It was sold as an affordable kitchen robot suitable for many pockets. It was a success, and the entire Internet was filled with recipes to take full advantage of Monsieur Cuisine. And this drew attention to Vorwerk, the owner of Thermomix, who saw how her beach bar was staggering before a new competitor, also German, who offered a product very similar to hers, but at a low price. According to Vorwerk, Monsieur Cuisine infringed several of its patents, so the company sued Lidl. Finally, at trial, the judge agreed with Vorwerk, and Lidl had to withdraw its popular Monsieur Cuisine from Spain, as well as get rid of all the units they had in stock and that had not yet been put up for sale. . And surely you will ask yourself: What is the future of Monsieur Cuisine? Do I still have rights as a consumer if I have one at home? Can I use a guarantee in case I need it? Let's answer all those questions.
The Vorwerk vs. Lidl case
Surely you know someone who has a Monsieur Cuisine or you may even own one. It is not surprising. This food processor, sold by Lidl, It is enormously popular in Spain, thanks to the fact that it offers endless benefits similar to the queen of kitchens, the Thermomix, in exchange for paying a much smaller amount: we are talking about 350 euros compared to the 1.200 euros that the current Vorwerk TM6.
Such is the expansion of the smart device that the German company that created the Thermomix (and other household appliances) did not think twice and in 2019 decided to take action on the matter, suing the supermarket chain, also of origin germano -what things-, for patent infringement.
After a first withdrawal attempt, Lidl managed to put its equipment back into circulation - there are actually two Monsieur Cuisines, the Plus and Connect, both encompassed within the Silvercrest brand-, people became crazy and sales even went up. But the joy was to be short-lived.
Vorwerk managed to get a Barcelona court to rule in its favor, recognizing a patent infringement due to the enormous resemblance that exists between Monsieur Cuisine and Thermomix. The first measure of the court was clear: Lidl had to withdraw all the Monsieur Cuisine units that he had for sale. In addition, he had to pay a fine for patent infringement.
But not all the fish was sold. Almost a year later, Lidl's appeal arrived. In 2022, Lidl was able to prove to the Barcelona Provincial Court that its product did not infringe Vorwerk's patents. One of the reasons that he ended up convincing the judge was precisely the lid mechanism of the Monsieur Cuisine. The closing system of the Lidl model allows the user to open the lid while the machine is running, something totally impossible in the Thermomix. Therefore, the veto on Lidl has lasted barely a year. The judge has adjourned the session and Lidl can now go back to marketing Monsieur Cuisine.
Of course, the war between these two companies has not ended. Vorwerk is going to appeal the sentence before the Supreme Court, so there can still be twists in the matter. However, you should know that if you find a unit, you can buy it today completely legally.
And now you will ask yourself something even more important. And if Lidl had failed to appeal the sentence? Or… What happens if the Supreme Court once again agrees with Vorwerk? Will the owners of a Monsieur Cuisine be stranded? Is it safe to buy a Monsieur Cuisine today even if it is completely legal?
What about the Monsieur Cuisine guarantee?
The fact that a device is withdrawn from the market is never a dish of good taste, because it always implies that, over time, we can find problems for its support if necessary. That is exactly the question that now invades many owners of a Monsieur Cuisine. During the year in which the model was withdrawn from the market, many thought that the kitchen robot would stop being sold and would become history.
In fact, many owners of one of these machines put their food processors up for sale in thrift stores precisely to avoid problems with the guarantee and such. As we said, Lidl appealed the sentence and won in January 2022, something quite unexpected, since almost all the pools anticipated a new failure for Lidl.
But of course, the case can still take a setback. seen the panorama, is there anything to worry about then? According to the OCU, no. This is how the web of La Sexta, where they indicate that the Organization of Consumers and Users confirms that as it is a product that was legal when it was purchased, it cannot imply any problem in its use. Therefore, if you have a model bought before it was withdrawn from the market or if you have gotten a Lidl robot now that the judge has allowed it to be sold again, you should not worry. Even if the Supreme Court rules in favor of Vorwerk, your rights as a consumer are guaranteed.
This adds to the warranty, clear. And it is that Lidl must cover the two years guarantee that are offered with the kitchen robot from the moment of its acquisition, in addition to five years of repair coverage, thus guaranteeing the existence of spare parts.
In the event that Lidl cannot repair or replace a defective Monsieur Cuisine within the established guarantee periods, it must always return the money to the consumer.
So you shouldn't be afraid of having a Lidl kitchen robot at home: as long as it's under warranty, they should respond to any problem with solvency. You'll have your back covered whether everything ends in a scare or if justice once again sides with Vorwerk.