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Complaint

Date

15/11/2003

Complaint

entered by

Various Lidl Customers

Various complaints, observations and comments received from the public

relating to Lidl

Dawn Hallet from Swansea wrote to us on the 9^th November 2003

I am writing because last week I made a trip to my local Lidl store to purchase some grocery shopping. I went to pay at the till with a five pound note and there was a tear on the corner of the note, but this was nothing substantial and the serial code on the side of the note was clearly visible, and in tact. However, the man who was serving me informed me that he could not take the note as it was not complete. When I confronted him with the fact that the note was in fact legal tender he told me that this was indeed the case, but he could still not take the note as the bank would not cash it. To which, he added that he could also not take Scottish notes.

I do not believe that this was fair, or in fact true. As long as the note is still classed as legal tender it should be accepted as so and I believe that I was treated unfairly.

I would be grateful for any help that you could give me on this matter.

We passed this complaint to Lidl who contacted Dawn as follows:

Lidl have replied and offered me an apology and informed me that this information has been passed on to the store manager.
Thank you for your help.
Yours Faithfully
Dawn Hallett

Jim Crooke from Redditch sent us an e-mail on the 20^th November 2003

In general I find Lidl to be a very inexpensive and quite useful shop but I have noticed that when it comes to providing the "Specials" which they advertise so widely there is always a shortage if they are ever available at all.

I received an offer of a wireless keyboard and mouse for £19.99 which I confirmed was also in the Lidl website. I drove to my local Lidl and was told that they had only received six and were already sold out - this was within an hour of opening on the day the offer commenced. I drove to the next nearest Lidl only to be told that they had received two of the keyboard/mouse sets and they sold out immediately.

I rang the customer services number and was told that none of the stores had any in stock despite the fact that this was at 11am and the offer had only been running for two hours.

It makes me wonder if there ever were going to be adequate supplies of this item. More especially so as I had exactly the same problem almost 12 months ago with a near identical offer from Lidl on a wireless keyboard/mouse set. I get the impression that these specials are just to make people go into the store rather than there ever being any intention to fulfil the offer in the myriad of leaflets which Lidl so ably circulate to all the households in my area.

We did not pass this complaint to Lidl but we explained to Mr. Crooke that all these Special Offers are designed to bring you into their stores to buy their main products which are their food lines.
All continental discounters use exactly the same bait and it is not in their interest to have these item on their shelves for a prolonged period as this would defeat the object and diminish the interest.
As it happened ALDI were advertising the same keyboard and mouse bundle but different make a week later for exactly the same price

Alison Bones from Normaton sent us an e-mail on the 25^th November 2003

Despite telephoning Lidl UK Supermarkets to complain about the lack of lighting at the car park at the Normanton Branch, nothing has changed.

I have checked with Wakefield Council and the footpath leading from the Railway Station to Station Road is Lidl's responsability and is pitch black in the evening. This is a public right of way which formed part of the re-development when the supermarket was built. It is a very lonely footpath and anyone using it is open to being mugged. I should be much obliged if the Management of Lidl at Normanton could please pay the electric bill and switch the floodlights on when it becomes dark in the afternoon.

Once again we passed this complaint to Lidl who have now confirmed to us that they have written to Mrs. Bones who has also confirmed to us that her complaint has been settled to her full satisfaction

Yes, they have contacted me - thank you
Alison Bones

Bustercrimez3@aol.com from Blackpool sent us the following e-mail

I am writing with regard to the abusive comments I have received from certain male members of staff during recent visits to the Lidl supermarket in Blackpool. It would appear that the male staff in the store have nothing to do except talk and make rude comments about gays and lesbians in front of their customers.
Today was the last straw when myself and my partner had to stand in the queue and listen to them complaining about the number of Gays that frequent their local YMCA. Forgive me if I am wrong but I have always assumed the YMCA to be a Christian centre and not a gay club as they obviously think it is judging by their comments.
I cannot believe that we are the only customers to have received this kind of treatment as it appears to be ongoing all of the time. I feel sorry for any other members of staff never mind customers who are of gay or lesbian orientation!

