of trust at a crucial time of the year, leaving many without the food they had meticulously planned to order.
The Erith Centre processes an immense volume of approximately 200,000 orders weekly, emphasizing the scale of the disruption. Ocado acknowledged the lapse in their service quality, admitting that the issue did not meet their usual standards. They have committed to reaching out to those affected with apologies, although it may not suffice to quell the dissatisfaction among their customer base.
Interestingly, Ocado is not isolated in facing pre-holiday challenges. Another supermarket, Morrisons, encountered a technical glitch earlier that impacted pricing visibility for loyalty program members. To amend this, Morrisons offered a 10% discount on total purchases for affected members, demonstrating a different approach to rectifying customer grievances.
Ocado’s warehouse issue has sparked significant dissatisfaction among customers, highlighting vulnerabilities in their fulfillment processes during peak seasons.
