Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  04/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up for food to be delivered from Ellsworth Foods DBA Southern Foods (and I guess now Blue Ribbon) and during the call I was offered a warranty that would cover the food in the event my freezer went out. The representative said that the freezer would also be covered. The food cost us around ******** and we paid monthly on it, along with the extra monthly cost for the "warranty". Once we paid the food off, they informed us that we still owed over ***** for a warranty. We decided not to reorder any food with them and have been harassed by collection agencies regarding a warranty on food we no longer have - not to mention getting a negative rating on my credit report. It is not right to try to collect over *****.00 on a warranty that we no longer need since we have paid off the account for the food. It was my understanding that the warranty was good for as long as we had the food. The amount they are trying to collect is as much as 8 months worth of food cost us with this company. We were not obligated to purchase more food so why are they insisting that we be obligated to pay for a warranty? The company contacting us to pay is called ******************* They need to correct my credit report and stop contacting me. They want me to pay for something they are no longer providing which is ridiculous. There were no claims and the account for the food is paid off so why are they holding their hands out for money? I have filed a complaint with ************************************ and will give them horrible ratings every chance I get. Scammers!

  

  Business response

  04/24/2024

  We were surprised to read the customers complaint.According to our records, in October 2022 the customer purchased a food order and co-op style community benefits from us. The Community Benefits program provided the customer with a litany of benefits, including significant discounts, which the customer was able to utilize.
  

  In April of 2023, the customer tried reordering more food from us while having an open account balance from their prior order. We advised that we would be happy to assist them order more food, but they would need to settle their open balance on their food account first.

  The customer did not complete paying for their food supply and reached delinquency status in July of 2023 in the amount of $289.62. In addition, there is an open balance on their Community Benefits account. They made four payments of $70.53 (total of payments is $253.97) on their $2,399 purchase of Community Benefits.          
  

  We tried to contact the customer several times to provide assistance and work out an acceptable arrangement. According to our system records, we attempted to call the customer four times and messaged the customer via text message seven times. UAS, the non-affiliated company that manages their accounts, also sent monthly messages from July 2023-November 2023 (five times)notifying the customer that their account was past due. After several months of non-payment the account was sent to collections.
  

  After receiving this notice, we have attempted to reach the customer to further assist with their account, and we remain willing to work out an arrangement that is acceptable. If the customer will contact us, we are confident we can work out a settlement that will amicably resolve the issue.Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  07/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  There is a Community Benefits payment in addition to the food orders, misleading as it is a warranty on a freezer which is not accurate. I ordered food from Blue Ribbon Foods/Ellsworth. The food is not great as it takes several hours for food to thaw out and taste is hit or miss, but I had an additional cost of $2000 I did not know it would be charged to me even if I didn't order more food. I am paying literally for NOTHING. Contract was very vague on this and is **************** for Blue Ribbon Foods at the consumers expense. I have e-mailed BRF about this and have received no response. I am to the point where my contract will be sent to an attorney.

  

  Business response

  07/29/2022

  The company pride's itself on good customer service and goes to great lengths to insure customers fully understand and are happy with their purchases.  Therefore, everything is put in writing and also verified during a welcome call by going over the exact purchase and cost.  After reviewing the customer's paperwork and listening to the welcome call, everything is in order.  

  Someone from our customer service team has reached out to the customer and is working with them to resolve their complaint.  Our team will be following up with the customer by early next week. 

  Customer response

  07/29/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