Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, Plated and all the other meal kit delivery services

[Gramto6]

Here to vent one more time! Hungryroot said my last box would arrive today (8/25) between 8AM and 9PM. Well it is 10:03PM and not only have I not gotten my delivery, but no tracking information at all.  Either they are just not sending it so I can't track the delivery or it hasn't even shipped yet.  My guess is tomorrow as the first one came on a Thursday.  This service really sux!! I had sure as he!!  better get my refund for the first box and from the way it looks second box is going to be throwawayable too. 

Of the 10 safe items in the first box only 5 have been something I actually would eat. I guess I am a picky shopper and this kind of service is not for me! Maybe if some of the proteins and sauces had been safe to eat I might have felt differently.

Edited August 26, 2021 by Gramto6

[chessiegal]

@Gramto6 So sorry about your continued woes with HungryRoot. Once the dust settles, I'd get on Yelp and give 'em hell.

[Gramto6]

7 hours ago, chessiegal said:

@Gramto6 So sorry about your continued woes with HungryRoot. Once the dust settles, I'd get on Yelp and give 'em hell.

Thanks, I may very well do that! 

My second and last box arrived today. Same story second verse. Three days in transit. Ice melted and I again tossed all the proteins and perishable items. I was really sad to have to toss a 4-pack of Sigi yogurt until I saw the expiration date was 2 days away!! WTF?? Not going to risk eating it as it was warm when it arrived.

This time the packing was really bad! All the ice was on the bottom of the box and they put salad dressing tortilla shells and some veggie items on top of it. The proteins were like layer three in the box. And yippee skippy two big bags of spinach and a box if arugula on the top. It broke my heart to throw away the wild caught gulf shrimp and grilled chicken breast. I am so glad I won't get any more of their  garbage. 

I haven't contacted them yet, I need to calm down some first. Tossing all that food makes me furious!

[chessiegal]

My Blue Apron box that arrived today was badly handled. One side of the box was ripped open. The food is inside a sealed insulated bag with 2 ice packs, so the food was okay. The picture from the delivery service showed the box on its side on the porch, rather than the top side on top. I took a picture once the insulated bag was out - showing the torn and wet box. I sent it to Blue Apron so they would know their delivery service did not handle the box correctly. I wasn't expecting a refund, but they comped the entire contents. 👍

[Gramto6]

OK, I'm looking at Blue Apron now. 2 meals for 2 a week gives me 4 meals since it is just me. I'm hoping the delivery here is as good as to @chessiegal. I'm looking at the sign up/selection process.

Hungryroot left a very bad taste in my mouth. They said I would get 100% refund on the first box which 3 weeks later hasn't happened. I just wrote off the $119.00 second box as a learning experience... So I am out around $200 for that experience. Just hoping Blue Apron can get the food to me safe enough to eat. I will cancel after the first delivery if it is bad and will never try any meal kit service again!!

Wish me luck!

[Gramto6]

@chessiegal I think I asked you before, but I'm tired and don't want to search. What delivery method do they use? If they use FedEx the box will go to Memphis and will result in several days delivery.

Reading reviews on Blue Apron's site I am a bit discouraged. Lots of negative reviews but they seem to be a few years old. I'm gun shy on wasting more money on food I have to throw away. But @chessiegal I trust your reviews re the chat and quick refunds. Hard decision for me to make.

[Jaded]

6 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

Hungryroot left a very bad taste in my mouth. They said I would get 100% refund on the first box which 3 weeks later hasn't happened. I just wrote off the $119.00 second box as a learning experience... So I am out around $200 for that experience. Just hoping Blue Apron can get the food to me safe enough to eat. I will cancel after the first delivery if it is bad and will never try any meal kit service again!!

Try filing a BBB complaint against Hungryroot to get your money back. The complaints usually go higher up the food chain so to speak then the people available by phone or rmail.

[Mondrianyone]

I agree with this ^^^. And also appeal to your credit-card company, assuming that's how you paid. I've always had great support from mine in any kind of dispute. I don't see why you should just eat (no pun intended) a $200 loss with no pushback.

[chessiegal]

@Gramto6 - when you look at the Blue Apron site, do you see an orange chat symbol bottom left on the screen? If you do, ask them up front how they deliver. I've only had FedEx once. All the other times it's by a company called LaserShip which I'd never heard of. I wasn't even going to say anything about the torn box, because the insulated bag inside was still sealed and intact, and the 2 ice bags were mostly frozen. I mentioned to my husband, do you think I should tell Blue Apron about this, he said yes, I'd think they'd want to know their delivery service mishandled the package. I think the first time I used Blue Apron, they had a discount for first time buyers. They used to ship for free if you ordered 3 meals, but recently started charging $9.99 for shipping.

[Gramto6]

@chessiegal, I've kind of given up on home food delivery for now.

