Tag Archives: Hello Fresh

anecdotes

An update on my billing SNAFU with Hello Fresh…

The other day, I posted that Bill and I decided to subscribe to Hello Fresh.  We enjoyed our first “cooking box” and looked forward to expanding our culinary horizons.  I felt good about the decision until I went to order the subscription.  I tried to use my debit card first.  According to Hello Fresh’s system, the payment failed.  I tried again.  Again, I was met with failure.  Then I tried a credit card.  That, too, was supposedly unsuccessful.  We tried one of Bill’s credit cards.  That time, the system accepted the payment.

I immediately sent an email to Hello Fresh.  I also tried to call them, but for some reason, was unable to get through.  When I later checked on my email, it appeared to have been deleted from their system, so I sent another.  However, I did receive a response to the first email yesterday.  This is what it said.

Hi,

thank you for your message.
You did indeed subscribe for 3 fruit and 3 classic boxes.
I cancelled 4 boxes for you. You will get the money back automatically.
Please make sure, this won’t happen again. 🙂
Best regards,

It’s very possible that the person who write this email is not fluent in English and something got lost in translation.  I didn’t think it was an appropriate response, though.  So I wrote back that I would be very happy not to let it happen again, but it was their system that caused the error.  Incidentally, the money for the extra boxes has not yet been refunded.  And as she cancelled the extra boxes, I got several poorly written guilt tripping automated emails from the company’s founder… (granted, this was originally in German)

my name is Dominik judge and I am the founder of Hello Fresh. I’ve noticed that you recently your Hello Fresh supplies of fruit box fruit box size S – have canceled 12 pieces. On behalf of my team, I would like to thank you for your continued trust.
What is your delivery you will receive on 02.11.2015. Then you will not receive any further deliveries more.
It always makes us a little sad when we have to accept cancellations of good customer counter. However, we are aware that there may be many reasons why one breaks the terms of the boxes or want to stop.
Thanks again for your support!
We would be glad to welcome you soon may return to the Hello Fresh family.
With fresh greetings
Your Dominik

I called USAA about the debit card charges because they posted first.  I started the dispute process, but will have to call again to start one for the credit cards.  If the payments are not refunded, I will have to write letters to USAA explaining in detail what happened and then wait for them to either or accept or deny the dispute.  It’s inconvenient and annoying, but it’s also a sign that Hello Fresh may have customer service issues.

Also, someone from Hello Fresh was supposed to call me yesterday at 4:30pm.  I noticed that someone called at 9:00am yesterday, but I wasn’t near my phone.  They didn’t leave a message, either.

There was a time in my life when these extra charges would have been a real problem.  Fortunately, we can afford them right now.  In any case, after we get our two boxes, I will likely unsubscribe.  I like Hello Fresh’s concept and had no issues with most of the food, but I am really not impressed with their customer service.

Hopefully, I will be able to post a more positive report soon.

ETA:  I see I have two refunds in my checking account from Hello Fresh, but my credit card charge still stands.  I am now a bit confused, but glad to see the refunds are in the works.

ETA:  Now I get to call USAA again and cancel the dispute.  That’s a good thing.  Still, what a pain in the butt.

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anecdotes

Our third Hello Fresh meal

Last night, we finally got around to trying our third Hello Fresh meal.  All of the fresh ingredients that were sent to us were still in good condition, with the exception of the fresh basil, which was a bit dried out.  It was supposed to be used as a garnish for last night’s meal of pasta with mascarpone cheese, tomatoes, and mozzarella.  It’s not Hello Fresh’s fault that the basil was dried.  We just didn’t prepare the meal promptly enough after our tasting box was delivered.

I am happy to report that last night’s dish was my favorite of the three and we ended up deciding to subscribe.  Unfortunately, we had a problem with the Web site’s payment system.  I tried to pay three or four times before the payment finally went through… and then when I checked USAA, I saw that we have pending charges for those seemingly failed payments.  I sent Hello Fresh an email last night and will report when they respond.

