My Complaint To Asda (apologies in advance to any that might be hpoing this is funny, it isn't}

A couple of years ago I ordered something from Amazon and used an out of date debit card - this was immediately flagged by the site before the order was processed.

The debit card I use for on line shopping is with Santander (yes - I know!) and before the transaction is confirmed a box comes up with Santanders logo asking for my password, makes me feel comfortable ordering things on line

If you order from Tesco and the special offer expires before your delivery date you get a little red notice that tells you this. It sounds as if Asda's website is outdated and 'not fit for purpose'.

I don't like their adverts either...all that bottom smacking

That's what should happen. Good for Amazon. (Am I allowed to say that on here? ). Something clearly wasn't working properly on your Asda order. Very odd.

Bags I had a similar incident with an ahem, Amazon order, but immediately got an email sating that there was a problem with taking payment, so I was able to rectify it.

dorest I am amused at the thought of Asda being 'high end'! . Sometimes those customers may be right about the funds. I was talked into a House of Fraser card which turned out to be run by Santander. I signed up for direct debit to take the whole amount out each month and then they didn't take it and charged me a non-payment charge. They said my bank had refused payment but after weeks of toing and froing they finally admitted they had keyed the number in wrong. I had to be really determined and jump through loads of hoops to get my money back!

My replacement chocolate has just arrived, in good condition and with a nice little apology. Any suggestions about what I can do with a large slab of broken chocolate which is now surplus to requirements?

phoenix, without reading the whole thread, Asda ought to employ enough Tech people to write sufficient software to cover a payment problem such as you had. If they confirm an order and then can,t take the money, there should be na automatic email generated.

Puzzled though because normally the confirmation doesn't come until the payment has been verified.

I work in the home delivery section of another well known high end supermarket. I can understand your frustration Phoenix but Ana is correct the payment section is automated and just cancels the order. The only informaation the branch would have on your order is that it was cancelled due to lack of funds. This is a very tricky situation for the people running that service in the shop itself.We do telephone our customers to ask if they want to re-order on line again and the reason why it was cancelled. I have received some very angry customers denying 'lack of funds' - it's their embarrassment about this and who do they get angry with? The person who called them. So at times it is with trepedation that we make this call. We can't re-order for the customer from our shop, the customer has to go on-line again so may be unlucky and miss a slot they wanted.

The more I hear about Asda the happier I am that we don't have one! Living out in the sticks we only have Waitrose, Morrisons, M & S and the Co-op.

Moved that was our immediate response. The price they quote when you order. However, we discovered that they have put something in the small print that puts responsibility on the customer to notice changes. If she had known, she could have taken the items out of the bags at the door and given them back to the delivery man, then got a refund. Waitrose and Tesco do point out changes to the customer, but Asda fall short. Also, some like Waitrose will substitute appropriately and charge the same or less.

Last year, I did a small online order that included a large rib of beef, to save me dashing out when I was preparing food for SIL's birthday BBQ. The beef was the essential part of it. Asda delivered everything except the meat, didn't substitute another large piece of beef and didn't bother to let me know. How can Asda not have a piece of beef to put in the order, to see if I could use that for a roast? Because the price of the order was drastcally reduced, the cheeky so-and-sos charged more for delivery, too! Not much sense being used, is there? I don't shop online with them now, although I do go in their store.

When I think they should stick to the price it was when she ordered. It is not reasonable to increase the price after the order. She should ask to speak to a Manager.

Phoenix You are absolutley right and your message was polite ands clear. I firmly believe in complaining when things go wrong and when you get a jobsworth who can't/won't help you then "You clearly don't have the authority to deal with this, please may I speak to someone who has" can work wonders!

I always order from Hotel Chocolat at Christmas and this year got an email offering me 20% off if I ordered by midnight but it arrived just after midnight. I emailed and they apologised and still gave me the 20%. When the goods arrived one of the blocks was broken despite the packing being excellent so I emailed again and suggested that it must have been broken before packing. They are sending a replacement. Of course I will use them again and recommend them.

We were taught that a problem is an opportunity to show good service, clearly Asda doesn't share that view.

