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Injured by a can of baked beans from Lidl

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A valued customer?  I don't think so.  Recently, I've been finding life in the UK more and more expensive so I've started shopping at Lidl to save a few pounds.  So far, I've been impressed, especially by their pizzas and cheese.  The prices are very good as well.

Recently though, I bought a can of baked beans.  The ring pull on the tin wasn't working properly and got stuck half way.  I tried to open it and ended up just hurting my fingers.  I know, I know, I should have stopped and just thrown it in the bin at the outset.

Anyway, I thought I would write to Lidl and tell them that their packaging was faulty.  I sent the letter, along with my till receipt to their customer services department.  I didn't enclose the half opened can of beans because I thought it would make quite a mess in the post and would also be expensive to send.

Baked beans I don't particularly want to go back and have to make a fuss...

After a few weeks, I got a reply from them, saying sorry you were injured and if you would like to return to the Lidl store, find the manager and give them this letter, then we will refund the cost of the tin of beans.

Hardly worth it, is it? All that way for 35p.

Look, I know that there are people that try it on and hope to get something for nothing but this was genuine.  I think hurting your hand and wasting something you've bought is worth a bit more than 35p.  I don't particularly want to go back and have to make a fuss with the manager either.  I'm not expecting a lot - maybe just a £3 voucher to cover the cost of the original purchase and postage of the letter??  But no.  Actually, I feel quite insulted.

So, if that's how they treat their customers - I'm switching to Aldi.  Bye bye Lidl.


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Jeff scott.

Jeff scott.

Ridiculous waste of everyone's time.
20/01 Jeff scott.
0
Friday brunch

Friday brunch

I must say, I have to agree with the former poster ''Collar'' Another issue is the flavour of the tomato sauce that the beans are encapsulated in - I think in an attempt to reduce, or at least disguise the quantity of salt, the flavor of the Baked beans has 'bean' compromised. (been)
02/12/14 Friday brunch
1
Friday brunch

Friday brunch

After re-reading the original post, I think it would have been wise to send the offending tin of Baked-beans back to the cannery - you could have wrapped them in plastic, so no mess, and if it was pricey to send, I am quite sure the cannery would have paid a bit towards the postage charges. They would have wanted to examine the offending can so as to see if the design could be improved upon in the future. I am sure you will find that these companies take quality-control very seriously indeed.
26/11/14 Friday brunch
1
Friday brunch

Friday brunch

I think your complaint should be directed toward the Cannery in question - it is falling on deaf ears here.
Many modern tins now come complete with a ring-pull device, some even have a special 'key' attached to the side of the can, if not most supermarkets will sell you a 'tin-opener' for about £10.
25/11/14 Friday brunch
0
collar

collar

Bean tin cans offer great quality as we all know, however whenever we have had problems with opening said tin cans my local cannery have always given me a list of dos and donts and offer a replacement for the tin, if the lid has split, the can is instantly replaced with the new model of that tin, it does however seem obvious to me that if the tin's label has degraded or I have had the tin for years in the pantry then obviously the cannery cannot be as helpful as they are out of similar cans, it does not take much to placate Collar that is if the tins are not beyond salvation then we should not expect a full refund or new tin cans when we visit Cannery row.
18/10/14 collar
-1
Morwenna

Morwenna

Actually the spam cans can be a bit tricky with the ring pull. Prefer the oldfashioned key where the lid actually came off. Any suggestions for opening jars of beetroot?
17/10/14 Morwenna
1
collar

collar

This is too ridiculous for words - Collar has merely one precious post per day and he chooses to use it on the baked beans food post? Tricky maybe - All I can say is you obviously don't pay attention to instructions on how much you apply pressure to the tin lid of baked beans food or anything. Some of us watch what we are reading.
Having worked with these products (cannery row) Collar is not completely without sympathy - I can understand where you're coming from but with the unreliable tin-openers we have, you can't really get a strong purchase to rotate the butterfly attachment. With different brands to consider, Collar is normally out of patience too and annoyed considerably more when the tin-opener breaks. Seriously my Tin-opener really is that bad and there isn't any other kitchen implement one 'can' deploy - supermarkets used to sell them in our town. We clearly need a new one.
OP- As it happens I've been there myself on a weekend breakfast food morning and there is always a severe lack of fresh items. My local pub is that rough and they have received several complaints from other diners so we do not eat there. And no, I don't want to soak and boil haricot beans for 10 hours, I don't have time! What's the point in having a decent sized cannery pantry but a tin-opener that can't cope with the demand and manage a simple epicurean's hunger needs?
28/09/14 collar
0
Aleedsfella

Aleedsfella

WTF? You hurt your little pinky? why is this subject topping things? the scum that run this country are about to invade Syria and trigger WW3, but a person hurt there finger?
27/09/14 Aleedsfella
-1
anon

anon

keep practicing and maybe you will get in the brass band
18/08/14 anon
0
collar

collar

It is time we put this one to bed - I'm not convinced of it's authenticity - I have worked a number of years for a canning company.
What most people don't realise or care about is the way in which some lids are fixed to the torso of the tin by the factory staff.
The tools we get given and the way we are instructed to manufacture the cans, can be quite horrendous, but we are still expected to complete the task with a correctly fitted lid upon the can-top.
It's about time some Baked bean consumers realised we are not automations as they seem to think we are, It's time consumers gave us some feed-back (but not the beans) and some respect for doing a rather tricky job.
Oh dear, asking to much are we,with the poor conditions we get to fill the tins.
It is about time some people awoke and then deployed their olfactory equipment upon the Coffea arabica,.
Regards, Collar.
13/08/14 collar
0
Grumpy xx

Grumpy xx

Get real. You hurt your poor little handy wandy and you want compo damages for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? What do Aldi beans come in? A paper bag? I have a brilliant idea you might not have considered. Why not spend some money on a can opener?
12/08/14 Grumpy xx
0
Give these companies legal Hell

Give these companies legal Hell

Ring pulls and old-fashioned key winds on sardine tins and the like should be banned as dangerous. There are many more modern and eco-friendly and safer means of packaging foods available. If you have been injured sue the supermarket for thousands in compensation.
18/07/14 Give these companies legal Hell
0
MrCamClegg

MrCamClegg

Who shops at Lidl? Nobody I know. Is this a Viz letter?
09/07/14 MrCamClegg
0
Bens Nonna

Bens Nonna

An old fashioned butterfly tin opener is a MUST in every good kitchen drawer. You can buy one for less than £1. I hate the ring-pull cans so either use a plastic lever opener or my butterfly opener.
08/07/14 Bens Nonna
0
collar

collar

I was out in town the other day, and went into asda for some beans. when i got home it was lunchtime, I stopped in the middle of opening the tin and the lid got stuck and had a worrying moment until the opener of the can - which was a posh expensive one with front handle and everything on, as well as side butterfly on. After 30 seconds or so, the lid came off and so did the label behind it. What was interesting was the label still had its ink on but no proper writing – just the front and side – how does the law stand on this?
07/07/14 collar
0

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