Why am I not getting a confirmation email regarding my order?
Two scenarios may be possible for this. First, you may not be listed as an Online Ordering Contact. Check with Agency Relations to see if you are; if not, and you would like to be, submit a Member Program Update Form to the Agency Relations Department. Second, ensure that you have The Food Bank listed as a “safe sender” or “trusted contact,” so that our email messages do not go into your junk email folder. Please note that the order confirmation email function in our system does not always work. You can check the status of your order by accessing the Orders tab (see explanation of columns in the What’s the difference between the Orders tab and the Invoices tab).
When I went to the ordering page, it told me that I had to choose a new date. How can this happen?
If you browsed the inventory on an earlier date, the system required you to enter an appointment date prior to looking at the shopping list. The date chosen for your “appointment” would have been based on when you opened the shopping list on that day. If you do not submit the order, and the date passes, you are made to choose a date that is at least two days out from the day you are looking at the order again.
How can I change my appointment time?
You cannot change your appointment time manually in the Web Windows online ordering system (except when an order has not been placed, as described above). To change your appointment, contact Food Operations at The Food Bank. You must allow one full day prior to your appointment for your order to be prepared.
How do I make one appointment for several programs?
If you are picking up for several programs at once (e.g. you have a pantry and a meal program and are picking up for both), make an appointment for the first program using a “30 MINUTE APPT” time slot. Make appointments for the other programs with the “DUPLICATE APPOINTMENT ONLY” time slot; it is okay if you cannot find the same time for the DUPLICATE APPOINTMENT ONLY slot. The time chosen in the 30 MINUTE APPT slot will be the actual appointment. Please also indicate in the comment box for each order that you are picking up for multiple orders, and include the order number for each.
Why am I not seeing my MEFAP?
MEFAP is available on a case-limit basis that is determined by your program’s size. MEFAP is also available on a first-come first served basis. If you are not seeing MEFAP on your shopping list, we do not have it in stock, OR you have exhausted your case limit of that product for the month. Programs are not guaranteed MEFAP, and “unused” limits will not be carried over into the next month.
Why is the system saying I can have as much MEFAP as I want?
Two scenarios may explain this. If you browsed the shopping list at an earlier date, you selected an appointment time to do so. If this happened more than a month ago, the limits for that month have been erased in the system, and no limits will appear. You may still not order more than the case-limit allowed for your program. If you order more than your case-limit for any item, it will be corrected upon review of your order. Another possible explanation is that we have lifted case limits on a particular item, in order to allow programs to order more than their limit. We sometimes do this when we have an overstock of an item and need to move the inventory out of our warehouse.
Why do I see product in the warehouse at The Food Bank that is not on my shopping list?
Not all product is available to all programs. Non-Emergency Feeding Programs (NFPs—those whose primary purpose is NOT food distribution) may only access Donated and Buy-In product. All Emergency Feeding Programs (EFPs—those whose primary purpose is food distribution) have access to MEFAP product, in addition to Donated and Buy-In. Some EFPs also have access to USDA product.
In many cases, the product you are seeing is already “out on order” for another member program, one of our Brown Bag or Mobile Food Bank sites. This means that another agency has ordered, but the order has not yet been prepared. Another reason may be that the product was received at The Food Bank after you submitted your order. The Food Bank does not hold/reserve product for member programs. When we receive product, it is placed into the online inventory and is equally accessible to all programs that are eligible for that particular product.
Where can I find my invoice?
To find your invoice, log in to your online ordering account, then select the My Docs tab. In the My Docs tab, you will see the Invoices tab. Click on the Invoices tab and look for the invoice you need. You can click on any invoice to download a printable PDF. If you can’t find the invoice you’re looking for, contact agencyrelations@foodbankwma.org.
What’s the difference between the Orders tab and the Invoices tab?
The Orders tab is for an agency to check the status of their order. The Reviewed column means the warehouse has received and reviewed your order. The Released column means your order has been released to a warehouse staff member to be picked. The Picked column means your order has been picked and is ready for pickup/delivery. The Confirmed column is only for The Food Bank’s warehouse. When this column is marked Yes, it means the warehouse confirms the order has left the building.
The Invoices tab is where you access your billing invoices and statements. Please note, the statement is the document you should send back to the FBWMA with your payment. The invoice is the finalized document of your order and will reflect any changes.
Why is my invoice different than my order?
Your invoice may be different for a few different reasons.
• The item you are referring to could have been mislabeled.
• The item you are referring to was spoiled and was removed from your initial order
• The item you are referring to was recalled, or
• There was an inventory discrepancy and there was less (or none) than originally entered into the system
I’m missing items on my order, received bad product, or received items I did not order. Who should I contact ?
The Agency Relations team handles all order-related issues and refers them to the correct departments. The AR team logs these issues to provide better service in the future. For any order related issues, please email agencyrelations@foodbankwma.org.
How can I add items to my order after I’ve submitted it?
Should you submit your order and forget something, it is very simple to add more items to your order as long as there is still a 24-hr period between the time you submit the other items and the pick-up/delivery date.
• To add more items to a pick up, you must do the following:
• Click on Order Entry
• For Method, select Pick Up
• For Location, select Duplicate Appointment Only
• For Date, select the date of your original appointment
• For Time; select the exact same time as your original appt
• Please make a note in the Comments section before submitting your order that you would like this order to be merged with (add your original order number)
• For a Delivery:
• Click on Order Entry
• For Method, select Delivery
• For Location, select your usual truck
• For Date, select the date of your usual delivery day
• For Time; select any time (this feature does not matter with regard to delivery but you cannot move forward without selecting a time)
• Please make a note in the Comments section before submitting your order that you would like this order to be merged with (add your original order number)
What does it mean when my account is placed on Free Food Only (FFO)?
If your account is placed on Free Food Only status it means that you have an unpaid balance. This means you are only allowed to order for items that have no associated fees/costs. Your unpaid balance must be resolved prior to resuming all online ordering privileges.
