Booked a Christmas Ocado slot yet? Too late!

THERE are still 11 weeks until Christmas but concerned shoppers voiced their fears yesterday over Ocado delivery slots already being snapped up.

Many took to social media to complain about being unable to place their orders for the days leading up to December 25.

One prospective buyer, Michelle Coulter, said: ‘You texted me 15 minutes ago to say I could book a Christmas slot Ocado and they are already all gone? Seriously?!’

Another, Melanie Hoskin, said: ‘I’m changing online suppliers after ten years.

‘Sadly Ocado have really dropped since M&S joined – far too many missing items, price increases and too many tech difficulties. Never once had an issue getting a Christmas slot in previous years. Now there’s none for six days before Christmas.’

Not everyone was unhappy, though. One customer with a successful booking, Stephen Jones, insisted that it paid to be ‘quick off the mark’, adding: ‘My wife booked a Christmas slot three weeks ago. Early bird and all that.’

The delivery giant offers priority booking for people who sign up to its Smart Pass benefit scheme. At the start of last month, the firm began delivering Marks & Spencer products after ending its previous deal with Waitrose.

However, the new partnership got off to a rocky start when

Ocado had to cancel some orders on the first day after what it described as a ‘surge in demand’.

Yesterday an Ocado spokesman said: ‘We’re experiencing very high demand for slots at the moment. We’re working hard to make sure access to Christmas deliveries is as smooth as possible by staggering the release of our slots.’