More Supermarket Craziness

When I had a cat, I ordered cat tray litter liners, but what was sent was a packet of sanitary towels.

This week I ordered a pack of six salt and vinegar crisps. What arrived were six packs, 36 packets of crisps so I will not have to order for many months, if I am still eating them.

I ordered sheets for my son who was moving away from home, I ordered a fitted and a matching flat sheet but they substituted the flat for another fitted one. No amount of me explaining that I couldn’t put two fitted sheets on the bed would work, that was Asda !!

Doodledog

At least that shows they were from actual chickens, I suppose.

WRT my Imodium post, they do charge for the cheaper item if they substitute a more expensive one, in case anyone is wondering. Well, they send a voucher for the difference, anyway.

Ha ha that's like complaining there are seeds in the tomatoes !

FranP

The pickers are on time limit, so they just pick up the one at the front.
It is a nightmare getting around to do your own shopping these days - have to watch my toes as they pick and push in.

Occasionally I've had an item or two right on date and have had the price refunded but mostly the dates are fine.

The pickers are on time limit, so they just pick up the one at the front.
It is a nightmare getting around to do your own shopping these days - have to watch my toes as they pick and push in.

My daughter thought she had ordered a pack of Brussel’s sprouts. She received one sprout in a large bag.

At least that shows they were from actual chickens, I suppose.

WRT my Imodium post, they do charge for the cheaper item if they substitute a more expensive one, in case anyone is wondering. Well, they send a voucher for the difference, anyway.

My son delivers for Tesco and rarely seems to have complaints about substitutions. He did have a customer yesterday who wasn't happy when she found chicken poo on one of her eggs.

Thanks for all the replies, some made me laugh, some made me cringe !
I know it's the forfeit for not picking your own stuff instore, but sometimes it's just too bizarre and surely a computerised system can tell that disinfectant isn't chocolate !!!

I'm vegetarian and I can remember being really annoyed a few years ago when they kept sending real meat instead of veggie burgers !

The worst thing ever in online shopping was a New Year's eve, Tesco were booked to deliver to me with all the tasty bits we needed for a family party night. The driver never came and when I phoned them, they said he had rung the bell and no one had answered, which was a complete lie because we had a door camera. I was fuming, luckily there was still time to grab what I could from local shops but there ended my relationship with Tesco !!

sodapop

My husband thinks the warehouse staff are having a competition to see who can come up with the most unlikely substitute.

That's probably nearer to the truth than you think. 😁😁😁

After I retired I went to work part time at asda. The girls who pick and pack the orders use an electronic scanner which suggests substitutions when something isn't available.
They keep us amused in the canteen by relating the hilarious ideas the scanner comes up with as suitable replacements.
I imagine by the end of their shift when they're tired and not concentrating they don't take the trouble to check to see if what they've picked makes sense.
You've shown us some real humdingers though, and although its good to laugh its infuriating if you need the item for a recipe or meal.

Sainsbury's also automatically refund. They also refund on the doorstep if something is a bit squashed or the lid has leaked. Leaky lids are more common now they use those daft 'ecologically friendly' peel back ones on yoghurt, and the white ones on milk. I haven't paid for milk for ages, as they always seem to drip. If they drip onto something else the driver usually refunds that, too - even if it's in a box.

The substitutions can make you aware of price differences though. I was restocking the medicine cabinet, and ordered own-brand 'Imodium', which was out of stock and replaced with the branded stuff. Sainsbo's one was £1 for 6 tabs, and the branded one was nearly £7 for 12.

My daughter ordered a pack of 4 nailbrushes, she works with horses, and they sent her a ball of string. We can't actually blame the pickers though as it's the tech that chooses. It's a bit like if you search for a clothes rack on Amazon, it will bring up every type of rack ever invented, or if you change it to clothes horse then they show everything relating to or picturing a horse.

Dearknees1

I use Ocado and rarely get substitutions. When I do they’re sensible, I’m told in advance and therefore am ready to reject. Customer service is excellent. Very quick refund for damaged or incorrect items. Packing is less impressive. There’s always at least one really light bag containing one item and one bag overfilled with heavy items. It doesn’t matter how much you complain nothing changes. Nevertheless other people’s experiences convince me to stick to Ocado.

