Approved Food - general discussion thread

jaytin

I am going to post full details of our own experience, I have avoided doing so before now because I was concerned about getting flamed but to be honest I don't really care any more.
I placed an order on the 16th January, the payment was taken in full on that date, I know this for a fact as I checked with my credit card company. When I placed my order the web site stated a 7 day delay.
Having heard nothing more I e-mailed AF on the 27th, 11 days later, I waited an extra few days because the web site was now showing a 12 day delay. I got no reply on that day, but my husband had the 28th off so he 'phoned up and eventually got through, although it took him 3 hours, he spoke to Dan, a lovely person who was very helpful.
My husband expressed concerns as it had been 12 days since we ordered and many items were now reported to be out of stock, Dan said that there was plenty of stock, he had just set everything on the web site to show as out-of-stock until he got the oldest orders sorted out.
My husband told him that to keep the parcel to the maximum weight allowance could he just add more of the same items we ordered to make up the weight in the event that there were other items unavailable.
Later that day I got an e-mail back saying that my parcel would hopefully be packed the next day.
On the evening of the 28th I got an e-mail from DHL saying my parcel was dispatched.
By the 30th the original DHL message was still showing 'data received' at Sheffield, the parcel had not moved for 2 days.
My husband got home a bit early from work, as it was a Friday and RAF people are all a bit lazy on Friday afternoons...:p He called Dan and asked if there was a problem with our parcel, also he asked if we had got all our items as we had not had a refund or a call to say items were unavailable.
At this point things become confused, he was told that our parcel appeared to be 'lost' or had been sent to the wrong person. So another parcel would be packed that day and the packer would phone us to discuss substitutions, we were given the packers name but I will not give it here, my husband repeated that he was happy to take more of the same items we had ordered that WERE available to make up the weight, but he was told the packer would phone anyway to check.
We did not receive a phone call that day/evening and our parcel was not dispatched.
By monday the 2nd of Feb. I was pretty sure our original order was never going to come so I placed a second order, as recent orders seemed to be getting delivered much faster. I e-mailed again that day to ask about my original order and received an e-mail back saying that my order was packed and was being dispatched that day. Still no phone call about substitutions or unavailable items.
The following day Feb. 3rd I got an e-mail saying I had been refunded for just over a quarter of my order cost (actually when I worked it out it was wrong by 40p and not in my favour) plus delivery, disappointing as we had asked for more of the available items TWICE! Later that day I had an e-mail saying my parcel was dispatched but I was unsure as to which parcel it was referring.
Feb. 4th both of my parcels arrived, but I had only had a dispatch note for one.
When we found the documents for the parcels it was a bit odd as the dispatch information on one was for the 28th so it was the same parcel that had been reported as lost, but there was a piece of paper dated the 30th, the day it was meant to be repacked, listing unavailable items, the packers name was also on this piece of paper, the same person we were told would phone us about substitutions.
My first order took 20 days and the second took 3 days. :rolleyes:

mdecker_london

Mistymaid wrote: »

3 tins of asparagus from AF - 99p

1 tin in local shop - £2.57


No contest - consider me 'emotional.'

oh if it were that simple. The actual process seems to be:

3 tins asparagus from AF - 99p
wait three weeks
go to forum and get instructions on what to do next
make telephone calls to engaged number
send a couple of emails
get notification 0 tins asparagus going to be delivered
get refund
pick substitutions
go through google checkout again
get dented tin of something else, covered in sugary sauce from leaking Amoy sachet

Or:
walk to local shop
buy tin of asparagus for £1.17 (any more and you're overpaying)
open and consume at leisure

Mistymaid

kittie wrote: »

I can`t get emotional about a pile of cheap things made from fat, salt and sugars

lol and how many times a year is anyone going to use floppy asparagus in a tin

May I take it that you don't eat many vegetables then ...:rotfl:

... and just to put your mind at rest about my diet ... I grow my own:
Kale
Carrots
Neeps
Cauliflowers
Kohl Rabi
Leeks
Onions

... and a bunch of other stuff ...

... and as a recipe hint. Asparagus (tinned or otherwise) is beautiful if you put it in foil, sprinkle salt and pepper on it, add a clove of garlic and a knob of butter, and grill it for about 3 minutes each side.

Oh, and I also grow Kale, carrots and neeps to feed the goats ... as well (just in case you thought I was feeding them fat, salt and sugar)

... and 25kg of record seed spuds on order for the birds (but it won't be enough)

poet123

Obviously the major upsurge in business has been a double edged sword,both for AF,and for his customers old and new. I agree with the points MDecker has made,it does seem that the teething problems we excused as part of the upsurge are more deep seated,and need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. I think it signifies someone out of their depth in business,and I would think this was the case rather than attribute any other motive. That does not mean it is not a legitimate problem,nor one which should be hidden and not discussed.

Just because some of the users of MSE have "adopted" AF does not mean the normal rules of distance selling are negated. A liittle detachment is needed in some quarters,and the recognition that others have had experiences for whatever reason which makes them relectant to order again. Those negative experiences are just as valid as someone who is entirely happy with how AF have handled their orders.

People have different expectations, and probably more pertinently, needs. I want to order goods and know at point of sale if they are in stock,and an approx date of receipt. If they are out of stock I will go elsewhere,or order an alternative. None of these simple steps are possible as yet, on the AF site. That is why complaints arise.

