- Report: #220734
Complaint Review: ConAgra Foods - Omaha Nebraska
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ConAgra Foods
conagrafoods.com/index.jsp Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.A.
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ConAgra Foods, Refused to take seriously complaint re: Orville Redenbacher defective microwave popcorn that caused billowing smoke Ripoff Omaha Nebraska
Around the 4th of July, 2006, we put a bag of Orville Redenbacher's popcorn in the microwave. We stood by it waiting to hear it begin to pop. Within 30 seconds, smoke started to billow out of the microwave. We opened the microwave door and even more smoke poured out and set off the smoke alarm. The popcorn package was scorched & our home was filled with smoke--all within 30 seconds, way less time than it takes to pop the contents according to package directions.
The next day we reported this to ConAgra Foods, Inc. We were afraid that the fumes could be toxic since it sure didn't look like popcorn in the bag. They said they would send us coupons for more popcorn, something we did NOT want. We had our next-door neighbor look at the popcorn package (he is a fireman) and he agreed with us that it certainly did not look at all like popcorn in there. He suggested that it might be plastic of some kind and that it looked like a solid square of something. Our microwave was ruined because we could not get the smoke smell out of it. One of their customer support people told us to put a cinnamon stick in some water and microwave it and the smell would be gone. Obviously it didn't work and only put more smoke smell into the house.
We again contacted ConAgra, who said someone else would contact us. They asked us for a photo of the microwave and asked us to send them the scorched bag and contents. We sent these things to them and requested some kind of reimbursement for the new microwave we had to buy.
Several months later, we received a letter saying that ConAgra's lab evaluated the contents and claimed that it was popcorn inside the bag and that we just let it cook too long. Basically, they called us liars and dismissed our claim. They gave us instructions for how to correctly pop popcorn. If we had, as they claim, left the bag in the microwave for too long, we would have no reason to pursue this for as long as we have. I don't care anymore if we get reimbursed a lousy $79 for a new microwave. I'm just very concerned about their lack of concern for a very real problem...foreign material in their popcorn bags and inability to admit they made a mistake.
They used their own biased lab to do tests. They wouldn't believe that it had been in the microwave for under 30 seconds. And of course now we do not have the package as evidence because we sent it to them to evaluate, trusting them to be fair. We thought they might be concerned about quality assurance. Wrong.
We called ConAgra one more time to dispute their letter to us, but they were unwilling to discuss it any further.
Jan
Round Lake Beach, Illinois
U.S.A.
The next day we reported this to ConAgra Foods, Inc. We were afraid that the fumes could be toxic since it sure didn't look like popcorn in the bag. They said they would send us coupons for more popcorn, something we did NOT want. We had our next-door neighbor look at the popcorn package (he is a fireman) and he agreed with us that it certainly did not look at all like popcorn in there. He suggested that it might be plastic of some kind and that it looked like a solid square of something. Our microwave was ruined because we could not get the smoke smell out of it. One of their customer support people told us to put a cinnamon stick in some water and microwave it and the smell would be gone. Obviously it didn't work and only put more smoke smell into the house.
We again contacted ConAgra, who said someone else would contact us. They asked us for a photo of the microwave and asked us to send them the scorched bag and contents. We sent these things to them and requested some kind of reimbursement for the new microwave we had to buy.
Several months later, we received a letter saying that ConAgra's lab evaluated the contents and claimed that it was popcorn inside the bag and that we just let it cook too long. Basically, they called us liars and dismissed our claim. They gave us instructions for how to correctly pop popcorn. If we had, as they claim, left the bag in the microwave for too long, we would have no reason to pursue this for as long as we have. I don't care anymore if we get reimbursed a lousy $79 for a new microwave. I'm just very concerned about their lack of concern for a very real problem...foreign material in their popcorn bags and inability to admit they made a mistake.
They used their own biased lab to do tests. They wouldn't believe that it had been in the microwave for under 30 seconds. And of course now we do not have the package as evidence because we sent it to them to evaluate, trusting them to be fair. We thought they might be concerned about quality assurance. Wrong.
We called ConAgra one more time to dispute their letter to us, but they were unwilling to discuss it any further.
