AI reviews summary
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Overall sentiment leans negative, primarily driven by frustrations with online ordering, delivery reliability, and customer service responsiveness. While some consumers value the convenience of home delivery and express satisfaction with specific store experiences, recurring challenges regarding stock availability, item accuracy, and refund processes remain a persistent concern.
This is a brand new low for Coles. While recently posting a profit of $18 billion, the company is behaving like Scrooge, cutting costs right, left and centre at the cost of its staff and customers - unless this is confined to just one store in Victoria, which still doesn't make it right. I went yesterday around 3 pm to Coles in Carrum Downs VIC… Read more
to buy a few things. I could not believe eyes - all self-serve checkouts were CLOSED. Only one assisted checkout was open plus the tiny express self-checkouts. There were only there (3) staff in the entire checkout area. I asked one of them what’s the reason for all the checkouts but one being closed. They said: “the manager has restricted the number of staff on the floor so we had to close the checkouts but one”. My jaw dropped.
So I went and asked the manager at the service desk why did she remove most staff from the checkouts? Her response made my jaw drop to the floor. She said: “ The store is not busy enough to keep all the checkouts open. I will put on more staff when it gets busier”. “But you need just ONE person to watch the self-checkout registers, surely with your $18 billion profit you can afford that and make it easier for the customers instead of cramping them into the tiny express self checkouts!”, I said, “No, it’s not busy enough”. She was adamant. I was STUNNED (and that’s an understatement).
The store was not super busy but there were still around 80 customers who were left with only one assisted checkout plus the express self service checkouts with no space to put your groceries on.
This store has recently undergone a major upgrade with all new fridges, shelving and deli improvements. Yes it was expensive, but trying to recoup the expense by limiting or sacking staff and closing all self serve checkouts with ZERO concern for the customer experience is a blow below the belt – a total disgrace and unconscionable conduct by the company as far as I am concerned. A brand new low it has dropped to.
By the way - there are so many negative reviews that are actual feedbacks not just venting, yet the company which is apparently monitoring these reviews NEVER replies. I wonder if anyone is even reading them, most likely Coles simply couldn't care less. It dominates the market and will always make its billions in profit; even when customers hate it, they are often forced to shop there. If this is confined only to the Carrum Downs store – guess what – you are off my shopping route which from now is going to Karingal. I am absolutely appalled and disgusted by your unconscionable conduct focused entirely on your bottom line. Coles head office should have NEVER allowed it.
Why does Coles advertise Shapes crackers for $2 and sometimes $3 and call them half price? Very deceiving. Went in to get chicken maryland fillets advertised in their catalogue for $10.50 per kilo on the first day and they were unavailable. Definitely shop somewhere else.
Cole's at Miranda Westfield was placed on hold after 17 minutes l hung up to redial, dialled again still no one taking the transfer call when she got back on phone l told her to go to the deli to find out that took another ten minutes,still couldn't give me answer.. That's why people take their custom elsewhere.
Reviews with attachments
- +2
My Manager ordered me some flowers to be delivered to my workplace today for my birthday ( uber eats delivery) The flowers looked somewhat tired & you could tell they were days old.... however when I got them home & unwrapped them they were even worse... absolutely disgusting! They smelled, the flowers were old soggy & shrivelled up, others were… Read more
flopping over at the top and some of the leaves had dark black spots on them. These were hidden under the carefully placed wrapping. I called customer service and I could give them the order name and where they were delivered to, but as they were a gift I don't have the order number, so they don't want to know about it. Shame on you Cole's.
I gave Coles Online another chance because of a $20 voucher, despite having a disappointing experience previously. Unfortunately, it reminded me why I stopped using the service. One example was the bok choy I received. If I were shopping in-store, I would place fresh produce in a bag for hygiene and protection. Instead, it arrived unwrapped,… Read more
dirty, and covered in soil (see photo). It certainly wasn’t presented in a condition I would have chosen myself.
To make matters worse, I ordered chicken as part of my weekly groceries. The payment was deducted at checkout, only for me to receive an email later saying the item was out of stock. This means waiting several days for a refund on money that should never have been charged in the first place.
I was also automatically charged $2 for bags. My order arrived with only three bags, which at $0.25 each should have cost $0.75. I cannot understand how the charge reached $2.
Between the poor produce presentation, charging for unavailable items, delayed refunds, and questionable bag fees, I cannot recommend Coles Online. I’ll be returning to shopping in-store where I can personally select the quality of the products I’m paying for.
Bought product today (coles kichen real fast food chipotle cheese Guacamole & corn chips) pull plastic back to half way and the plastic wouldn't come off. I pull until it rip off with all the biscuits flying everwhere. So I didnt get to consume most of the product, very disappointing. I will never repurchase it. Coles needs to do better. From Joshua Tidy [Content Removed] Show details
I pay a lot of money for organic bananas that are mostly rotten in a couple of days. They were good months ago. This week alone I've had to throw out maybe 10 bananas which were very black. $$$ 6.50 a kg.
