Aldi atrocious customer service

Mary63

I bought a Tv/DVd combined in Aldi happy in the knowledge that I had a full three year warranty as advertised on the Aldi website.In July the dvd element couldnt play Dvds anymore.I rang Aldi immediately and was advised Tv would be collected within 48 Hours.Heard nothing so proceeded to ring and ring and ring,told same thing every time.Eventually I drove to Aldi nutgrove with tv and was assured by manager on duty he would make arrangements.Got one call from employee asking for model number and heard nothing back.Eventually rang aldi again and last week tv was collected.No apology or explanation for the almost three months it took to respond to my first complaint.I then got a call from a tv service company working on behalf of Aldi to say manufacturer of the company Tevion was no longer in business and Tv could not be repaired.I rang the manager of Aldi Parnell square this morning to advise I had receipt which is now almost illegible,(do aldi do this on purpose,ie make sure receipts are printed with inferior ink)and to ask how I could get my refund or replacement TV as promised to me on Aldi website.
I have now got a call from Aldi head office in the Uk offering me a partial refund saying tv has depreciated in value.Said Aldi employee compared it to a car depreciating.If I have a car under warranty does that mean I have to accept due to depreciation I have to live with brake problems.
I advised Aldi employee who needs immediate customer relations training that in view of the run around I have been given since July and the fact that Aldi offer a three year warranty on their website and when selling their televisions, that I wasnt accepting their offer.I asked for offer to be put in writing and was advised that said employee has no access to email or pen or paper to accede to my request.Are these people for real?She then got really belligerent and said she was hanging up which she did.
This is the second television I have bought from Aldi that has broken within the three year warranty.Earlier this year I returned the first defective TV to Aldi and received a full no quibbles refund.I have a sony tv for twenty years still going strong and a daewoo tv/video even older and still working.I only bought the aldi ones because I thought i had the comfort of a three year no quibble warranty.
I am posting now to let others know of my experience and to be warned,the three year warranty is not what is seems.I am not accepting the offer made and it will now cost me another €18 to make a claim in the small claims court.
In view of the fact that both of the tvs i bought broke i would like to know if I was just unlucky or is there a general quality problem with Aldi Tvs.Could others post if they have had similar problems with Aldi electronic products.

foggy_lad

How much was the tv originally and how long was it working for? How much of a refund were you offered?

ejmaztec

Mary63 wrote: »

I bought a Tv/DVd combined in Aldi happy in the knowledge that I had a full three year warranty as advertised on the Aldi website.In July the dvd element couldnt play Dvds anymore.I rang Aldi immediately and was advised Tv would be collected within 48 Hours.Heard nothing so proceeded to ring and ring and ring,told same thing every time.Eventually I drove to Aldi nutgrove with tv and was assured by manager on duty he would make arrangements.Got one call from employee asking for model number and heard nothing back.Eventually rang aldi again and last week tv was collected.No apology or explanation for the almost three months it took to respond to my first complaint.I then got a call from a tv service company working on behalf of Aldi to say manufacturer of the company Tevion was no longer in business and Tv could not be repaired.I rang the manager of Aldi Parnell square this morning to advise I had receipt which is now almost illegible,(do aldi do this on purpose,ie make sure receipts are printed with inferior ink)and to ask how I could get my refund or replacement TV as promised to me on Aldi website.
I have now got a call from Aldi head office in the Uk offering me a partial refund saying tv has depreciated in value.Said Aldi employee compared it to a car depreciating.If I have a car under warranty does that mean I have to accept due to depreciation I have to live with brake problems.
I advised Aldi employee who needs immediate customer relations training that in view of the run around I have been given since July and the fact that Aldi offer a three year warranty on their website and when selling their televisions, that I wasnt accepting their offer.I asked for offer to be put in writing and was advised that said employee has no access to email or pen or paper to accede to my request.Are these people for real?She then got really belligerent and said she was hanging up which she did.
This is the second television I have bought from Aldi that has broken within the three year warranty.Earlier this year I returned the first defective TV to Aldi and received a full no quibbles refund.I have a sony tv for twenty years still going strong and a daewoo tv/video even older and still working.I only bought the aldi ones because I thought i had the comfort of a three year no quibble warranty.
I am posting now to let others know of my experience and to be warned,the three year warranty is not what is seems.I am not accepting the offer made and it will now cost me another €18 to make a claim in the small claims court.
In view of the fact that both of the tvs i bought broke i would like to know if I was just unlucky or is there a general quality problem with Aldi Tvs.Could others post if they have had similar problems with Aldi electronic products.

