If your ASDA delivery is late, check the order status in Your Orders and look for a call, text message, email or app notification. ASDA may contact you when a driver is delayed and provide an updated arrival estimate.
Once the booked slot has ended, contact ASDA if the order status is not updating, you have not received an explanation, or you can no longer remain at the delivery address.
A delivery that is a few minutes behind schedule may still arrive normally. However, you should act promptly if it is marked as delivered, changes to cancelled, or remains delayed for a significant period without an update.
Check whether the delivery slot has ended
First, confirm the exact time shown in your order confirmation.
If your slot is from 6pm to 7pm, the order is not officially late until after 7pm. Drivers may arrive near the end of the booked period, particularly when earlier deliveries have taken longer than expected.
The confirmed date and time should appear in Your Orders and in the confirmation email ASDA sent when you placed the shop.
Check the order status
Sign in to your ASDA account and open Your Orders. ASDA says customers can use this area to manage an order, track a delivery, view charges and report a problem.
The status may show that your groceries are:
- Being prepared
- Ready for delivery
- On the way
- Delayed
- Delivered
- Cancelled
Tracking information is useful, but an estimated arrival time can change during the route. The number of stops remaining should not be treated as a guaranteed countdown.
Your booked slot, order tracking and final charges all form part of the ASDA home delivery process.
Look for an update from ASDA
Check your mobile phone, email inbox and ASDA app for information about the delay.
You may receive:
- A call from the driver
- A text message with an update
- An email explaining a delay
- A revised arrival estimate
- A cancellation notification
Check your spam and junk folders if no message appears in your inbox.
Make sure the telephone number saved in your ASDA account is correct. The driver may need to contact you about a delay, difficulty finding the property or a problem accessing the building.
Why might an ASDA delivery be late?
A delayed delivery does not necessarily mean that the order has been lost or cancelled.
Possible reasons include:
Traffic or road disruption
Heavy traffic, an accident, roadworks or a road closure can put the driver behind schedule.
The effect can continue for the rest of the route because each later customer is reached after the previous delivery has been completed.
Earlier deliveries took longer
A driver may need additional time at an earlier address because of access problems, a large order, rejected substitutions or difficulty contacting the customer.
Several small delays can eventually cause later deliveries to fall outside their booked slots.
Severe weather
Snow, ice, flooding, high winds or unusually heavy rain can make driving and unloading slower or unsafe.
ASDA may delay or cancel a route when the conditions prevent the driver from completing it safely.
A driver or vehicle problem
A breakdown, damaged vehicle or unexpected driver absence can disrupt the route.
ASDA may try to move orders to another vehicle or driver, but this may not always be possible immediately.
The store finished picking the order late
The store serving your postcode must pick and prepare the groceries before the vehicle leaves.
Staffing problems, high order volumes or technical difficulties can delay the order before it reaches the driver.
A technical issue affected tracking
The order may be moving even when the app or website has not updated.
Tracking information can sometimes remain unchanged and then update shortly before delivery. A frozen status does not prove that the driver has stopped, but you should contact ASDA when the booked slot has passed and there is no useful information.
What to do when your ASDA delivery is late
1. Keep your mobile phone nearby
The driver or local delivery team may try to contact you.
Take your phone off silent where possible and check whether calls from unfamiliar numbers are being blocked.
2. Confirm the delivery address
Open the order and check that it was placed for the correct property.
Confirm:
- The house or flat number
- The street name
- The postcode
- The selected delivery address
- Any entrance or building instructions
- Your contact telephone number
An old saved address can cause problems if you have moved home or place orders for more than one household.
3. Check the tracking again
Refresh Your Orders after the slot ends. Look for a new arrival estimate, cancellation notice or change in status.
You can also try signing out and back in when the page appears not to be updating. Switching between the ASDA app and website may help determine whether the problem is limited to one device or session.
Managing the order through ASDA online shopping should allow you to see its current status and report a problem when the relevant option is available.
4. Contact ASDA customer services
Contact ASDA when:
- The complete delivery slot has passed
- No updated arrival time is available
- Tracking has stopped changing
- The delay is substantial
- You can no longer wait at the address
- The order is marked as delivered but has not arrived
- The order has changed to cancelled
- Chilled and frozen products may have been delayed for a long period
Have your order number, delivery postcode and booked time slot ready.
Ask ASDA to confirm whether:
- The driver is still completing the route
- The order has left the store
- A revised arrival time is available
- The delivery has been cancelled
- The groceries have been returned to the store
Only ASDA can confirm the location and current status of a particular order.
How long should you wait for a late ASDA delivery?
ASDA does not publish one fixed waiting period that applies to every delayed grocery order.
You may decide to allow a short additional period when tracking still shows that the driver is on the way. However, you do not have to remain available indefinitely without an update.
Contact ASDA after the booked slot when:
- You need to leave the property
- The order is urgently needed
- No tracking information is available
- The delay is continuing without explanation
- The order contains time-sensitive groceries
Do not rely on a delivery arriving later that evening unless ASDA confirms it is still expected.
What if you cannot wait any longer?
Tell ASDA customer services that you are no longer available to receive the order.
Ask whether the driver is already nearby and whether the delivery can still be completed. When this is not possible, ASDA must confirm whether the order will be cancelled, returned to the store or dealt with another way.
Do not simply leave without contacting ASDA while tracking still shows the order as on the way. The driver may otherwise attempt delivery and be unable to hand over the groceries.
A second delivery attempt or replacement slot is not guaranteed.
What if the order is marked as delivered?
