Business Profile

Grocery Store

Safeway

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Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Safeway's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

Customer Complaints Summary

591 total complaints in the last 3 years.
226 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

If you've experienced an issue

Submit a Complaint

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

Initial Complaint
Date:10/08/2023
Type:Delivery Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I placed an order for delivery from safeway on October 8. My order number is ********. Some of my items was substitute and i put that i did not want substitute. The items that i was substitute im allergic to. Some of my items was missing. I used the chat button on the app and the customer service agent was really rude. I want a refund for the items I was substituted and missing items
Business Response
Date: 10/09/2023
Greetings *******************************:

We are sorry you had a disappointing experience with our delivery service and received some items you didn't want while others were missing. Please know this is not the experience we want our customers to have, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

After reviewing your order, you only checked no substitutions on one item, and the rest had "best available;" this is why you received substitutions on your order. As a one-time courtesy, we have processed a refund of $32.71 for the substituted/missing items. Please allow 3-5 business days to see that credit back to your account.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reply here or call our *********************** at ************.

Thank you for shopping with us,

********
Customer Support Team
********
Customer Answer
Date: 10/09/2023

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

*******************************
Initial Complaint
Date:10/05/2023
Type:Delivery Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
On 9/7/2023, I placed a delivery order with Safeway. As soon as I noticed the shopper making unrequested or unacceptable substitutions, I requested to cancel the order. The substitutions were of items I do not eat. I also reached out to Support and they assured the order would be canceled. Low and behold, I see online that a driver was on their way to pick up the order for delivery. I am not sure if this was due to the store's lack of due diligence and not paying attention to order updates, but the order was picked up and still delivered to my apartment. I immediately reached out to Safeway Support once again. In the attached documents, ****, the agent I spoke with, agreed the order should have not been delivered and should have been canceled. He inquired to whomever about a refund, whether it be just for certain items or for the whole order. He confirmed I would be getting a refund for the entire order and provided a reference number, no return necessary. 2 weeks go by and no refund. Throughout those 2 weeks, I checked with Safeway Support on an update. Each time they either told me to wait, reach out to my bank (the order was paid for with EBT) or to call customer service. The last agent I spoke to, *****, basically told me, no refund was on the way and that he would have to submit a request to the store the items were delivered from, and see if that manager would approve a refund. I have not heard from Safeway since, and that was on 9/21/2023. I am utterly disappointed in Safeway's handling of this situation, lack of communication and transparency. Why would an agent initially confirm a refund, if the refund was not going to be possible. I would've been fine with just the bad, substituted items refunded, but no, Safeway themselves promised a full refund. And why did no agent throughout those 2 weeks tell me the truth, they all essentially lied. I feel as if Safeway duped me and dragged me along with their false promise. "Do not make promises you cannot keep."
Business Response
Date: 10/08/2023
Greetings *********************************:

We are sorry to hear you've been waiting so long for your refund, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Please know this is not the experience we want you to have, and we have spoken with our teams internally so this doesn't happen again.

Additionally, we have processed a refund in the amount of $107.44. Please allow 3-5 business days for the refund to be credited to your account. If you haven't received it by the end of 5 business days, we suggest contacting your benefits office to inquire about the release of the funds.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reply or call our *********************** at ************.

