Dealing With Aldi Warranties

Last Updated on August 26, 2019

Few people really like dealing with warranties. A warranty means that, by definition, a product you bought isn’t working the way it’s supposed to. It means the time and effort to contact someone, combined with possibly having to pack up a product and / or be deprived of its use for a time.

At the same time, many of Aldi’s larger Special Buy (ALDI Find) products come backed by warranties of some sort, visible by a familiar large number on the product boxes in question. It’s good to know that, if something does go wrong, you’ve got a recourse.

We’ve dealt with our fair share of Aldi warranty situations, which we’ve profiled in a series of posts on our website. We don’t identify ourselves in our warranty experiences as anyone other than a normal consumer, so our experiences ought to reflect what a normal person would expect.

The thing is, it can be different each time. Aldi does not process warranties directly: instead, each product is handled by a different manufacturer or company. We’ve discovered, too, that each of them are a little different in terms of process and how quickly they respond. Some are lightning fast, while others have taken weeks or longer (and only after some prodding from Aldi itself).

So, if you have a problem with an Aldi product backed by a warranty, keep some things in mind:

• If the product is relatively new, you can return it to the store for a full refund. One of the things we like the most about Aldi is its relatively robust product guarantees. Most of its house brand foods, for example, have the Twice as Nice Guarantee, where the grocer will replace the product and refund the cost. Even things that aren’t covered under that Guarantee, such as non-food Special Buys (ALDI Finds), can be returned relatively easily; we’ve returned products to Aldi before and have had good experiences. In some cases, a return may be the option for you.
• Hold on to your manual and receipt for warranty items. Some vendors may require a copy of the receipt, and the manual will let you know who to contact. If you don’t already have one, dedicate a drawer or box to holding manuals, and staple or paper clip the receipt to each manual, so you can quickly and easily find them when or if you need them.
• When contacting the manufacturer, we like trying the email address first. It’s possible a company may outsource its product support to a non-English speaking country, so you may find a little more success explaining your situation via email. Try to be reasonably specific and to the point, including any relevant part numbers and model numbers.
• If you don’t hear back in a reasonable time frame, consider a phone call. Make sure you have the same information on hand you would have for an email, especially if you are instructed to leave a message.
• Rinse and repeat if necessary. If you still don’t hear back, consider emailing or calling a second time.
• If all else fails, contact Aldi. Aldi does have a contact page, and while they may end up telling you to contact the manufacturer, it still doesn’t hurt to put your concerns in Aldi’s ear. Carefully explain your situation and everything else you’ve done up to that point. (If the product is really expensive or you’re mad enough, there’s no substitute for typing or writing an actual letter.) In our experience, Aldi is pretty diligent in contacting the manufacturer on your behalf, and that can sometimes make a difference when it seems you’re not being taken seriously.

Have you had an experience with warranties for an Aldi product? Let us know in the comments.