Nanado I had exactly the same experience yesterday on M&S's website. I immediately got an email saying that there was a problem and a link to the page where I could change my details.

I'm picking up the ordered cardigan from the store tomorrow - if the system didn't work, I'll report back.

spelling sorry

I'm still waiting for courtosy reply to e-mail I sent them about misleading advertising in their xmas brochure,all on one page they had ad for boxes of choc's 3 for £10.00 it did not differenciate between the brands on offer and who looked a right mug when I went to the till and the operater made sure the whole queue knew I would have bagged the bargain of the week if they sold at that price,how was I to know the ones on the bottom of the page where not included in the offer I don't work for the advertising dept for goodness sake. I gave Asda a second chance of my business on that day but sorry back to good old Morrisons at least the staff are pleasent.

That could be fun (playing "spot the Gransnetter" I mean) perhaps we ought to have a secret sign!

And it is raining hard! I'm going up to Asda earlyish - we could play spot the Gransnetter. But seriously, that is quite a round trip, Phoenix. What a bummer.

Thanks glass that is exactly the point I was trying to make, that they could have had the decency to contact me!

I am fuming that I waited in all afternoon when I could have gone to pick up a present that i had reserved. The whole bloody day has been a pain, (see Lil's bar for the other bits)

So, now tomorrow I have to go to Bideford, Torrington and Holsworthy, when if I knew that the Asda delivery wasn't going to happen I coold have at least done 1 today!

phoenix something similar happened to me with an online booking with Tesco but they had the decency to ring me and I gave them a different card, Tesco don't debit the account until the grocery's are leaving and then if delivered on a Friday it sometimes does is not withdrawn from my account until the Monday.

Thanks all, whether the money was in the right place at the right time, is I think, immaterial, they had 2 methods of contact and didn't use either of them!

The person I spoke to tried the "that's why we ask for a mobile number" tactic, I then pointed out that the only time I was out of the house was between around 10.30am to 11.45am, and when I am indoors there is no bloody mobile signal, they had ample time to contact me, the "confirmation" email was actually sent at 9.03am yesterday!

No excuse, I think.

You don't have to have the money in your account when you place the order. They take the payment just after midnight on the day of delivery so you only have to make sure the money is there by that time.

I used ASDA every month and I never have the money in the account when I place my order. Whoever told you that was being 'economical with the truth'.

I wasn't suggesting that the departments are completely unconnected, phoenix, just that the orderline probably has built-in default actions it takes whenever a card is declined etc. which doesn't allow for human intervention to sort out the problem.

PS Also apologies for the typo in the title, I was a bit cross!

Thank you Anno , I wanted to strike the right balance between the "mea culpa" aspect over the bank account, but also complain about they way that they dealt with (or rather didn't) the situation.

Ana the number I phoned was the one given in the FAQ section for orders that didn't arrive, so I'm assuming it was the right one to ring!

I have had an acknowledgement of my email, so lets see what happens.

My daughter has just had a rant at Asda a couple of weeks ago. In her £120 order, she asked for 2 x Fairy liquids for £2, as they were on offer. The order was confirmed. When it arrived next day, there were 2 x Fairy liquids at £1.98 each! Se rang to ask for the bill to be changed and they refused, saying the price had gone up at midnight, so today that was what she must pay. No option to refuse them at the door, no explanation, no email, no chance to change the order, no sympathy, no good will gesture. She emailed them to say she spends enough to keep their CEO's performance bonus in the millions and got a curt reply, not even a voucher or apology. They've just lost an online customer, and they will be sending her inducements to go back in a few weeks. Bad customer service.

I had a situation when my debit card expired and I update my new one on line. I then had two debit cards showing on one online account. I inadvertently used the out-of-date one when ordering online. I had a very nice email from the company explaining that they could not process my order and why. I was therefor able to rectify my mistake.

Asda are absolutely to blame. Their system should have informed you when they couldn't take payment. Personally I would not deal again with a company who are so incompetent.

There is no excuse for this appalling service. Your letter is exactly right because it leaves no room for doubt about who is at fault and why.