House-bound shopper slams Woolworths over “unbelievable” delivery blunder
A Sydney shopper has voiced her frustration over an unfortunate incident with a recent Woolworths home delivery order.
Cecilia, who suffers from a chronic condition and physical limitations, was forced to call a relative to drive over and help after a delivery driver refused to bring her order to the house.
She said the driver left the bags 30 metres from the front door while it was raining, as she shared a photo showing just how far the bags were left.
A spokesperson for Woolworths has apologised for the incident, promising to investigate further.
According to the supermarket, the customer’s experience is not in line with Woolworths home delivery policy and as a standard protocol, drivers are meant to take the customer’s items to their doorstep or requested location.
Taking to Facebook, Cecilia mentioned that she’s been using Woolworths’ delivery service for some time and has had no complaints until now.
Things went awry when she asked the driver to bring her order up the side of her house, to the front door.
“He said that he understood and began stacking the bags outside at the top of the driveway in the rain,” Cecilia wrote.
“I informed him that the gate was unlocked, how to unlock it (no one else seems to have trouble getting through the gate) and could he please bring the bags up to the door. He said he would.
“My mother opened the gate for him, but he kept stacking the bags outside. I saw him heading down the driveway and called for him to come back.
“He yelled back that he was done. I yelled back (as he was running away from the house) that no it wasn’t done, could he bring them to the house and he said he was done, he got in his truck and quickly drove away.”
Cecilia went on to explain she has physical limitations and was approved for deliveries when the coronavirus pandemic hit.
“Not everyone who uses your delivery service does so out of laziness or an unwillingness to shop in-store,” she wrote.
“Many people, like me, use your delivery service because we need to. My chronic condition has recently flared up, and I can’t physically leave the house.”
She added: “I had to call a relative to drive over to my house and bring in my shopping as perishable items were sitting out in the rain.
“If I had wanted to ask a relative to help me with my shopping, I would have done so.
“Instead, I tried - in vain, to assert some independence, but Woolworths made sure that didn’t happen.”
“I understand that staff members have quotas to meet and are keen to get their job done and get home, but dumping my groceries 30 metres from my door, when I cannot physically leave the house, is not their job.
“Today’s delivery driver practically told me to get stuffed. This not good enough Woolies. Not good enough!”
Speaking to 7News, a representative for Woolworths apologised for the incident, describing it as a “one-off”.
“We pride ourselves on customer service, whether it be in-store or when our home delivery drivers greet you at your door,” the spokesperson said.
“Our drivers are trained to deliver a customer’s order safely and to adhere to specific requests where possible.
“We apologise that wasn’t the customer’s experience on this occasion, and will follow it up with our delivery teams.
“While we regret this one-off event, it’s definitely not representative of the positive experience thousands of our home delivery customers have every week.”
Any shopper with an unsatisfactory experience is urged to contact the Woolworths Customer Hub on 1800 000 610.