AF is a retailer,and to do this sucessfully you need to give the majority of customer what they want,when they want it,at a price that they are willing to pay. As I see it,AF are only fulfilling one of those criteria. Because of this, they must be spending valuable hours sorting queries,making refunds and generally trying to fight fires.

Yes,they are cheap,Yes Dan seems like a nice chap,yes,he has good communication skills on a one to one basis via email. Sadly that is not enough to sustain the business over a long period,lots of nice guys go bust too. Good business practice sustains and grows a business,and AF needs to improve theirs for the sake of its owner and the customer.

Now,I am off to unpack my latest AF parcel which arrived mid post!!!

Mistymaid

mdecker_london wrote: »

oh if it were that simple. The actual process seems to be:

3 tins asparagus from AF - 99p
wait three weeks
go to forum and get instructions on what to do next
make telephone calls to engaged number
send a couple of emails
get notification 0 tins asparagus going to be delivered
get refund
pick substitutions
go through google checkout again
get dented tin of something else, covered in sugary sauce from leaking Amoy sachet

Or:
walk to local shop
buy tin of asparagus for £1.17 (any more and you're overpaying)
open and consume at leisure

Why are you saying my items haven't been delivered? They have ...
Why are you saying things are damaged ... they aren't ...?

We only have two shops ... other than that I have to pay for a ferry journey to get to a supermarket ...

You seem to be getting desperate to bad-mouth AF ....

poet123

Mistymaid wrote: »

Why are you saying my items haven't been delivered? They have ...
Why are you saying things are damaged ... they aren't ...?

We only have two shops ... other than that I have to pay for a ferry journey to get to a supermarket ...

You seem to be getting desperate to bad-mouth AF ....

There is the difference in expectation and need. Most of us live within reasonable distances of shops selling at a higher,but still acceptable price. You do not,so naturally your need is higher than ours,and our expectation is higher than yours. It has to be said that you are an ideal AF customer,but not a typical one.

jaytin

poet123 wrote: »

There is the difference in expectation and need. Most of us live within reasonable distances of shops selling at a higher,but still acceptable price. You do not,so naturally your need is higher than ours,and our expectation is higher than yours. It has to be said that you are an ideal AF customer,but not a typical one.

I think you have hit the nail on the head there, so to speak, no disprespect intended to Mistymaid but I think because of your situation shopping-wise you are willing to put up with a lot more with a lot less complaint than some other people.
I know exactly what you mean about difficulties in northern Scotland, especially the Islands. I am Scottish myself and lived in the Inverness area for some years, we hope to move back there at the end of the year.
I know that getting deliveries up there is usually slow and expensive, especially if there is a lot of snow! In your particular case Dan and AF is a godsend, I can appreciate that the loss of their online service would be a tragedy for you and many others in that area. (Not to mention many people on low incomes who are feeling the pinch!) But for many other people who are not used to Highlands and Islands delivery problems, service from AF may seem unacceptable in comparison to other places they have ordered from.
It's hard sometimes to see things from other peoples point of view, but I am personally trying to stay in the middle and be totally impartial.

Mistymaid

poet123 wrote: »

There is the difference in expectation and need. Most of us live within reasonable distances of shops selling at a higher,but still acceptable price. You do not,so naturally your need is higher than ours,and our expectation is higher than yours. It has to be said that you are an ideal AF customer,but not a typical one.

But why is Decker saying I have experienced problems that I haven't????
I don't want to be dragged into something as if I have had issues with the company ... these things simply didn't happen ...

The expectations thing I understand - to a certain degree ...

But this site is full of people with sigs stating how much they owe etc, etc.

Are you seriously telling me that people who are in financial difficulties would rather pay £1.20 for something than 33p ... irrespective of where they live?

Jaytin is absolutely right regarding certain areas of the UK that don't have access to convenience (I'll press the thankyou button in a minute!) but even so ...
Put it this way, if I still lived in an urban area and was suffering financially (and believe me, I have) I would still be using them, and while they are having problems, tolerating the hitches.

If what you are implying is correct ... that people can simply nip out and buy stuff at the same price ... then why use A/F?

oldMcDonald

Mistymaid wrote: »

Are you seriously telling me that people who are in financial difficulties would rather pay £1.20 for something than 33p ... irrespective of where they live?

It is worth remembering that if you are on a strict budget you are not usually in a position to buy items of food that will not be delivered for two to three weeks.

Mistymaid

oldMcDonald wrote: »

It is worth remembering that if you are on a strict budget you are not usually in a position to buy items of food that will not be delivered for two to three weeks.

Who said I wasn't on a strict budget. If you are, you plan ahead ... big time. It's the only way to survive or you go hungry.

Let's look at it this way.
You either need to save money or you want to save money ... if you need to save money you will sometimes have to put more effort in to get to that point.

If you want to save money but want to simply exchange prices and not anything else, then you will probably have issues.

I'm sorry I'm still pretty much speechless at this ...

So for your entertainment.

My second order arrived last week. The haulier puts it in the livestock trailer at the bottom of the field. I'm still not sure how he gets the box in there, because the ramp door is busted and sealed shut (so it doesn't drop on anybody) and the side door is too small to get the box in ...???
Anyhoo, I have to get it out.
So I go down with the wheelbarrow, in through the side door, open box, transfer contents into wheelbarrow and come back up field ... through thick snow ...


You may have a laugh at my expense:o