An Edinburgh Tesco customer has hit out at the supermarket's decision stop deliveries to certain city postcodes during the entirety of the Festival Fringe.
The concerned resident, who is disabled and cannot drive, was dumbfounded at the decision despite living outside the city centre far from festival venues and three-and-a-half miles from the Royal Mile. She fears the decision will affect many more in her situation.
Last year, Edinburgh Live reported how multiple vulnerable pensioners were forced to ask relatives to shop for them due to the decision from Tesco to refine areas in which they deliver groceries to during the month of August.
Elaine, who prefers to keep her surname anonymous, lives in Blackhall which has an EH4 postcode. A member of the customer services team at Tesco recently informed her that they will not be delivering to this area, and others, while the Fringe is ongoing.
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Elaine, who pays for a monthly delivery saver plan which saves money on buying a specific slot every week, said that she is going to be given a refund for the monthly delivery cost. But she is still left at a loss as to how she can get to her nearest branch.
She said: "I live in postcode area EH4 Blackhall and have just been told today by Tesco I cant get any deliveries during the Fringe, which makes no sense to me as I'm nowhere near the town and the delivery comes from either Corstorphine or Hermiston. I'm disabled, live alone, don't drive and have been a delivery saver for many years.
"I got in touch with Tesco via WhatsApp as I couldn't book a slot and they gave the reason as the Edinburgh Fringe. They are still meant to be getting back in touch as we're going to check with IT that a mistake hasn't been made with postcodes."
Various messages seen by Edinburgh Live confirm the supermarket is declining to deliver to certain Edinburgh postcodes during the festival and that customers will receive £10 credit in their account to cover the cost of the delivery saver plan.
One message from a customer care assistant said: "Hi there Elaine, thanks for getting in touch. I have looked into this for you, and can confirm that this is because the Fringe Festival is on during this time. We don't deliver to certain post codes during this time.
"I am really sorry for the inconvenience caused, however this is only temporary for about 4/5 weeks."
Elaine said she has rheumatoid arthritis which affects her mobility. But she is most concerned by the way Tesco are treating their customers by making the decision. She has been a loyal customer for over a decade, so says she feels even more let down.
She continued: "If they won't deliver to me during the festival I will need to try and arrange home grocery deliveries from another supermarket and luckily they do seem to be delivering though not sure how busy they will be. Obviously this will cost me extra money to get them to deliver.
"Tesco has offered me £10 but don't think that will cover it. I wont be able to take advantage of Tesco Clubcard prices or earn points and money is tight at the moment so as Tesco says Every Little Helps!!. There is also the inconvenience of not having an online shopping list set up with another supermarket. This will be time consuming and I will also be unfamiliar with their products."
"I'm more angry about Tesco's decision to do this and not inform customers affected in advance and offer reasonable financial recompense or alternative. Also the ridiculousness of the EH4/3 postcodes being involved considering the distance from the town centre. My postcode wasn't affected in previous years so what changed and who made this decision? And also Tesco's complete disregard for loyal customers and disabled customers."
Elaine noted that the drivers that normally arrive with her shopping are typically friendly and don't have a problem unloading her groceries or even having a general chat.
Tesco has been approached for comment.
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