Coles Supermarkets Australia
Reviews and Complaints

Gone are the days when you could duck into coles on your way home from work to grab a few thins for dinner. It is the busiest time of the day and there is no staff to serve waiting customers it can take 5 min. To get your things and 15 to 20 min. To get served. It is not the staffs fault it is just bad management. I shop at coles at the entrance on the central coast nsw which is a tourist place for holiday periods and there is nothing done where the population doubles in these times and there is still nothing done to serve the waiting customers. There are three check outs in the 12 items or less section with only one person serving plus attending to the front counter. I hope something can be done as I am thinking shopping elsewhere. Thank for you time

I do love my proscuitto so I' m buying on reg bases only to get disappointed again, most times it has been cut perfectly thin, — but all stacked on top of each other not seperated by some paper and tightly flattened whilst wrapping, — there was only 1 person a mature Lady ever who used to do it propperly and without asking that was at Nerang qld. — it would be fantastic if smallgood workers would be trained to pack and wrap prosciutto right way, on paper side by side with paper between layers,
many thanks Vera

I have been getting weekly product emails for many years . Now because the catalogues are downloaded by mobile phone apps I am unable to download the catalogues by my PC and see the weekly specials . Not happy Coles . I want my weekly specials .
You need to go back to the old system for those of us who do not use apps . I know it is a technology world but please your ongoing customers .

Once again I cannot buy the oak chocolate milk 2ltr in coles mundaring 6073 or midland 6056 in wa.. And woolworths don't sell it here at all.
This happens regularly!

I sent an email to parmalat the producers of oak milk and that categorically said that the issue is with coles ordering department!

It's ridiculous you can't buy a product consistently in a supermarket. Someone in the coles ordering department needs a swift kick up the butt!

Hi, firstly I'd like to say I love Coles and have been a customer of Coles for at least 25yrs.
On my weekly shop I buy my husband 2 packs of the Coles 4 pack Turkish rolls for his lunches which I freeze.
2 weeks ago I went to Coles at arndale and picked up a packet of Turkish roll and they were frozen solid. Thought it was strange but let it go. The following week picked up a packet of Coles traditional fruit hot cross buns and they too were frozen solid. Not only my pack but the whole display of them. That was at Hollywood plaza Coles. The just today I go to St Clair Coles and more frozen Turkish rolls. This is not good enough Coles. Very disappointed
Dani Letts

My mother has no immune system during chemo treatment and my father is a Renal Patient also has a compromise immune system.
So we are disappointed to see food continuely being handled by staff with no gloves particularly in the bakery department even when it's be raised 3 times with that department and at the main booth on existing the store.
No good enough and these people would understand our concerns when they have a family member in the same situation and see how what they are doing can have dire consequences on a person with low immunity.

Hi ther yesterday i was shopping with my mother in law as i often do, when she went to get some potatoes off your new top shelf she was barely able to reach them as the shelf is too high and the shelf below is too wide hanging out.
Am happy you make the effort to refurbish the store but the new design has now made it impossible for shorter than average women to access all items.
When we proceeded to the medical section she couldn't get the vasolene off the top shelf as again she couldn't reach it.
She is not that short. Plenty of women in this town are shorter or the same height as her 5ft 5inches.
Please address this and reduce the height of your new fruit and veg shelving and new top shelf in isles before you loose more sales resulting in unhappy customers as they are unable to reach your top shelf items throughout the store.
Very frustrating for my mother in lawand other women/men.
Before the refurbishment she only had problems with dairy section top shelf now its the whole store, that's a bit unfair.
Quick resolution before your workers finish the refurbishment at this store and others.
I look forward to hearing how you will resolve this.
Yvette

Customer service worker by the name of Shirley, I don't know her last name, I was about to put all my shopping up on the counter when she Shirley began to tone up her voice and she she is knocking of in ten minutes and this checkout is closed, so I grabbed my shopping of the counter, when the big Coles boss came to me and said, still proced with you shopping as she can serve you, well Shirley was very ride to me and to other staffs members, told me she will punch the Coles boss lady in the head very soon, was very angry at the time she was telling me, said she shouldn't be serving me as her brake was in ten minutes, I myself found this very ride and not acceptable, not only for me but for my children to see this in an public Coles place and also her fellow workers and also other shoppers in the shop at the time..

I myself felt very ride and intimated by her smart remarks and her attitude.. my children are now worried and even scared to be going into a Coles store after this lady done this.. I myself as being part aboriginal don't or will never accept this kind of treatment from any staff or member of a public shopping precinct...

Iam very disgusted in this.
Coles is the only place I shop but to this extend I might have to look at other options..

Thanks again.
Rameara Dodd.

[protected]@gmail.com.

My partner and I visited this store on Sunday the 31st of March, we brought in some old pots in an old coles shopping bag did our shopping and went through the self serve checkout. After paying for our items the security gates were set off, I'm guessing by the pots we brought in, immediately the team memeber came running behind us and snatched the bag off my partner, I got defensive and angry immediately snatched it bag. The security guard got involved and told me because the gates went off I HAD to show him my shopping bags I refused and said I don't have to do anything unless you have seen me steal! I felt harassed and then onwards because the harrasment didn't stop I pulled out everything and showed both the security guard and team member. I have never been so humiliated and disappointed at how both members treated me. A place I shopped at for many years as made me think twice about coming into the store.

