Ocado has offered “sincere apologies” after the first day of its switchover to stocking Marks & Spencer products was marred by complaints from angry customers about orders being cancelled.
A spokesman for the pureplay grocer said the switch from Waitrose products to M&S had been “incredibly popular” with customers and blamed a “surge in demand” for issues that led to angry customers complaining to the retailer’s social media channels.
“The M&S launch has been incredibly popular. We have seen a surge in demand for M&S products in the run-up to launch, which has impacted a very small number of orders today,” he said.
“The vast majority of customers are unaffected and [their orders] will be delivered as normal. We would like to thank our customers for giving M&S such a big welcome and sincere apologies to any customers having to wait a bit longer.”
Several customers complained that their orders were cancelled by Ocado at the last minute, despite many being booked weeks in advance.
The long-awaited joint venture between Ocado and M&S went live today after the two brands announced their £750m tie-up in February 2019.
As part of the rollout, Ocado Retail pledged “significant investment” to expand delivery capacity by the end of 2021, as currently, just over 70% of UK customers have access to deliveries.
It comes at a critical juncture for both brands, with M&S having struggled through the pandemic. It recently announced that it would be slashing 7,000 jobs over the next three months.
While Ocado has seen its overall market share grow, particularly during lockdown, the pureplay retailer has been hampered by capacity issues and struggled to meet surging customer demand for grocery home delivery.
The switchover brings to an end the 20-year delivery partnership between Ocado and Waitrose.
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