Wake up, Shaw's.
This is about Shaw's'online shopping system. My grocery order was left on the steps at the wrong door of my apartment building, despite my specifying the correct entrance and checking the box that says I wanted it handed to me in person. When I got the notification that the order was delivered, I tried the chat link to find out where it was but I could no longer reach the driver directly. The regular chatbot was completely useless, it did not even understand the problem. When I found my food, there was no way to get the driver back to help me. I had to carry six heavy bags, two at a time, all the way back around to my side of the building. I'm alone, over 60, and have limited mobility - if it was easy for me walk half a mile and carry around heavy grocery bags, I'd be doing my own shopping! Aside from my physical inconvenience, that front entrance where the order was left is practically on the sidewalk in my downtown neighborhood. People passing by can reach out and grab things right off those steps without even stopping, and they often do. Why would a delivery service leave bags food unattended in a spot like that in the first place? I had to put the cold stuff away after my first trip around the house, and I half expected to get back and find the rest of the bags gone.
Customer service rep at the local Shaw's was very nice but couldn't offer much except sympathy and a tip refund. She explained that the driver works for a third party, "...usually Door Dash or Uber." She said she could "block" the driver, which I guess is the equivalent of being fired. It seemed a bit extreme so I said no. She confirmed that the surveys that come after the orders only go to Shaw's internally. So, there is no way to inform a driver of a mistake and give them a chance to correct it. The whole system defies logic.
Every time I've used Shaw's online ordering system, there's been some issue or other. This was the last straw. Shaw's needs to recognize when something is not working. I don't have an issue with the bricks and mortar side of Shaw's, but if their use of third parties for online orders is this problematic and they can't effectively troubleshoot or advocate for their customers, they need to get their own drivers or just stop offering the service. Either way, I need a more reliable option so will be switching back to their competitor here. It's expensive and also not perfect, but at least it's possible to have direct communication about deliveries.