Hi, I thought the recent stickeez campaign was a mastermind idea. Getting kids to be excited about fruit and vegetables is long overdue.
Unfortunately i have reason to complain due to a number of reasons. Firstly there is no reminder at the self service tills so after spending 140 dollars it wasn't until I got home that the kids reminded me about the stickees. I went back to Marion to ask if I could get them and explained what had happened and I was told very rudely that there was no way I could get them once I had left the store. I completely understand this policy but after shopping at Woolworths where there are clear reminders about their campaign at the self service tills I thought coles really didn't make much effort and th3 staff member I asked was unnecessarily rude.
A few days later I went to happy valley coles (the hub) and there were signs up saying that they had run out of stickeez so for the second time we missed out.
My third attempt to get stickeez also failed when I spent over 160 only to get to the checkout to be told the campaign was finished.
I don't mean to keep making comparisons with woolworths but the campaign they ran simultaneously is still running.
I would prefer to spend my money at a shop that rewards and encourages shoppers for buying fruit and veg but the campaign did not run long enough and just made shopping at coles a very unsatisfactory experience.

Hello,

I am a regular shopper in this store as l live only block away.
I have just been shopping and witnessed a worker in the self service checkout walk away in tears after trying to resolve a problem with a yelling customer. The in store security guard does not even walk 10 metres to see what the problem is.
On another occasion l was there the security guard just watched 2 young kids walk out with things stuffed up their jumpers.
What is the point of having security there if they are just going to stand there in these situations.
It really annoyed me tonight to watch that happen. I felt for the lady who was given no support.

Fran

I have been a coles online customer for the last 16 months.in that time I have spent $11, 176. After showing you loyalty as a shopper you have decided to dump me as a customer and have terminated my account.

My expectations were to receive fresh undamaged products in the delivery timeframe chosen. Unfortunately you gave me many reasons to complain. I have received meat products that were old, some with only 2 days remaining on the use by date which your online representative told me met the coles standard) and once receiving a meat product with no use by date as the label was half torn off. I received fruit and vegetables with the flesh exposed which looked to me like a thumbnail having pierced the skin. I received tinned food with dents and on one occasion 3 of the 4 tins I had received in one order were dented. I received products from the freezer which were partially thawed and on one occasion, ice-cream tubs that were liquid inside. Bread ordered was constantly old. Usually 2 days old and sometimes as much as 4 days old. When items were bagged you would typically pack cleaning and laundry items and pest sprays with food items. I have had iced donuts delivered to me upside down so they were no longer iced as the icing was stuck to the packaging. The list goes on. Yet I persisted with your service as I enjoyed the convenience of online shopping. I requested on many occasions that you amend your website to enable customers to request what they would accept as a use by date. I was told this was being reviewed, however this never happened.

I suspect that coles online shoppers are often given flawed or old products that personal shoppers would not buy.

As an online shopper I got to choose a delivery window however it was normal practice for you to not meet that delivery window. I was given excuses such as the truck broke down which I was later told by a coles online representative that was just a code used when deliveries were delayed.

For the last delivery I complained about, my window was 4 to 5 pm, but your delivery did not happen until 5:30 pm.in that order there was a sticky substance over many of the items which smelt like some sort of cleaning fluid (it was nothing I had ordered so I can only assume someone else's product had leaked onto my tray) and there was one box of rice crackers where the packaging was damaged and one frozen product for which the box was partially thawed and damaged.

This last order I complained about was 3 weeks ago and even though you have collected the damaged items I have still not received a refund for them.

I have photos for some of the complaints I have made and had offered to send pictures of damaged products when making my complaints but I was told they were not required.

Instead of fixing your issues you send me an email with the following

"thank you for your custom with coles online.

We have reviewed your recent activity with coles online, and we believe that the coles online service is no longer suitable for your shopping needs. It seems that we were unable to satisfy your shopping needs with our service and goods.

Accordingly, we have suspended your account effective immediately.

This means that your shopping privileges have been revoked and you will not be able to place further orders with coles online.

This suspension is in accordance with clause 20. And 21. Of our customer agreement as detailed below.

Customer agreement
20. Termination;
Coles online may terminate or suspend this agreement at any time by delivering notice (as specified in clause 20 and 21) or by sending you a message advising that your shopping privileges have been removed. Termination of this agreement is effective the day notice is received, or such later date as specified in the notice. Coles online may remove anyone from the system or refuse to deliver to a particular address at any time. You may cease placing orders at coles online at any time.