And wonders never cease, 2 months + later I finally got my credit for the first box from HungryRoot on my credit card this month! Never even bothered for the second box...

Edited October 11, 2021 by Gramto6

[EtheltoTillie]

I'm back to this topic after a long while.  I'm waiting for someone who can give me a direct comparison between Blue Apron and Hello Fresh.  We have used Hello Fresh for several years and we like it a lot.  We don't order every week--you can turn it on and off.   But we like their recipes, and we like the convenience of not having to shop.  They have really reduced their amount of packaging since we started.

But my neighbor was raving that Blue Apron was better than Hello Fresh.  On reading earlier discussion, it seems like I'm not going to agree with her, but it's probably worth trying one week's meals. 

Anyone out there with info????

Edited January 28, 2022 by EtheltoTillie

[chessiegal]

I've only had 1 Hello Fresh meal I got at my grocery store. I had to toss it as some of it had gone bad. I'm sure that was not Hello Fresh's fault - most likely the store not keeping it cold enough.

I've been using Blue Apron since April 2020 when it was hard to get fresh food, especially protein. I'm very happy with the food and customer service. I've increased to 4 meals per week instead of 3. Blue Apron started offering 3 different prepared meals that only needed to be nuked. I tried 2 different ones and they were terrible. I haven't found that to be the case with the meals you cook from scratch. I think the proteins are of superior quality than what I can get at a regular grocery store, excluding Whole Foods. The one thing I like about their meals is how they always have spices/other things like pesto, salsa verde that really add some kick to the meals. When I first subscribed, I didn't realize I could pick the meals I wanted from a choice of 16 meals. I have my meals set for the next 4 weeks. If I don't check, based on what I've ordered before, they pick 3 meals for me. I always go in on Fridays (the day they deliver) and see what's available for the 4th week out, and pick what I want.

I can understand the reluctance to change from something you like. 

[chessiegal]

This the Blue Apron dinner we are having tonight. My experience with their meals that include pasta is they make enough for 4 servings instead of 2, so leftovers! They also have enchilada meals that makes enough for 4 for us.

[larapu2000]

We have been doing Hello Fresh for about a month now and while I love to cook from scratch and my husband is an eager and earnest lover of my cooking, he is not the best at making requests or suggesting meals.  So we tried doing Hello Fresh and the biggest thing I think it has done for us is that he feels more empowered to start dinner if I'm out on an errand or something.  A lot of the things I make are in my head, so even if I tell him "chop up some onions, etc" he always feel like he'll do it wrong and disappoint me.  This lets him feel more confident that he's doing things correctly and I get to rave about HIS cooking.  We haven't had a bad meal yet, and the meals we have had have kind of reinvigorated me in terms of seeking out new recipes or flavors.  Perhaps if I spent a little more time planning (less than 20 or 30 minutes) and used his help with prepping ingredients on a Sunday, we could Hello Fresh ourselves and save on the money.

I do like the elimination of waste in some ways.  I hate buying a 12 oz bottle of an ingredient that I only need 2 tbsp of and then having to find other ways to use it.  That alone is a benefit!  While it is a LITTLE on the pricy side, it's still cheaper than Door Dash, and the "new to us" recipes feel kind of special like take out, even if we had to cook and clean up.  

[JTMacc99]

On 4/1/2022 at 10:17 AM, larapu2000 said:

I do like the elimination of waste in some ways.  I hate buying a 12 oz bottle of an ingredient that I only need 2 tbsp of and then having to find other ways to use it.  That alone is a benefit!  While it is a LITTLE on the pricy side, it's still cheaper than Door Dash, and the "new to us" recipes feel kind of special like take out, even if we had to cook and clean up.  

We ran through a bunch of boxes early on with Hello Fresh. It opened up a several new things that I wouldn't have normally made for my son, and I got a feel for what he likes and doesn't like without having to go searching through recipes and buying lots of ingredients at the supermarket. 

At this point, we get maybe one box every 6 weeks. I just cancel all of the future shipments on the app and check back in when I see a week on my calendar when I think it would be interesting to have a box delivered.

For me, the other big benefit is that I can use a recipe or technique going forward, without buying boxes from Hello Fresh.  For example, I got a box last week that had a Buffalo Honey Pork Chop with Garlicky Panko Kale Jumbo. I'm definitely making pork chops exactly the same way in the future. They were great and really easy.  

The kale, not so much. But that's mostly because kale. 

[annzeepark914]

Slices of kale are good in some soups. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

[annzeepark914]

OK, OK...but have you all *tried* it? It's really good in Ina's Italian Wedding Soup. 

[chessiegal]

12 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

OK, OK...but have you all *tried* it? It's really good in Ina's Italian Wedding Soup. 

Yes, I've tried in every variation and still don't like kale. I avoid any Blue Apron meal that has it.

[Bastet]

I love kale, so everyone can send their rejects to me.