Lenovo took over Medion, the company that provided both Aldi and Lidl with various electronics items under the Tevion/Medion brand-names, so Aldi and Lidl must be a bit hacked off over it as well. I don't whether they're going to use Lenovo in future, but if I were in your situation, I'd be looking for a full refund.

The way I see it is that, had the supplier not been taken over, you would have got a full value replacement, so in view of that, they should give you the full amount back.

wmpdd3

Mary63 wrote: »

(do aldi do this on purpose,ie make sure receipts are printed with inferior ink)

No, all stores use thermal receipts, they react badly to heat. They are cleaner to use and dont need ink, just special paper.

Surprised at Aldi, though, usually they do refunds straight away. How long ago did you but it?

Mary63

Hi should have said tv was bought in 2008 and used mainly to play dvds.It worked for two and a half years but played dvds maybe once a week.I paid €249 and was offered €120 by aldi employee who hung up when I refused her offer.I am more mad at that type of service together with waiting almost three months for response to my complaint than I am with the offer.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

sounds reasonable after 2 & half years use.

wmpdd3

Good luck in the small claims court, I think you were mad to refuse that offer.

Remember, in the SMC you are arguing Irish consumer law, not the Aldi 3 year warranty.

ejmaztec

Dayana Blue Escalator wrote: »

sounds reasonable after 2 & half years use.

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Good luck in the small claims court, I think you were mad to refuse that offer.

Remember, in the SMC you are arguing Irish consumer law, not the Aldi 3 year warranty.

I've changed my opinion in view of the time-period involved, and I'm also not surprised that the ink on the receipt's faded after all this time.

tallaghtoutlaws

Mary63 wrote: »

(do aldi do this on purpose,ie make sure receipts are printed with inferior ink)

No they do not do it on purpose. Depending on what printers they use fading is very common with the types of printers used in retail. And after 2 years as others said I am not surprised the receipt is faded badly.

Mary63

Thanks for reading my post and for replies.I have drafted a letter to Aldi Ireland and I am forwarding a copy to Aldi headquarters in Germany re the abysmal customer service and Im still insisting on a full refund.I would never have bought an unknown brand tv if it wasnt advertised and sold with a three year warranty.Re the receipt,I never throw receipts out,I have some going back eight years and none have faded like the Aldi one,very strange.
I am giving Aldi a week to respond to my letter and then I will go the small claims court.Maybe Im being unreasonable but I would expect a tv to last longer than two and a half years or at least i would expect that it could be repaired at a reasonable cost.

pleasant Co.

Mary63 wrote: »

I never throw receipts out,I have some going back eight years and none have faded like the Aldi one,very strange.

Just on this, by pure coincidence I recently did a clearout of old receipts, varying in age from 2-7 years. Some had completely faded, some had slightly faded and some were discoloured but otherwise as new. I haven't bought anything from aldi which would require me to keep a hold of their receipt so I know none of the faded ones were from aldi. Definitely fading receipts are not unique to aldi.

Boggles

Mary63 wrote: »

I bought a Tv/DVd combined in Aldi happy in the knowledge that I had a full three year warranty as advertised on the Aldi website.In July the dvd element couldnt play Dvds anymore.I rang Aldi immediately and was advised Tv would be collected within 48 Hours.Heard nothing so proceeded to ring and ring and ring,told same thing every time.Eventually I drove to Aldi nutgrove with tv and was assured by manager on duty he would make arrangements.Got one call from employee asking for model number and heard nothing back.Eventually rang aldi again and last week tv was collected.No apology or explanation for the almost three months it took to respond to my first complaint.I then got a call from a tv service company working on behalf of Aldi to say manufacturer of the company Tevion was no longer in business and Tv could not be repaired.I rang the manager of Aldi Parnell square this morning to advise I had receipt which is now almost illegible,(do aldi do this on purpose,ie make sure receipts are printed with inferior ink)and to ask how I could get my refund or replacement TV as promised to me on Aldi website.
I have now got a call from Aldi head office in the Uk offering me a partial refund saying tv has depreciated in value.Said Aldi employee compared it to a car depreciating.If I have a car under warranty does that mean I have to accept due to depreciation I have to live with brake problems.
I advised Aldi employee who needs immediate customer relations training that in view of the run around I have been given since July and the fact that Aldi offer a three year warranty on their website and when selling their televisions, that I wasnt accepting their offer.I asked for offer to be put in writing and was advised that said employee has no access to email or pen or paper to accede to my request.Are these people for real?She then got really belligerent and said she was hanging up which she did.
This is the second television I have bought from Aldi that has broken within the three year warranty.Earlier this year I returned the first defective TV to Aldi and received a full no quibbles refund.I have a sony tv for twenty years still going strong and a daewoo tv/video even older and still working.I only bought the aldi ones because I thought i had the comfort of a three year no quibble warranty.
I am posting now to let others know of my experience and to be warned,the three year warranty is not what is seems.I am not accepting the offer made and it will now cost me another €18 to make a claim in the small claims court.
In view of the fact that both of the tvs i bought broke i would like to know if I was just unlucky or is there a general quality problem with Aldi Tvs.Could others post if they have had similar problems with Aldi electronic products.

