VIJAYAWADA: Not long after being told they could just make a call to get groceries delivered home from supermarkets, residents of Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada had their hopes dashed, as their phone calls for essential goods went unanswered.
The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) and Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) had provided a list of phone numbers and said the public could use them to have groceries delivered. However, people who dialled these numbers said they were either switched off or their calls went unanswered.
Visakhapatnam residents said they ended up going to shops to buy supplies as the phone numbers of retail stores provided appeared to be incorrect.
“The idea of delivering supplies was good, but on calling the numbers, we learnt that the phones were switched off, unreachable, or it was the wrong number,” said Manoj Kumar, a school teacher.
On enquiring, it was found that the numbers listed were those of delivery agents, and not employees who would receive orders. After repeated calls to one of the numbers, a person who identified himself as Subbaiah responded and said it as a wrong number. However, he said he was a delivery agent. “It must have been a misunderstanding that our numbers were released to the public for door delivery. We were getting calls all day, so most of us switched off our phones or did not answer calls,” he said.
The situation in Vijayawada was similar. “Contact numbers of 12 supermarkets were given. I first called the one nearest to my house, but the number was busy for nearly 30 minutes. I tried the second one but it was switched off. I then tried another store and experienced the same thing. By the time I finished calling all the numbers it was afternoon. The next day, I had to go out and buy supplies,” said Mrudula Shetty, a resident of the city.
Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, added, “I called two numbers. While on one the person said they don’t have adequate staff, the person who picked up on the other simply declined to deliver the products and hung up. I would have understood if I was purchasing goods of a low value, but I ordered nearly 20 products costing between `2,500 and `3,000.”
Meanwhile, employees at supermarkets said they were taking all possible efforts to deliver goods. “We have delivered supplies to more than 20 homes so far, and never said no to anyone. A few items may have been unavailable, or the delivery may have been delayed due to a shortage of staff, but we never declined an order,” said an employee of Big Bazar.
Reacting to the situation, VMC commissioner V Prasanna Venkatesh said, “Many orders have been received, and there aren’t enough staff to handle the load. We are trying to improve our door-delivery service, and have planned to rope in RTC buses for this. Guidelines for deliveries are also being prepared at State government level.”
Meanwhile, some people preferred to visit shops and stand in queues rather than opting for home delivery as they said that that even products delivered would have been touched.
No lapse from our end: Stores
“We have delivered supplies to more than 20 homes so far, and never said ‘no’ to anyone,” said an employee of Big Bazaar
“Many orders were received, and there aren’t enough staff to handle the load. We are trying to improve our door-delivery service, and have planned to rope in RTC buses,” said VMC commissioner V Prasanna Venkatesh. The govt is preparing norms for delivery
New nos
Managers of retail outlets in Visakhapatnam on Sunday released a new list of phone numbers for delivery of groceries. People may call these numbers or send a message on WhatsApp
Reliance
China Waltair- 7780379538
Allipuram- 6301753389
Seethammadhara -6301850382
Marripalem- 9052353954
Gajuwaka- 9391008524
Sujathanagar- 9908862922
More
Nowroji Road - 9912226872
Sagar Nagar-9912229644
HB Colony- 9912226249
Akkayyapalem- 9912226242