IT outage at Albert Heijn: what it means for Maastricht

Albert Heijn, a large Dutch supermarket chain, is dealing with a major IT outage. Stores in Maastricht have notices informing customers about an IT incident. You can still shop, but not everything works as usual.

What is happening?

Ahold Delhaize, the parent company of Albert Heijn, calls it a network security problem. Store managers assume it is a hack. They were informed about the issue on Sunday afternoon and have been in regular contact since, including through video calls. The company has more than 1,200 stores in the Netherlands.

Customers who want to order groceries online currently face problems. The Albert Heijn website is not working properly, and orders that did go through may not be delivered. It is not known how long this will last.

In the stores themselves, you can still pay, including by card. However, the AH app does not work properly. This means you will not receive personal discounts, and loyalty point offers do not work either. Some self-scan checkouts are out of order or slower than usual. Etos and Gall & Gall, which belong to the same company, also have problems. At Gall & Gall, for example, email does not work, but prices in the store are correct.

What does this mean for you?

You can still do your grocery shopping in stores. Keep the following in mind:

• If you order groceries online, be aware that this may not work or your order may not be delivered.
• If you do not receive a discount or loyalty points in store, keep your receipt. You may be able to claim it later.
• If you worry your personal data was leaked, be careful with phone calls or messages from unknown numbers asking for personal information or bank details. Never share such details without checking first.
• If you are unsure about a suspicious call or message, do not take the risk. Never answer questions about your bank account or passwords.

Good to know

More details about the outage are available in the original article by L1 Nieuws.