A Coles customer has revealed how he has been receiving a popular everyday buy for free thanks to a little-known loophole.
Speaking on The Kick It Forward podcast, the shopper revealed how he and his girlfriend were receiving free tubs of ice cream by taking advantage of a Coles Online policy.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Coles shopper shares loophole to score free food
For more Lifestyle related news and videos check out Lifestyle >>
He explained that by opting to receive substitutes in their home delivery order, they were able to exploit the loophole.
“Every week I do a Coles Online order,” he explained.
“When you order something and it isn’t available, they send you an alternative. But if you say you’re not happy with the alternative they choose for you, you get the item for free.”
The shopper then revealed how by choosing a hard-to-find item, they were guaranteed of receiving a substitute.
“Recently my girlfriend and I have found a Japanese ice cream which is consistently not available in Australia,” he continued.
“But we order it, get sent an alternative, which we say we’re not happy with.
“We’re now receiving a free tub of ice cream every week.”
Social media users were stunned by the hack.
“This is superb. I’m really impressed,” one said.
7NEWS.com.au understands that while Coles does give credits to shoppers who are unhappy with their substitutes, the supermarket may refuse to do this for “repeat offenders”.
It’s believed that while every shopper’s order is assessed on a case-by-case basis, if a customer has repeatedly had a credit applied for this issue in the previous three months, a Coles Online agent may explain that no further credits can be applied.
Coles responds
A Coles spokesperson has told 7NEWS.com.au that the supermarket is happy to provide substitutes to online customers.
“Coles Online encourages customers opt in to receive substitutions so we can replace out of stock items with similar products for their convenience,” the spokesperson said.
“As per the Coles Online terms and conditions, customers have the choice to opt in or out for substitutions.
“If a product is unavailable, we’ll let you know by email. If you have chosen to allow substitutions, we’ll choose a similar item that is either a different size of the same product or a different brand. If we substitute any item you’ll be charged the lower of the original or the substitute price.
“When an item is out of stock you won’t be charged for that item. You can change whether you received substitutions or not at the last stage of the checkout process.”
If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your .
To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.