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Residential Gourmet Dre and manager sold me disgusting, tough, foul smelling meat that made my family SICK!!! Phoenix, Arizona
I was taken advantage of and lied to by the driver of the truck who sold meat door to door for "Residential Gourmet." Dre the driver, pulled up next to my drive-way and asked me for a cigarette because he seen me smoking. Then he asked me if I was interested in buying some meat. I told him no thanks but he continued to show me the product and pressure me into something I didn't feel comfortable purchasing.
Dre said, "what do you have to lose"..."it has a 100% satisfaction guarantee!" I asked him about the quality of the meat and he said it was better than buying it from a grocery store. He claimed it was all natural gourmet cuts of meat and if I didn't like it he would come back and exchange it right away. I decided to go for it and spend our last $233 which was our grocery money for the whole month. As a side note...the driver tried to make me feel bad for him and promised me everything but the moon just to get me to buy his last case of beef.
We cooked three different steaks that same night on a charcoal grill. We grilled a porterhouse, a filet, and a NY strip...they all came out tough, tasteless, and looked nothing like any meat I've ever seen before. A filet is supposed to fall apart in your mouth but this one was rubbery and couldn't even be cut into pieces. It made me very angry to know that I wasted all that money on these "gourmet steaks" especially since me and my boys had to go without meat that night. The steaks were unedible!!
I called the manager that same night and he apologized saying they've never had that problem before. He said he would send that same driver out the next day with a new case of better meat. Nobody showed up the following day! I called the manager back but no answer...I called again, again, and again with no answer so I left a message. I waited three days and never seen or heard from Residential Gourmet. Somebody kept hanging up on me everytime I called...I think I was being ignored! Six days after purchasing the meat and not hearing back about a replacement I finally got ahold of someone...he described himself as a driver...he took my name and number and said that the manager would call me the next morning.
We decided to try another kind of steak from residential gourmet since that was all we had to eat...we grilled three ribeye steaks and once again it came out disgusting! This time it made all of us sick two hours after ingesting it. By now...I'm angry, frustrated, sad, and nauseous! I don't know what to do because I d**n sure don't want to eat any of their meat after it made me sick. I tried to call Residential Gourmet to ask for my money back and someone picked up the phone then hung up...I heard a voice say it's the bit*h calling before we were disconnected. That phone call proved to me how bad their customer service really is and that they have caller ID.
I'm very unhappy with the quality of the meat and the fact that it made me sick. I'm even more upset by the way the company treated me when I complained. If Residential Gourmet would of just gave me my money back they wouldn't have this negative feedback and a complaint filed against them. So much for 100% satisfaction guarantee!
Do not buy anything from this company!!! Worst meat ever!
9 Updates & Rebuttals
Chandler resident
Chandler,Arizona,
United States of America
Good Customer Service
#10Consumer Comment
Thu, July 12, 2012
We had an issue with our beef purchase. We called the owner of Residential Gourmet who promised to solve our issue promptly. The next day a driver returned to take care of our order. We are happy with the resolution and the customer service we received.
Residential Gourmet Team
Phoenix,Arizona,
United States of America
Customer Service is Very Important to us!
#10REBUTTAL Owner of company
Tue, June 12, 2012
I would like to state that Residential Gourmet is not the author of any other statements on this report. "I got a full refund and apology from Residential Gourmet" was written by the original author of this complaint.
There is a lady going around to every and any website she can find slandering Residential Gourmet. She is not even a customer just a friend of a customer. We gave her friend a full refund and she did not even give us back the food she complained about. We apologized to her last year when it happened. We have hired new management sense her complaint. We are a good company not a scam......
I would also like to say, we have very few complaints compared to the volume of business that we do. We have thousands of satisfied customers all over the united states.
Thank you,
Residential Gourmet Team
John
Memphis,Tennessee,
U.S.A.
Buy Meat At A Real Meat Store
#10Consumer Suggestion
Tue, June 05, 2012
You'll always do much better at a real meat store. The butcher will NEVER be embarassed to tell you the USDA grade of the meat and you'll know the cost per pound. Buying meat by the piece is a suckers deal. The meat you buy will be fresh, not flash frozen to hide the low quality. If you're dissatisfied you'll always get a refund, not an exchange for more crap.
The USDA has 9 grades for meat. The top 3 are Prime, Choice and Select. Never go below Select and try to get Choice when possible. Prime is always tough to get and costs quite a bit more. Would you really trust your familys health to some scammer???
Scammed by Residential Gourmet
Arizona,United States of America
REFUND? APOLOGY?
