Russian Roulette with Shopping

[UncleEbenezer]

Moderator Message:
Moved here from the legal board

I have a delivery coming from Sainsburys this evening. Online delivery helps when self-isolating!

Since their wine offer is on, I took advantage and ordered some. Seven bottles, qualifying for 25% off six or more bottles.

They've just emailed me the receipt. Three of the seven are unavailable. So they'll just deliver four bottles, and no discount

Obviously if I were physically in the shop, I'd pick six or more bottles from amongst those available there to be sure to qualify. In the extremely unlikely event that I couldn't find six bottles I'd like, I'd buy none at all and wait for another occasion. Being absent I've been deprived of that opportunity!

Is it right that they can penalise me financially for their being out of stock of products advertised on their website and ordered in good faith? Should I be able to demand the 25% discount on the 4 bottles? Or indeed reject the four bottles now and re-order along with others to bring the numbers up? Or am I just stuffed?

Last time I bought wine there, I ordered about 15 bottles, leaving more of a margin of safety above the six. If ten or more of the 15 were out of stock, I guess the same applies, meaning there's no safe online purchase?

[UncleEbenezer]

Answering my own question at a practical level, it seems I can reject delivery of the four full-price bottles. Another Sainsburys order next week (while the offer lasts) is something I can live with: I just have to exercise imagination over groceries I don't want to repeat immediately in the order.

But still, should I have any rights to the discount I expected in good faith without having to reject those bottles?

[pje16]

I would have expected them to honour the 25% off
I don't think the last purchase has anything to do with it except to show that you like their wine

[didds]

Its down to T&Cs ultimately of coursae.

Meanwhile, Id imagine what has happened is theyve picked folur of the secven available, ignored ahy substitutions, then just rung it rhough afterwards. hence no discount cos the ruing through didnt have six or more bottles to trigger the discount.

that doesnt make it right or wrong - just how it may well have occurred. I doubt very much there was anybody putting two and two together wrt discounts available etc.

didds

[Gersemi]

Answering my own question at a practical level, it seems I can reject delivery of the four full-price bottles. Another Sainsburys order next week (while the offer lasts) is something I can live with: I just have to exercise imagination over groceries I don't want to repeat immediately in the order.

But still, should I have any rights to the discount I expected in good faith without having to reject those bottles?

I've suffered from this sort of problem - eg money off a 24 multi-pack of crisps, this is out of stock, substituted with a 12 multi-pack of crisps, not on offer. Not only do I have to pay full price (or reject the crisps, that I do in fact want) I am 12 packets of crisps short! I could have tried complaining, but I decided life was too short (which is why I'm still not going in-store to do the shopping!!).

[DrFfybes]

These issues are why I do not do online shopping, well, at least not for groceries.

It has got worse since supply chains became a problem, and apparently Ocado doesn't have the same issues as it isn't picked from the shelf and so stock levels are more easily controlled. Also it means that I'm not going to fall foul of my sister's mistake, and so am still able to mock her for buying 9 packs of 9 crumpets.

In Uncle's case I would simply reject the wine that didn't get the discount.

On another note I popped into Sainsburys on the bike for a few bits this morning and so didn't look at the wine. Thanks for the heads up - I'll do a wine shop on Monday

[Dod101]

Answering my own question at a practical level, it seems I can reject delivery of the four full-price bottles. Another Sainsburys order next week (while the offer lasts) is something I can live with: I just have to exercise imagination over groceries I don't want to repeat immediately in the order.

But still, should I have any rights to the discount I expected in good faith without having to reject those bottles?

I've suffered from this sort of problem - eg money off a 24 multi-pack of crisps, this is out of stock, substituted with a 12 multi-pack of crisps, not on offer. Not only do I have to pay full price (or reject the crisps, that I do in fact want) I am 12 packets of crisps short! I could have tried complaining, but I decided life was too short (which is why I'm still not going in-store to do the shopping!!).