Forget about their 3 year warranty or guarantee, this runs concurrent with your consumer rights and does not replace them.

Personally when I am dealing with issues like this I don't even mention warranty.

You seem quite irate at the whole Aldi support experience which is understandable given the amount of time it has taken for them to offer redress.

Firstly though you have to stop making it personal and heading off on a crusade. This will only really achieve 2 things, will make you angrier and will cloud your judgement. Your all ready going about it the wrong way.

I understand they offered you a refund of €120. This may sound like a bad deal because it is less than half of the original cost. In reality though the price of these tv's change so much in a short space of time, that €120 may get you an even better spec'd TV now, I know Lidl were offing a 19inc flat screen with Saorview & dvd player for €99 a couple months back.

Personally I would take the offer of €120 and shop somewhere else.

Move on and register the only protest that you can that matters and don't shop there any more.

donegal11

Why not buy a dvd player? problem solved:pac:

dilallio

I have a question regarding the 3 R's (Repair, Replacement, Refund)

If the store decide to Refund, are they allowed to give a partial refund on the basis that the product has been used for a certain period, or should they refund to the value of replacing the faulty product with another of similar functionality?

If the answer is the second option, perhaps the OP would be better to look for a number of quotes for similar products, call Aldi again with this information, and negotiate a mutually beneficial refund value.

Presumably, if she is still unhappy with their offer, she is entitled to ask for a Repair or Replacement. If they cannot provide these, then she could take it to the SCC.

Mary63

I opened the door this morning to a courier attempting to deliver the unrepaired TV/Dvd back to me.I had already advised the aldi employee i spoke to yesterday that under no circumstances was I prepared to take the unrepaired item back.I refused to accept delivery.I have now drafted my letter of complaint to the chief executive officerr Aldi Ireland,I have obtained his name and address.I feel he should be aware how my complaint has been dealt with since last July and the myriad of aldi employees who have been passing the buck on this,I have names of all employees and dates and times of phone calls.This is a deplorable way to treat customers,I will never cross an Aldi door again.

TOMP

I always found ALDI excellent when returning items, never had a problem

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I too have found Aldi brilliant for returns (not a fan of some products after a few faulty items). Have gone back long after purchases and always got no quibble refunds in full.

oldyouth

Always found Aldi top notch for customer service on things like this. Nothing yellow pack about them at all. Some of the electrical brands are not familiar but I know they will sort out any problems. Love the value there and probably the friendliest assistants around. Always a genuine smile.

Not connected in any way.

PS. Think the offer to the OP more than reasonable

Mary63

Bearing in mind that this matter has been dragging since July at my time and expense it is difficult for me to see anything reasonable on Aldis part regarding their obligations to me as a consumer.The irish website promises me I can "rely on a consistently high standard of consumer care and provides me with telephone number 1890 991 828 to help me on my way.When I rang this number on the many occasions I did I was queued for up to twenty minutes a time and then told"you have rung the wrong number"then another wait to be through to the right person and then no response.I called in person to the nearest Aldi to me,which is an hours round trip to be assured by management there that matters would be investigated,again no response.
On a happier note I have been offered a brand new TV but mindful of the fact that the two Aldi Televisions I have bought broke in an unacceptable short time in my opinion I have refused this offer.I think I should also be refunded for the costs of my phone calls and my petrol expenses but that would be another battle.Senior Aldi management have now offered me the entire cost of the defective television so the matter ends there.When I receive the money I will give the business to an Irish store and buy a brand I trust.
I moved into my present accomodation in 1991 and am still using the sony tv,the miele washing machine and the panasonic microwave that were bought then.While the aldi products appear good value the two tvs that broke in less than three years cost me €625,that is a substantial sum of money.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

For goodness sake! You have been offered a replacement. They are going way beyond the limit here with that offer. You are entitled at best to refund, replace, or repair and the retailer can choose. For pity's sake, I don't know how you can expect anything more? You are being unreasonable at this stage IMO.