Don't buy any electrical item from Coles – I bought Thomson 12L AirFryer from Coles and after 3 months here we are. Nothing works other than digital displays and lights. The warranty says to return it to the place of purchase, and it was 86 days; but Coles don't accept it. If they can't handle returns for electrical products (at least within 3 months), they shouldn’t sell them. I am… Read more
contacting the THOMSON AirFryer company and going through it, what a waste of time and money!
Update: THOMSON support team is far hilarious. They expect me to drive 20km and courier the air fryer at my expense.
A big thanks to The Coles procurement team for getting into their supermarkets Destination Italy Pizza's. I am not one to give reviews, but honestly purchased one today on sale for $10, heated it up, sat down and ate it and I was blown away, felt like we were out for dinner at a authentic Italian pizzeria, so good, just had to share with the audience. Would absolutely recommend and rather look forward to my next one. Show details
My partner wanted to surprise me for our 31st wedding Anniversary on 11 /26 with a bunch of flowers when he presented them to me they were near the end of their life , although I accepted them I said nothing to him as he would have felt awful for giving me near dead flowers , my complaint is that the flowers were near the end of their life with… Read more
yellowed wilted leaves,bud missing and what flowers were their were brown . They should have been removed many days before, however he paid full price $20 for a bunch of near dead flowers being pensioners $20 is a lot . Your staff should checked your flowers daily and get rid of the near dead ones. I did not mention this to my husband as he loves me and thought it would be a lovely surprise . SHAME ON YOU COLES don’t you make enough profits with out selling bad stock to your customers . I have happy husband but not a happy wife . We struggle enough without not getting value for our money .
I visited the Coles Liverpool store early Saturday morning and enquired about the Lamb forequater chops price being $24 a kilo when they were advertised at $16 a kilo on the website (refer website screenshot) - staff told me this was an online price i checked again and raised my concern as it was not an online price with the manager showing my… Read more
mobile phone which clearly showed Lamb forequarters chops advertised at $16 a kilo the manager stood firm $24 a kilo even though Coles advertised price is $16 a kilo and this is not online price as per the attachments - Coles Liverpool failed to honor an advertsised price and i asked several staff - The attachment says it all
I’m extremely disappointed to learn that Coles has been selling tomato products labelled as Australian or Italian grown that independent testing (Four Corners) has shown actually come from China — including Xinjiang. This is a serious betrayal on multiple levels: • It betrays Australian farmers who do the right thing, follow strict regulations,… Read more
pay fair wages, and try to compete on a level playing field.
• It betrays customers who specifically choose “Australian grown” products because they want to support local growers and higher standards.
• It betrays the wider community by undermining trust in food labelling and devaluing genuine Australian produce.
• Most concerning of all, a significant portion of these tomatoes have been linked to Xinjiang, a region with well-documented forced labour and human rights abuses.
Consumers deserve honest labelling. When a product says Australian grown, it should actually be Australian grown. Anything less is misleading and unfair to both farmers and shoppers.
I expect much better from Coles - officially boycotted
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I rang and emailed about how to purchase a product and have never received an answer
It's really out of control regarding fruit and vegetables. They clearly are stored for ages, dropped to stores, looks good on outside, but rotten once you cut open. Purchased yesterday, looks okay , but rotten inside. Ordered by Uber Hope Island store.
This is the type of stunt Coles pulls all the time. Cover a cheap cut of steak with the label. Put a decent looking one that can be seen and sell the customer this! They don’t even look like they’re from the same planet! So sick of these stunts
Your homebrand Simply Spaghetti is a disgrace. 3/4 is spaghetti and the balance is likened to tomato juice - but more watery. Show details
Latest follow-ups
Unbelievable! – I tried to access my Coles account to place an order. All details were correct, including password, except that they now require you to list a mobile phone number in order to send a code to it. About a year ago I lost a significant part of my… Read more
hearing due to illness and have had to get ride of my mobile phone. Coles will not allow you to place an order without it. Now the deaf are to be discriminated against?
Follow-up · Coles continues its low standards. No longer being able to shop directly with Coles, I have placed a number of orders through Uber. Most arrived either damaged, or squashed from poor packing, or with missing items. Eventually, I wrote a letter addressed to the manager about my multiple issues. He chose not to respond! I no longer purchase from Coles and have gone elsewhere, where I and my groceries receive more respect.
Staff too busy or not interested to help disabled customer at Morayfield Store Qld when asking the senior store staff if they could check out in stock for a product empty on shelf answer was,we cannot open and check stock at rear of store,”maybe… Read more
better luck next time” not what you expect from senior staff at the so called “help counter front of store”
Follow-up · We got the product at another Coles store no problems,the staff at that store were truly amazing.