As there is not much we can add we sent it on to Lidl in London and asked them the to look into it. If it is true then there is no need for the staff to behave in this manner.

Mrs. C.M. Smith sent us another interesting e-mail

I recently came upon this website by chance whilst looking for something else and was utterly astounded by the fact that people have the time to sit and write long winded complaints about such paltry matters - Lets face it you get what you pay for. Lidls is a cut price store that sells nasty cheap food and cheap merchandise. If people want to pay next to nothing for stuff then they're going to get very little in return. Regards Mrs C M Smith

Thank you Mrs. Smith, if that is your real name, for sharing with us your opinion. Interesting isn’t, it that you are utterly astounded by the fact that people have the time to sit and write complaints, but that you are so bored that you decided to enlighten us with your rather egocentric opinion.
Strange also that people like you seem to think that ‘cheap’ and ‘nasty’ are synonymous and go together?
Have you ever been to Lidl and what did you buy?
Why don’t you inform us and explain to us and the visitors of this web site why the food sold by Lidl is ‘nasty’. With the exception of one complaint nobody has criticised Lidl over the quality of its food. Literally all complaints on this site are about Lidl's returns policy and staff attitude, not its food.
Has it ever occurred to you that there may be people who may be thankful to be able to buy ‘cheap’ food and who are not as well of as you., You obviously buy your provisions from one of the big multi-nationals and contribute to their ever increasing wealth. So be thankful that you can afford it and stop sneering at other people.
By all means be critical but if you can’t be constructive in your criticism then we suggest you leave your comments to those who can be.
So please, let’s not be a bigot and a hypocrite but a constructive critic and tell us more about your experience with Lidl and their ‘nasty’ food. We, the visitors to this site, and we suppose even Lidl, would be more than interested to hear all about your shopping encounter at Lidl and your elucidation of ‘nasty and cheap’ merchandise.

Robert Bagley from Bletchley wrote to us

Recently purchased circular saw advertised as 2000watt rating, after unpacking fount it was actually 1300 watts. Returned to shop within 1 hour, complained and was offered a refund.
BUT, having paid in cash (£35) an hour earlier, could only be refunded by cheque through the post within 2 weeks (Company Policy).
They don't advertise that little fact, do they?

Whilst Lidl confirmed to us that they had contacted Mr. Bagly we have to say that he has not had the courtesy to come back to us. We tried to contact him by e-mail to find out how Lidl have reacted to his complaint but sadly we can't get a reply, but that's life. Some people deserve our help and others just use us and clearly don't.

Jean McDonald from St. Neots e-mailed us on the 28th December 2003

I have just noticed a story on your web site similar to one I am experiencing.
I recently bought a Nytech ND-5020 digital camera from Lidl in St.Neots, Cambs, on 22nd December 2003.
On closer inspection it was of flimsy build quality, the lens cover was insufficient, and the batteries wore down very quickly and got hot. I tried to take it back but Lidl refused and told me to contact the Nytech help line. I have also tried the Lidl phone number but they weren't much help.
I hope you can help me with this matter?
I was under the impression that you could return anything regardless as long as you had the receipt.

The matter was as usual passed to Lidl and Mrs. McDonald has now confirmed to us that Lidl have now accepted the return of the faulty camera and issued a refund cheque

Mrs S P Selby from Bletchley e-mailed us on the 4th February 2004

I shop at LIDL in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire about twice a week. As a non-driver I take my shopping trolley to the shop and purchase groceries. Whilst I think that the standard of food in the shop is excellent and is very reasonably priced, my only "moan" is that there are no hand baskets to put the food in whilst you walk around.
I can see that the idea of a trolley would mean that you would buy more, what about people that only need to buy a certain amount each time?
Also I am sure that elderly people must find this annoying as well.
Please can we have hand baskets sooner rather than later.

