To ask everyone to boycott ASDA online grocery shopping??

[diaimchlo]

I am an old MNer so sorry if I rant on......
My daughter, who lives 230 miles away, rang me this morning very distressed. She had placed a grocery order with ASDA last night to be delivered this morning between 9 and 11 costing £140.

When she accessed her online banking this morning before 6 she noted that the funds had been taken by ASDA. At 8:30 she was contacted by them to say due to adverse weather the delivery would not be made. She accepted this as the conditions were bad where she lives.

She then asked for the funds they had taken hours before the items were due to leave the store, to be refunded immediately back to her account only to be told it would take between 3-10 working days.
After her telling them this was unacceptable as she had 4 young children to feed and care for she was told to contact her bank and get an authorisation code, she did and contacted them again at 9:00 to give them this code, at which point ASDA should have immediately released the funds back to her account.
She was then told by ASDA that her bank needed to fax them before they would release the money, they promised many call backs which have not happened, my daughter has been left on hold for nearly a hour just to be given the run around.
I phoned ASDA head office and let them know that if this situation was not sorted out today I would be contacting the press and media... I was told that their accounts dept was closing in 30 mins and that the bank needed to fax them. So yet again she phoned the bank who refuse to fax them due to Data Protection and was told that the authorisation code was enough for them to refund.
Now she is on hold again to ASDA.

AIBU to feel furious that:

1. ASDA have taken funds that they will have known they would not be able to deliver at least 3 hours before the goods were due to leave the shop? Surely the staff would have been aware of the weather conditions outside!!!!!
   
   
2. ASDA are keeping hold of money (not a small amount) that legally is not theirs!!!!!
   
   I for one will not shop there again.... the company I use only take the funds out 1 hour before the start of the delivery slot!!!!!!!

[Tee2072]

Also, boycotts don't work.

Lots of people can only afford ASDA.

All shops do this.

[AnneTwacky]

I've heard similar stories before, hence I'm not a fan of online grocery shopping.

Hope your daughter gets her refund quickly.

[jelliebelly]

Quite typical I think. Vote with your feet at use Ocado instead - they turn up whatever the weather - or they did for me today at least..

[HecateWhoopass]

You won't get enough people on board with this to make a huge company like asda give a stuff.
Toysrus did similar to md.
Bank argued same as yours.
I played merry hell but it makes no difference, ime.
The money apparently got released and then held by some mysterious 3rd party over whom neither bank nor tru had any control.
Suspect you will be told same.

[noisytoys]

go with Saisburys their delivery is great

[Mintyy]

Ocado don't take the money in advance of delivery. Just a tip for future ref.

[diaimchlo]

It's not the delivery that is the problem to be honest as where they live it is difficult to drive to due to extremely steep hills with a sharp hairpin bend joining them so she understood the delivery being cancelled it is the funds that are the problem, why take them out when it was obvious that they would not be able to deliver and why take them out so early????

[diamondee]

I double paid once in asda using my card (checkout person said 1st attempt didn't go through). The amount was the same, a few seconds after the first so it was obviously an error.
It took me two weeks to get the money back with lots of calls to both asda and my bank.
I hate asda!

[diaimchlo]

Thankyou Mintyy will look at them

[Arisbottle]

I used Asda three times for a home shop to try and save money, never again.

first time they charged me twice
Second time despite there being more than enough money for the order in my account something went wrong so they cancelled the order without telling me. So I sat in waiting for my delivery and nothing happened.
Third time, loads missing and I was charged for each missing item.

[barmysarmy]

Asda are notorious for poor customer service, I have had several dealings with them in regards to complaints I have had and have never had a satisfactory response.

[Viviennemary]

That is really unfair. I have never used Asda home shopping and only used Tesco's and Sainsbury's a few times. If this happens to me I just do my own boycott and don't use the shop again.

[StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes]

I have always had great service from Asda, they refund quickly back to my credit card if anything is returned or is not there which happens very rarely, I have also had some things refunded and also been told to keep them anyway. Guess it depends on where you live.

[Shutupanddrive]

I have already boycotted them, they did the same thing to me apart from they took my money twice!! so I ended up paying double what I'd ordered, will never use them again

[SurroundedByBlue]

I placed an order with Asda today. Hoping it arrives and they don't just keep the money and not deliver as I can't afford to replace it if it doesn't arrive.

[LauriesFairyonthetreeeatsCake]

Ocado always take my money 2 days after shopping has been delivered.

I don't see the point of giving my money to companies who don't respect me. So you've got my vote.

Have you tried tweeting?

[meditrina]

Ocado is not as expensive as to might think (and are price matching Tesco at the moment).

And they don't take your money until the driver confirms the delivery has happened.

[diaimchlo]

StickEmUp I am happy for you that you have not had a problem like this with ASDA but "It is not a serious enough problem for you" I can honestly say hand on heart I think you are very selfish...

I would not wish being stuck out in the country with the nearest shop being 2 miles away with 4 young children and most of my available funds being held by a shop that had not fulfilled their contract on my worst enemy.

[bringonyourwreckingball]

I've never had a serious problem with Sainsburys in over 10 years of online shopping. Refunds in particular processed very quickly and with no fuss. From what I've read on here Asda appear to be phenomenally shit.

[StuntGirl]

Money being refunded always takes a few days to go back into the account, its pretty standard. I'm sorry your daughter is without her food shop though.

[marriedinwhite]

Problems with Asda:

Poor customer service
Delivery services are crap
Store (here at least - Roehampton) always looks a mess and I recall slipping on their travellator once and cutting my hand (no signs) and reporting it pleasantly and given the distinct impression the person at customer services thought it was a pain to do anything about it. And, actually, the day when I was 9 months pg and asked for help packing and was told no-one was available and the cashier said it wasn't her job. The former, which I completed the accident book for I was eventually contacted by the LA because someone else took an H&S claim to court and they needed a witness statement and the former, the manager gave me £25 voucher and a bunch of flowers and an apology in the store. But neither incidents should have happened in the first place. You sort of get what you pay for.

Having said that the service in the local biggest Sainsburys can be foul and has been foul since it opened in 1987 - Yes you in Wandsworth - hopefully you might take note for when the redeveloped store is re-opened. It's so bad that it's worth going to Asda. My little Sainsburys round the corner in Putney is just so lovely as is the big Sainsbury's in Townmead Road. How can branches so close together feel like different worlds? Anyone from Sainsburys on here to explain. Anyone from Sainsburys like to explain what they will be doing differently once the new Wandy store is open because the service since 1987 has been out of step with the rest of the chain.

Good things about Asda:

The stuff is good quality
Branded items are cheaper than elsewhere
Shopped there today and know that the same trolley would have cost £160ish from Sainsburys and more from Waitrose but at Asda it was £128.00.

The savings don't stop it being a vile experience and I would not use their on-line delivery service again - is crap (frying steak instead of sirloin; Liebfraumilch instead of Muscadet, etc., hardly sensible like for like.).

And when there are problems - they really don't sort them out.