Customers in the island have once again complained about the Tesco home delivery service and say they have been waiting for refunds.

In April , dozens of Tesco customers, mainly in the Douglas area, complained about the home delivery service, citing late deliveries and last-minute cancellations.

Now, customers in the south of the island have complained about the service some speculating there have been issues with van shortages with some waiting more than a week for a refund.

Much like the issues earlier in the year, customers said that when issues arose they struggled to contact the local store and instead had to speak to a UK-based team, which can also have difficulty reaching island staff.

One customer got in touch with Media IoM complaining that she had problems on two occasions earlier this month.

The Castletown resident said: ‘I ordered a delivery and it did not arrive but the money was taken out. The same thing then happened again the next week. I’ve had to chase up my refund for both.’

She also posted on the Castletown Chat Facebook page asking if anyone else has experienced similar issues.

One responded by saying: ‘I had to pick mine up from Port Erin. Quite a few [Tesco delivery] vans are off the road.

Another questioned why Tesco was still offering the service when there are such issues.

They said: ‘As it seems to be an ongoing issue, why do they still offer slots? Feeling sorry for those who rely upon home delivery.’

One customer bemoaned the poor customer service.

They explained: ‘No email, no phone call, just didn’t turn up. I finally managed to get through to customer service for a refund. Now I’m not sure if it’s worth trying again this week.’

Another customer also revealed they had suffered the same problem twice.

They explained: ‘Twice in two weeks I’ve had to go collect from store - phone call each time though, they have all their vans off the road.

‘I think they should be ringing people first if they still want their order picked and packed on the chance it may not be delivered or cancelled. A lot of people can’t afford to go shopping again while waiting for the refund.’

A Tesco spokesperson blamed ‘temporary maintenance issues’ for the problems.

They said: ‘The vast majority of our online orders are delivered exactly as ordered and within their booked timeslot.

‘Due to a temporary maintenance issue, we have rescheduled a very small number of orders. We apologise for the inconvenience.’

The Tesco spokesperson added that when it is necessary to amend or cancel a customer’s delivery slot, staff will always try to contact customers to discuss alternative options and are offered the option of using the Click + Collect service at their local stores.

Earlier this year a Douglas customer said she has made a formal complaint to the Lake Road store.

She said: ‘Twice our order has simply not turned up in the last couple of months, with no communication from the store. I understand there may occasionally be cancellations because of staff shortages, but I just want to be informed so I can collect or rearrange.’

On that occasion Tesco said there had been a ‘minor technical issue’ but denied any wider problem with the service.