Tesco customers have been left furious after having to wait hours in a virtual queue to secure a Christmas delivery slot.

Meanwhile, Iceland don't release their slots until nearer Christmas to allow customers a fair shot at booking a delivery. A Tesco Spokesperson said: “There is unprecedented demand for online. Yes, we've introduced a limit of one order a week, which means you may be unable to see future delivery slots if you've recently made an order. This limit has enabled us to help thousands more customers secure a delivery slot and applies to all our customers, not just those with a Delivery Saver plan.

This morning the supermarket released slots for the week starting 21 December - but only to their delivery saver customers who pay a subscription fee.

Tesco (Tim Goode/PA) Christmas delivery slots opened for Delivery Saver customers on November 13, but for the rest of us their slots open on November 20 at 7am. The delivery slots fill up quickly, Tesco have warned customers to set a reminder to avoid disappointment. Yes, we've introduced a limit of one order a week, which means you may be unable to see future delivery slots if you've recently made an order. This limit has enabled us to help thousands more customers secure a delivery slot and applies to all our customers, not just those with a Delivery Saver plan. Tesco has apologised to customers for the lack of delivery slots for the festive period Shoppers are being urged to shop in store if they can, shop earlier, or use click and collect where available.

But after waking up to log on at 7am, many complained they had still not been given a slot after two-and-a-half hours of waiting.

One person posted on Twitter: 'What an absolute joke. Been a delivery customer for years, have delivery saver.

Almost two and a half hours waiting and still in the queue 😡

— Sonia Bradley (@50N1ABR4DL3Y) November 13, 2020

'Went on at 6.45am. Been in the queue for two hours and 20 minutes. What is happening? Should I just shop elsewhere this Christmas?'

Another user posted: 'Been waiting 2.5 hours now (since 6.59) in a queue for Christmas slot. What's happening? Am I lost in cyber hell somewhere?'

Customers were faced with a message that read: 'You are currently in a queue - we'll put you through as soon as we can.'

On its Twitter page, the supermarket posted: 'A lot of customers are using our website and app at the moment. So we're temporarily using a virtual waiting room to help manage the flow.

'We're sorry if things take a bit longer than usual.'

Anyone else still in the online Tesco queue for a Christmas slot?! #tescopic.twitter.com/f4qKOrng2l

— SEN Resources Blog (@senresourceblog) November 13, 2020

While some were given slots after a long wait, others were unsuccessful and forced to shop for their Christmas dinner supplies elsewhere.

Those who did manage to book complained festive essentials like turkeys were not yet available.

There was also no mention of people on the government's vulnerable list, who are entitled to priority delivery slots because of coronavirus.

@Tesco been waiting 2.5 hours now (since 6.59) in a queue for Christmas slot. What's happening? Am I lost in cyber hell somewhere?

Book A Tesco Delivery Slot

— annie (@annie6724) November 13, 2020

A Tesco spokesman said: 'Demand for online slots over the festive period is high, and we have more slots this Christmas than ever before.

'We are experiencing high volumes of traffic to our website and groceries app and are temporarily limiting the number of customers using it.'

They apologised for the inconvenience and claimed home delivery and click and collect slots are still available for the Christmas period.

© @Copyright HELLO! Hello! Magazine

As most of us have discovered, bagging a supermarket delivery right now is on a par with winning the lottery – the booking slots are snapped up straight away, meaning many vulnerable customers are struggling to find a solution to getting their food shopping. The government has provided stores with a list of clinically vulnerable people who qualify for priority booking, however, some are still unsure of how to book their delivery slots. We contacted Tesco to find out exactly how these customers can book online shops…

A spokesperson for Tesco told HELLO!: 'We have been working hard to increase the capacity of our online delivery service to help more customers gain access to this service when they need it.'

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Tesco are prioritising their vulnerable customers

How many vulnerable people have Tesco contacted?

Tesco's CEO Dave Lewis said: 'On Thursday, we were given an initial list of 110,000 clinically and socially isolated people by the Government. From these, we were able to match 75,000 existing customers and we’ve already contacted them to let them know we’re making home delivery slots immediately available to them. As we receive more data from Government, we’ll make even more slots available.'

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How do I book a Tesco delivery slot for a vulnerable person?

To book a slot for a vulnerable person, you need to go to tesco.com/groceries and log in. Vulnerable customers can book a priority slot with an eight-hour window for delivery.

MORE: Waitrose launches e-gift card for self-isolating customers during coronavirus

What if I don't have a Tesco account but am a vulnerable person?

If you don't currently have an account with Tesco but have received a letter from the NHS because you're classified as clinically vulnerable, you can create an account on their website or call Tesco on 0800 917 7359. The store can then check if you are on the government's list.

Is Tesco adding more online delivery slots?

Tesco CEO Dave Lewis said: 'We have increased our online delivery slots by 145,000 in the last two weeks with hundreds of thousands more due to become available shortly; but we know it’s still difficult to get an online delivery slot at the moment due to high demand, and we ask those who are able to safely come to stores to do so, instead of shopping online, so we can start to free up more slots for the more vulnerable.'

Tesco No Delivery Slots Twitter

Is Tesco recruiting more delivery drivers?

The supermarket is in the process of adding almost 200 new delivery vans and has recruited 2,500 new drivers and more than 5,000 pickers.

MORE:How to secure a Sainsbury's home delivery slot for a vulnerable person

What are Tesco's shopping times for vulnerable customers?

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The Tesco website states: 'We want to help everyone through these uncertain times, especially those who need extra help. So all our stores (except Express stores) will be prioritising the elderly and most vulnerable for one hour between 9am and 10am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.'