Louise Sinden-Carroll, pictured with her dog Chella, struggled to get an online delivery from the supermarket despite having chronic health issues. Photo / supplied
Louise Sinden-Carroll, pictured with her dog Chella, struggled to get an online delivery from the supermarket despite having chronic health issues. Photo / supplied
A retired Northland couple with chronic health conditions have been left feeling distressed and exhausted after battling to get online food deliveries from Countdown during the lockdown.
Mangawhai Heads residents Louise Sinden-Carroll and her husband, who are both in their 60s, struggled for nearly two weeks to get a delivery,even after they registered for priority assistance which has been set up for vulnerable New Zealanders.
The couple had to stay up till midnight several nights in a row just to get an order in.
"We're rural, vulnerable and both in our 60s and we can't get an order," Sinden-Carroll said.
"We were getting distressed staying up four nights in a row and we just couldn't get one.
Sinden-Carroll, a bowel cancer survivor who has a severe gut auto-immune disease and is on heart and endocrine medications, needs a gluten and dairy free diet in order to be well.
She has been told "very clearly" by her doctors if she gets Covid-19 the consequences could be dire. Her husband is in his late 60s and uses a respirator for a sleep disorder.
Sinden-Carroll said they were following the Prime Minister's instructions that at-risk citizens go into isolation prior to the nationwide lockdown.
They did not panic buy, believing the online deliveries they've been doing with Countdown Warkworth for the last several years would continue.
When Countdown's Priority Assistance Scheme was launched on March 27 they immediately registered.
The scheme was set up to help those aged 70 or over and people with chronic illnesses after a massive influx of online shoppers put demand on delivery services.
But instead of getting a delivery slot, they received an email saying: "New delivery slots are opened at midnight each day, however these fill fast. Please keep checking...If there are no available times, then unfortunately the Priority Service slots are full for that day."
Desperate, she wrote to Northland MP Matt King, who organised her local Four Square to do a special delivery.
Some customers are still struggling to get online food deliveries despite Countdown setting up a priority assistance scheme. Photo / file
The couple got their delivery on April 3, nearly two weeks after putting in their order.
"It's not a normal situation but one where we were left high and dry," Sinden-Carroll said.
"If we hadn't made a noise, we still wouldn't have a delivery.
"There's got to be a lot of other people who are in really scary situations. Countdown really needs to step up and look at what they're doing."
Kiwis have reported a slew of problems with supermarkets, with many taking to social media saying they can't get delivery slots.
There have also been complaints about price hikes, a drop in supermarkets offering specials, and a lack of staple products like flour, garlic and rice.
A new monitoring group set up by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to look into price-gouging during the lockdown received nearly 1000 complaints in the first day.
Adern said supermarkets were working out how to increase capacity for online deliveries.
Civil Defence recently offered to help out in the delivery of groceries and essential items for those unable to make it to the shops.
People in Northland who urgently need assistance with access to essentials such as food and medication can phone 0800 790 791 from 7am-7pm daily.
King said: "It's a pretty sad day when someone in Louise's condition can't get priority food delivery."
"She emailed them with that information, and they didn't give it any consideration.
"I think that's appalling so I told her if she was unsuccessful, I would drive down and do the shop myself."
A Countdown spokeswoman said teams around the country were working hard to open more delivery windows.
"Since launching our priority assistance service, we've had 46,000 applications.
"We can assure customers that anyone approved for priority assistance will get first access to online delivery windows but the reality is that these are in extremely high demand."
