“LIDL is no longer worth wasting a journey to do your shopping at. The level of frustration from long queues, broken self service machines and constant stock shortages means you are better off just going to a mainstream supermarket where you can easily get everything in one stop. LIDL did have a compelling argument several years ago, but especially since Covid, improving price and quality competition from other retailers has left them trailing. Farewell LIDL, you tried, but failed. Here's the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak...
In January, I bought a pack of rechargeable AA batteries for use in my cycle lights, but didn't try to use them until February. When I did, I discovered that they were too large and were such a tight fit, that it would be impossible to remove them for recharging, so I rushed back to LIDL and demonstrated the size difference with other batteries from several well known brands. The reason the LIDL batteries are oversized appears to be because they have been dressed up with a glittery paper(?) covering, in order to make them more appealing. In fact, the covering has already started to come off, after trying to fit them in my lights.
LIDL agreed that they were larger than the Duracell and other batteries I brought in to demonstrate and agreed that they did not fit into the battery compartment I also brought in to demonstrate, but they were not interested in refunding me, 'Because it was more than 28 days since the sale - and that is the law,' or words to that effect. I explained that they were not applying the Consumer Rights Act 2015 correctly, but they were not interested.
For the record, my rights are:
0-30 days: You can claim a full refund for goods that are of unsatisfactory quality, unfit for purpose or not as described.
30 days-six months: You must give the retailer one opportunity to repair or replace it before you can claim a refund.
Six months or longer: You must give the retailer one opportunity to repair or replace it before you can claim a partial refund, and the burden of proof is on you to prove the product is faulty.
If you'd prefer a repair or replacement in the first 30 days you can ask the retailer, but it cannot refuse to give you a refund.
The bottom line is, I will be giving LIDL a wide berth from now on. In any case, as mentioned above, I'm sick of the long queues, broken self service machines and constant stock issues - and unhelpful staff.”
“Halifax road sheffield. Filthy baskets. Bread bags not big enough to get loaf fully in. Therefore loaf hanging out into filthy basket. Will not use this store again.”
“Customer service is terrible. I'm 60 years old with osteoarthritis. All the staff are rude at cleveleys store. Manager shouted at me for using a basket to take my shopping to my car. I will never step foot in a lidl store again.”
“When you first open very very good bargains as price has gone up the Covid come prices have gone up except but your products are going down and down noticed I’m just Had mushy peas,. Please keep Shop style mushy peas saving to be up to it was just like water.”
“A couple of days ago, we went shopping at Lidl at Kingswinford, never again. We bought vegetables and fruit, a good 50% of it all, ended up in the bin. I don't think that there was one piece that was not rotten at some part of it. They may well be cheap than Tesco, Sainsburys etc but at least the stuff you buy from these stores are edible.”
“Lidl deluxe chicken and mushroom pie,I expected it to be really nice ,however there was virtually no filling ,it was just sauce ,I counted 1 piece of miniscule chicken and 4 mushrooms,the flavour and the pastry was lovely ,but come on Lidl you can do better !!”
“Have bad experience with returning faulty cordless pressure washer. Contact customer service been forwarded to T. D. S SERVICES. After they took all details promised replacement been posted and should be in couple of weeks time as its coming from Germany. After two weeks received phone call that they missing address information and can not poste it, was shocked and angry bit as they have all details and should be with me now. I provided anyway agai. Afyer couple of days they contacted saying there is no stock so they offer full refund. And again asked of Bank details. After over other two weeks waiting still no money no product. Would not be buying from lidl abgai electric as its getting worse.”
“One of the incentives using lidl is the 10% discount on your next shop once you have spent £250.00 in a given month. The problem with this is that the offer expires after 7 days. I have already spent over £250.00 in December, but won't do another major shop until after Christmas, but this offer expires on 24th December. Its just not an incentive, and should apply to my next shop irrespective of when I do it. Most of lidl's other incentives have the same problem.”