Since I had a 20 euro coupon, we also ordered a small fruit box (regularly 14.99 euros for 12 pieces of fruit).  I doubt we’ll be doing that regularly, but I am curious to see what the fruit boxes are like.  The total charge with the 20 euro coupon for our next delivery (provided we’re only charged once) was about 35 euros.  Without the coupon, we would have paid about 55 euros for the classic box (3 meals for 2 people) and the fruit box.  Regular price for the small classic box subscription is 39.99 euros per box.  I only have to purchase two boxes for the subscription; then I can cancel whenever I want.

I also got a phone call from a Hello Fresh representative yesterday.  She wanted to know how we liked the product and tried to get me to subscribe.  I told her we wanted to try the third meal before committing.  She asked if she could call back and I said she could.  When she does call back, I will talk to her about our issues with payment and make sure we only get and pay for one classic box and fruit box next week.   I also told her that there are a lot of Americans in the Stuttgart area who, if they subscribed to Hello Fresh, would likely appreciate it if they could get the recipes in English.  Maybe she’ll pass that info along to someone who can help with that.  I did tell her I was working hard on my German and trying to decipher recipes is a good way to do that.  But one of Hello Fresh’s major selling points is being able to save time.  If I have to translate recipes, I am not saving time.

Anyway, on with last night’s meal…

Bill lays out the ingredients: spiral pasta, three tomatoes, an onion, mascarpone cheese, fresh mozzarella, garlic, and fresh basil (which was a little dry last night, but got to us fresh).

Bill starts chopping tomatoes.

Bill consults the recipe.  This one was simple enough that he didn’t need to translate it.

Onions being chopped, along with some garlic…

Sautéing the onions and garlic in a little olive oil…  We supplied the oil.

Fresh tomatoes are added to the onions and garlic.  Bill also added some ground oregano, which was also supplied.

Bill slices the fresh mozzarella into small pieces.

Cooked pasta is added to the tomatoes.  We only used half of a 500 gram bag, so there’s pasta leftover for another dish.  In the pot next to the skillet, Bill stirs mascarpone cheese.  He only used 50 grams of a 250 gram container.

Cheese is added to pasta and tomatoes.

Next, the mixture is placed in a baking dish and a layer of mozzarella is added.

Second layer of mozzarella cheese and pasta.

Our dried out fresh basil.  Will have to use it quicker next time.

Bill cleans while the pasta bakes.  By this point, our house was smelling awesome.

Table is set…

The finished product, fresh out of the oven!

It turned out great!

Guten Appetit!

 

We were really happy with this simple dish.  Naturally, it was the most fattening of the three, coming in at about 750 calories.  We still had enough leftover for my lunch today.  Believe me, I’m looking forward to it!  And, while I’m at it, I want to praise my sweet husband Bill for being such an awesome cook and cleaning up after himself!

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anecdotes

Our second Hello Fresh meal

Last night Bill and I enjoyed our second Hello Fresh meal.  When I say we “enjoyed it”, I’m being truthful.  I liked it better than the first one Bill fixed on Wednesday night.  One of the reasons it went better was because Bill took the recipe to work and had it translated before he started trying to cook it.  That made for a much less hectic cooking experience and better prepared food.  Here are some photos of the process of making last night’s meal of chicken with carrot-yogurt salad and baked sweet potato wedges.

Bill’s translated directions…

 

Chopping red onion, carrot, and lemon…

These were served as a garnish.  We don’t usually have those in our house!

Red onion “cooking” in a little lemon juice.  The citrus cooked onions were added to chopped carrots, almonds, a little yogurt, almonds, and parsley for a very nice salad.  We don’t usually have “those” in our house, either!

Sweet potato wedges baking in the oven.  These were later seasoned with a spice mix that came with the Hello Fresh kit.  The spices really added an interesting twist to the sweet potatoes.  I don’t even like sweet potatoes very much, but I enjoyed these very much.

Carrot being grated. 

