Hello Fresh are absolute robbing bastards

[thatsmyhouse]

I used to get it regularly last year but it got a bit samey and some of the meals weren't that great so I deactivated the account. They obviously started sending discount emails and eventually I caved and started it again. But it seems they no longer send the reminder to pick your meals so I keep ending up with meals I haven't chosen which is annoying.

I thought my cut-off day was today but it turns out it was yesterday and they are refusing to refund even though the box doesn't come until Friday. Just a complete 'fuck you' attitude from the person on the chat and they have said there is no one higher to complain to! I never want to eat one of their meals again but they are saying all they can do is cancel the order and keep the money on my account. I'm furious. What a waste of money I can't really afford this month after a very expensive couple of weeks.

I got cunted off by them when I reactivated my account due to discount offers but didn't realise it had my old address on it. I got in touch about 3 days before it was due to be sent to simply change the address on the box..I begged and pleaded as I'd effectively spent £48 on some food that was going to be sent to my old address. They wouldn't budge. I couldn't afford to let it go so had to drive to my old address and await the delivery (we left that rental on very bad terms!) luckily the new tenant who I've never met was friendly about it. Good job my old landlord hadn't moved into the house

They are so stubborn. I had the impression that the chat person was thoroughly enjoying the argument. And banging on about local farmers is just insulting - pretending that's why can't refund when they just don't want to.

The Hello Fresh chat person is a chatbot.

Its their whole business model so thats kind of what you signed up for. They market to time-poor, middle class, working couples/families and they can only offer such enticing early discounts on the basis that a certain percentage will continue to pay for boxes due to laziness, apathy and disorganisation despite knowing they are not actually particularly good value for money.

There are so many other options out there that dont require excessive time in the kitchen but also aren't microwave ready meals. Various meal kits, ready prepped meat dishes etc.

I used to quite like Hello Fresh but they've gone downhill and I find the amount of stuff they expect you to contribute from your storecupboard now defeats the object of having everything there ready for you.

You got it wrong, not them. You have been given a credit for future use, so use it. Why do you think that the terms and conditions are for other customers and not you.?
I have used them on and off since 2017 and never had an issue.

Well that’s true with Gousto. I’ve been caught out a few times as not had milk in the house yet they always provide ‘cracked black pepper’ and flour which I have in abundance!

Trustpilot….I had a box which was drenched in crème fraiche it was disgusting coated everything ..they wouldn’t refund so I put it in dispute with my credit card and was repaid. Appalling company with ZERO food hygiene standards 🤢

Mindful Chef is much better. We swapped for all the reasons you mention and would never go back.

It took many, many emails to get me entirely removed from their database so I didn’t keep getting their crappy offers via email and post.

Maybe only if you subscribe (I didn’t even know Sainsbury’s sold them!) but some of the ingredients don’t come in packets small enough for 1 so it tells you to use half. It feels as if you’re getting extra for free but you’re not really as the one person meals are comparatively more expensive but I still like it. Meal planning for one is depressing, as are 1-person ready meals!

@noblegiraffe No it wasn't a chatbot. It was initially when I first enquired and then I was put through to one of their representatives who, as I said, was very argumentative, picking me up on points etc.

Same here. I ended up with a refund because I complained but wtf?

@thatsmyhouse Gousto have just introduced a next day delivery option so you don't have to have a contract and can order pretty much 24 or 48 hours before you need it!

No risk of random boxes turning up because you forgot to select meals!

Buy a recipe book and shop for yourself. I can’t see the benefit, personally.

I didn’t until I saw a box or two in the reduced bit! Yes I totally agree because you inevitably end up eating the same thing for days in a row because of the size of the raw ingredients. So annoying!

I feel the same way about single supplement hotel rooms!

Their customer service is based out of the Philippines and the agents neither know nor care about your problems. I cancelled my contract because of the appalling service (plus the incredibly wasteful packaging) and they could not have cared less - and still phone me every now and again to try and sign me up despite me repeatedly informing them how shit they are.

We only use them when they send us the 60% discounts. Then we stop and wait. If we like a recipe I just buy the ingredients myself. We’ve had trouble the last 2 delivery’s. Last one only we only received one box when there should have been 3, and this week non of it was delivered because apparently the boxes were damaged so evri refused it.

I get reminder emails from them still? It does require you to think in their rhythm. I also have it on my phone calendar so I don’t forget.

I don’t think they’re at fault, I’m sorry. It isn’t Tesco, it’s a subscription box service and the cut off is the same every week. And the only reason you’re not getting an order this week now is because you’ve told them you don’t want it.

Just use the credit for one last order and then cancel.

I used them once and was annoyed they took way more out of the bank than advertised - my own fault I had ordered more expensive meals apparently. I didn't know I had. Website hard to navigate
. I hear you OP. I have repeat deliveries on Amazon and they are really good at reminding you of your cut off date to amend it I find.

but all of this is your fault?

"I keep getting meals I haven't chosen" Once might be their fault if you were expecting a reminder but every time after that is yours. Just set a reminder yourself every week to pick a meal. If you do this on your phone you can set it at a more convenient time for you rather than whenever they send their emails anyway.

"I thought my cut-off day was today but it turns out it was yesterday" Again, this is your mistake not theirs.

A cut off means just that - a cut off. Presumably they have to tell their suppliers how many of each item they need by x date. Then their packers have to pack each individual box. Then it has to be ready for delivery at least 1 day before. That doesn't give them much leeway. The faff of trying to get hold of all of those different parties to not send your box, plus the waste of produce = of course they cba to fix it. Why would they? They're a business not a charity, why would they want to lose money? It's not like you're a particularly loyal customer they really want to keep happy.

They've already helped you out in letting you keep the money to use on a box you do want in the future so you haven't lost anything. They could have said a complete tough luck and just delivered a random box of stuff you won't eat. Basically you're just offsetting your grocery bill by a week or two - if you spend £50 in aldi this week on food then you won't spend it in 2 weeks time (or whatever) when you use up your Hello Fresh credit.

You don’t have to think about what to cook or shop for it. Those are the two main benefits. There is also zero food waste and the variety of meals you have is greater than if you were doing it alone.

They keep sending me stuff and I’ve never even subscribed.

Seems like a lot more hassle than Cook.

Another vote for mindful chef. We started out with Gousto which was ok for a couple of years then I think it got bought out by whoever owns hello fresh and the veg started going downhill, lots of missing ingredients etc. so dumped them. Then went keto to lose weight so used green chef as they were the only ones doing keto. Used mindful chef for a while but as they weren’t doing proper low carb at that point (just low carb with no corresponding fats to satiate which you need if low carb) just ditched it. Have gone back to green chef since the summer as needed to lose some weight so back to keto food 3 nights a week and low carb rest of the week (plus I do 8/16 fasting which has improved my energy and mood no end ). I just get the meal boxes to give my brain a rest from thinking about meals, ingredients and what to make. I have mostly coped fine with it for 35 years but lockdown broke me and I’ve never got it back. If it was down to me I’d eat the same thing every day and eat one meal a day!

I disagree with this. If you order it then don't fancy it for some reason or change your plans you can have waste. I have a drawer with loads of the little packets of herbs, sauces from different types of food that I will never cook unless it's from HF, herbs etc. Unless you have never cooked when you start using it some of what they send will be store cupboard stuff you do already have. Except honey - they often have that as something you have to provide and I don't always have it in. Not a big deal but I wouldn't say zero waste.

Also the variety is not that good - lots of repeats and lots of recipes that seem to be different but are actually very similar to other stuff.

None of that is why I think they're robbing bastards but once I had been using it a while the novelty definitely wore off.