Mrs Selby has just confirmed that Lidl have responded quite quickly - unfortunately she thinks that we are somehow connected to Lidl, which we most definitely are not

I have received a reply from your Head Office today. Apparently they are going to consider the question of hand baskets by bringing this up with your board of directors. I await to see the outcome.

Your food and instore produce remains extremely good. Keep up good work.

Cchrn@aol.com from Crookston sent us the following

PLEASE REMEMBER LIDL'S COMPANY PHILOSOPHY!

I QUOTE 'IN ALL WE DO, CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS OUR GOAL'
AFTER PURCHASING A RUG FROM THE STORE AND DOUBLE CHECKING WITH THE GIRL WHO WAS SERVING US ON WHETHER I WOULD BE GIVEN A CASH REFUND IF THE ITEM WAS UNSUITABLE, I WAS SHOCKED WHEN I TOOK IT BACK WITHIN A FEW HOURS TO BE TOLD I COULDN'T HAVE A CASH REFUND BECAUSE IT WAS OVER £10.00.

OH BY THE WAY THE GIRL WHO SERVED ME WAS A TRAINEE SM.

THE RUG WAS £34.99 WHICH WAS PAID FOR BY SWITCH CARD. SHE DID AGREE SHE HAD SERVED US AND THAT SHE MIS-INFORMED US. SO WITH REGARDS TO THEIR PHILOSOPHY SHE SHOULD HAVE RESPECTED THE CUSTOMER AND HONOUR HER PROMISE AND CREDIT MY SWITCH CARD BACK AGAIN. I ASKED HER WHERE THE NOTICE WAS AS THIS WAS A VERY UNUSUAL POLICY ? SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE THE NOTICE WAS. AFTER TAKING TIME TO LOOK FOR THE NOTICE WITH MY HUSBAND WE FOUND IT TWO TILLS DOWN FROM WHERE WE HAD BEEN SERVED AND FACING THE OTHER WAY AND ALSO ABOVE NORMAL HEAD LEVEL?
I WAS ALSO SHOCKED WHEN I HAD BEEN TOLD BY THE LIDL CUSTOMER HELP LINE THAT I WAS ALSO MIS-INFORMED REGARDING THE TIME IT WOULD TAKE FOR A CHEQUE TO BE ISSUED TO ME. I WAS TOLD IN A COUPLE OF DAYS , I WAS ANNOYED ABOUT THIS AS IT MEANT THEY WOULD HOLD ON TO (MY) MONEY FOR ANOTHER 4 DAYS BEFORE THE CHEQUE
CLEARED .HOWEVER I AM NOW FURIOUS TO FIND THAT IT COULD TAKE UP TO SEVEN DAYS BEFORE THE CHEQUE IS EVEN ISSUED? NEVER EVER HAVE I BEEN TREATED LIKE THIS AND I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO MAKE SURE THIS NEVER HAPPENS TO ANYONE AGAIN. ITS SO SO WRONG.

And there was a Mr. Bew from Taunton in Somerset who kept writing us letters complaining bitterly that Lidl did not thank him when he helped their staff to catch a shoplifter.

We did send his letters to Lidl's Head Office who confirmed to us that they had written to Mr. Bew but we never heard of Mr. Bew again. He obviously was quite happy that we did the donkey work for him but did not find it necessary or polite to thank us. So shame on you Mr. Bew, you obviously got what you wanted and you don't care about anybody else.

scotty2u@juno.com sent us the following e-mail on the 7th February 2004:

Went to return a item to Lidl as I have before but they now say they have changed there policy and do not allow returns, I have never heard of a store not taking returns.

I never saw any notice saying they have changed their policy or any notice at the store saying they will not take returns

Is there any law that states they must take item's back ?

How can you try thing's out at home if you cannot return them??

We explained to Scotty that retailers do not have to take back goods which are not faulty or not fit for the purpose they are sold but that most reputable retailers have a non quibble guarantee and will accept back purchases which are found to be unsuitable. We also sent his complaint to Lidl and asked them to reconsider their decision and we are glad to say that they have now sent Scotty a letter authorising the return of the travel bag he had purchased from Lidl and which turned out to be too small for his needs.