 

Cooking the chicken.  We got a little more chicken than beef and it was very good, especially with the yogurt dressing Bill made to go with it.  It reminded me a little of tzatziki.  I don’t usually like yogurt much, either, but was pleasantly surprised.

The end result.  

Very tasty!

Much to my surprise, I liked this meal more than I did the steak and potatoes we had on Wednesday.  One of the main reasons I liked it better was because the end result turned out more like what I think the Hello Fresh people envisioned.  Our first attempt was made more difficult by Bill’s attempt to translate as he went along.  By getting the recipe pre-translated, he saved himself time and effort and was more able to concentrate on the cooking.  Yes, it should go without saying that non-German speakers should get the recipes translated before trying to cook the Hello Fresh.  I just want to emphasize that it made a world of difference in the quality of our end product.

This meal was easier to make and the chicken portions were larger.  We had plenty to eat and I attained a new appreciation for sweet potatoes, yogurt, and salad.  That’s a good thing.  We have one more meal to try before we decide if we want to subscribe to Hello Fresh or just order another single box.  I have a feeling it’s going to be a winner.  It’s pasta with fresh tomatoes, basil, and mascarpone cheese, which I have a feeling I will love.  Stay tuned!

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anecdotes

Our first Hello Fresh meal…

As promised, Bill and I prepared the first of our three Hello Fresh meals last night.  We opted to cook the steak, broccoli, and potatoes dish.   Here’s how it went.

Bill peruses the recipe.  It was in German, but the Google Translate feature on his tablet was a big help.  He hovered the camera over the recipe card and Google Translate instantly turned the German words into English.

I paused for a beer break.  That is a Chimay Gold, which I ordered from www.saveur-biere.com.

A closer look at the translation process.

Boiling the potatoes, which would eventually be mashed with chicken broth and roasted onions.  I usually do this with butter and milk or cream, so the mashed potatoes were probably a bit less fattening last night.

Washing the broccoli.

Chopping the broccoli into florets.

 

We put the broccoli into a small casserole dish with a little olive oil (which we provided) and salt.  This was the first time we cooked broccoli this way and Bill said he liked it.

At about this point, the kitchen area was getting too crowded, so I waited in the living room while Bill made the red peppercorn cream sauce and cooked the steaks.  I will mention that the steak portions were very small; however, they did appear to be about the size recommended for adults (about the size of a deck of cards).  Bill and I already eat too much meat, so the small serving size wasn’t a bad thing for us.  For other people, it may not have been enough.  Also, we had to provide bullion/chicken stock for the potatoes.  For some reason, that was not included in the box.

There were a lot of steps in the cooking process and at one point, the smoke alarm went off.  That’s good.  At least we know it works.  I will say the food smelled good and it was definitely a change from what we usually eat.

This was the end result…  It took about 40 minutes to prepare and was pretty edible, though Bill did overcook the steaks a bit.  Next time, he won’t put them in the oven to keep them warm after he cooks them.

Looks pretty close to what’s on the advertising…

I note that this is a dish that most likely would appeal to Germans.  I didn’t think this was bad at all, but when it comes to mashed potatoes, I am a purist and like them plain with a little salt and butter.  I don’t think we will do the mashed potatoes with roasted onions again, though Bill said he was glad to get the chance to try them a different way.  He does plan to oven roast the broccoli again and we both liked the peppercorn sauce that went with the meat.  With a little practice, we could probably get that down pretty well.

Part of the reason we’re doing this is because we want to expand our experiences with different foods rather than cook the same things all the time.  If we recreate last night’s meal, we will definitely add our own touches to it.  But overall, Bill and I were pleased with the process of making this first meal. It was plenty of food, though the portion sizes included more potatoes and broccoli than beef.  We do have plenty of leftover potatoes.

Tonight, we will try the chicken breast with sweet potato wedges and carrot-yogurt salad.  I am not really a sweet potato fan, though I have heard they are very good for you.  I will try my best to give them a fair shot tonight and will report on our efforts tomorrow.

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anecdotes

Hello Fresh!

A few weeks ago, someone on the Stuttgart Friends Facebook group asked about getting boxes of vegetables from co-ops in Germany.  Although I have never ordered vegetables that way, I am interested in doing it.  I need to broaden my palate and both my husband and I could stand to improve our diets.

Several co-ops are available in our area.  One person recommended Hello Fresh, which is not really a co-op per se, but a company that prepares boxes of fresh food that can be turned into delicious meals.  Hello Fresh is an international company, but I had not heard of it before I came to Germany.  I read up on it and didn’t give it another thought until I was on an Air Berlin flight back from Hamburg.  The airline’s magazine had a coupon for 20 euros off a box of food from Hello Fresh.  Since the boxes for three meals serving two people run about $50 (39.99 euros), I thought that was a generous deal.  I talked to Bill about it and, since he does a lot of the cooking and shopping, he decided it would be worthwhile to try Hello Fresh.

Here’s someone’s Hello Fresh review posted on YouTube.  These reviews are also what helped me take the plunge.

It turned out the 20 euro coupon was only good if you became a subscriber (two box minimum).  Since I wanted to just try the service, I went ahead and ordered a one time “Probierbox-Classic“.  It cost about $51 and contains enough food for two people and three meals.  The box arrived a little while ago and I just unpacked it.  I’m very impressed thus far.  Have a look at these photos…

The UPS guy joked that he’d brought me my Mittagessen.  Special thanks to Duolingo for teaching me that much German.

First impression of unpacked box.  Everything is neatly packed.

Fresh broccoli, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and an onion.  Pasta from Italy.

Recipe cards with photos.  Yes, the directions are in German.  Here’s a good chance to exercise my budding German skills.  I’m sure the photos will help.

Directions are on the back…  Includes serving size info.

Fresh tomatoes.

Fresh basil.

Almonds, garlic, and spices

Cold pack with cream, mascarpone cheese, yogurt, and fresh mozzarella…

Fresh beef and fresh chicken.

Coupons for other services.

And the card that started my experiment.  I will very likely be subscribing, so I will get to use it.

Hello Fresh offers boxes that contain meat and vegetables, but they also have boxes for vegetarians and boxes with just fruit.  The boxes contain all you would need for the recipes featured except for some very basic ingredients like salt and pepper.  You don’t have to get a box every week and you can pause service when necessary.  Next week’s boxes have recipes that use mushrooms.  I don’t eat mushrooms, so I won’t be ordering that one; but I may very well get the box offered next.  We got the smallest box offered, which is for two people.  They do have larger boxes that contain enough food for four people.  They also offer boxes that have five meals for two or four people.

You do have to order your box before a certain time each week if you want one for the following week.  Once you order, Hello Fresh is great about keeping in touch and letting you know when to expect your delivery.  Mine was scheduled between 8:00am and 12:00pm today.  If no one will be home to collect the delivery, you can specify for it to be left with a neighbor or make other arrangements.  When you have ordered five boxes, you can return all the packaging materials to Hello Fresh and they will recycle it for you.

Here’s one potential drawback to this service.  Say you don’t like pork or, like me, you hate mushrooms.  Unfortunately, you can’t ask for a substitution.  You can order a different box, say the vegetarian one or the fruit one.  But, say if you prefer the classic boxes that include meat, they won’t give you a different recipe.  The recipes also vary and don’t tend to be repeated.  If they do have one that turns out to be especially popular, the Hello Fresh folks might repeat it after at least fifteen weeks.  For more information about how this service works, I recommend opening the Hello Fresh Web site on Chrome (if you don’t understand German) and reading the FAQs there to decide if their conditions are acceptable to you.  The nice thing is, if the boxes contain something you don’t like, you don’t have to buy them each week, even if you are a subscriber.

Bill and I will try making one of these meals tonight.  Stay tuned to find out how it went.  I have a feeling Bill will want me to order again since the service is very convenient.  The shopping is done for you and the ingredients are very high quality and fresh.  It also appears to be a great way to expand your culinary horizons and try something new.  I look forward to our experiments!

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