M&S customers are complaining that the cyberattack on the retailer has left them with no way to check online whether items are in stock, while stores have gaps on shelves.
It means their only option is to travel to a store and face potential disappointment amid availability issues.
With delivery of clothing & home ranges suspended, it also means shoppers can neither order items online nor check the nearest store that has them.
It is among a number of complaints from frustrated customers on social media as the cyberattack wreaking havoc on the retailer enters its third week.
Others are still waiting for refunds for click & collect orders that were cancelled as M&S first informed customers of the attack on 22 April. Since then, as M&S takes processes offline in response to the attack, it has halted online clothing and home deliveries, stopped processing Sparks loyalty app rewards and suspended online recruitment.
The attack has led to what M&S has called “pockets of limited availability in some stores” as it impacts depot computer systems.
Lunchtime meal deals have also been suspended in some stores.
“Is there any way to check if stores near me where a particular item in stock?” a customer asked M&S on X this morning. “My local store doesn’t have my size, I can see it’s available online but can’t order it.”
M&S replied: “There is a facility on the website for you to check stock levels in your local stores. However, this is not currently accurate, due to the technical issues that have occurred over the last fortnight. Sorry for the inconvenience caused.”
Our online checker isn’t available at the moment, as it doesn’t accurately reflect the stock levels in store.
— M&S (@marksandspencer) May 6, 2025
Once all of our technical issues have been resolved and the ordering system is back up and running, you should be able to see what items are available where. ♥️ - Nat
Another shopper said: “Hey can you see stock levels in a store so I do not travel to a store for it not to have the item? Or can I ring the store?”
M&S replied: “Hello, our store stock moves fast and we wouldn’t want to disappoint you. Head to one of our stores to shop our latest food, clothing, home and beauty ranges.”
Read more: Marks & Spencer cyberattack: the reasons, damage and lessons
Another shopper, unhappy about the wait for a refund, said: “I bought click & collect online just before cyber incident and items couldn’t be collected – will there be a refund it’s been a few weeks now?”
M&S replied that it was still “in the process of contacting customers with outstanding orders”.
“Please keep an eye on your emails and we’ll be in touch in the next 48 hours,” it said.
Other customers have simply been demanding to know when online orders through M&S’s website and app will resume.
“At the moment, we can’t confirm when you’ll be able to order from the website again,” M&S told one. “However, we’re working hard to get operations back online as soon as possible.”
Sky News reported on Sunday that an employee at M&S’s head office had said the company “didn’t have any business continuity plan [for this], we didn’t have a cyberattack plan”.
“In general, it’s lots of stress. People have not been sleeping, people have spent their weekends working, people sleeping in the office – just reactive response.”
The source said it would be “a few months” before the disruption ended.
“The idea is to have some services go back online bit by bit. Not do the whole shebang, but allow the people in the store and to allow people online to have services.”
M&S said it was absolutely not true to suggest it did not have a business continuity plan.
It said it had robust business continuity plans and processes in place for managing incidents, led by an experienced team.
It said availability was improving, particularly in bigger food halls, while smaller convenience and travel stores should catch up over the next few days.
M&S’s latest update on the attack, from CEO Stuart Machin, said: “We are working day and night to manage the current cyber incident and get things back to normal for you as quickly as possible.”
Harrods and the Co-op were also targeted by cyberattacks last week.
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