To be irritated with Aldi over this?

[aldiannoyance]

Generally I am a supporter of Aldi, I shop there regularly and buy stuff online.

At the start of last year I bought something from them online. Not massively expensive, about £40. It was for a room where we were having work done, so I left it in the box until we were ready to use it. Last month we finally got the work completed...only to open the box and find that a crucial part (to connect the 2 parts of the item together) was missing.

It's not just a simple screw or anything that I could easily source a replacement for - indeed oddly although it is referred to in the instructions (use A which is attached to B to join B and C together) it;s not on the parts inventory. But clearly should be included, I assume should have been fitted onto B but has been missed off at manufacturing stage.

The item came with a 3 year guarantee, I emailed both Aldi and the manufacturer on the same email with all the details. That was nearly a month ago.

No response at all from the manufacturer.

Aldi have so far sent me 3 different emails.
The first asked me to provide photos of the item (these were attached to my original email but I resent them anyway).
The second asked me for my order number (also sent - I attached to that reply a copy of my email order confirmation which had both the order no on and is proof of purchase).
The third email (and this is the one I'm annoyed about) enclosed a link telling me I needed to phone a customer service line. The link didn't take me to a page with a number, just a random part of the Aldi website. Plus I prefer not to phone, we get appalling mobile signal here and calls drop all the time, hence emailing. And why do I need to call customer services when that's who I've been emailing!

The email also asked me to obtain a receipt from the store. Which of course I can't because it was an online purchase, and I've already provided evidence of purchase!

I have emailed back and queried the above which is clearly a cut and paste response but AIBU to be irritated? I don't think I am!

If you bought it over a year ago and didn’t check it I’m not sure what you expect from them.

Surely a guarantee is only for if it breaks in use not for some of the parts are missing and you’ve only noticed a year later ?

I do get being irritated for being asked for info you’ve already given though.

@Star81

If you bought it over a year ago and didn’t check it I’m not sure what you expect from them.

Surely a guarantee is only for if it breaks in use not for some of the parts are missing and you’ve only noticed a year later ?

I do get being irritated for being asked for info you’ve already given though.

Guarantee is irrelevant. Item was never fit for purpose. Aldi should refund, replace or send the missing part. I've had bother with them in the past too for in store purchases that were faulty. They seem to think they are still operating in Germany where consumer law and practises are different.

I think the problem is the time that has lapsed since you originally purchased the item.

@VapeVamp12

I think the problem is the time that has lapsed since you originally purchased the item.

Irrelevant.

www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-rights-act
Youu only have 30 days to reject goods if they are faulty

"How long do you have to return a faulty product?
Under the Consumer Rights Act you have a legal right to reject goods that are of unsatisfactory quality, unfit for purpose or not as described, and get a full refund - as long as you do this quickly.

This right is limited to 30 days from the date you take ownership of your product. After 30 days, you will not be legally entitled to a full refund if your item develops a fault, although some sellers may offer you an extended refund period.

This right to a refund doesn't apply to products you've bought as downloads, though - such as music, games or apps.

You can, however, ask for a digital product to be repaired or replaced if it develops a fault. And if this isn't possible, or is unsuccessful, you have the right to receive a price reduction. "

I don't want a refund, I just want the missing part! Item itself works fine but I can't use it because it is in 2 separate pieces.

@bruffing - you need to scroll down your link to see what happens after 30 days. If the item is unfit for purpose, then legally they have to fix it.

OP - It is Aldi though - what do you expect?

Are they likely to have the part if they sold it 1 year ago? Do they still sell it?

I’m not surprised, over the last year every single company/organisation I have tried to deal with has been absolutely shit.

That includes companies selling stuff and services, financial institutions, medical organisations etc.
They ignore emails, don’t answer phones and even if you do get to speak to a person after hanging on for three hours they can’t do anything.
I think the economy has gone to pot already, not sure how it will recover.

I would ring them and explain, it's a lot easier getting your point across when actually speaking to someone.

The issue with calling is that our phone signal is exceptionally poor so email is preferable. I manage ok with work as most of my calls are on Teams, plus if my signal cuts out on a mobile call I can just call that person back - trying to get through to the same person in a (virtual) call centre if you've been cut off is impossible.

