Online grocery shopping has been turned into "chaosW as shoppers look for home deliveries amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
Tesco have been cancelling home deliveries due to "store issues" while customers have been told they cannot fulfil orders for over two weeks.
With social distancing being advised, consumers have been hitting the supermarket chain and others with complaints on social media about issues in getting delivery slots, particularly those that cannot get out their house.
Supermarket websites and online grocers such as Ocado have also been hit by the surge in orders, with some supermarkets forced to ration certain items to ensure they are available to all customers.
Ocado suspended its mobile app on Monday and turned away new orders as major supermarkets’ online services creak under the strain of the coronavirus outbreak.
On Tuesday night Melanie Smith, chief executive of Ocado apologised to customers saying: "We are trying our best."
The Herald understands that some of those who have already had deliveries booked with Tesco, have been getting them cancelled with little explanation.
Proforma emails sent to customers say: "We are extremely sorry to let you know that due to store issues, we have unfortunately had to cancel your order that's due today.
"You can reschedule your order by going to your past orders... and add all your items to a new basket and checkout as usual."
Tesco have been approached for comment.
Tesco is expected to announce all its 24-hour stores will from tonight reduce their hours to open between 6am and 10pm.
It comes after the UK Government announced stringent new measures to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.
Customers raised their issues with Tesco online and were shocked to find that successful attempts to book deliveries would result in getting slots into the first week of April and beyond.
Ocado said it has seen “exceptionally high demand” on its website, meaning delivery slots have sold out “quicker than expected”.
The online supermarket said that due to “unusual demand, they have made the call to temporarily prioritise deliveries for existing registered customers.
"We will not be processing new customer bookings for the time being," it said.
Ms Smith in her apology to customers said the app was switched off due to "performance issues driven by high demand".
She added: "Delivery slots are selling a lot faster than usual, so we suggest booking one or more ahead of time to avoid disappointment. We are releasing further delivery slots as soon as they become available."
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