Coles customer 'very disappointed' to be refused free hot chicken

A Coles customer has been left "very disappointed" and confused over the store’s famous free Hot Roast Chicken policy.

The Coles shopper said he was denied a free Hot Roast Chicken after there were none available in store.

However, a Coles spokesperson says there’s a perfectly good reason why he missed out.

Coles has a popular policy that offers customers a voucher for a free Hot Roast Chicken if there are none available at the time they are in store.

Taking to the Coles Facebook page, the shopper said he was "very disappointed" when he was refused a voucher, especially because the policy is so heavily advertised in the store.

“What great customer service you have in store NOT,” he began in his post.

“In your store at 4pm and no hot chicken. I asked for a voucher as it’s a Coles promise as your stickers advertise and get told no. I ask to speak to the store manager he comes over and he tells me no as well to a voucher.

“He says they have an hour to clear stock. Where does say this on your stickers?”

The regular Coles shopper said he was upset because the store’s free Hot Roast Chicken promise was displayed and promoted prominently throughout the store.

“As a very regular shopper at this store I believe this extremely poor customer service and not only for me but others as well,” he said.

Coles signs labelled as misleading

The signage throughout the store states: "If you’ve missed out on a Hot Roast Chicken, your next one is free.”

It also states that the offer is valid from 9am to 8pm, excluding public holidays with a limit to one free chook per customer per day.

“Should have weekend hours on there too, not just Monday to Friday. Rookie error,” another shopper said of the signs.

But not all shoppers agreed, with some saying it doesn’t make sense for stores with shorter trading hours to still have Hot Roast Chickens available.

“​​The store shuts at 5... kinda stupid to expect any hot chooks to be left an hour before they close... especially as any stock left by 3pm would have to be reduced to sell quickly,” another shopper said.

However, it seems the finer details of the policy differ from store to store.

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Coles explains their policy

A Coles spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia that there are more than 800 supermarkets nationally and each state has different trading hour laws in place, which results in chickens being available at different times.

“We promise our customers that our Hot Roast Chicken will be available at the times that they want them the most,” a Coles spokesperson said.

“These hours differ from store to store, as there are different trading hours in different states and regions.

“We encourage customers to speak to their local store’s deli manager if there are no hot roast chickens available.”

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