AI reviews summary
Overall sentiment towards Coles is significantly negative, primarily driven by systemic failures in the online delivery service and perceived poor value for money. While isolated instances of friendly in-store staff and specific product lines receive praise, these are overshadowed by recurring reports of missing items, delivery to incorrect addresses, and a customer service process described as dismissive or unreachable.
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Coles is currently failing to meet consumer expectations for reliability and service, particularly within its digital and delivery ecosystems. While in-store shopping remains a viable option for those seeking specific home-brand values, the online service is currently too inconsistent to be recommended for essential or time-sensitive grocery needs.
Annoying bordering culpable how Coles charges top dollar for so much supposed premium red meat when too often it's tasteless and weeps a lot of water in the pan when cooking, other butchers and especially local markets sell better quality meat for much less that not only tastes better but without the water and/or chemicals? Coles pumps into their… Read more
meat, never again. I can't believe it's taken me so long to look elsewhere, never again. Frustrating how Coles seems to often sell the same fruit and veg. My local market has much better variety that's fresher and more competitively priced with so many butchers, fruiterers and the like competing for your business.
i purchased coles dishwashing tablets, when i opened the bag a few weeks later i noticed the tablets were all stuck together so obviously one has split or the bag had been in bad storage conditions. I no longer had the receipt so i sent photos of the package with the contents and barcode as they requested, they also wanted a photo of the use by… Read more
date, which i also sent them. I requested a voucher to cover the cost of the product, coles then advised me to take the product instore for an exchange. i am currently not able to go instore, which is why I requested a voucher so i could use it online. To this date, which is 2 weeks later, i have not received a response from Coles. I have followed them up and let them know I am not happy with their customer service so far, Coles need to stand by their values and reimburse for the faulty product, i have done my part by forwarding them the photos of the issue. However, Coles have chosen to ignore my emails. I will now go to Woolworths and IGA. Not happy with Coles at all.
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
Reviews with attachments
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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.
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
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
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Your homebrand Simply Spaghetti is a disgrace. 3/4 is spaghetti and the balance is likened to tomato juice - but more watery. Show details
[Content Removed] thieves n third world staff overseas means we're going to be ripped off and not helped because your staff were rude and defensive and not willing to admit that I was overcharged for these items. It took three different staff members for me to get my point across. Coles have charged me full price for items which were on sale and… Read more
even on sale after midnight. . . yet your staff on the chat say because it's after midnight, I must pay $32 instead of the sale price. . . .I sent a screenshot to show him that it's still on sale but he said because it's after midnight I must pay $32 . . Even going to the trouble to pull up the record and show me what time the bank took the money from my account, what an idiot. Still ignoring that the item is still on sale. . . How can you hire third world staff with no problem solving capabilities or even the intelligence to see that an item is on sale for more than one day. .
, . . . What worries me most, is the fact that the items were on sale and the sale price was removed once they hit the trolley. I didn't realise this until after I received my delivery and checked against the receipt online. . . Your Indian staff were extremely rude and did not want to give me my money back. What is wrong with this picture?. How can that happen? Your staff can't explain it, can you? I would really like to know how some items which are on sale, go back to full price once they hit the trolley. Thieves!
I had a very disappointing experience at Coles Roselands while using the self-checkout. I was paying for my groceries in good faith when I noticed that a pack of organic beef still had a security tag attached. As any customer would, I requested assistance from a staff member to remove the tag so I could complete my purchase. Instead of simply… Read more
assisting me, the staff member reviewed CCTV footage, inspected the contents of my shopping bags without explanation, and took items from my hand to scan them without my request or consent. All items in my bags had been scanned through the register as part of my transaction. I fully understand and support reasonable security measures. However, asking for assistance to remove a security tag from an item that I was actively purchasing is not suspicious behaviour. The way this situation was handled left me feeling embarrassed, humiliated, and unfairly scrutinised. I submitted a formal complaint to Coles and received a generic response stating that the matter would be discussed with the team member. Unfortunately, my specific concerns about the incident were not addressed. This experience has left me very disappointed with the level of customer service and respect shown to paying customers.
In June 2026 I bought Coles made easy slow cooked lamb shanks. The box said: 'In aromatic red wine sauce...selected for quality...perfectly created and ready to enjoy...serve and enjoy!' I didn't want c to give it any stars - I added one because it's a required field! The package picture looked great. But that's as far as it went. The product… Read more
did not smell good. The sauce, if that is what you call it, was watery and thin. I added my own flour slurry and heated it on the stove top just to create a decent sauce!! It was very disappointing, so much so that I will not - cannot - eat the rest of it despite my dislike for wasting food.
I will not buy this product again!!! A while ago I bought a slowcooked lamb shank in red wine sauce from IGA Prospect, and it was much better!!!