Crisps are not good for you.

Dod

[richfool]

Answering my own question at a practical level, it seems I can reject delivery of the four full-price bottles. Another Sainsburys order next week (while the offer lasts) is something I can live with: I just have to exercise imagination over groceries I don't want to repeat immediately in the order.

But still, should I have any rights to the discount I expected in good faith without having to reject those bottles?

Can you indicate that substitutes are acceptable (to make up the quantity)? Otherwise, I would reject the four full price bottles when they deliver and tell the delivery driver why. Or ring them up and complain.

[scrumpyjack]

This is why I find Ocado better than the supermarkets that do branch level order picking. Because Ocado pick in a huge warehouse rather than lots of branches, you are far less likely to get substitutions or 'out of stock' than where the picking is done at a store.

[UncleEbenezer]

Can you indicate that substitutes are acceptable (to make up the quantity)? Otherwise, I would reject the four full price bottles when they deliver and tell the delivery driver why. Or ring them up and complain.

That's pretty-much what I'm doing.

I did ring up at the same time as I posted (well, ringing up took longer). Struggled a bit to communicate (would've been much easier without the lurgy, but also if the lady on customer services had spoken English as first language), but eventually reached that outcome. Was disappointed she couldn't apply the discount, but at least she reassured me that rejecting the four bottles - which brings my order below the £40 threshold for cheap delivery - won't trigger a punitive small-order delivery charge.

The timing is in one sense really good. Covid means that two online orders in quick succession make sense. Next time I'll re-order the four bottles and others I like or fancy trying, and allow substitutions on the basis that I can then reject any substitutes I really don't want.

I do still wonder (bearing in mind this is the legal board), should I have the right to demand the discount on four bottles that I reasonably expected after they offered it on my original seven?

[UncleEbenezer]

This is why I find Ocado better than the supermarkets that do branch level order picking. Because Ocado pick in a huge warehouse rather than lots of branches, you are far less likely to get substitutions or 'out of stock' than where the picking is done at a store.

If Ocado reach my area within my lifetime, I might even give them a try.

[UncleEbenezer]

Followup: I did reject the four full-price bottles. The delivery man understood and fully agreed as soon as I mentioned (didn't have to explain) the situation.

So that's another order next week to catch the offer. Or leave it for the next offer, which in this season is unlikely to be far away.

[Gerry557]

I would have accepted the wine and then contacted customer services. Normally they are accommodating and will make a refund. Not tried Sainsburys though. I find Tesco the most helpful in these sort of situations.

If they don't play ball then I ask for a full refund on my next visit or request permission for a later date.

[Mike4]

This is why I find Ocado better than the supermarkets that do branch level order picking. Because Ocado pick in a huge warehouse rather than lots of branches, you are far less likely to get substitutions or 'out of stock' than where the picking is done at a store.

How odd, I'm finding the exact opposite. In fact I have a growing gripe with all of the big name online supermarkets related to UE's experience.

A couple of weeks ago for example, I made a 25 line list of stuff to order on line from Ocado, who always have the shortest delivery times and the nicest food quality. (Tesco and Sainsbury around here STILL usually have a three week wait!) Five of the item lines on my list were 'not available' but I ordered the rest anyway, as I needed the stuff. All good so far. When delivery arrived however, a further five line items were not delivered as also out of stock. Just normal online shopping things like Single malt, cider, wine etc....

Now fair enough when the website tells me an item is out of stock, but when it accepting my order and only delivering 75% of it without telling me until the delivery arrives is a pretty poor show, what with the way we have computers nowadays capable of allocating and reserving stock for future picking.

Its clearly a common problem too from the way the driver shoe-gazily tells me every delivery which items 'could not be delivered'. I suspect he has a similar convo with every delivery customer which perhaps explains why Ocado always have delivery slots the next day available.

Tesco are perhaps the best at actually delivering what their web site accepted orders for in my experience, and this is perhaps why they are always booked up for three weeks in advance.