I will never shop at Cole’s again. I purchased an Apple $100 gift card. When I went to use it I discovered that it was already used by a scammer. I… Read more
returned to the store to complain and they directed me to customer care online. So after sending the email with all the details I waited for 1 week and nothing. So I rang and spoke to a representative who told me that my email was restricted and couldn’t be read. I insisted they do something and the rep informed me that they will have the email released (very poor attempt at a lie) and they would contact me. I insisted that they acknowledge the receipt of the email and give me a case number so I could follow up. That was 2 weeks ago and still no correspondence from them. Very poor customer service and I will be telling all my friends to boycott the Cole’s stores.
Follow-up · The staff were very apologetic. I contacted customer care again and they said they were following it through. Still haven’t heard a peep from them.
Follow-up · 1 year later and I’m happily shopping at Woolworths. Staff are just as friendly and to my surprise the prices are much cheaper than Coles. As originally stated, I will not be returning to coles.
Positive reviews
Coles Peanut cookies have a good crunch and taste with a good peanut to cookie ratio. They need to improve the packaging more times than not the majority are broken in the packet.
I bought a Urbanworx cordless blower in March at Coles Oakleigh and it didnt come with a battery, I went to the manufacturer, and they were hopeless, so I come to Coles for an exchange, and they were great, out with the old and in with the new, Eleni, the worker which I was served by, was fabulous, and she did a great job exchanging my product… Read more
from the Best Buys section, and was also so nice to me and I really enjoyed being served by her and her amazing service aswell!
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Coles now stock Bratwurst Shop Co sausages that are sold at the Melbourne market either hot or cold. It is a secret family recipe for the beef/pork Bratwurst. The taste and presentation when cooked is incredible. Cook to golden brown on both sides and the casing will be crunchy with the inside ready to deliver. Show details
Negative reviews
Delivered my $467 grocery order to the wrong address. How is that even possible?? After I'd rung to find out what had happened to my groceries, they failed to get back to me, update me, as promised. When I rang Coles back, again, they told me I'd have to keep calling to find out what was going on. Can you believe that? Can you actually believe… Read more
they'd suggest I'd have keep chasing them for answers, after they'd already wasted so much of my time? The sheer incompetence of this operation is astounding, never seen anything like it.
After ordering some beer which was paid for from my account. The order was canceled just as the time for pickup came up. The money was refunded ok but what is the use using this system, when it clearly doesn't work & just ends up an inconvenience. Coles is a big fail.
Absolutely pathetic experience for their online website. My order was cancelled three different times with no explanation and just refunded. I don’t want a refund I want my order. Will never use them online or in store again. Woolworths is always better even though they are the same greedy billion dollar company. I’m disgusted by their company.
Recent reviews
I ordered some beers online, got the confirmation email from Coles Online. Around pickup time I got a SMS from Colesonline about the collection. As instructed, I went to the store car park waiting to collect but a staff came out told me that they could not fulfill the order because there were some errors of their website. So they cancel the order… Read more
and will refund to me. I have not heard anything from them. This is the first time I order anything online from Coles. I wonder if it is a normal practice of them to ask the customer coming to pickup but then cancel the order by mouth at the pickup point?
Used to be good but turned to garbage since implementation of cfc & robots! Garbage fresh food selection where humans could easily see mould, squashed, leaking damaged fruit/veg & pick another. It seems bots a programmed to take per order regardless of poor quality. When you go instore there is definitely not this bottom barrel quality & use by… Read more
dates arent about to expire in a day or 2 or a month or 2. Arrive prior to delivery windom so too bad if you're not available before window start. Have to wait until coles uploads invoice which can be hours after delivery in order to request refund for missing or damaged goods. I suggest for those of use unable to go instore just do a big shop every 2-3 weeks so you get a free better delivery window. I am edging closer to rather pay the extra on products & service fee (which really is no different to coles bag fee $2 & del fee $2 cheapest) & shop at doordash getting items picked by humans & fresh from local stores.
I think the biggest issue with Cole’s online is their partnering with uber for delivery. I often have missing items, I always receive a refund for the missing item/s but then having to reorder them and pay AGAIN for delivery is really frustrating as I end up paying more than what the refund was. I have also had my groceries delivered to the wrong… Read more
house, a refund is being issued but won’t come in for a couple of days which really puts me out. I think Coles would really benefit from starting their own delivery department to ensure everything gets done correctly.
I have tried to buy “iron sole plate cleaner” at 3 different Cole’s supermarkets in Geelong. They list it ,as staff checked for me .However, not one store had any!!! Show details
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Sent my complaint to Cole’s and received a response they asked me to send with photos of flowers… Read more (+1 reply)