Contact ASDA promptly when the account says the order was delivered but you have not received it.
Before reporting the problem:
- Check the front and back entrances.
- Ask everyone at the property.
- Check with a concierge or building receptionist.
- Confirm the address shown on the order.
- Look for a message from the driver.
- Check any delivery information shown in your account.
Explain that the entire grocery order is missing. This is different from reporting one missing product or bag.
ASDA will need to investigate the delivery record and confirm whether the order was handed over, taken to the wrong address or incorrectly marked as completed.
What if ASDA cancels the late order?
A delayed order may eventually be cancelled if ASDA cannot complete the delivery.
Check the cancellation message and Your Orders to see whether a reason has been provided. Possible causes include a driver or vehicle problem, severe weather, a store fulfilment issue or a payment authorisation failure.
You may need to place the shop again and select another available slot.
Review the replacement trolley carefully because:
- Product availability may have changed
- Promotions may have ended
- Prices may be different
- Previous substitutions may no longer apply
- The original slot may have been released
- Another payment authorisation may be requested
Avoid repeatedly checking out the same order until you know whether the original one is still active.
Will ASDA refund the delivery charge?
A delivery charge refund is not guaranteed merely because the order arrived after its slot.
ASDA has previously said that serious delays are considered individually and that its customer service advisers may issue refunds in appropriate cases. The outcome depends on the circumstances and current customer service policy.
Ask ASDA to review the charge when:
- The order arrived substantially late
- No advance warning was provided
- You had to remain at the property much longer than expected
- The delay caused significant inconvenience
- A paid-for delivery did not arrive at all
ASDA may refund the charge or offer another resolution, but you should not assume that compensation or a goodwill voucher will be provided.
What happens to the grocery payment?
The answer depends on whether the delivery eventually arrives.
The order arrives late
ASDA will normally complete the payment when the groceries are delivered.
The final total can differ from the amount initially estimated because of unavailable products, weighed items, substitutions and items rejected at the door.
ASDA cancels the order
ASDA states that customers are not charged when it cancels an order. A temporary payment authorisation may nevertheless remain visible in the bank account.
The bank controls when a released authorisation disappears and the money becomes available again.
The order is marked as delivered but is missing
Contact ASDA before assuming that a refund will be automatic. It must investigate what happened and then confirm the appropriate payment adjustment.
Keep screenshots of the order status, payment and any messages you received. Problems involving incorrect charges or missing groceries may need to be handled through the ASDA refunds process.
Should you accept chilled or frozen food from a late delivery?
A late arrival does not automatically mean the groceries are unsafe. Delivery vehicles are intended to transport chilled and frozen food under suitable conditions.
Check the products when they arrive and raise any concern with the driver before accepting them where possible.
Look for:
- Frozen food that has started to thaw
- Chilled products that feel unusually warm
- Damaged or leaking packaging
- Broken seals
- Products outside their use-by dates
Do not consume food when you are concerned that it has not been kept at a safe temperature.
Reject affected items at the door where the process allows, or report them to ASDA promptly after delivery. ASDA must assess any refund based on the products and circumstances reported.
Can you change or cancel a delayed order?
ASDA normally allows ordinary order changes and customer cancellations only before its stated cut-off time. Once the order is being prepared or is on the delivery route, the normal cancellation option may no longer be available.
Contact customer services if the slot has passed and you need to cancel because you cannot receive the order.
Do not attempt to cancel through the account without checking the current status, as the order may already be on the way.
Can ASDA rearrange the delivery?
ASDA may be able to discuss another solution when the original delivery cannot be completed, but a rearranged delivery is not guaranteed.
The available options depend on:
- Whether the groceries are still suitable for delivery
- Whether the order has returned to the store
- Driver and vehicle availability
- The reason for the delay
- Other available slots
- Local store capacity
You may be asked to place a fresh order. Confirm what will happen to the original payment before doing so.
When should you make a complaint?
Consider making a formal complaint when:
- ASDA repeatedly fails to provide an update
- The order is incorrectly marked as delivered
- You are charged for groceries that did not arrive
- A promised refund is not processed
- The delivery was substantially late without warning
- The same problem happens repeatedly
- Customer services close the issue without resolving it
Keep:
- The order number
- The scheduled slot
- Screenshots of tracking
- Copies of emails and messages
- Details of calls with customer services
- Bank transaction information
- A note of any additional costs caused by the delay
State clearly what happened and what resolution you are requesting. Separate a request for repayment of an incorrect charge from a request for compensation for inconvenience.
Frequently asked questions
Does ASDA contact customers when a delivery is running late?
ASDA may contact you directly by telephone, text message or another account notification. Keep your saved telephone number up to date and check for missed calls when the slot is approaching or has passed.
Can the driver arrive after ASDA’s normal delivery hours?
Do not assume that a delayed order will arrive outside the delivery hours shown by ASDA. Contact customer services when a late evening slot has passed and no revised time has been provided.
Can I track an ASDA delivery in real time?
Eligible orders can be tracked through Your Orders, although the information available may vary. Any estimated time or number of remaining stops can change as the driver completes the route.
Will a late ASDA delivery be cancelled automatically?
Not necessarily. A delayed order may still arrive later on the same route. It may be cancelled when ASDA cannot complete the delivery, but only the order status or customer service team can confirm this.
Should I contact the local ASDA store about a late delivery?
Start with ASDA’s grocery customer service route because its advisers can check the online order details. Contact the local store only when ASDA directs you to it or the order information identifies the store as the appropriate contact.