Last-minute Christmas shoppers faced chaos recently as Morrisons' More loyalty card experienced significant technical issues. Customers who typically rely on the More card for discounts found themselves paying full price for items they expected to buy at promotional rates, leading to frustration and confusion just days before the holiday.
Many loyal customers save vouchers throughout the year to use during the festive season, making the situation even more concerning. One shopper shared on social media, posting about encountering error messages at self-checkouts which read: 'We are really sorry some promotions and discounts are not working at this time.' Meanwhile, the Morrisons website also suffered outages, with some pages displaying '502 bad gateway' error messages, prompting customers to voice their frustrations on platforms like X.
According to reports from BBC News, the chaos unfolded on December 23, typically the busiest grocery shopping day of the year. The issues began early Monday, when several customers who had placed orders for delivery received emails indicating their deliveries would be either delayed or canceled. One woman, Moira Redhead, shared her distress after being left without food for Christmas when her delivery was canceled without warning. Living with disabilities, Redhead had indicated her reliance on Morrisons for delivery.
'I’ve rung customer services who said they couldn’t reinstate the order or offer me another delivery slot, and there’s nothing they can do,' Redhead lamented. 'I explained to them I’m very unwell, disabled and immunocompromised, and they just said they can’t do anything, and offered me a £10 goodwill voucher.' This left her uncertain about how she would manage to obtain her holiday groceries.
Morrisons quickly addressed the issue, stating, 'Today we are experiencing some system issues which are affecting our More Card customers.' The spokesperson explained, 'For More Card customers who have Morrisons Fivers to redeem, these will be done manually by colleagues.' The company then implemented measures to pacify unhappy shoppers by offering 10% off the entire shop for More Card users on December 23 and Christmas Eve, along with discounts for non-Card members.
Despite these efforts, many customers expressed dissatisfaction over the way Morrisons handled the situation. Complaints surged when it became evident some customers were overcharged. Reports of people charged higher prices during checkout due to the system errors emerged, with one shopper stating they had been overcharged by about £40. 'It’s a good job I checked my receipt before leaving the store because I had been overcharged. I got a full refund and walked out,' they noted. Customers were particularly frustrated about the lack of communication from Morrisons during these delivery disruptions.
Morrisons launched subsequent corrective measures, reiteranig they were investigating the circumstances affecting their More Card system and delivery service, but did not specify the exact reasons for the widespread issues. Nevertheless, they remained committed to restoring confidence, as their stores reassured customers of imminent processing fixes.
Crazy this holiday season, Morrisons was not the only supermarket feeling the strain—competition intensified. Iceland experienced what they described as 'a flurry of last-minute orders,' as shoppers turned to them due to Morrisons' glitch. The retailer reported tripled online traffic and significant hikes across holiday staples, claiming sales of Christmas staples like turkey had surged by 200% during the glitch period.
Many shoppers shared their bewilderment on social media. Some voiced their frustration as Morrisons posted vague updates about Click and Collect orders, leaving customers guessing if their orders would be fulfilled or canceled without clear communication. One disgruntled customer, Craig Miles, complained, 'Vague updates on click and collect are unacceptable. You need to let us know you will fulfill it today so we can go elsewhere if you can’t.'
The situation surrounding Morrisons' 'system issues' raised broader concerns about customer loyalty schemes, as consumer expert Kate Hardcastle urged the supermarket to adopt transparent communication strategies to mend their reputation. 'It's something customers will not forget quickly,' she advised, emphasizing the need for Morrisons to prioritize customer service during this busy seasonal time.
With the holiday now behind us, Morrisons aims to regain customer trust by ensuring system functionality moving forward. Many are watching closely, wondering what steps the company will take to rectify the damages caused by their recent technical troubles as they continue negotiations with disenchanted shoppers.