I dont think they sell the item in Aldi any more; no idea about the manufacturer and what stock they may have, as they've not responded to my email at all.

I found them really helpful when I had to ring them about a similar issue. Same as you I emailed first and then had to speak to an actual person to discuss it in more detail.

I also live somewhere with virtually no mobile phone signal, so we have a landline AND we use WiFi calling on our mobile phones. It's not ALDIs fault you didn't open the box for a year and that you have decided not to sort out your telecommunication options for your own convenience at home.

Complaining loudly on Twitter and tagging in companies works really well.

The issue with calling is that our phone signal is exceptionally poor so email is
preferable

That’s hardly Aldi’s fault though, is it?

I understand the process has been a bit tedious but they have offered you a method to get the issue resolved.

Surely you need to get a replicable phone line in place? What would happen if you needed to make an emergency call?

You can use Teams to make non-Teams phone calls

agree with pastabest and 19lottie82.
you are being unreasonable in refusing to try to ring them.
can't you ring them from a high hill, or when you are out shopping etc.

[quote underneaththeash]@bruffing - you need to scroll down your link to see what happens after 30 days. If the item is unfit for purpose, then legally they have to fix it.

OP - It is Aldi though - what do you expect?[/quote]
and if you scroll further down, it says after 6months its up to you to prove that it was faulty in the first place. OP has to prove to them that she did not get the bit in the first place

I don't think you have any rights after such a long time.

Faulty items (that were faulty on purchase) must be returned within 30 days. On top of that, a fault that develops within 6 months is assumed to be there when you purchased the item.

But after a year, you have to prove that the item was faulty at the point of purchase, and I'm not really sure you can do that. Considering it was only £40 and has been sat in a box for a year, is it really worth the hassle?

Honestly I think you're being totally unreasonable. Its not like Aldi keeps long term stock, certainly can't imagine they'd have some random part over a year after they sold it.

It's worth the hassle because of the sheer waste otherwise of sending a working item to landfill because a small component part wasn't supplied. I'm not an obsessive environmentalist but to me that seems like a huge waste. Plus it's £40, not 40p, and to me £40 is not insignificant.

Part of the problem with calling Aldi of course leaving aside the issue with phone signal is that they told me to ring (albeit the same dept I am ostensibly already dealing with) but they haven't told me what number to call on - the link in their latest email which is meant to direct me to a specific number just to a random page on their site, on which there is no number. Having already explained matters in detail by email (3 times) I now have to do that again over the phone.

I'm not especially a fan of M&S, and I appreciate this is a slightly difference scenario, but to contrast I received flowers from them last year for my birthday which turned up half dead. I emailed M&S and immediately received a reply offering me either a replacement bunch or a voucher to the value. Not even requiring photos of the flowers themselves, and certainly not expecting me to phone a call centre.

You didn't wait 1 year from receiving your birthday flowers before contacting M&S though

What sort of item is it? Could you source it from elsewhere

I'm not especially a fan of M&S, and I appreciate this is a slightly difference scenario, but to contrast I received flowers from them last year for my birthday which turned up half dead. I emailed M&S and immediately received a reply offering me either a replacement bunch or a voucher to the value. Not even requiring photos of the flowers themselves, and certainly not expecting me to phone a call centre.

Huge difference.

This is a YEAR later. You have no legal right to a refund after this amount of time. I mean, pursue it if you want but I'd be extremely surprised if you got anywhere.

Next time, you'll know to check the item is as it should be when you receive it.

Just phone them, and if you can’t explain why in the email. You’ll get it sorted

I think you left it too late though. Chances are they may not have replacement parts lying around and would have to send you a new item. If that is the case, you’ll get a better resolution by being really kind to your email adviser and by jumping through their hoops. If you’re snotty, you’re more likely to invoke a response of “due to the length of time, we can’t assist” as legally you left it too late

Part of the problem with calling Aldi of course leaving aside the issue with phone signal is that they told me to ring (albeit the same dept I am ostensibly already dealing with) but they haven't told me what number to call on - the link in their latest email which is meant to direct me to a specific number just to a random page on their site, on which there is no number.

You are just making excuses now - it took me literally 30 seconds to google "Aldi customer services phone number" and the first hit was their website contact form with the customer service number halfway down the page, so I would suggest starting with that

customerservice.aldi.co.uk/contact