Latest follow-ups
7 checkouts 2 that are operational with staff members. Other staff standing around directing to self serve. If I wanted to be a check out chicken I'd have applied for a paying job. Instead queues chuckle up with irrate people all through the line - how to stuff up a person's Saturday. La Ck of service Lack of care Show details
Follow-up · No change - customers seem to be an inconvenience
Have joined Coles Plus Saver. My account is linked to flybuys using my 6*********etc number. Coles have denied me my 10% discount because my wife used her card to scan the same flybuys account. We noticed that we were not asked for the 10% discount… Read more
deduction and when queried were told in store that "Flybuys was down" and they could not do anything about it. After several redirects phoned their 1800 number and was told after investigation that I should have used my card because that was the one Coles linked. (I linked the account number). I was not offered any ex gratia adjustment. Loyalty sucks so that was my last Coles visit.
Follow-up · Disappointed Coles did not address my main claim for a refund. I stopped the transaction in store before it was completed and questioned why we did not get our 10% discount. The cashier called a store supervisor who said that Flybuys was down and there was nothing they could do about it in store and I would have to claim on line. Thought about… Read more
New web site a Nightmare to find products – Products hard to find Could not even get Cole’s lite milk 1ltr to show, not even in bought before and I buy every week. Lasagne sheets, forget it, fresh tomatoes randomly amongst tin tomatoes, pasta sauce etc etc A Nightmare
Follow-up · Greatly I proved Easy to navigate now
Positive reviews
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!
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
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I have recently switched from Woolworths online to Coles online after 5 years of being a loyal customer. Coles delivery service is so much better. Produce and availability far superior. Woolworths online so stressful, delivery person coming to… Read more
wrong entrance , threatening to cancel delivery because they could not find address and I was home. The Coles range of products available online much broader. I won't be going back to Woolworths
Follow-up · I have continued to be extremely satified with Coles. My use of Coles has been mostly delivery with some instore purchases. The most important thing for me was delivery reliability and quality of produce. Both of these have been consistently high since changing stores. All supermarkets are expensive, however Coles seem to offer better value with… Read more
Negative reviews
I did an online shop and had it delivered. A significant portion of my groceries were missing. Well over $100 worth of groceries. It was the driver who forgot to give them to me I am assuming, as he tried to call me again hours after he delivered but for some reason chose to not leave a message. As soon as I received my delivery and noticed the… Read more
missing groceries I immediately lodged online that they were missing and I would like a refund. I had to repurchase the missing groceries through Woolworths and am now significantly out of pocket. It has been a week now and I've tried talking to several online coles customer "support" agents and they have all given me the run around and no one could give me a timeline when I will be receiving my refund. Probably because I won't be. COLES ARE THIEVES! I will not be shopping there again.
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 better luck next time” not what you expect from senior staff at the so called “help counter front of store” Show details
Coles on line order submitted. Grocery order received twice the next day (two different time slots). Billed twice. Coles refusing to rectify, despite immediately notifying them and numerous phone calls and messages over the past 2 weeks. Every effort has been made to speak with senior management to no avail. Has this happened to anyone else?
Recent reviews
Absolutely appalling The driver dumped it at a wrong address On the opposite side of the road. Didn’t even attempt to make the right delivery. Then wouldn’t receive any messages. The helpline couldn’t do a thing. Never again Coles.
I recently purchased Coles brand original rice crackers. Opened the packet a couple of days later and found they tasted 'gluggy'. Looked on the packet & it said new recipe. Also made in Vietnam! Awful won't be buying them again. Tasteless. Show details
Sadly my most recent experience at Coles Casuarina Village was the second occasion I've experienced no staffed checkouts open in the morning. I was told they would be open in 30 minutes. This wasn't a staff shortage as there were 5 staff in the general area. I absolutely abhor self serve checkouts for more than a few items. The checkouts are… Read more
finicky and react as soon as something is moved that doesn't fit the operational pattern. In the end a Coles employee scanned all my items and as I was moving them into different bags to share the load better she had to keep scanning her ID card as the checkout was flagging an error each occasion. Upon exiting the store I chatted with a customer and mentioned my dislike of self serve checkouts when you have a trolley load of goods. She said she'd asked about the staffed checkouts and was told they were closed. She was recovering from a broken hip and using the self checkout was really difficult for her. Where is the customer service?? Coles, please operate your staffed checkouts and don't force people into self serve. In addition, I had earlier enquired why the Pauls milk stocks were non existent and was told it was a supplier issue with Pauls. Coles seriously needs to get this sorted. It's a basic commodity. As an aside, my grocery bill isn't any cheaper for your labour saving! I'd be interested in your feedback.
Placed an order for Sunday delivery. Saturday night received a text saying due to operational issues the order has been cancelled. Today I was debited for the order and it is still showing on my account as due to be delivered at 9.30am Sunday. Phoned Coles and was told order had been finalised and tax invoice issued on system so I was debited.… Read more
They have to cancel the order so I can obtain a refund. All their systems should talk to each other and I should never have been debited. Would give minus stars if possible
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