Maureen Staley contacted us in March 2004 and told us:

I purchased a Playstation game from Lidl for my son believing it to be five separate games as it was packaged in such a way that it appeared there were five discs inside. In fact, once open, there was only one game. I returned to Lidl with it stating how disappointed my son was but they said I could not have a refund. I consider this to be a "Trades Description" fault and would like your comments. I have since written to their Head Office but not even had the courtesy of a reply.

We gave Maureen the address of her local Trading Standard Office and we also sent her complaint to Lidl’s Head Office, but initially had not much success. Lidl, who had been quite co-operative previously were not at all helpful and ignored us and Maureen who also had sent them several letters. However, in the end, persuasion paid off and Maureen now had a letter authorising a full refund.

Chris Wainright wrote to us on the 11th July 2004 regarding an employment problem with Lidl

My wife has worked at Lidl for six years now part time. There have been many changes at lLidl in this time with new staff coming and going; also managers as well.

My wife has been very flexible with the hours that she has worked over the years, covering for people who have been sick or on holiday, staying behind to do inventory etc. She also enjoys the work she does; my wife works a 15 hour contract but she actually works 18 hours to help out. My wife works 9-3 Monday, Tuesday and Friday and has done for some time now because I work three shifts and my two boys go to school. These hours are ideal for our family life,

until now! There is a new manager in the store who is changing all the hours around, asking my wife to work an open and a close and has also told her if she can not do these hours to look for another job. My complaint is not about the products Lidl sell because there great value for money, my complaint is that Lidl do no listen or take into consideration the reliable staff that they have which there is a lot of.

Regretfully we had to tell Chris that there is not a lot he can do about this unless the hours had been agreed contractually with the previous managers but we suggested that his wife has a word with the regional manager asking him to reconsider the store managers decision.

Unfortunately there is a sad end to this story as Mr. Wainright has just sent us the following e-mail:

Thanks for replying, but regrettably my wife has left her employment this morning as her manager would not negotiate the hours she was working, it was either his way or no way. The six years she worked at Lidl she has enjoyed until now but it is her new managers loss as she was a great worker.

Many thanks again

Derek Cook wrote to us on the 15th July 2004 as follows:

I was interested to read your complaints site as I have also been through several hoops with Lidl to get a refund. I mistakenly believed that their policy was money back if not entirely satisfied - it's not!

If the product is over £5 to £10 then you can get a local decision but anything over that has to be sanctioned by H.O. and then on through the regional manager. You need to have the time, energy & persistence to peruse your case as they are not very helpful.

Compared to that other German store Aldi who ask no questions and are very helpful, Lidl is in the dark ages. Caveat emptor!

P.S.

It's apparently the same in France where my brother lives. He complained about a defective product only to have a disclaimer notice pointed out to him (in very small letters) that if you do not return the goods within 10 days then kiss goodbye your rights

Derek is of course right - but the question still remains as to why Lidl treat their UK customers (and apparently the French one's) differently to their German customers. Perhaps the Brits don't complain enough!

We also had the following e-mail (name and e-mail address withheld for obvious reasons)

Dear Complaint shop

I'm a store manager in Lidl and I believe that the refunds policy is garbage. If I had seen your web site before I joined 5 months ago I would never have joined the company.

Keep up the good work

There isn't much we can add to this

Another interesting e-mail came from Robert Bell in Falkirk

Today I went into my local Lidl store at the new Carron village Falkirk. I asked the manager if he would put up a poster advertising the fact that the local P.T.A are trying to recruit local parents. I was told that the shop policy is no way; I asked him if the shop was happy to take the money from the local community but do nothing in return and was politely asked to leave.

I am so glad that all the rest of their competition agreed to display them and were glad to do so; I for one will never shop there again and I'm sure that once I let others know then they might not either.

There isn't much we can add to this either but Lidl are known for this - perhaps it got something to do with their philosophy which says 'Our business is our business'

Further links to Lidl complaints: