I bought some hamburger from them. I should have known better. I know how great Flannery is, but I placed an impulsive order with HG. I bought a few of their hamburger mixes. I really wanted to do a comparative tasting. Order was placed and fulfilled rather quickly. It took numerous attempts to get them to respond to my question about my order after it arrived. Admittedly I did not call, I just sent emails (multiple email addresses for them). After a week had passed I received a response. My question was “I ordered multiple blends of hamburger, however, there is no labeling to help me differentiate the specific blend of each package. How am I supposed to identify what each pack contains?” The response was “If you can send me a picture of the burgers you received, I can help you to decipher”
Yikes. Sloppy. I wont make the same mistake again.
I had the same thing happen. I sent them pictures and they told me what everything was. And then I ate it. So it worked out.
So they know it’s a problem for some customers and someone there doesn’t say “hey maybe we should start putting labels on these packages”.
I’ve never had a problem with their labeling In dozens of orders.
I generally don’t buy ground beef from them, though.
Did you contact Cameron?
I did not. The inattentive customer service and not labeling their product is indicative of a systemic problem (no q/a q/c). This was not a anomaly that needed management to come in and fix. The experience really highlighted the difference between Flannery and HG.
I am not upset with HG. I am mad at myself not buying from Flannery this time. Their attention to detail is impeccable.
HG and Flannery have some overlap but for the most part sell completely different products. They’re also not a butcher. I like their American wagyu butcher cuts the most of any producer I’ve tried. The zabuton is very close to a5 in marbling but has nice beefy flavor. I’ve been generally less impressed with their upper prime offerings but their tomahawks in those steaks are nice.
For JDM stuff they’re generally a bit overpriced so I have mostly been sourcing from crowd cow.
JDM?
Japanese domestic market
Thanks
TMDA*
*too many damn abbreviations
TAWAW*
totally agree with Alan Weinberg
I purchased a few steaks and agree packaging was frustrating. I have a couple left in the freezer and not really sure what they are but I guess they will taste fine. Only marking is a big white sticker with 40601 on it. I mean really? At that point why not just write what grade it is instead of a cryptic number.
When they shipped in they came in branded box, insulation, fancy branded freezer bag and dry ice. That was all nice and I am sure not inexpensive. Now get someone a pen and write what the steak is on the label…
That’s a really good point. Shipping package was excellent. I just don’t understand why the inconsistent product packaging. Even the vacuum packaging around the hamburger meat looked different. It appears like they just buying from multiple suppliers and consolidating their customer orders.
Very good bet. I can’t imagine that CH has a facility dedicated to purchase/fabrication/storage/packing/shipping of a high volume of such highly priced beef.
It makes total sense to have everything done in country of origin and then act as the final mile delivery service.
Writing off a small company completely without giving them any feedback and a chance to make improvements seems a bit harsh. Trashing them publicly takes it over the top. Frankly, you might be doing them a favor.
They are buying their meat from multiple suppliers. They’re not a butcher.
I don’t think it qualifies as small by any metric. HG has/does supply beef for sale online through Costco. They don’t play with small fish.
Regardless, seems like an unnecessarily harsh response.
I’m not sure where you draw the line between being “harsh” or “trashing” and my honest retelling of the experience. Perhaps the word “sloppy” was harsh. That being said they’re charging top dollar so one should expect impeccable service and product. Recounted here you can see other people experiencing the same issue so they obviously were aware of the concern. And for the record I did tell them about my complaint.
Lastly, As a business owner while it’s hard to hear, I find great value in criticism even if it’s in public and especially if it’s harsh. “Harsh“ gives me insight into the emotional impact on my customer. It’s not always easy to see or have empathy of the customers perspective.