ALDI Online Print Service - the worst service ever, stay away from them

mendo · 13-12-2007 05:25PM #1

Hi All,

I've tried Aldi Photo Services (Aldi Online Print Service) and I've been burned the second time I've ordered on line.

The first time I've ordered 680 prints and I've got them delivered after four days (I've used the Aldi Online Print Service software to upload the photos and order them - 638MBytes uploaded in total).
The quality it's average but for the price I've paid I didn't mind.

Only yesterday I've ordered another 805 prints the same way as the first time but the last step in the process - the photo upload - failed, the server would not respond to my upload request.

When I checked my Credit Card, they charged me the transaction for all the photos - 805 photos in total - but without receiving any photo from me.

I also got no order confirmation (I've no Order Number for this transaction on my Aldi online account).

I've contacted my Credit Card company but they said that they can't cancel the transaction. It will be canceled only if Medion UK will agree to do it .

The service it is run by Medion UK on behalf of Aldi.
Medion UK will charge you, print and post the pictures but the online servers are in Germany http://as.photoprintit.de/web/39824517/startup.do.

I've rang the Medion Customer Care and the guys in UK have no clue about the Aldi/Medion Online Print Service they are running for Aldi.

I've sent a message to Medion via http://www.medion.de/mailing/foto_uk.php but it looks that it will take days to get a replay if I will get any.

There is no customer care for this service (at list there is no one that can deal with you on the phone if you ring about this service)

For all of you willing to order prints from Aldi, be aware that the service looks to be a hit and miss, better use another trusted photo processing service not the Aldi one.

Regards,

Mendo

P.S. Just found this on the DVD forum, another user from UK had a similar problem dealing with their Customer Service.

I wish I could have used Paypal, but this option was removed by Aldi.

http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/s...d.php?t=490629

19-11-2007, 18:56 #2
pawsey
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1

Hi, Yes I have tried to use the Aldi Service but never again!

Placed an order for 3 photographic calendars on the 28 October 2007. Everything appeared to go well except at the last stage when I was returned from Paypal back to the Aldi site when an error code was generated.

I immediately attempted to query this with Aldi using the site's online form but this proved difficult as the form would not accept United Kingdom as my country, selecting a different country did work (since rectified).

Received replies from Aldi on the 1/4 November 2007 asking if I had received the calenders or an order confirmation, they confirmed receiving my Paypal payment.

On the 9 November, I replied, that I had not received calenders nor an order confirmation. Have received nothing back from Aldi since.

As I paid by Paypal, I can deal with this issue via Paypal's resolution centre, started on the 16 November. To date I have heard nothing from Aldi since the 4 November, so it seems I will need to escalate my dispute with Aldi to a claim via Paypal's resolution centre!!!

Anyone had a similar experience?
Last edited by pawsey : 19-11-2007 at 18:57.

jor el · 13-12-2007 05:38PM

mendo wrote: »

Only yesterday I've ordered another 805 prints the same way as the first time but the last step in the process - the photo upload - failed, the server would not respond to my upload request.

When I checked my Credit Card, they charged me the transaction for all the photos - 805 photos in total - but without receiving any photo from me.

Who did you speak to when you rang your card provider? Did you select the option for disputed purchases on your card? I would think that any dispute by you would be investigated by the bank and then if they find that Medion either have no idea what the charge is for (as appears to be your finding) or that they can't provide proof of service then the charge will be reversed.

From the rest of your post, I gather that the uploading of the pictures is the last step in the process. Do you fill in details of payment and number of photos you intend to upload before actually uploading them then? This seems rather bizarre.

mendo · 13-12-2007 06:33PM

Hi jor_el,

My wife rang the Credit Card company, because we used her CC.
I'll ring them again tomorrow and hopefully sort this out.

The process of ordering the prints from ALDI/Medion it's as follows:

-Launch the ALDI Online Print Service application
-Open your folder with photos and select the photos you wish to print.
-Then you select the paper size and select all the quality settings and you are given the price without P&P.
-Order the prints, at this stage you are prompted to log on online and you are given the final price including the P&P.
-You enter the CC details and the shipping address and then you confirm the order (at this stage there is no came back, from a billing point of view)

Note. After the last step if you lose the connection to the Aldi server the CC it's charged but you haven't even uploaded 1 Byte of pictures.

-After the order confirmation a formating process that allegedly will reduce and format your files starts (it takes a lot of time) and finally if you are lucky the upload process starts (it will take a couple of hours depending on your upload speed)

The payment process and the format/upload process are "separate" and the first one it's the payment.
If you manage to pay but fail to upload you are screwed, the payment goes ahead anyway.
Somehow the upload has to happen in the same transaction with the payment but if you lose the connection with the Medion server there is no way to do that.

The problem with the process it's that there is no trace of your order in your online account with ALDI if the system failed to upload your formated file and finalize the whole transaction (other than your CC charge on your bank account).

Their billing department will charge you but their printing department won't receive any request for your order.

Mendo

mendo · 13-12-2007 06:48PM

Just a "funny" thing I found on the Irish web page:

Telephone Contact
Should you have any queries concerning your order, you can reach Customer Service at the following number: 0900-xxxxxx (0,49€/min when using the Deutsche Telekom AG network. Telefonischer Kontakt

Log on to http://www.aldiphotos-print.ie/ and then click on Information, scroll down to Telephone Contact.

jor el · 14-12-2007 03:24AM

mendo wrote: »

Note. After the last step if you lose the connection to the Aldi server the CC it's charged but you haven't even uploaded 1 Byte of pictures.

Sounds like Aldi's system is both fucked and fucked up. Taking payment before the upload is completed is just a stupid thing for them to do. This was obviously designed by someone who has no idea how the Internet operates (possibility of timeout or crash not even considered).

Normally you would upload your pictures to an online photo album and then select from the uploaded pictures the ones you want printed. These are added to you shopping basket and you proceed to the payment. This would seem to be the obvious way to do it, but not to the Aldi web designer apparently.

Keep pursuing your bank, as the transaction should not be validated since their system is so broken.

TheDriver · 14-12-2007 06:28PM

Thanks for the feedback about them. One question though, if you were not happy with the quality the first time, why did you use them again as there are several other online companies in the business?

mendo · 15-12-2007 04:24PM

@TheDriver

The quality it's medium and for the price I've paid, I didn't mind going back to them.

Please can you recommend a serious and not so expensive alternative?

Mendo

eoghan h · 15-12-2007 07:18PM

www.snapfish.ie

I've never had any problems

mendo · 17-12-2007 04:37PM

I've managed to get the email address for the Customer Care - Aldi Photo Service:

service-aldiphoto-uk@medion.com

Regards,

Mendo

decomcgee · 20-05-2009 10:19PM

A new site that has just been launched
spammy spam spam

It's 100% Irish owned and operated in Donegal whereby quality is the main focus
Let me know what you think

delllat · 20-05-2009 11:12PM

if you havent managed to upload the pictures then there is no possible way they can print them and deliver them to you

so this is a very simple dispute in the eyes of the credit card company

its a simple non delivery of items paid for and unless aldi can prove they delivered them you will win the dispute and get a refund

jor el · 21-05-2009 12:27PM

decomcgee wrote: »

A new site that has just been launched
spammy spam spam

It's 100% Irish owned and operated in Donegal whereby quality is the main focus
Let me know what you think

Dragging up an old thread to spam your website? Not very smart. What I think of spammers is not something you'll want to hear.

ALDI Online Print Service - the worst service ever, stay away from them

Comments