21. Notices;
Coles online may give notice to you by email, conventional mail or notice on the coles online site. You may give notice to coles online by email to online. Customercare@coles.com. Au

Yours sincerely,
Elliott

Priority support - coles online
Colesonlineprioritysupport@coles.com. Au
Telephone 1800 455 400 | facsimile 61 3 9829 5136"

As a loyal customer i'm disappointed with what you see as a solution to the problem. Dump the customer. You are still bombarding me with emails telling me to shop online and in which you guarantee your freshness and quality of food, yet when I complained of genuine problems with your products you choose to cancel my service because you "we were unable to satisfy your shopping needs with our service and goods."

Why turn away a paying customer who is making valid complaints, I will continue to shop but it just wont be with you so I guess you lose, someone else will be getting my dollars. Many of the delivery drivers I have spoken to agreed there are problems as they see them first hand. Fix your issues so I cant complain!

As a shareholder i'm enraged that a customer is treated so badly and turned away. So many dollars are spent on advertising, what's the point advertising a product if your product is of so poor quality. Instead of dumping your customer fix your issues coles, without your customer you have no business!

I ordered 2 cans of baby formula online on 8th of March and another 2 on 9th. I didn't check the expired date when I received it. But I just found out they are all going to be expired on 8th of April and 9th of April.
Firstly, I have no idea that they are going to expire so soon. If the products are going to expire within a month, Coles should notify the customer especially baby formula. Secondly, I called customer service after I found out, and they said this is reasonable if it's one month. What a coincidence that all of them are going to be expired in exactly one month! For a 3-year old baby, he definitely can't finish all of them within a month. I am acceptable if only one of them is close to expiry, but definitely not all of them!
I am ok with a refund 2 cans or re-send me 2 cans.

The catalogues (ending 26th March) advertised get Colgate tooth paste to have bonus stikeez... I got 10 of them... 10 and only got 1 bonus.. it sucks... how does it work.. I was specifically to collect extra stikeez for my daughter, so looked up bonus items... and it turns out 1 bonus for 10 of it... r u kidding me?. I am so done with Coles.. and u know this is gonna be on media for sure

Diane ([protected]@yahoo.com.au)

25th march 2019
Coles Mudgee NSW
receipt no:1084

I did my shopping today specifically to collect extra stikeez to swap so that I can complete my set.

after my shopping was finalised and paid for I asked for my 22 stikeez which would double to 44 only to be informed that they had run out very early this morning.

they informed me that despite numerous request for more to be supplied head office would not send any more.

it appears that coles supermarkets australia intentionally under supply stores in a blatant attempt to bait shoppers knowing full well that the stikeez would be unavailable.

I feel that I should be sent my stikeez as it is unfair and unethical to advertise a promotion knowing full well that the stikeez would not be available.

yours sincerely
suzanne skillen
PO Box 728
MUDGEE NSW
2850

I received a 100 Coles Email Giftcard from my workplace to help with the hard times we were having. Twice I have tried to use the card and both times have failed. It won't scan from my phone, it says invalid card number when typed manually. I even had a Coles manager on the phone to support trying to get it to work. Twice I have been left embarrassed at not being able to pay for groceries or wait while staff tried to get it to work. I've called twice now with support team. What terrible support I have received sorry just trying printing it, sorry we are having issues we know about but have not notified any unsuspecting customers about, I'll resend the email and see how you go. How about you pay for my groceries and send me a gift card in the mail for my time and embarrassment I have had because your email card failed.

Emma Denning
[protected]@hotmail.com

A Coles truck was driving in the right lane for the entire time I was on that section of highway then when I tried to pass him in the left lane he moved his truck closer to my car to try and intimidate me. At the time I had my daughter in the car on that side in the back and she became quite scared. This was a large truck with two carriages as a load. Not sure what you call them. His rego number is 805QYE QLD PLATE.

Walking through supermarket today I felt uncomfortable. After a moment I realised the aggressive combative music was making me feel that way. I looked around and literally almost all other people in store were mature age similar to myself. The gangster rap type music is not age appropriate. It is rediculous to be feeling uncomfortable when I am shopping in store. Why must there be music? How is it chosen? What analysis of shoppers is done to have age appropriate music? How often is music choice reviewed? This experience is counterproductive to your commercial purposes surely? Please stop the music.

I made a complaint about 5 to 6 weeks ago regarding young boys riding scooters in your Sutherland N.S.W. store. I have not been contacted regarding this incident. I complained to the staff, one of whom ignored me, the other said he spoke to the offenders. The offenders continued to ride through the store unhindered. I am 75 years old & was almost knocked over. I would like to know if this complaint has been considered. The No. is CO05203190001.

As a loyal and usually happy customer of Coles, I was disappointed and disgusted that the smell coming from my fridge was from the chicken thigh fillets (still in its sealed packaging) that were to be used in my dinner tonight. This product was still within the use by date and had been kept cold since purchase. I am concerned this could have been a potentially dangerous situation if I had fed this to my young children who could have become sick with salmonella poisoning. I would advise that staff from the Coles store in Rowville Stud Park, check that the remaining produce is safe for consumption. Unfortunately, I did not keep my receipt but have taken a photo of the product with its use by date. I would be happy with a refund with its 'Try It. Love It or your money back; statement and to know if this store has been contacted to check its product for possible recall.
Regards,
Sarah Ritchie