Lidl Plus app went down leaving shoppers unable to access freebies and discounts
LIDL’S Plus App went down for hundreds of customers leaving them unable to access freebies and discounts.
Shoppers complained they were unable to access discounts at checkouts when paying for their shopping in store earlier today.
They were also fuming they could not redeem freebies when spending a certain amount.
It left many fearing they would miss out altogether as these rewards have expiry dates.
Fuming shoppers took to X to vent their frustrations at the outage.
One said: “I have a 10% off voucher which expires tomorrow. We are going away tomorrow so wanted to use it today for my weekly shop.”
Another added: “Lidl plus app down again. No money off today.”
A third chimed in: “LidlGB Got a free croissant & chocolate brownie to claim today but the Lidl Plus app is down.
“Sort it out please or you’ll be hearing from my legal team.”
However, in a post on X, Lidl confirmed the outage had since been resolved.
It added: “Our Lidl Plus app was down nationwide. This should now be resolved.”
It comes just days after Lidl confirmed it had shut down its original customer app, as it asks customers to switch to its newer Lidl Plus, which launched four years ago.
Since last month, shoppers have been met on the old version app with a message that says “The Lidl app is no longer supported.
“Please switch to the Lidl Plus app for greater savings and super perks.”
The original customer loyalty app went live in 2013, having been downloaded 50million times from the Google Play Store alone, The Grocer reported.
Lidl isn’t the first supermarket to suffer an outage in recent months.
M&S cited “technical issues” when its website and app went down for several hours in May.
In the same month, Tesco’s online banking app and website went down leaving customers locked out of their accounts.
In April, Sainsbury’s shoppers’ orders failed to arrive after the supermarket giant was hit by a technical glitch.
The chain blamed the outage on a “technical issue” which impacted its online operations.
It comes as retailers and supermarkets increasingly turn offers, discounts and loyalty schemes digital in a bid to cut costs.
But the move can leave some customers in the dark, especially those without access to a computer or app.
It can also create issues if an app or website goes down as is the case with the Lidl Plus app today.
Check if a retailer's website is down
There are a few different ways to find out if a retailer is experiencing an outage.
You can check websites such as Downdetector, which will tell you whether customers are experiencing problems with a particular company online.
You can also check the retailer’s website or app to see if you can actually access them.
Failing that, it’s worth going on to X to see if other customers are experiencing issues with a given retailer.
Can you claim compensation for outages?
There’s no fixed compensation scheme for supermarket website outages like there is for other industries such as telecoms.
But if being unable to access your account has left you out of pocket for any reason, it’s worth contacting Lidl.
You should gather evidence, for example a delivery receipt, and get in touch with Lidl’s customer service team.
How does Lidl’s loyalty scheme work?
Lidl Plus works by offering customers personalised coupons based on their purchases which change each week.
These coupons can then be activated and redeemed in-store to get money off certain products.
You can also unlock free bakery and products by spending over certain thresholds through Coupon Plus.
For example, if you spend £250 you get 10% off your next shop, or a free bakery item if you spend £50.
You can download the Lidl Plus app on to a smartphone or android via the Apple App Store or Google Play store.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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