ALDI have apologised to parents for “misleading” advertising on a toy sandpit, after they unboxed the item and found it not much bigger than one of their hands.
The retailer was slammed by furious parents who claimed the packaging made the item seem much bigger than expected.
Hilarious photos show the comparison between the £3.99 Lets Get Messy sandpit promised by the item’s packaging, against the tiny reality.
Among those to complain over the last month was Martin Kirkby, from Bournemouth, Dorset.
He shared a photo on Facebook showing how the minute item was barely bigger than his hand and fumed: “Absolutely disgusting from Aldi to falsely advertise.
“The box tells you it’s a big pit for kids to play in but it turns out it’s no bigger than your hand. Disgrace.”
Mum Grace Leete posted a very similar image on 30 July, saying: “Well done on your sizing Aldi, you’ve excelled yourselves #haha.”
And Jessica Galvin from Melksham Wiltshire complained the item was only a “quarter of the size” of what was promised.
She wrote on 10 August: “Nice idea Aldi, but a little misleading on the tray size! Particularly disappointing given the size of the tray for the bubble set.”
However, some parents saw the funny side.
Mum Laura James, from Leeds, Yorkshire, took to social media last Saturday [22 Aug] to share her images.
She posted snaps of daughter Harper, 4, looking delighted with her new toy.
She shared the pictures saying: “And the award for the worst representation of something goes to Aldi.
“Granted it was reduced to £1.99 but unless My 4-year-old daughter is suddenly a giant, pretty sure this is a tad inaccurate.”
Several of the customers have since been offered a refund by Aldi’s customer service team on social media.
However, speaking today, Laura reiterated that despite the initial shock, she and Harper found the situation funny.
The 31-year-old audiologist said: “Our initial reaction when we opened it was amusement straight away.
“We found it hilarious and Harper asked where the rest of it was.
“I joked that Harper must be a giant. She still plays with it as she loves sand! She sat there looking at the box and trying to work out what was happening.
“We posted in Aldi UK to share our amusement and Aldi offered to take it back for a refund but she still likes it, we just found the misinterpretation really funny.”
Yesterday, Aldi apologised to parents.
An Aldi spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear that some customers were disappointed with this product.
“Any customer who is not entirely satisfied with an Aldi product can return it to their nearest store for a full refund.”
