ED HAYES

For quite some time now, I have been a deal hunter.  I’m cheap.  I love deals.  And thus, Aldi, a value oriented grocery store, has become a staple in my life.  Aldi’s strategy is quite simple; offer a low variate of store brand products at a small no frills store.

If you want a cart, you have to deposit a quarter to borrow  it (you get the quarter back when you return the cart). Want a bag?  It will cost you $0.15.

With all this attention to cost cutting, you would think they would also skimp on customer service. That is not case. I recently communicated with Aldi about a change in their Bran Flakes recipe, and I have been amazed at the level of service I have received.

The Bran Flakes I used to buy from Aldi were outstanding. And at $1.59 a box, you couldn’t find a better deal, even if your life depended on it.  However, the manufacturer of the cereal recently changed the recipe they use to produce the product, and I was not impressed with the change.  I still eat the Bran Flakes, but I don’t enjoy them as much as I used to.

I thought I would express my dissatisfaction with the recipe change to Aldi via their website.

I quickly got response.  Aldi was extremely apologetic and wanted to follow up with the manufacturer about the change.  I was told to expect a followup from the manufacture.

Ralston Foods, the manufacturer of the Bran Flakes, responded just as hastily as Aldi did.  The requested that I send the “best by” date and manufacturing codes from the top of the box.  I did so, responding by E-mail when I got home.

Aldi, again followed up, sending me a letter in the mail apologizing for the change in quality.  They also explained that I can use the letter they sent at a store to get a refund and a replacement product.  Their Double Money Back guarantee is apparently taken very seriously.

I also got a letter in the mail from Ralston Foods asking for the top of the box.  I don’t know if they sent the piece of mail before or after I E-mailed them the code, but since they included a prepaid envelope, I will be sending them the box top as requested.

Finally, I got a third letter in the mail.  Again, this was from Ralston Foods.  But this piece of mail included something that I was not expecting. I received a check for $4.00!  Keep in mind Aldi already committed to refunding me and replacing my product.

It is astonishing how committed both Aldi and Ralston Foods are to the quality of their products and the satisfaction to their customers.  I have never received this level of response from any other company.  Aldi and Ralston foods put companies like Best Buy, Apple, and Compaq (now HP) to shame!

All this for a $1.59 box of cereal!