No longer an Asda virgin! (asda.co.uk)

Member Name: anwar7

Product:	asda.co.uk
Date:	20/10/09 (88 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see review

Disadvantages: see review

I don't often shop on line for groceries as I like to take my time shopping and have a good look at what's on offer! Having I was recently tempted to try Asda on line as the cash back site Quidco are offering £5 for your first order and 1% cash back of the value of your shopping. If you are interested in finding out more about Quidco, then I have reviewed the site already.

I am not going to write reams describing the Asda web site and how it works as you would do best to go and visit for yourself. I really want to pick out a few aspects and tell you about my experience so hope it will be helpful!

The Asda web site can be found at www.asda.co.uk. The web site looks a bit too cluttered for my liking and it took me a while to navigate my way around. However it is easy enough to use with all the department tabs along the top of the page outlined in green. The first time you use the site you will be asked to enter your post code to check Asda delivers to your area. Once this is established you will need to register including choosing a password. The registration process is simple with all the usual questions. Asda will then send you a welcome email.

Now you will need to select a delivery slot. Delivery charges range from £3.50 up to £5.50 depending when you would like your shopping delivered. I like the fact that some slots have a picture of a van indicating there will be a van in your area at this time. The idea is that combining deliveries will help to save fuel. The delivery times are in 2 hour slots.

Asda are well known for their competitive prices and special offers and there is a special offer tab at the top of the page that will show you what's on offer throughout the store.

I found it very easy to use the site once I had got over how cluttered it is! Simply chose the item you wish to buy and click to place it into your basket. I like the way the correct running total is shown. Tesco only deduct multi saver items at the end of the checkout process. By deducting the saving immediately I get the true cost of my shopping.

I like the favourites and my shopping lists features. The favourites feature shows you the items you regularly buy and should, in theory, help save you time by reminding you what you have bought before. The shopping lists feature will show you everything you have bought in the past and keep tabs on how much you have spent! There is also a record of your personal information where you can ad several addresses if you like!

I was very impressed to learn that if Asda have to substitute any item then they will always give you one of higher value and only charge you the price of the one you ordered. This is great for when those offers are out of stock! There is an option to say you don't want any substitutions if you prefer and you can always refuse them at the door.

The checkout process was very simple and I was asked to type in my password before confirming my order. This made me feel that there was an added level of security. You can check out any time up to 10pm for delivery the next day which I think is quite impressive!

Once I had confirmed my order I was sent a confirmation email with a list of everything I had ordered and my delivery time.

On the day my shopping was due to be delivered I was pleased to receive a phone call from the delivery driver to say he would be arriving in 5 minutes-at least this ensured I wasn't in the shower! The delivery was on time so full marks here! The driver was friendly although didn't offer to bring my shopping inside as the Waitrose driver had done! Although my shopping was in large crates, thin carrier bags had been used for my shopping. These were hardly adequate for several bottles of wine and a few bags of flour! Overall I felt the items hadn't been packed with much care. The driver will take your bags back to recycle. I was told by the driver that as this was my first shop the delivery charge would be waived. However despite emailing Asda I haven't had a reply yet.

I received an itemized list of my shopping with the price I had been charged and the amount I had saved.

The pros
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Shopping with Asda on line enabled me to get the special offer price even though some items were out of stock. I did save time and money not only on fuel but I wasn't tempted to buy things I didn't need. I liked the call from the driver just before he arrived, not something other supermarkets I have used have done. The items were all in good condition and as ordered except for a few substitutions.

The cons.
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The web site is a bit cluttered although easy enough to use. My shopping wasn't well packed and I would have preferred a wine carrier for example rather than a flimsy plastic bag for my several bottles of wine!

Overall I was very happy with my first online shopping experience with Asda and will be using them again!

Summary: asda on line