Thank you,

********
***********************
Case ID: ********
Customer Answer
Date: 10/08/2023

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

*********************************
Initial Complaint
Date:09/30/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I ordered online for a delivery order #******** from Safeway to be delivered September 16, 2023 between 4-6 pm. I waited until 8 pm and order was never delivered, so I called the customer service and I talked to ***** she told me to wait until 8:30 pm to see if they would come if not call back, she gave me reference #********,So I waited until about 8:45 pm and called customer service back I told serv rep **** about the delivery still did not show up, so I asked her could I get a refund and cancel they order, she said yes she would put that in and it would take 5 to 7 days to get the refund I said ok, she gave me reference #********. So I waited until September 26, 2023 I called back to customer serv it was 10 days, the customer serv rep ** i told her its been 10 days and she no it was just 7 business days, I told her they didnt say 5 to 7 business days, they just said 5 to 7 days for the refund so she said give it 1 more day, I said ok. So Sept. 27, ******************************** my account, so I called back to customer service and talked to **** and she told me the operation manager had to approve the refund from the store and she would escalate the issue with the refund, she told me it would be 24 to 48 hours for my refund she gave me reference #********. So on September 29, 2023 I called the Safeway store in ******* and talked to manager ****************** or ******* I told him my problem about the refund and he said he would put it in to get my refund, he said he didnt know how long it would be before the refund would be credited back to my account. I said thank you. Then today September 30, 2023 I called back to Safeway customer service and talked to AL about my refund he put me on hold for 10 minutes to review my issue he came back and told me the refund had to be approved by the store operations manager and give it 3 more days he said Oct 3 or 4 it should be in my account he gave me reference #********. I am a senior citize ,disabled thats why I order online
Business Response
Date: 10/01/2023
Greetings *************************:

We are very sorry that you did not receive your refund for order #********, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

We have processed a refund back to your original form of payment in the amount of $319.18. Please allow 3-5 business days to see that in your account. You should have also received a receipt via the email associated with your order.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reply here or contact our *********************** at ************.

Thank you,

*************;
Customer Support Team
********
Customer Answer
Date: 10/01/2023
I received email that Safeway sent today about my refund I will wait the 5 to 7 days to see if I get my refund thank you
Initial Complaint
Date:09/27/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Can't give them one star. Representative are not helpful at all. Anoing and dismissive attitude. Phone calls are constantly disconnected by representative because they don't want you to leave at the end of the phone call bed ******. Not a good English. The company who is hiring them to ****** there clients complaint are paying for one big nothing as a service. We as a clients ends up being more aggravate at the end.
Business Response
Date: 09/28/2023
Hello,

We have attempted to reach the customer on several occasions, with no success. On 9/25/23 and 9/26/23 we tried to contact the customer via the phone number we have on file. If the customer would like to be contacted directly, please have her verify the best contact phone number in case we may not have the right one.

We have shared the customers discontent with our *********************** Supervisors and look forward to assisting further with this matter.

Thank you,

Aryssa P.
***********************
Customer Answer
Date: 09/28/2023

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
I can be contacted on my phone number: **************

Sincerely,

**************************
Initial Complaint
Date:09/25/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
On 06/09/23, I purchased a $100 Target gift card at the Safeway store in *************, **. The gift card was given to my granddaughters first grade teacher to purchase supplies for her classroom. Neither we nor the teacher used the gift card. When the teacher went to use the gift card for the first time at checkout at Target to pay for the school supplies, she was told by the Target checkout clerk that the gift card had a $0 balance. Upon being told of what had happened by the teacher, immediately contacted the Safeway Gift Card *********************** @ ************ on 06/29/23 and spoke to *********. I explained what had happened and requested a refund of $100 to the original form of payment. She assigned Ticket Number ****** to this issue and told us to e-mail the receipt for the gift card purchase to ***************************************** and that it would be looked into by Safeway Gift Card Customer Support. The receipt was e-mailed on 06/29/23. On 07/01/23, I received an e-mail from ***** of Safeway Gift Card Customer Support advising that they had what they needed from us and that they would look into the issue and contact me. I was never contacted, so 08/08/2023, I called Safeway Gift Card *********************** @ ************. The representative told me they could not provide a status on my ticket and quickly hung up on me. On 09/11/2023, I tried again and called Safeway Gift Card *********************** @ ************. I spoke to *******, who indicated I would be contacted by the individual handling my ticket. It is now 09/25/2023 and I have yet to be contacted.This is the second time this has happened with a $100 Target gift card purchased at Safeway. The same thing happened last year, and I finally gave up after several efforts to contact Safeway were ignored by them. Given that it has happened twice, I believe this is dishonest business practices by Safeway. It should be easy to check that nothing was purchased on the gift card. My demand is a replacement of the gift card or a credit to the original form of payment. There should at least be some answer from Safeway and the fact that they wont respond a second time leads me to believe their business practices are dishonest.
Business Response
Date: 09/27/2023
Hello,
Our Gift Card Team has requested images of the card from the customer. However, the customer has stated she does not have the card. Unfortunately, research of such issues cannot be completed without images of the front and back of the gift card. From the info provided by this customer, we can confirm the gift card is activated and the funds were sent to Target.