Mary63

Many thanks for your advice but under no circumstances would I be happy to accept an aldi tv based on my previous experience.One broken Tv is bad luck,two is doubly unfortuneate,not a chance that i would risk a third and why should I.As I said i think Aldi should in view of the expense I went to,re imburse me for my expenses incurred through ignoring my repeated requests that this matter be attended to.I have finally managed to bring the abysmal customer serviceI received to the attention of senior aldi management and got the matter resolved to my satisfaction.You are entitled to your opinion,I will again do the hour return trip to Aldi to collect my hard earned cash and that will be the last time I will be in an aldi store.

Boggles

Dayana Blue Escalator wrote: »

For goodness sake! You have been offered a replacement. They are going way beyond the limit here with that offer. You are entitled at best to refund, replace, or repair and the retailer can choose. For pity's sake, I don't know how you can expect anything more? You are being unreasonable at this stage IMO.

To be fair to the OP she doesn't have to accept a replacement at this stage given she has lost complete confidence in the products this company sells and more importantly how they deal with something when things go wrong.

Remember it has taken 3 months to get to this point at a financial and time cost to the OP.

The retailer can choose any redress it likes, but the consumer does not have to accept if they have good reason or deem it unfair.

The OPs style may not be eveyones cup of tea, but she has to be applauded for sticking to her guns and getting the redress she is happy with.

The fact that 1000s of people have had favourable afters sales assistance with Aldi is moot, the OP hadn't which is really all that counts to her.

Congrats.

partyatmygaff

Getting a refund (To the full value of the product) after two and a half years of use is great service in my book regardless of how long it took to get there. Most shops wouldn't even entertain a phone call and would force you to the small claims court.

neilthefunkeone

As i used to work for Aldi i saw this all the time.. You don't contact Aldi.. You ring the warranty number supplied with the product.. Its on the box, the product and the manual.. My 32" tv broke(power button) a year into its 3 year warranty.. Called number on back of TV.. 2 days later a guy called in and fixed it on the spot in 40 mins..

Next time call the customer service number.. Easier to do it yourself instead of getting someone else to look after it..

Mary63

I did in fact spend a week calling the manufacturers helpline only to be told each time to call within office hours and no further information.The manufacturer has gone bust,a fact Aldi repeated at every turn.What that has to do with me and my contract with Aldi I am confused about.I have read the details of the sales and services of goods act to familiarise myself with my rights and as far as I can tell I do not have to deal with a manufacturers problems.My contract is with Aldi as the retailer.After a week I contacted aldi and you know the rest.By the way whats wrong with my style,I am a nice person,even to aldi people who make a fool of me,or at least I was nice in July.

ejmaztec

Mary63 wrote: »

I did in fact spend a week calling the manufacturers helpline only to be told each time to call within office hours and no further information.The manufacturer has gone bust,a fact Aldi repeated at every turn.What that has to do with me and my contract with Aldi I am confused about.I have read the details of the sales and services of goods act to familiarise myself with my rights and as far as I can tell I do not have to deal with a manufacturers problems.My contract is with Aldi as the retailer.After a week I contacted aldi and you know the rest.By the way whats wrong with my style,I am a nice person,even to aldi people who make a fool of me,or at least I was nice in July.

They didn't go bust, they were taken over by Lenovo as per post no 3 in this thread.

You don't seem to realise that Medion getting taken over by Lenovo is completely outside Aldi's control. Aldi don't manufacture the TV sets, they have to buy them in.

What brand did they offer as a replacement, was it old Medion stock, or was it from a new supplier to Aldi?

Mary63

I was advised in writing by aldi this week that the company who supplied the tv has gone into administration.I dont actually care where aldi got the tv from,I was enticed to buy it because it came with three year warranty,my contract is with aldi as a retailer not with the maufacturer of the tv.I am no expert on consumer law but I have read as much of the supply of goods and services act 1982 as I could bear to andIthink I am right in saying the retailer cannot pass the buck to the manufacturer.
The Tv I was offered will be on the shelves on the 18th with I bet three year warranty big and bold on the box,on the website and the store leaflet.I didnt even ask what make it was,I just want my money back at this stage.
You are all making me feel just the tiniest bit sorry for Aldi,but Im still collecting my money.Dont forget that Aldi along with every other retailer is slapping a big mark up on top of the cost price of the item,they can well afford to reimburse me.
I thought this was a forum for aggrieved customers and you would all cheer for me.!!!!

