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May 4Th 2020 Written Evidence Submitted by Money Mail (COV0131)

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May 4Th 2020 Written Evidence Submitted by Money Mail (COV0131) May 4th 2020 Written evidence submitted by Money Mail (COV0131) Dear Sir/Madam, The Daily Mail’s personal finance section Money Mail has compiled a dossier of readers’ letters that we hope you will find useful to your inquiry into food supply in the Covid-19 pandemic. We first published a story on Wednesday, April 22, detailing the problems some classed as ‘clinically vulnerable’ were having securing a supermarket delivery in the lockdown. We then received hundreds of emails and letters from readers sharing their experiences. This was one of the biggest responses we have received to a story in recent memory. Money Mail then ran another story the following Wednesday (April 29th) sharing more reader stories and calling on supermarkets to do more to help. In this story, we told readers that their letters (with personal details removed) would be sent to the Efra inquiry. The pages that follow, we have included more 300 of the letters and emails we received in response to our coverage of the issue. Regards, The Money Mail team, Daily Mail 1. My husband and I are having to shield but unfortunately like most other people in similar circumstances, do not meet the very limited criteria set out by the Government for assistance with Food Deliveries. One has to ask why do so many able bodied people clap and cheer for the NHS Staff from their door steps on a Thursday evening yet a great many of them go online to do their Grocery Shopping booking a Home Delivery Slot? Do they not have the sense to see their selfishness and irresponsibility means that the Elderly and Vulnerable who have to shield are unable to access Online Shopping Delivery Slots as they have used them all up! The Elderly and Vulnerable are therefore left with no option but to visit the Supermarket themselves, thus risking catching Covid19 and ending up in ICU and being cared for by the very same exhausted staff that each Thursday the `selfish` within our society stand on their door steps and clap and cheer for! Would it not make much more sense, and reduce the numbers of elderly in ICU, if they got their Trainers on and walked around the Supermarket picking up their own Groceries? 2. It`s ludicrous when so many fit and able Adults are on furlough or even working from home but are too lazy to put on their Trainers or jump in their car and go to do their own shopping. Whilst the elderly are staring into empty fridges! 3. One also has to also question why the large Supermarkets do not put a stop to this whole online shopping debacle by quite simply stating that only persons over the age of 70 can have access to Online Home Deliveries. Proof of age i.e. a Driving Licence (or similar documentation) at point of first Delivery. Any persons under the age of 70 would have to provide proof from a GP that they are regarded as `Vulnerable` before they too access Home Deliveries. It`s ludicrous when so many fit and able Adults on furlough or even working from home are too lazy to put on their Trainers and go to do their own shopping. 4. The Scottish Government`s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon and her Team say they are pulling out all the stops to assist the Elderly and Vulnerable, yet I have written to her and indeed many other SNP MSP`s and local Councillors direct advising that at one point we were left with one egg and half a pint of milk in my Fridge, and the response was? A standard Email thanking me for writing and giving me a Link to `How to Keep Safe during the Covid 19 crises!" Like so many others who are shielding, we have no family residing anywhere near us, volunteers can offer some assistance by collecting the odd pint of milk or bread, but volunteers are snowed under with the numbers they are trying to assist and `Man or woman cannot live by bread and milk alone!` We are not asking for Charity; Free Food just fairness that we, we really really need to have Home Deliveries can access them, and at last have a regular supply of food! 5. My husband is 80 year old and I am 76 years old. At the start of the shut in we were told that we had were classed as vulnerable and had to stay in apart from exercising. We have no relatives that live in the town, Clevedon. A month ago I managed to get a delivery from Morrisons which was delivered last Saturday. I have not been able to get another delivery. 6. I have shopped with Tesco on line for the past four years using the same slot on the same day and am having no luck at all with on line shopping now. Since lockdown started I have had only 3 deliveries and the next one isn't due until 13.5.20. I am 88 years old and housebound due to the fact I am not mobile. I have 2 daughters, both of whom are isolating, one, because her partner had a letter from the government stating he was vulnerable, and the other has an autistic son and finds it difficult to keep him in if she is not there. She does shop for me once a week, but I do not like stressing her out and would not have to do so if I could be certain of a weekly slot. 7. Although I'm registered as a vulnerable customer with Sainsbury's I still can't get a home delivery slot for this. 8. Dear Sirs I have not been able to get a delivery slot from Sainsbury’s. Every time I log on to them I get the message they have not been able to identify me as one of their elderly or vulnerable customers. I have registered with gov.uk to no avail. I am approaching my 89th birthday and my wife is 81. Over the last few years I have had AKD, PMA, for this I take steroids, that do affect my immune system, I have had a Pacemaker fitted, two pulmonary embolisms of the lungs. I am also on Warfarin for my blood. If this does not make me vulnerable I do not know what will. 9. My wife is a vulnerable person. She has a letter from the NHS, has daily texts from the NHS and has had a telephone call from her doctor's surgery outlining the support that would be available to her. On the 9th of April I emailed Sainsburys asking for a food delivery slot to our home address, giving them full details of her health status, her NHS number, our Nectar card number and of course our home address. She has filled in the 'on line' NHS form and informed Sainsburys of this in our email of the 9th to Sainsburys. We have had no reply from Sainsburys - can you please help. 10. Having read the article in Wednesday’s Daily Mail, by Amelia Murray, regarding supermarket deliveries, I felt I should get in touch regarding the experience I have so far had with Asda. Just prior to the announcement of the lockdown and in anticipation that I would be classed as vulnerable due to a health condition, on the 17th March, I placed my first order with Asda. The earliest date I could get was the 30th March. Despite challenging stock levels in stores, I received my delivery with no issues even though several items were substituted. After placing this order, and due to concerns that delivery slots were limited, I managed to get a further delivery slot on 1st April. Over the following few weeks after spending a lot of time checking for available delivery slots online at all hours of the day and night, I managed to secure deliveries for the 8th, 14th and then 22nd April. For each of these deliveries I followed the advice Asda give on the website to try and only amend the order once and in the 2 days prior to the delivery. In fact, on each occasion I logged into my account during the afternoon on the day before the scheduled delivery. The process worked well, the website was easy to navigate and the orders amended and delivered without any issues and following the delivery on the 14th April I sent positive feedback to Asda as I believe the staff in store are doing a great job during this challenging time. My problems started earlier this week when I attempted to look for a delivery for next week and found that on Monday 20th April, the earliest delivery I could find was 3rd May. This was despite Asda stating previously on the website they would only display slots for a 7 day period. Despite feeling a little frustrated, I knew I had an order for the 22nd April so could add extra items to that order the following day that would see us through until 3rd May. On Tuesday afternoon, I logged onto my order and spent quite some time amending and adding items to it. The initial order I placed came to a total of approx. £40 and by the time I had finished, this had increased to £130. However, when I went to checkout I encountered problems kept getting a message saying ‘sorry we’ve had a technical error, please try again’. I did this a few times without success.
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