#10Consumer Comment
Mon, May 28, 2012
The person who wrote they got a full refund and apology from Residentil Gourmet... that person is most likely the owner or co-owner of Residentil Gourmet or a friend or relative. Scammers know that Ripoff Report and other consumer sites (i.e. angie's list, etc) and all sites you can 'rate' companies once you google their name (i.e. Superpages, Manta etc) can be manipulated. Scammers think if they, themselves, post 'positive' comments, it might psychologically-soften up the negativity towards their company.... just another sneaky tactic of high-pressure, unethical companies and corrupt people. Watch this post and you can expect a sterile comment from Residentil "Gourmet soon... stating that they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee and rate 5 Stars with "John Doe" Meat Quality Agency (fyi, most Entities can be bribed to give companies good ratings or to overlook unethical and unsafe practices).
Too bad MORE people don't stop and file complaints against this company... but that's what Residentil Gourmet counts on and that's why they're still in business! That's also why they target a lot of gullible seniors and Winter Visitors who are only in AZ Oct-March and don't have time to follow thru with filing complaints.
STRONGLY encourage people to write letter to AZ Attorney General about this company and door-to-door meat sales. Just Google "Door To Door Meat Sales" and see all the complaints and consumer warnings! An Iowa Attorney General recently declared a law against door to door meat scammers: http://www.state.ia.us/government/ag/latest_news/releases/mar_2012/Iowa_Steak.html
AND: Contact your local media and CNN and MSNBC and any other media venues who LOVE to flush out these crooks.
Ramjet
Somewhere,Michigan,
U.S.A.
Good for you
#10Consumer Comment
Sun, May 27, 2012
I'm glad you're situation worked out and apparently the company is OK.
It would still scare me to buy meat off the back of a truck.
easilyrippedoff
Phoenix,Arizona,
United States of America
I got a full refund and apology from Residential Gourmet
#10Author of original report
Sat, May 26, 2012
Residential Gourmet rectified the situation as soon as I spoke to the manager and told him I wanted a refund...he agreed to give me a full refund and apologized for my bad experience. I'm a satisfied customer who doesn't want to cause problems for Residential Gourmet but I don't know how to delete my comment. I must of got a bad case of meat which is why I don't want to take my chances with them anytime soon...that doesn't mean it will be that way for everyone. Thank you Residential Gourmet for being an honest company.
Ramjet
Somewhere,Michigan,
U.S.A.
Not new
#10Consumer Comment
Wed, May 16, 2012
These kind of people have been around a long time and it always just amazes me that anyone would buy unknown meat off the back of a truck from some random guy.
Meat can have too many things wrong with it to take a chance.
I know marketing people can do a good job of selling but I hope people listen to these complaints and learn from them.
Buy your meat from a local, known good source. Even then there can be problems but at least you know the source if there are.
Good luck.
Scammed by Residential Gourmet
Arizona,United States of America
You are not alone!
#10Consumer Comment
Tue, May 15, 2012
We filed a Ripoff Report against Residential Gourmet also- please see our complaint. We filed complaints with many governmental agencies... please know decision-makers at some of these agencies can and do accept 'bribes' to not investigate these types of reports... keep after them and find advocates who will help you!: go over people's heads! It seems as if Residential Gourmet hire individuals of 'sketchy' character as our meat sales rep said he had a criminal record and went in detail about his issues. It seems these sales reps get a commission from sales and are temporary hire only.
It seems, Residential Gourmet sales reps employees to go door-to-door selling meats but not disclosing the additives to the unsuspecting citizens. Reps only show citizens the plastic-wrapped meats and not the 'ingredients' that are pumped into the meats! Our housemate that purchased the meats here, has hypertension and some of the ingredients include salts!!
The Reps are apparently trained to implement the same type of high-pressure 'empathy' sales tactic on all consumers. (i.e. 'getting rid of last box of meats etc). The Reps drive to Yuma (during our brief s****.> We fought long and hard to even get our initial money returned. Do NOT give up and please google 'door to door meat sales' on internet... there are surprising resources from other states, to help your case! Don't be afraid to use the power of the Media too!!! FYI, we're still suffering effects.
consumeradvocate81@yahoo.com
Webwench
Louisburg,North Carolina,
United States of America
Meat that made you sick?
#10Consumer Suggestion
Tue, May 15, 2012
If your family became sick after eating this meat then the Health Department needs to be contacted to shut this company down immediately.
I would contact your State Attorney General, Consumer protection agency, and the FDA to get these guys off the street. I would also take them to small claims court to get your money back and possible damages.
A call to your local TV station that does consumer protection stories would also be a great way to let people in your area know how this company operates.
The lesson learned here however, Don't spend your money on suspect products from a company you do not know.