Mary63

I was advised in writing by aldi this week that the company who supplied the tv has gone into administration.I dont actually care where aldi got the tv from,I was enticed to buy it because it came with three year warranty,my contract is with aldi as a retailer not with the maufacturer of the tv.I am no expert on consumer law but I have read as much of the supply of goods and services act 1982 as I could bear to andIthink I am right in saying the retailer cannot pass the buck to the manufacturer.
The Tv I was offered will be on the shelves on the 18th with I bet three year warranty big and bold on the box,on the website and the store leaflet.I didnt even ask what make it was,I just want my money back at this stage.
You are all making me feel just the tiniest bit sorry for Aldi,but Im still collecting my money.Dont forget that Aldi along with every other retailer is slapping a big mark up on top of the cost price of the item,they can well afford to reimburse me.
I thought this was a forum for aggrieved customers and you would all cheer for me.!!!!

Fr Tod Umptious

hey Mary63

I hope you used paragraphs when you wrote to the Aldi CEO

dudara

Fr Tod Umptious No need for that kind of comment there.

dudara

ejmaztec

http://www.aldi.ie/ie/html/offers/special_buys3_18315.htm?WT.mc_id=2011-09-16-09-56

Slim, sleek and stylish HD ready TV with built-in Digital tuner to receive Digital TV and Radio Stations plus built-in CI port and USB multimedia.

Features:

• Integrated side loading DVD player
• Visible screen size: 47cm
• Resolution: 1366 x 768
• Teletext as broadcast
• 7 day Electronic Programme Guide
• Speakers: 2 x 3W
• Standby power consumption <1W
• USB multimedia – allowing you to play music and image files from a connected USB device†

Connections:

• 1 x HDMI
• 1 x SCART
• 1 x USB
• 1 x CI
• Component (YPbPr), Composite, PC, Co-Ax, RF and Earphone

Dimensions:

• With stand: 467 x 210 x 375mm (W x D x H)
• Without stand: 467 x 75 x 328mm (W x D x H)
• Wall mount compatible – VESA 100 x 100

†USB device not included

If I were offered this as a replacement, I would accept, mainly on the grounds that the one bought 2 or 3 years ago wasn't set up for Saorview.

It's a Tevion, one of the brand-names used by Medion.

NewHillel

partyatmygaff wrote: »

Getting a refund (To the full value of the product) after two and a half years of use is great service in my book regardless of how long it took to get there. Most shops wouldn't even entertain a phone call and would force you to the small claims court.

Well it's not great service in my book, and I'm very disappointed with Aldi. I had two Tevion products fail, both Computer Monitors, and both almost three years old. Both were replaced without quibble.

The fact that some other shops offer a shoddy service is neither here nor there.

ejmaztec

NewHillel wrote: »

Well it's not great service in my book, and I'm very disappointed with Aldi. I had two Tevion products fail, both Computer Monitors, and both almost three years old. Both were replaced without quibble.

The fact that some other shops offer a shoddy service is neither here nor there.

The OP refused to accept a replacement, which would have been the item in my post above. She wants 100% of her money back.

I don't know what the terms of the guarantee are.

wild_cat

ejmaztec wrote: »

The OP refused to accept a replacement, which would have been the item in my post above. She wants 100% of her money back.

I don't know what the terms of the guarantee are.

Surely the small claims court won't entertain that? Will they?

ejmaztec

wild_cat wrote: »

Surely the small claims court won't entertain that? Will they?

I wouldn't have thought so, and I'm basing that on a run-in I had with Komplett over a defective graphics card two or three years ago.

The only replacement they could offer was one with a lower spec and a cheaper price than I'd paid for the original, and that was because it was the only item in stock that had the same connections as mine. When I refused that, they offered me a refund of "the market value" of mine, which meant that I'd lose out on about €60. I discovered that they were well within their rights to do this, which annoyed me no end.

As it happened, I decided to upgrade my machine, and asked for a credit aginst the parts that I bought from them. They accidentally credited me with more than the original card cost, and I said nothing.:D

Jaysoose

So the OP used the telly for 2 1/2 years and wants a full refund? refused numerous attempts by Aldi to sort the issue out.. how is this bad service by the company?

am i missing something.

ch750536

Sorry OP but I too think you are being harsh. I would have taken a similar product or cash equivalent. I don't think the small claims court will back you up on full refund of the original cost but please let us know if wrong.

maxer68

The OP doesn't even know what the fault is. It possibly isn;t even a manufacturing fault. Could have been caused by a power surge and any number of domestic related issues.

Throughout Europe Aldi products are seen to be as good as or better than the middle market brands and their service is second to none.

Possibly they were a little concerened that one customer brought back a second TV afetr a similar interval and decided to be a little wary?