Please have the customer reach out to Target to dispute any transactions on the card. We do not have access to balances or transactions on partner gift cards; we can only verify activation.

Mandy from our *********************** will attempt to contact the customer again to request images of the gift cards. If the customer is unavailable at the time she is contacted, please have her reach out to our Gift Card Team at: ************** option 4 and have them reference Case #*******. We look forward to hearing from you for a quick resolve.
Thank you,
Aryssa P
***********************
Customer Answer
Date: 09/27/2023

Complaint: 20655912

I am rejecting this response because: I notified Safeway almost four months ago about the problem with the gift card and followed up multiple times after the initial contact. They never tried to contact me. Had they done so, I was still in contact with the teacher and could have gotten them the images they say they need to resolve my complaint. The teacher has moved on with the start of a new school year and I do not know how to contact them. I find it telling that I file a BBB complaint on a Monday evening and am suddenly contacted by them two days later. They had no interest in resolving this until the BBB complaint was filed. It is Safeway's non-response for multiple months that put us in the current situation that should be corrected by them refunding the $100 to the original method of payment ,

Sincerely,

*************************
Customer Answer
Date: 10/03/2023
******** has responded back after my dissatisfied response and provided a $100 Safeway gift card. I am now satisfied.
Initial Complaint
Date:09/22/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Previously left frys grocery stores and thought Safeway would be a good change. I noticed that the pharmacy offered incentives to transfer meds to there pharmacy's. So I did but in order to receive ANY of the incentives you have to give ALL PERSONAL INFO TO EXPERIAN. So I emailed Safeway and I got a response case #******** . But the person that replied TWISTED it all around and said he would contact the store director about the issue and the wanted to know if they solved my problem...... NO....... it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the store director and I answered back the if they drop it in the managers lap that I'd never shop Safeway again. Then spending 1 1/2 hours trying to reach a breathing person the only thing she was focused on was getting as much personal information from me before she even tried to listen to the issue at hand .#False advertising #Nowhere does it say anywhere that you have to give ALL your personal info to expirien. #and why is Experian involved in this anyway... do you remember "HIPA"And I cannot figure out how to attach the emails.
Customer Answer
Date: 09/26/2023
Hello, I'm ************************* and I'm just letting you know that Safeway has contacted me via phone call and myself and Safeway have been able to talk and work things out. I greatly appreciate the BBB for being a voice for consumers, because without you guys there would be a heck of alot more lawsuits.
Thank you guys for being our voice !!
Sincerely **************************
Business Response
Date: 09/27/2023
Greetings *************************:

We appreciate you reaching out to us with your concerns and allowing us the opportunity to discuss them further.

If you have any other concerns or need more assistance, please don't hesitate to contact our *********************** at ************. We are always here to help.

Thank you,

*************;
Customer Support Team
********
Initial Complaint
Date:09/22/2023
Type:Delivery Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
On Aug 20th at 11:54am I placed an order thru Safeway app using food stamps and credit card. Realized the wrong address was listed, called at 12:04 and canceled the order. I have called and emailed numerous times, filed a dispute, been told issue has been elevated, marked as priority and emailed to a supervisor. It's been over a month, and still nothing. I desperately need these benefits!
Business Response
Date: 09/26/2023
Greetings *******************************:

We are sorry to hear about the long wait you experienced for a refund for an order last month, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

We have investigated this and see that you received your funds back to your card on September 22, 2023, and were given a $5 credit to your account for the inconvenience.

