Shoppers crash Tesco’s website trying to book Christmas order slots
CHRISTMAS shoppers trying to secure a Tesco delivery slot yesterday got stuck in a queue of more than 300,000 customers that crashed the supermarket’s website and app.
Bookings were due to open from 6am but punctual hopefuls said more than 130,000 people were already ahead of them.
Some believed the queue for the Delivery Saver slots was opened before the advertised time.
Others said they were “kicked out” before they could get the chance to order. By 7.30am, shoppers were sharing screenshots of their place number on social media.
Stressful
Some were behind more than 200,000 others – and the system was branded the “queue of death” and damned as “a most stressful time”.
One shopper tweeted: “Trying to book a Tesco Christmas delivery slot. Should be renamed Tescslow.” Another added: “I’ve been in the queue since 6am, nearly two hours later and I just keep getting error messages. Very frustrating.”
A third tweeted: “Joined the queue at 5.50am at 59,000 in the queue. Got kicked off the app and put back in at over 200,000.”
Tesco said the issues were caused by a “high number of visits to our website and groceries app”. But it confirmed later in the morning the website was back up and running – with more than 1.2 million slots available in the week leading up to Christmas.
The supermarket – still the UK’s biggest – was weeks behind competitors, who allowed their customers to book for the yuletide week last month.
Tesco’s slots that became available yesterday were only for those who subscribe to a Delivery Saver plans.
Other shoppers must wait until Tuesday to try for theirs.
Last night a spokesman for the grocer said: “Online Christmas slots are now available for Delivery Saver customers on our website and groceries app after some customers temporarily had difficulty logging on or placing orders this morning.
“We’re really sorry about that and it has now been resolved.”