Peterborough pensioners ‘let down’ by Morrisons as supermarket admits delivery struggles

Andrew (76) said his order was due on Wednesday last week but did not arrive, only to receive an email 90 minutes later from the chain stating “we have cancelled your order”.

Andrew is currently shielding with his wife Sue (74) and was low on supplies having placed the order a fortnight earlier, although fortunately the couple’s daughter was nearby to provide some items.

Andrew and Sue from Orton Waterville are the latest people in Peterborough to have been angered by the late cancellation of Morrisons orders.

Another elderly couple, who are shielding in Orton Brimbles, said their delivery slot had been booked two weeks in advance but was cancelled on Monday - the day it was due.

The husband said: “The fear of shopping in the current climate is very real for myself and my wife, so to receive an email to say our shopping was cancelled came with a wave of fear and dread wondering how we were going to get the essentials we need to get through life every day housebound.

Green Party city councillor Julie Howell said she had also had the same issue with Morrisons, with her delivery cancelled on Sunday, January 10.

The member for Orton Waterville said she was offered a £10 voucher but saw that the next available delivery slot was only in a week’s time.

She too claimed not to have received any verbal feedback from Morrisons, instead receiving an email stating that the cancellation was due to an “incident”.

Morrisons told the Peterborough Telegraph that the problems with deliveries was due to a member of staff having Covid-19, with colleagues having to self-isolate, but twice said that the issue was fixed by the end of last week.

However, when told that customers were still having their orders cancelled this week, a spokesperson replied: “The store is running a reduced home-delivery service at the moment and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“Any elderly or vulnerable customers who are self-isolating and need a delivery should try our Doorstep Service where they can place an order over the phone and have it delivered free of charge the next day.”

Andrew told the PT: “I was interested by your story on Morrisons deliveries.

“I’ve been using them for several months and in general they have been reliable. I’ve actually recommended them to others who were having problems with another company.

“That was until last week. My wife and I live in Orton Waterville and, like the couple in your article, placed regular orders with Morrisons two weeks ahead of delivery.

“Last week’s delivery was due on Wednesday morning but it did not arrive. One-and-a-half hours after the delivery slot expired I received an email stating ‘we have cancelled your order’ and, as you would expect, I was not impressed.

“We were very low on normal food cupboard supplies, but fortunately my daughter lives nearby so I was able to borrow a few things while I waited four more days for an order from another company.

“I fully understand how fragile the current situation is but cancelling an order after it should have been delivered is unprofessional to say the least. Since I am not prepared to be let down again I cancelled my next Morrisons order and will shop elsewhere until the situation improves.”