“The Tronic batteries you sell seem a bargain, but similarly to much of your other produce the batteries are awful. They run out of power after a few uses. For example, I replied 3 batteries in car keys for 3 cars, ALL went flat after a few uses. Dont worry, you’re no worse than Aldi, but you are much worse than Asda, sainsburys, Morrisons, tesco, Co-op, Waitrose, Ocado and anyone else I can think of.”
“Just had frozen portebelo mushroom and parsnip pie. Couldn't find mushrooms in it and negligible parsnips just bland mush and the pastry was bad too. Very disappointing.”
“I have been shopping with Lidl for more years than I care to remember. However, after hearing about, and seeing undercover investigations of chicken welfare in their supply chain (which was brutal, seeing all those dirty, miserable chuckens, laying in their own faeces). I just cannot bring myself to shop there any longer.”
“Everybody know Lidl. They are essential place to shop for many people on a budget.
I've been going there for decades and since I was a kid with my parents.
There's lot of choices and the quality of the products is great.
I love there fresh bread section!
Overhaul it's a fine place to shop for essential and more.”
“Doing my shopping today ( 4th November ) l had the pleasure of being served by a young lady called Maddie.
She greeted me with a lovely smile, to say she was a delight is an understatement. l had forgotten my phone so she added my phone number so l got my points.
Please pass on my thanks for making my shopping trip enjoyable!.”
“Have been going to the Northfleet Branch now since it opened and getting our shopping there but Every time we bring the Fruit home it is old and in many cases
gone off will not be going back.”
“Beware of frozen seafood at Lidl
Lidl customers might like to know just how ready this company is to avoid properly investigating matters where the safety of its food products is, shall we say, questionable. Frozen seafood is particularly susceptible to becoming dangerous for human consumption on account of how long it is kept, how it is stored, and whether adequate cooking instructions are given on the product wrapping.
About ten days ago, I bought a packet of Chilean frozen Mussels (CARNE DE MEJILLÓN DE CHILE), by Alma Latina. This product is apparently sold in various European countries, to judge by the instructions printed on the reverse of the packet in 4-5 different languages, including Greek. Consequently, with so much information compressed into one small area, the instructions are tiny, jammed together, and extend for perhaps half an inch around the front of the package, making them difficult to read, even when the frozen contents have been removed and the packaging has been flattened.
I was astonished to see that there was NO printed guidance on the product packaging as to how long defrosting should take. More seriously, I was unable to find ANY mention of cooking times, raising the spectre that this food might be dangerous to eat. But I took a chance, defrosting it for an hour or so, and then cooking the contents for a few minutes in my microwave. No ill effects…..this time…..but what if I hadn’t defrosted. Or given too little defrosting? Or under-cooked the frozen food???? The mussels were bland and uninteresting – definitely not something I would buy again.
But in replying, Lidl asked me to provide full product details (the barcode number, lot numbers and Best Before/Use By Date. Or alternatively, to send photographs of the product packaging. How many different versions of CARNE DE MEJILLÓN DE CHILE does Lidl sell in the UK? 5 different versions? 10 versions? When I googled this Lidl product name, it immediately produced an image of the front of the same typing of package I’d bought. Crucially, however, there was NO photo of the back of the package to give the game away!!
I was able to supply Lidl with the best before date from the back of the packet plus another series of unexplained numbers, and the name of the Lidl branch where I had purchased it, but that was all. I no longer had the packaging. Who wants to keep frozen seafood packaging around inside the house?
In response to the information I sent them, Lidl wrote back rather pompously: “....What our customers have to say about our products is of great importance to us. It is only on receipt of such information that we are able to maintain and improve the standard of service that we offer our customers. Our Buying Team are focuses on selecting only the most reputable suppliers who meet the strict standards of quality control we insist upon. Unfortunately, without the information requested, we were unable to conduct a complete assessment of this case, as we unable to identify the exact product and production details….”
Moral: Never buy frozen food at Lidl IF defrosting and cooking times are NOT clearly printed on the packet. Otherwise, the buyer might be spending long hours in the bathroom!”
