Hello Fresh - annoyed with them and no customer service available

[aiwblam]

I have had 5 Hello Fresh boxes. I think it's a great concept and the meals taste fantastic.

However the problems:

1st box - just 2 dented tins (I mean really dented, more dented than I have ever seen in a supermarket). I replaced them myself, didn't mind as the meals were nice.

2nd box - great

3rd box - extremely overripe squashy tomatoes (OK, I replaced them myself, not much hassle)

3rd box - one meal was missing the chicken entirely. The desert was just completely missing. Random items were added that didn't relate to any of the meals (bread rolls, yoghurt). Thought it was a bit much to rob me of chicken and desert entirely so called customer services. Refunded the desert, apparently credited the chicken, no idea where to, certainly not my bank account as only the desert came back into there.

4th box - one meal is missing 4 ingredients (tomato puree, mango chutney, chicken stock paste and a green chilli). FFS. Report function on the app really clunky, didn't let me report it all. No answer on online chat. No email address visible anywhere.

This is supposed to be making meals easier, not causing this kind of pissing about going to get ingredients and trying to get stuff credited or refunded. I'm really fed up with it and wonder whether I should just keep the recipe cards and buy all the ingredients myself. At least I know I'll actually have the items.

Is my experience the exception or is this what happens to people all the time? I've pushed my next box back because I haven't got the time to mess around like this in the week!

[Snog]

We've had 2 deliveries so far and 3 problems - delivery on wrong day, spilt ingredient and missing recipe card.

[Snog]

I also have a simply cook subscription - never any issues at all with that one.

[pinkchampagne1]

My sister had similar issues with Hello Fresh.
They had substituted ingredients that didn’t go with the recipes (one needed sugar snap peas that were replaced with peppers!) and 2 of her fish fillets were missing from one meal.
They credited her account in the end. I think it is just credit off another box rather than a refund.

Have you tried Gousto? We find them much better. Good selection of recipes and you can pause your subscription so you don’t have to remember to skip meals if you don’t need a box. You can just order when you fancy.
I have a code here for 60% off your first box and 30% off any others in your first month if you fancy giving it a go cook.gousto.co.uk/raf?promo_code=NICOL274409&utm_source=iosapp

[GloveFromAbove]

Similar issues with HF. Stopped using them and gone to gousto- much better.

[LizzieSiddal]

My friend has been having them for 3 weeks. There were items missing every single week and found the customer service very difficult to get through to. She’s going to do one more week as she has discount code but she’s really fed up with them.

[Cassie124]

My first box arrived yesterday, one ingredient missing (chicken stock paste) and the pot of chorizo punctured and split open. It was in the middle and everything around it is OK so I presume it must have been put I like that. I've got another one on order already next week but after that I'm thinking of going back on Gousto

[Isawthathaggis]

I loved hello fresh when it started, but which ever asset stripping conglomerate runs it now has made it into a completely different beast.
The cuts of meat are much cheaper, the meals are much simpler, the ‘extras’ are what would have been included.
It’s still ok when there is a discount offered, but otherwise not worth the money imo.
We tried gusto once but was unsure of the providence of the meat.

Like a PP Simply Cook is the answer for us. Easy and interesting meals, slightly more work than hello fresh.

[SoddingWeddings]

That seems weird, given how great Gousto - their direct competitors - are. I've had a couple of minor missing sachets of spice or vinegar with Gousto in over two years. Never had anything rotten either.

Shamelessly posting my referral link as well in case you want to try them out instead! cook.gousto.co.uk/raf?promo_code=ALLIS33205208&utm_source=androidapp
You get 60% off your first box, then 30% off any more boxes in the first month, and I get £30 towards my next boxes. 😁

[Lockdownlifting12344555]

Gusto is way better, swap to then

[aiwblam]

I think I will get the next box only and if there are any problems with that, then I will just cancel the subscription. Seems like these issues are universal! Thanks for the gousto code - may look into that as a replacement.