Tesco tell you in advance ....they also tell you if something has a short date

NoodleNut

I love the random subs. I actually get quite sad if I get my full delivery!

Me too!
I always end up with something more expensive so I feel like a winner!!
And if I say I don't want an item because its almost out of date, they just tell me to keep it but refund it anyway
This is tescos ....they not disappointed me yet

I use Ocado and rarely get substitutions. When I do they’re sensible, I’m told in advance and therefore am ready to reject. Customer service is excellent. Very quick refund for damaged or incorrect items. Packing is less impressive. There’s always at least one really light bag containing one item and one bag overfilled with heavy items. It doesn’t matter how much you complain nothing changes. Nevertheless other people’s experiences convince me to stick to Ocado.

I always use Ocado as their customer service is excellent. I once got a bag of someone else’s shopping by mistake.
It contained a £25 piece of steak, some expensive mints, a box of tissues, large pack chewing gum, luxury mixed nuts and chocolate biscuits. All things I couldn’t afford.

I contacted them but the nice lady said keep them all. I did enjoy the steak.

The driver was brilliant and we both had a jolly good laugh when I gave them back to him and explained the situation then I had several calls to them and loads of frustration trying to get the dopey woman on the other end of the line to get me a £8.40 refund and she couldn't understand that milk is NOT ANYWHERE NEAR LIKE a pack of period pads! Eventually and very reluctantly she proceeded the refund!
😃

Tesco and Waitrose drivers just note that the substitution has been rejected and the substitution comes through automatically. No need to phone.

Remind me not to order online from Morrison's 😃

Meant to say I used Sainsbury's.

I do my online shopping and I e never had a crazy substitution, sometimes I don't want the substitution but never any issues, J just give it to the driver and get a refund. Sometimes I've had short dated items as Nd said I'd send them back and the driver said just keep it and refunded me. I can't complain.

I'm sure the 'no substitutes' boxes can be ticked, certainly with Ocado it can. I've only ever had substitutions from Sainsbury's which weren't too silly.

rocketstop

My order is due to be delivered this morning.I clicked on my receipt to see what substitutions there are with the usual message of 'We try to pick the nearest product to the one you ordered' Really ?
What do you think of this ?!!...

We’ve tried to pick the best substitute for the unavailable items below. If you’re not happy with these substitutions, you can give them back to the driver and we’ll send you a refund.
ItemsQuantityPrice
KitKat 4 Finger Hazelnut Chocolate Bar 41.5g1£1.00

Substituted with
Zoflora Concentrated Multipurpose Disinfectant Midnight Blooms 500ml1£1.00
Sainsbury's Red Pepper1£0.69

Substituted with
Sainsbury's Yellow Pepper1£0.69

Par for the course, I’m afraid. Their packers are appalling! I am always having to send stuff back because it’s incorrect. The most stupid one (not food) was a corset, complete with bones, when I had ordered a simple winter vest!
You know the saying: if you only pay peanuts, you’ll get monkeys. But they are getting much worse. I dread deliveries now.

TBH I have never had a silly substitution, but I do get annoyed when they give you something with a short date, e.g Strawberries that expire within 24 hours . Some of the drivers will just let you keep it and process the refund anyway. Others will take them back and still process the refund but I know it is just thrown into the skip when they get back to base as one of the drivers told me previously. The only time I have to phone for a refund is if something is missing and I don't notice until I go to put things away. I always online shop with Tesco.

Once had bladder infection capsules substituted to hay fever tablets. Uh!!

I've only ever ordered food online when we had covid so couldn't shop in person. The only subs we got were tins of the wrong sort of soup. I simply took them back for a refund when I was well again. My DD did the order and included some soup she liked but I didn't, so along with the subs I returned some of the ones she had ordered as I suspected they wouldn't all get used. She did eventually use one of the cans I kept, and said it didn't taste as good as it used to!
Note to self - Give remaining can to the foodbank next time I'm there doing deliveries!