Jan
Round Lake Beach, Illinois
U.S.A.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
OrvRed
Davidson,North Carolina,
United States of America
Please check out this website . .
#2Consumer Comment
Sun, March 27, 2011
Please check out (((Redacted))). This will confirm your suspicions and lend support to your claim. We are going to be posting more stories soon.
Orv Red
CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.
Janice
Round Lake Beach,Illinois,
U.S.A.
To ConAgra's Devil's Advocate
#3Author of original report
Tue, November 21, 2006
Who ARE you? It's obvious you are no scientist. You aren't even a good researcher. Please notice on this very website the reports about ConAgra: Reported on 12/30/04, how a piece of fiberglass was found in a piece of chicken made by a ConAgra company; Reported on 10/1/04, how maggots were found repeatedly in cans of Bush's Beans made by a ConAgra company. Reported by me on 11/16/06, Orville Redenbacher bag with NO popcorn in it, some foreign object...I saw it, my husband saw it, verified by a neighbor...YOU did not see it. ConAgra has SERIOUS quality assurance problems. Defend THAT.
Elaine
Boise,Idaho,
U.S.A.
I stand by my rebuttal to you...
#4Consumer Suggestion
Thu, November 16, 2006
I see that you said you stood by the microwave. That does not mean that at that same moment, your microwave did not take a powder...either with the heating mechanisms (I'm not a scientist and don't really know how they work), or with the temperature guides, or with the clocks. All I'm saying is that without a complete analysis of your microwave, blaming Con Agra for the destruction of your microwave is simply one sided. I support your decision not to buy any more popcorn...but your comment that you can't be sure what's in any package is true. How can you be sure ANYTHING that isn't grown or manufactured yourself is safe and hazard free?
Janice
Round Lake Beach,Illinois,
U.S.A.
Re: Redenbacher's non-popcorn for Devil's Advocate
#5Author of original report
Wed, November 15, 2006
Please re-read original comments. I stood waiting by the microwave and can tell the difference between 30 seconds and 3 minutes. There was nothing wrong with the microwave other than the smell of smoke that cannot be gotten rid of. We tried it again and it worked fine but filled the room with a horrible smoke smell. We could see there was NO POPCORN in the package... verified by our fireman neighbor next door. Never any sound of popping. Just billowing smoke IN UNDER 30 SECONDS. If there was something other than popcorn in that bag (which was obvious to us) then ConAgra is to blame for whatever smoke damage, potential fires, or health risks that their mistakes may have caused. They didn't even care that somehow their quality assurance process had broken down seriously. I won't accept a dime from them now. BUT I will also never buy that popcorn again. And I'll spread the word about all their "concern" to anyone who will listen. Buyer beware. Are you really sure what's in that bag?
Elaine
Boise,Idaho,
U.S.A.
Playing Devils Advocate
#6Consumer Suggestion
Wed, November 15, 2006
While I absolutely agree with you that nothing stinks like burned microwave popcorn, and that the odor seems to stay forever, I want to play devils advocate. You are arguing only about the integrity of the individual packet of popcorn. The company may have been interested in the integrity of your microwave - it might have chosen the exact time of your popcorn cooking to seriously malfunction and cause the popcorn issue. The investigators didn't have your microwave to check for faults...either with the microwaving portion of the oven, the temperature guage, or the timer/clock. And, there might have been some kind of residue or "left over spatter" somewhere in the microwave that created a problem. Or you may have pressed 3 minutes or so to pop the corn, but you really entered 30 minutes (I've done this myself, but caught it before it got to be a serious problem.) I'm sorry that Con Agra appears to be blaming you, but understand that their side of this situation (the popcorn) is undefended against your microwave and they have only your word that the microwave was working properly, and that you set the machine properly. Good customer service would indicate they send you free product, make sure all is ok with you and your family's health and home, and it seems from your report they did more than that and even analyzed the contents of the packet. You could have sent the contents off to be evaluated by your own analysts (local university, for instance). I just don't see how they can be blamed for ruining your microwave. Microwaves are cheap anymore (they'll probably be less than $50 the day after Thanksgiving) and may be cheaply made. They may be more to blame than Con Agra. (And no, I don't work for them.)