[FinnegansWhiskers]

I signed up for “Hello Fresh” after a friend invited me for 2 free meals. The first week the meals were delicious. The second week items were missing, the third week we received 2 complete meals out of 3. The third meal - everything bar the mushrooms was missing. I have contacted them - awaiting reply. So much for having all ingredients delivered. Now I have to go out to buy tomorrow’s dinner. Hello Fresh deliveries will be cancelled just as soon as I receive a reply and refund from them.

[HoldontoOneMoreDay]

I got a discount card through the post so thought I'd give them a try despite having said 'never again' years ago due to the enormous amount of packaging.

For the offer, it turns out they pick the dishes and try as I might I couldn't change them or get hold of customer services, so I've paid for spag bog (albeit with a fancier name) and a chicken curry. I mean, I could go and make that from the stuff I have in the fridge/freezer right now... not impressed. Have actually cancelled the other cheap boxes as I was so ticked off.

[aiwblam]

I just can't understand how this gets buggered up so badly. It's such a fantastic concept but so poorly executed.

[Tippytaps]

You are not alone. We used them for years, but for the last year or so the quality of the ingredients went down and then every week we were missing ingredients or even whole meals. Rotten vegetables - strangely they stopped printing the expiry dates on the vegetable packets…

After months of problems and refunds and messing about, we moved to mindful chef. I wish we had moved sooner!

[PedrosPony]

We've used them for 6 months. We've had a couple of overripe items and one missing pot of spice which we were credited £20 for! Mostly the recipes are missing but as they're online I'm not too fussed on that.
More often than not we get an extra packet of spice or something, and as we buy for 3 rather than for 4 people, end up with enough tins and packets to eek out another meal every other week. It seems we've just been very lucky and I expect tomorrow's delivery will be manky or missing

[Clymene]

I got my first box today. I think everything is largely there but got what a load of packaging and transport to deliver one spring onion and a two person portion of beef.

I only buy free range meat normally too and I feel uncomfortable about the provenance of this meat.

The meal I made was nice but I will be cancelling after today.

[Percivalthebabyspider]

I used to love Hello Fresh but over time the quality went down, we had missing items, but the nail in the coffin was the package of green slimey chicken.
Never again.

[PurpleDaisies]

They’ve been fine for me. On one occasion the mushrooms were sub standard but they gave me a credit worth much more than a pack of mushrooms within an hour of me emailing

[FinallyFluid]

They have had their day in the sun, that day was in 2016.

[pinkchampagne1]

It was probably around 2016 that I last used them and they were okay then.
I only went back to them because my friend offered me a free box. That box of food was fine but I haven’t got round to ordering another yet as I tend to prefer the look of what Gousto have to offer.

My sister had multiple issues with her second box though and has said she will cancel now. She loves Gousto.

[LemonRoses]

I cancelled because of appalling customer service.

[Snog]

Our third box is due tomorrow and they just emailed to tell us due to unforeseen issues they have had to cancel it!!!!

So now we have no food for the rest of the week. There are just so many errors with HF I imagine it will be going out of business pretty soon...as others have said the idea is great but the execution certainly isn't.

[JassyRadlett]

We had so many credits for missed items, chicken gone off, etc that our last week with them was totally paid for by credits.

We’re with Gousto now and SO much better, less plastic and a more interesting range of recipes. (If anyone else wants a code shout!)

[alajahavhh]

I've had a box that was meant to arrive Tuesday but hasn't turned up and no one can give me a straight answer. No email to say what is going on. I've cancelled and moved to Gusto instead. Hello Freshs customer service couldn't care less and everyone I spoke to told me a different sorry. Wouldn't definitely not recommend.

[FinallyFluid]

We had them in 2016 and they were good, then our situation changed (DH away again, all the time) it was not right for us, trying to leave Hello Fresh was HARD, in fact it would have been easier for Tom Cruise to leave the Scientologists.

FACT