A diabetic says he's been 'living on scraps' after a Sainsbury's delivery driver refused to hand over his food - because he did not have any photo ID.
William Wilford was left stunned on the doorstep when he could not bring in his shopping. The delivery driver said it was 'policy' to ask for photo ID so he could hand over the groceries, William claims.
That's despite the fact William is 37-years-old and did not buy any age-restricted items, like alcohol and cigarettes. Now, the Middlesbrough man has told Teesside Live how the £68.65 shop has forced him to live on leftovers as he eagerly awaited the delivery.
William said: "It just seems like [Sainsbury's has] a very weird policy. When I was ordering food off the app, there was no indication that I needed photo ID or anything. It's a mess.
"It was the last of my benefits money, so it's not like I could go out and get some odds and ends before the refund came through. I should not have been put in a situation where I had to rely on [the government] money."
The 37-year-old, who has cystic fibrosis and diabetes, was confused as to why he needed ID to get his pre-paid parsnips, pasta, and potatoes. Although the supermarket later provided a refund, William was warned it could take days to process, leaving him facing a "dangerous" position of being both out of food and out of pocket.
William, who lives on his own and receives benefits due to his health issues, said he used the Sainsbury's app to purchase his 47-item food order, completing it without any issues and describing it as "relatively straightforward." Some of the other items he ordered included spaghetti, Quorn chicken fillets and chicken-free slices, along with numerous vegetables.
He added that the cost of living crisis has put added strain on his finances. Describing his food situation before the order's arrival, he explained: "On the morning of my expected food delivery, I had used the last of my milk and bread for breakfast - my delivery wasn’t due till 9pm to 10pm that evening.
"Lunch was a meal containing leftover veg that I tossed in a pan with some pasta. It wasn’t particularly good - but I knew I had my food delivery coming on the night, so I was willing to wait to have something decent to eat before going to bed on the night, after my delivery.
"On the day of delivery, the guy placed [the trays] at my door and asked for a photo ID for proof of age. I was like, there's no age-restricted items in there, no alcohol, no cigarettes or anything. He said it was policy and that he needs proof of photo ID."
William, who is originally from Leicester but moved to Teesside when he was younger, offered to find his birth certificate but was told that he had to rearrange the delivery for another day - despite him explaining how he was "relying" on the food shop due to his diabetes and having little food left. He said he can't stress enough how much of a "dangerous" situation this put him in.
In another blow, William discovered when phoning Sainsbury's that the next two days delivery slots were full. He added: "They said they couldn't make any compromise even though I explained to them, again, about my health. They said the best thing for them to do was to give a full refund, which I was fine with - I thought it meant I'd get the full refund straight away and I'd be able to go shop somewhere else.
"I then received an email the next morning saying it would take three to five days to process my refund, which meant I was out of food and pretty much just living on scraps for a couple of days. The thing that saved me was the one-off payment from the government that they were giving out."
William stayed up until the government cash had cleared in the "middle of the night" when he then ordered a food shop from ASDA instead, which was then delivered that same day. He said the refund has now been credited to his bank account. He explained how he doesn't want to get anyone in trouble with the situation but instead just wants to be "treated fairly, like everyone else."
A Sainsbury's spokesperson said that they are investigating the case. They supermarket giant confirmed its standard policy to only deliver to those aged 18 and over, but that if customers look under 25, drivers can ask for ID. A statement read: "We are reaching out to Mr Wilford to apologise for his experience and to arrange a gesture of goodwill."
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