Disabled man ‘left with no food’ after delivery driver ‘refused to carry shopping up stairs’

A disabled man says he was left with no food over the weekend after an Asda delivery driver was refused to carry his £270 shopping up a flight of stairs.

James Doherty, 45, from Wythenshawe, Manchester, has a number of health conditions including sciatica and degenerative disease in his back.

Due to the pandemic, he is unable to leave his house except for medical appointments and relies on regular deliveries for food and essential items.

Mr Doherty arranged for an Asda delivery – totalling more than £270 – to be delivered to his home in Baguley on Saturday evening.

But when Mr Doherty asked for the driver to bring the food upstairs he refused and left with the essential supplies.

Asda apologised for the incident but said it was not always safe for drivers to carry bags all the way to the door, and reminded customers to mention any special requirements when paying for their shopping. 

James Doherty, 45, from Wythenshawe, south Manchester, fell down the stairs outside his flat as he tried to run after the driver who refused to bring the food order to his door

When the driver arrived at his house, Mr Doherty had buzzed him in and asked if the shopping could be brought upstairs to his first-floor flat.

Mr Doherty said: ‘When he pressed the buzzer, I let him in and said he could come on up.

‘I was standing at my door with my walking stick but there was silence from him.

‘I shouted out if he was alright as I couldn’t hear him moving and he said something about him not being able to bring it up to me.

‘I tried to explain to him that I am disabled and couldn’t carry it up myself, and then I heard him say that he was going to leave if I didn’t come down.’

Mr Doherty arranged for an Asda delivery - totalling more than £270 - to be delivered to his home in Baguley on Saturday evening but had to wait for another delivery on Monday after the driver refused to take his order upstairs to his flat

Mr Doherty arranged for an Asda delivery – totalling more than £270 – to be delivered to his home in Baguley on Saturday evening but had to wait for another delivery on Monday after the driver refused to take his order upstairs to his flat

The 45-year-old, from Wythenshawe, Manchester, has a number of health conditions including sciatica and degenerative disease in his back

The 45-year-old, from Wythenshawe, Manchester, has a number of health conditions including sciatica and degenerative disease in his back

As Mr Doherty tried to go downstairs as quickly as he could, the driver closed the door and left.

In a statement, Asda said it had apologised to Mr Doherty and would continue to support millions of customers, including those with special requirements.

Mr Doherty said he fell down the stairs in his rush to try to stop the driver leaving.

Mr Doherty said: ‘I hurriedly tried to go down the stairs and I was halfway down when I heard the door slam shut.

‘I slipped and fell down. I was in a heap at the bottom of the stairs in absolute agony.

‘I’m generally always in a bit of pain but this was something else.’ 

Mr Doherty said he luckily didn’t suffer any injuries from the fall and was eventually able to make it back to his flat.

He later contacted Asda’s customer services team via phone and email.

The next day, a member of the Online Grocery Team responded and expressed their ‘sincerest apologies’ for the incident and said they would investigate the matter.

Mr Doherty said: ‘I’ve had to spend my last £50 on an order at another supermarket that came on Monday night.

A spokesperson for Asda said: 'We have apologised to Mr Doherty for the confusion on his delivery and we would remind all customers that if they have any special requirements they can enter it in the special instruction box at checkout'

A spokesperson for Asda said: ‘We have apologised to Mr Doherty for the confusion on his delivery and we would remind all customers that if they have any special requirements they can enter it in the special instruction box at checkout’

‘I’ve been really upset about the whole thing and, to be honest, it’s had an effect on my mental state.

‘When I posted about it online, almost all of the comments were very favourable.

‘Everyone was so nice to me about it. So many people offered to do some shopping for me – it really cheered me up.’

However, he admitted the incident has caused him to lose a bit in faith in the supermarket giant.

Mr Doherty said: ‘I liked Asda as they offered everything I was after but it has dented my confidence in them.

‘I will definitely be looking at other options in the future.

‘It’s too late to get my shopping but I’d like an apology. I don’t want anyone else in a similar situation to have to go through that.’

A spokesperson for Asda said: ‘Our colleagues have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to deliver shopping to millions of customers and we will always try and drop it off at their door.

‘On the rare occasion that our colleague deems it unsafe to do this, we will always try and let the customer know and arrange an alternative delivery.

‘We have apologised to Mr Doherty for the confusion on his delivery and we would remind all customers that if they have any special requirements they can enter it in the special instruction box at checkout.’