[SuprSuprElevated]

5 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

OK, OK...but have you all *tried* it? It's really good in Ina's Italian Wedding Soup. 

I have, and still a 'no'.  I'm not mad at kale eaters though, lol. 😇

[EtheltoTillie]

I like regular kale, but  I LOVE Tuscan kale.  I make a great soup with potatoes, chorizo, onions, garlic and Tuscan kale.  It's a Portuguese soup from America's Test Kitchen. 

As for Hello Fresh, we got a Thai rice bowl recipe recently, and it  included some of those Durkee French fried onion rings for a garnish, and were they tasty! 

2 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

 

 

Edited December 29, 2022 by EtheltoTillie

[EtheltoTillie]

On 4/1/2022 at 10:17 AM, larapu2000 said:

We have been doing Hello Fresh for about a month now and while I love to cook from scratch and my husband is an eager and earnest lover of my cooking, he is not the best at making requests or suggesting meals.  So we tried doing Hello Fresh and the biggest thing I think it has done for us is that he feels more empowered to start dinner if I'm out on an errand or something.  A lot of the things I make are in my head, so even if I tell him "chop up some onions, etc" he always feel like he'll do it wrong and disappoint me.  This lets him feel more confident that he's doing things correctly and I get to rave about HIS cooking.  We haven't had a bad meal yet, and the meals we have had have kind of reinvigorated me in terms of seeking out new recipes or flavors.  Perhaps if I spent a little more time planning (less than 20 or 30 minutes) and used his help with prepping ingredients on a Sunday, we could Hello Fresh ourselves and save on the money.

I do like the elimination of waste in some ways.  I hate buying a 12 oz bottle of an ingredient that I only need 2 tbsp of and then having to find other ways to use it.  That alone is a benefit!  While it is a LITTLE on the pricy side, it's still cheaper than Door Dash, and the "new to us" recipes feel kind of special like take out, even if we had to cook and clean up.  

I have come to use Hello Fresh the same way.  We order every so often and we can replicate some recipes with our own ingredients.  My husband never learned cooking, and he can follow the Hello Fresh recipes. 

[annzeepark914]

You can order "every so often"? I thought it was every day or several times a week. I need to look into this.

[chessiegal]

With Blue Apron, you order 3-4 meals a week. They arrive on Friday. You can skip as many weeks as you like or start or stop the program. I've only skipped once when we were going to be away from home.

[JTMacc99]

On 12/29/2022 at 10:45 PM, annzeepark914 said:

You can order "every so often"? I thought it was every day or several times a week. I need to look into this.

Yes. After I had signed up and got a box of three meals per week for while, I moved into the app and started skipping weeks. So I still have access to the online cookbook, but I currently have the next 4 weeks "skipped".  If I get in the mood to mix up the meals in the house for week, I'll scan through each skipped week's offerings and maybe un-skip a week if I see three things I want to try.

[chessiegal]

I manage my Blue Apron meals on my computer for the most part, not the app. But the app is good.

The other thing I like about Blue Apron is their customer service. They have a live on-line chat and have always been most helpful. One time I had ordered a meal with quiche. One of the eggs was broken. When I contacted them, they comped the entire meal ($19.95). I always have eggs, so I was able to make the meal. I have yet to pay $19.95 for an egg.

[JTMacc99]

17 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I manage my Blue Apron meals on my computer for the most part, not the app. But the app is good.

The other thing I like about Blue Apron is their customer service. They have a live on-line chat and have always been most helpful. One time I had ordered a meal with quiche. One of the eggs was broken. When I contacted them, they comped the entire meal ($19.95). I always have eggs, so I was able to make the meal. I have yet to pay $19.95 for an egg.

Same with Hello Fresh. I had a missing ingredient one time, and they did the same thing.  I've had them send the wrong recipe card a couple times, but the whole thing is easily available on the app, so no big deal. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

10 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

I have yet to pay $19.95 for an egg.

Strap in.

[chessiegal]

One of the meals I ordered for this week included broccoli and cheese quiche. Yesterday I got an email saying they had to substitute kale for the broccoli because of supplier issues. They've swapped other ingredients in the past, but nothing as egregious as this. I was so ticked. We both hate kale. I contacted them today to get them to comp the meal, which they did. In what universe is kale a substitute for broccoli? I could understand spinach, but not kale. Fortunately, I have some broccoli in the fridge so I don't even need to go to the store to get some.

[oliviabenson]

On 1/4/2023 at 7:35 PM, SuprSuprElevated said:

Strap in.

I know right? 

[EtheltoTillie]

Last night we made a Hello Fresh meal with a new recipe.  A Dutch Baby giant pancake with ricotta cheese and pears.  Yum!  It came with two eggs LOL.

