Iceland apologises to Hull mum who had to borrow cash after it failed to deliver food four days in a row
A mum on a low income has spoken of her stress after she ordered a food shop from Iceland which didn't arrive on time, meaning she had to borrow money to buy food.
The 33-year-old from east Hull works until 6pm so she chose an evening delivery slot. But the time of delivery, between 7pm and 9pm on Tuesday, came and went and she was left with an empty freezer despite having paid for a big shop.
It also didn't turn up on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday evening despite her complaint to customer services. This meant she had no money left in her bank account and had to borrow money from a relative - also struggling with the cost of living - just so she could provide her children with food until payday.
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On Saturday the delivery arrived four days later than requested, but Iceland provided a full refund and a £58 voucher to spend in-store. A spokesperson for Iceland told Hull Live the company was sorry "for any inconvenience caused".
The mum told Hull Live: "I'd never done an online shop with Iceland before and my freezer was empty at the weekend so I thought, 'Brilliant, I'll do an online shop with Iceland because they've got good deals and good prices'. I didn't have a lot of money in my bank because it was the last week before payday.
"So I did the online shop and it was due to arrive between 7pm and 9pm on Tuesday. It didn't arrive. I rang the Bransholme Centre Iceland on Wednesday morning and explained what happened."
The mum said she didn't get a full apology at the time and was told, "We're going to deliver between 10am and 12pm today". But the mum explained to the staff member that she'd be at work then, which was why she had chosen the evening delivery slot in the first place.
She added: "I rang customer services and they told me they'd put in a complaint for me. They said the food was coming Wednesday night. Wednesday night comes, 7pm comes and I get a text message: 'We're running late with your delivery. 7.30pm comes: 'We tried to deliver and you're not in'. But I was in.
"I rang [Branshome Centre Iceland] again and they said none of the 7pm to 9pm deliveries went out last night, let alone did they try and deliver. I had to find a family member to lend me money so I'm already out of pocket before I get paid.
"They weren't very helpful. I made a complaint and they said 'Your complaint is being taken seriously' but it's not though, because I've still not got my shopping. I was offered a free box of chocolates but I don't want chocolates, I want my shopping to come."
Before the shopping eventually arrived on Saturday, the mum said her children had eaten nothing but "sandwiches and beans on toast for the last three days" because she was only able to borrow £20.
An Iceland spokesperson said: "We are liaising closely with the customer and can confirm we have processed a full refund for their order. We have also provided the customer the opportunity to place a new order, free of charge. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."