How we know: BBC News (Sept. 14, 2026), including Aldi's statement; Silicon UK (Sept. 15, 2026); Hits Radio Birmingham (Sept. 15, 2026); Octatec, an IT support firm (Sept. 17, 2026).
RetailCase study
Aldi's reply to a complaint arrived with its AI prompt still attached
A Birmingham shopper who found hairs in a dip got an answer that included the instruction used to write it. Aldi says the response "fell well below" its standards.
September 2026 — A customer complaint to Aldi about a dip came back with the AI prompt still in it. Here's what launched, what it cost, and what went wrong.
Cost and outcome (as of Sept. 17, 2026)
- Outcome: the reply included the prompt "Make it short and concise but do not overdo it." (BBC)
- Aldi's response: it "fell well below our normal standards of customer service," a spokesperson said. (BBC)
- Compensation: offered a £10 compensation voucher after she escalated, per Hits Radio. (Hits Radio)
- Cost of the tool: not disclosed.
What happened
Jo Reeves, from Cotteridge in Birmingham, told the BBC her partner was having an operation in Worcester hospital, so she went to her local Aldi to get "recovery food." While eating Aldi's chicken caesar loaded dip, she found what she described as "vile" hairs.
The couple found what they believe to be two human hairs, about two inches long, Hits Radio Birmingham reported. "I can kind of excuse one hair, sort of, but two..." Reeves told the BBC. She complained to Aldi.
The reply
The answer she got contained the instruction someone had used to generate it. The BBC quoted the prompt as including: "Make it short and concise but do not overdo it."
Other outlets quoted longer or different versions. Silicon UK reported a "text-message reply" that read, in part: "Provide concern in a customer service advisor's point of view… make it short and concise but do not overdo it and ensure that it is on UK spelling." Hits Radio's version began: "In a customer service provider's tone and point of view."
Octatec, an IT firm that sells support services, published what it said was the full prompt: "Make an email apology and acknowledgement statement for the provide concern in a customer service advisor's point of view make it short and concise but do not overdo it and ensure that it is on UK spelling to avoid grammatical errors."
The reply did give her advice on getting a refund and told her "we're taking your feedback seriously," but it did not include an apology, the BBC reported.
What the customer said
"Everyone uses AI but the language is disappointing as a customer," Reeves told the BBC. "They might very well have written: 'Send an email to a customer who is making a mountain out of molehill, give the bare minimum and keep them sweet'."
She said she accepted that human errors happen. "They always present themselves from a marketing and customer services perspective as genuine and authentic. Yet, this is their reply. Disappointing."
To Hits Radio, she said she felt "fobbed off." "It's really ruffled my feathers," she said.
What Aldi said
"This response fell well below our normal standards of customer service. We have contacted Ms Reeves directly to apologise and fully resolve the issue she had with our product," an Aldi spokesperson told the BBC. Aldi gave Hits Radio a similar statement, saying its response "fell short of our usual high standards."
The wider picture
AnswerConnect, which sells answering services, said in a May press release that 85% of the 6,000 people it surveyed in the U.S., U.K. and Canada would rather speak to a real person than AI, up from 83%.
What went wrong
- The prompt went out with the reply. The instruction written for the AI tool reached the customer along with the answer.
- What we don't know yet: which tool Aldi used, how many complaint replies it drafts with AI, and whether a person reviews them.
Our follow-up question for Aldi UK
Does a staff member now read every AI-drafted complaint reply before it is sent?
Sources
- BBC News, Andy Giddings, “Woman shocked by Aldi's AI response to dip complaint,” Sept. 14, 2026. bbc.co.uk
- Silicon UK, Matthew Broersma, “Aldi Responds To Complaint With AI Prompt,” Sept. 15, 2026. silicon.co.uk
- Hits Radio Birmingham, Libby Warren, “Woman in Birmingham 'fobbed off' after finding hairs in Aldi dip,” Sept. 15, 2026. hellorayo.co.uk
- Octatec Technologies, Soonhan Rani, “Aldi AI Prompt Left in Customer Complaint Reply,” Sept. 17, 2026. octatec.uk
- AnswerConnect via PR Newswire, “AI Backlash Grows Across US, UK, and Canada: More Customers Reject Bots for Human Support in 2026,” May 13, 2026. prnewswire.com
© 2026 Real World Wire. Written October 27, 2026.