Edited January 7, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[Mondrianyone]

Not meal delivery, but I was wondering if anyone had tried Misfits Market, where you get lower prices on produce that's rejected by the supermarkets because it's oddly shaped or imperfect in some other way. I went to the site for info, but they started asking for too much detailed info from me before even telling me if they deliver to my area. But then I got an email offering $7.50 off on my first order, so maybe it's worth a shot. Any thoughts?

[EtheltoTillie]

5 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

Not meal delivery, but I was wondering if anyone had tried Misfits Market, where you get lower prices on produce that's rejected by the supermarkets because it's oddly shaped or imperfect in some other way. I went to the site for info, but they started asking for too much detailed info from me before even telling me if they deliver to my area. But then I got an email offering $7.50 off on my first order, so maybe it's worth a shot. Any thoughts?

How do you get the items?  They are delivered?  

[Mondrianyone]

Yep, the stuff is delivered. I have yet to learn what shipping costs, but I did go and sign up, so I'll try at least one order and report back when I get it. It would be nice to put a dent in the huge amount of food waste. We'll see!

[theredhead77]

I have friends who use both Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods. You have to be open to trying new things because they are "you get what you get" boxes. 

[Mondrianyone]

I forgot to come back and report on Misfits Market. Well, we got our box--we ordered specific items, didn't get their random choices--and it was just regular produce. Nothing looked especially misshapen or deformed in some other way. The prices weren't remarkably lower--or even much lower at all. Shipping wasn't cheap. We canceled our membership and probably won't be buying again on a onetime basis either.

[SuprSuprElevated]

1 hour ago, Mondrianyone said:

I forgot to come back and report on Misfits Market. Well, we got our box--we ordered specific items, didn't get their random choices--and it was just regular produce. Nothing looked especially misshapen or deformed in some other way. The prices weren't remarkably lower--or even much lower at all. Shipping wasn't cheap. We canceled our membership and probably won't be buying again on a onetime basis either.

So in sum, it was all bullchip. 

[Mondrianyone]

Maybe there was something I missed, but I really couldn't see the point to it. I was looking forward to saving all these unadoptable apples and onions from the rubbish pile of other people's high standards and feeling all superior, but it didn't seem to turn out that way. Oh, well.

[suzsqueak]

I've used a number of different meal kits over the past 6-7 years. We started with Blue Apron and enjoyed it for a good while, and then the repetition of the flavors and dishes started getting tiresome so we put it on hold and I first tried Sunbasket which wasn't a good choice for me because I have food allergies and they sent a ton of pre-fab sauces that often had ingredients I was allergic to. We switched to Plated which we enjoyed for years until they went out of business. We then moved to Gobble which was darn good, but once we moved to NorCal the distribution center started making too many mistakes and we cancelled the service after 2 years of use. We're now using Marley Spoon and I'm very very happy with the recipes, and the quality of the ingredients.

[EtheltoTillie]

Marley Spoon looks good.  I'm going to give it a try as a change from Hello Fresh--which I still like.

[EtheltoTillie]

Coming back to report on Marley Spoon.  I did not like the recipes I got as much as the Hello Fresh recipes, and I disliked the packaging.  All the ingredients were thrown together in one interior box, so you had to fish through for the ones you needed.  I like the way Hello Fresh separates each meal into a separate paper bag, so it's really a kit for that meal. 

Edited April 11, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[MicheleinPhilly]

Has anyone tried or heard anything about Gobble? Their intro offer - 6 meals for $36 - seems like a steal, but I've literally never heard of them. 

[EtheltoTillie]

I have not heard of Gobble myself. 

[Bastet]

Labor Department investigating HelloFresh for allegedly employing migrant children
 

Quote

The U.S. Department of Labor is investigating HelloFresh over allegations that the popular meal kit service employed migrant children at a cooking and packaging facility in Illinois as recently as this summer, ABC News has learned.

At least six teenagers, at least some of whom migrated from Guatemala, were found working night shifts at the facility, said Cristobal Cavazos, the executive director for Immigrant Solidarity, an immigrant rights advocacy group that helped report the matter to federal regulators.

"They're minors working dangerous jobs," Cavazos told ABC News.

The Labor Department is also investigating whether Midway Staffing, an agency that hires employees to work at the HelloFresh facility, also violated federal child labor rules, according to documents obtained by ABC News.

 

[chessiegal]

Thanks @Bastet for the info on Hello Fresh. I've been cutting back on my Blue Apron and was actually considering switching to Hello Fresh. A friend had an order a friend couldn't use and liked it. With this info that's off the table.

My Blue Apron for last week got "lost". I don't understand how a box that, according to the tracking info, was out for a delivery from a facility 20 miles from my house but never showed. They refunded the order plus added a $24 credit for the inconvenience. I was counting on the meals for dinner. Off to Whole Foods to make up for it. Whole Foods and The Fresh Market are the stores near me I can trust for good fresh proteins.