If you run into this issue in the future, please note it takes 3-5 business days to process a refund. If you don't have your funds by the 5th day, we suggest contacting your benefits office to inquire about the release of the funds.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reply or contact our *********************** at ************.

Thank you,

********
Customer Support Team
********
Customer Answer
Date: 10/04/2023
The issue was resolved. After 31 days I received my funds back along with 5 dollars off.
Initial Complaint
Date:09/22/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I purchased a **** gift card in a Safeway store on 8/22/23 in **********. It was a gift for my daughter. When she tried to use the card, there was no funds on the card. We called Safeway, filed a claim. They said it would be researched and would be resolved in a week or so. It is more than a month, and the issue has not resolved. I received an email from them stating the issue is resolved and we should call and get the hold removed. My daughter called them today. Their response is unexceptable. They told her that nothing has been done, it would take another month to reissue a card. Safeway had no issue taking the funds from my account, selling a card that not usable, and so slow to resolve the issue and inconveniencing us so much with multiple phone calls, and emails.
Business Response
Date: 09/24/2023
Greetings *****************:

We are sorry to hear about the issues you've experienced with the gift card you purchased, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you.

We have looked into this incident, and because we did not and cannot place a hold on the card, we can't remove it or issue a refund for the card. We suggest contacting the number on the back of the card and requesting the hold be removed or for an alternative fix to the problem.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please reply to this message or call our *********************** at ************.

Thank you,

*************;
***********************
Case ID: ********
Initial Complaint
Date:09/22/2023
Type:Delivery Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I ordered groceries for delivery for 9/22/2023 and several items from my order are missing. I have contacted the company several times and they have not rectified the issue. I would like a full reimbursement for my order. Order # ********
Customer Answer
Date: 09/22/2023
Hello,
The complaint was resolved.

Thank you.
Business Response
Date: 09/23/2023
Good Afternoon,
After further research, we have confirmed that the refund request of $60.47 was approved on September 22nd, 2023. Please allow 3-5 business days for the refund to process. If you do not see the refund posted to your account by September 28, please let us know. We are happy to further assist.
Thank you,
****************
Customer Support Center
Initial Complaint
Date:09/16/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I placed an order on August 19, 2023. This order was set for delivery. The order was placed through the merchant app. The delivery driver contacted me for further instructions on where to locate my apartment. When attempting to provide her with instruction, she would not listen to my explanation and continued to talk through me, despite my attempts to provide her with the information. She proceeded to deliver the groceries presumably to the wrong apartment number because she left me a photo of my groceries dropped off at another apartment, That was clearly not mine. I dont know whose apartment the groceries were left at because the picture does not include the apartment number . I subsequently reached out to Safeway support on five separate occasions in an attempt to request a refund for the items that I purchased and did not receive. I also asked for an explanation as to why the initial refund was declined and was told that they had mistakenly opened two separate tickets related to this order, and that they would be refunding the initial order. I have been told multiple times that I would be refunded and it has still not happened. The current case number provided to me by customer service is as follows: ******** as I did not receive any of the items and the merchant charged my card I am requesting a full refund for all items purchase which would total $106.47.
Business Response
Date: 09/17/2023
Greetings ***********************:

Thank you for taking the time to make us aware of this incident. We are so sorry to hear that your order got delivered to the wrong apartment and that you've had difficulty getting a refund. We looked into this further and have issued you a refund of $106.47 on 9/16/2023. Please allow 3-5 business days for that to be credited to your account. We also added a $15 credit to your account that you can use on your next online order for the inconvenience.

We can assure you this is not the experience we want our customers to have, and we will take appropriate steps to ensure this doesn't happen again on future orders.

If there is anything else we can assist you with, please don't hesitate to reply here or call our *********************** at ************.

Thank you for shopping with us,

Jennifer
Customer Support Team
********
Customer Answer
Date: 09/17/2023

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

***********************

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Safeway is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.