verified email -
20 Nov 2013
I thought I would give Woolworths online a try as they were advertising a product I wanted to buy on "Special" and the first online order was free delivery.
This proved to be a very disappointing experience.
Instead of taking a small "holding deposit" to verify that the card you are paying with is valid, they take the entire amount for the order at point of sale.
I received an Email confirming the order, then the next day I received an Email saying that they had run out of stock for over 50% of the order I had placed, I requested no substitutions. They advised that my card would be credited with the difference "within a 3-5 days"
The order was delivered within the specified time frame, but this was the only positive aspect to the experience.
I find this method of doing business to be very unsatisfactory.
Good business practice would be to charge the card once the order has be "picked", so that the appropriate amount is charged to the card.
This is the method employed in Europe and it works, as you are not paying for something that is not in stock.
I replied to the Email I received from them which notified me that they were out of stock and I asked if they
could advise me when the product would be back in stock.
I received an "auto reply" which stated I would receive a response within 48 hours.
Even after 72 hours I did not received a response and have not received one, to date.
Their website does not have an option for Online chat, nor a dedicated customer response team to answer Emails promptly, which would improve the customer experience substantially.
The are many other companies that offer online purchasing and I shall not be buying any product from them, via their online services, in the future.
I thought I would give Woolworths online a try as they were advertising a product I wanted to buy on "Special" and the first online order was free deliver.
This proved to be a very disappointing experience.
Instead of taking a small "holding deposit" to verify that the card you are paying with is valid, they take the entire amount for the order at point of sale.
I received an Email confirming the order, then the next day I received an Email saying that they had run out of stock for over 50% of the order I had placed, I requested no substitutions. They advised that my card would be credited with the difference "within a 3-5 days"
The order was delivered within the specified time frame, but this was the only positive aspect to the experience.
I find this method of doing business to be very unsatisfactory.
Good business practice would be to charge the card once the order has be "picked", so that the appropriate amount is charged to the card.
This is the method employed in Europe and it works, as you are not paying for something that is not in stock.
I replied to the Email I received from them which notified me that they were out of stock and I asked if they
could advise me when the product would be back in stock.
I received an "auto reply" which stated I would receive a response within 48 hours.
Even after 72 hours I did not received a response and have not received one, to date.
Their website does not have an option for Online chat, nor a dedicated customer response team to answer Emails promptly, which would improve the customer experience substantially.
The are many other companies that offer online purchasing and I shall not be buying any product from them, via their online services, in the future.
Approximate cost:
$30.00