Cold Storage apologizes for undelivered and delayed orders. Customers will receive a refund

SINGAPORE – Supermarket chain Cold Storage will refund some of its customers for undelivered or delayed orders on Christmas Day and posted a public apology on its social media pages on Boxing Day (December 26).

In its social media posts, Cold Storage stated that the company had “encountered unexpected challenges due to a sudden increase in COVID-19 cases” that had impacted its workforce and supply chain.

“Despite the efforts of our team members to work around the clock to prepare the Christmas products, we must admit that we have disappointed some customers. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to some of our customers and would like to sincerely apologize,” the posts said.

In response to the fiasco, Cold Storage added that the company would improve its services, accept orders earlier and increase its staffing capacity to prevent future incidents.

This is not the first time the supermarket chain has faced problems ordering Christmas food. Last year, Stomp reported long queues at Cold Storage stores on Christmas Eve, with some customers waiting up to three hours to collect their pre-ordered Christmas food.

Waited up to 7 hours without receiving food order

Internet users affected by food orders not being delivered or being delivered late expressed their dismay at the debacle on social media.

One wrote that she waited up to seven hours for her order, which never arrived. Another Internet user also wrote that her order did not arrive even after the agreed time between 2 and 5 p.m., without any explanation or compensation.

According to Stomp, one of their readers paid for $273 worth of groceries for a December 18 order that didn't arrive at her holiday party of 20 guests. After contacting the company via Facebook Messenger, she received standard replies claiming the fulfillment team had gotten back to her.

There were also Internet users who wrote that they had no problems with their online orders. One of them even noted that her order arrived on time on Christmas Eve.

Unhappy with COVID-19 excuse and poor online system

Despite Cold Storage's apology on social media, some internet users continue to express their unhappiness at the supermarket chain using COVID-19 as an excuse.

“(After receiving) the full refund, I have to monitor the transaction for the next 21 days! Such inconvenience for us, the victims! Cold Storage offers us Cold Storage vouchers of the same amount. They still want their money back in their own pocket? Ridiculous!” wrote one netizen.

“Simply apologizing when something went wrong will not help your reputation at all, but will demonstrate your management's inability to achieve your company's values ​​and goals. This is a clear indication that your company will not be able to handle such large orders during such a major festival season as the upcoming Chinese New Year. Really a very disappointing response,” wrote another netizen.

Cold Storage advises that customers can call the hotline (6891-8100) during office hours or send a direct message with their order number for a refund.

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