[UncleEbenezer]

Tesco are perhaps the best at actually delivering what their web site accepted orders for in my experience, and this is perhaps why they are always booked up for three weeks in advance.

Interesting. I've never had a Tesco delivery, precisely because I've never found I could get a delivery slot.

This story notwithstanding, I've generally been satisfied with Sainsburys online service. This time there were no omissions or substitutions among the food items, only the wine.

[Mike4]

Tesco are perhaps the best at actually delivering what their web site accepted orders for in my experience, and this is perhaps why they are always booked up for three weeks in advance.

Interesting. I've never had a Tesco delivery, precisely because I've never found I could get a delivery slot.

This story notwithstanding, I've generally been satisfied with Sainsburys online service. This time there were no omissions or substitutions among the food items, only the wine.

You've prompted me to give Sainsbury's another try. Del slots available from Monday! Booked one for Wednesday.

I've ordered a few things, will edit and expand the order later, and report how it goes come Wednesday!

[servodude]

Tesco are perhaps the best at actually delivering what their web site accepted orders for in my experience, and this is perhaps why they are always booked up for three weeks in advance.

Interesting. I've never had a Tesco delivery, precisely because I've never found I could get a delivery slot.

This story notwithstanding, I've generally been satisfied with Sainsburys online service. This time there were no omissions or substitutions among the food items, only the wine.

You've prompted me to give Sainsbury's another try. Del slots available from Monday! Booked one for Wednesday.

I've ordered a few things, will edit and expand the order later, and report how it goes come Wednesday!

You should take the opportunity to mess with their customer profiling:
- ordering Ardbeg, Talisker, Macallan and nappies - is fun (even better in person when you can then look in your wallet and ask them to put the nappies back)
- or saw, bin bags, gaffer tape, rope, bleach and a tangerine

-sd

[DrFfybes]

I would have accepted the wine and then contacted customer services. Normally they are accommodating and will make a refund. Not tried Sainsburys though. I find Tesco the most helpful in these sort of situations.

Sainsburys don't have a customer services email any more.

However they do respond if you edit the auto reply and print it out and post it to them.

Paul

[stewamax]

Is it right that they can penalise me financially for their being out of stock of products advertised on their website and ordered in good faith? Should I be able to demand the 25% discount on the 4 bottles? Or indeed reject the four bottles now and re-order along with others to bring the numbers up? Or am I just stuffed?

I have a weekly Sainsbury home delivery and have had the same problem when the 25% discount for 6 applies. I always check their shipping manifest email that arrives at around 08.00 on the delivery day, tot up the number of bottles actually shipped (including any allowed substitutions), print off what should actually be delivered and highlight what I will reject.
Their T&Cs leave a bit to be desired. It is also unclear whether the bottle total to get the discount apples to an item (" 6 or more bottles of THIS") or any 6 in total - it is the latter, but the online ordering system says against an item "6 or more and get 25% off".
In passing, I also check the best-before dates of perishable items: the pickers are not supposed to pick items that will expire on the delivery day; if you reject such items they will then be binned back the store anyway and the delivery driver will often scan them as returns and then ask if you want to keep them. This happens quite a lot with 'special' loaves (not the 800gm white sliced keep-for-a-year pre-packed stuff!).
I am not knocking Sainsbury's too much though: their actual deliveries have always tallied with the manifest and their drivers are pleasant and helpful.

[swill453]

Interesting. I've never had a Tesco delivery, precisely because I've never found I could get a delivery slot.

I do online shopping for my parents at Tesco. I reserve the delivery slot up to three weeks ahead, where there's ample choice of dates and times. Put one item in the basket and fully check out, and this reserves the slot.

Then you have until 23:59 the day before to actually add the shopping you want.

Once you're started it's easy to get into a routine where you finalise the week's shopping, then immediately book the one 3 weeks ahead.

Scott.