ComplaintsforPassanante's Home Food Service

• Initial Complaint

  03/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We ran into Passante food service at an open air market. They stated tgat they had pasture raised organic foods that we could get delivered. So we had the salesman come out and were talked into getting their freezer (Even though we had a brand new chest freezer) that would lower the cost of our food and they would guarantee the food if we ever lost any in a power outage. We received the freezer and food delivery and the pricing seemed ok based on how idustrial the freezer was. (Well worth the money) At the 6month time for reorder we planned to only get food. The salesman showed us a catalog and stated think of these items as free. He told us that if we got some items it would lower the cost of our food. We NEVER talked about the price of the items he only stated that our payments on our freezer would be extended by one year. So we figured that was ok. Well after we got our food delivery and the three EXTRA items we received our new statements. I was floored by the prices. Not only did we still have a contract for the freezer, we had two new contacts. One for over 10,000 and one for the food. I called and stated that it seemed we were paying twice for the freezer. They explained that the finance company front loads the finance charges and that it was correct. I still stated that there was no way a deep fryer, knife set, and Storage containers cost over 10,000 dollars. The Customer Service rep told me she would check the paperwork and call me back. I got the call back and she was correct. She stated that the cost of the extras gets us a discount on all future orders for the next 8 years. I told her we would have never purchased the extras if we knew how much they would have cost. She told me to look at the signed paperwork. Well we signed the contract and didn't notice that the knives where 3299, the deep fryer was 2999 with the storage containers. That is insane! I stated that my husband was livid and wants to and it all back. She said the discount on the good equals the cost of the extras. We are waiting for another call back from the salesman.

  Business response

  04/11/2023

  Hi ****,

  Were so glad that *** was able to work with you to find a suitable resolution. Please feel free to reach out to us anytime at [email protected] should you need anything in the future. :)

  Happy Eating!

  Customer response

  04/28/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  The sales rep who came for my reorder pushed on giving us two "special offers" that would be the same price as our normal monthly payment. When we looked at our bills, we realized these two special offers totaled over $6,000 for subpar, or at the very least, wildly overpriced products. I was never told the total cost of these items, though I asked multiple times. I would have never agreed to purchase, especially knowing that there are no returns, had I known the full price of the product. I spoke with the customer service manager who was unable to help at all. She offered to send me videos on one product, cookware, but I already know how to use it. On top of that, I already know the "how-to guides" she offered to send are easily accessible on the internet, as I was linked to them when I registered the set of cookware. I found this mildly insulting considering I use the food service to provide the food that I cook every night. Overall I'm extremely unhappy with their customer service, and lack of transparency about how much money I will have to spend on their "special offers". I want the company to look at its practices, and I want future potential customers to know what they're signing up for so they don't have to find out with their bill as I did.

  Business response

  08/23/2022

  Hi *****,

  Thank you for taking the time to notify us about your experience. We understand that you were able to speak with a member of our leadership team and find a resolution to your concerns. Thanks so very much again for reaching out and we're so glad to have resolved this issue.

• Initial Complaint

  07/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  **** ********** *********** (the bank for Passanante's Home Food Service) refuses to cancel my account, even though the contract doesn't say anything about not being able to cancel. Yes, I have read the entire contract. I've been trying to cancel for about a month now. The situation for cancelling is this: I was due to make a payment and did not have my account on Auto-pay. Instead of waiting for me to call and make a payment, they accessed my debit card and took out $750 without my permission or knowledge! I never got the money back as they basically refused to give it back, since I owed it and that caused me to be late on a HELOC payment and many other bills, affecting my credit score and a good standing with my bank. Them accessing my debit card without my permission is AGAINST THE LAW and I now do not trust them! I just want to cancel my account without any additional fees. I have tried to contact Passanante's directly and like **** **********, I can never get through on their phone line! I have left a voicemail with Passanante's and have had several conversations with **** ********** (miraculously got through 4-5 times after making about 20 phone calls!). **** ********** told me to send an email to their customer service email stating why I wanted to cancel and I did that. They told me they had received it on July 22nd, 2022 and it would be reviewed by management and to follow up on Monday. I followed up today (July 29, 2022) and got several different people (their system puts you on hold and if you're there too long, puts you back in the wait queue), all who insisted that I can't cancel. The last guy I talked to told me, "All legally binding contracts in the US are permanent and can't be cancelled!" That's not even true!

  Business response

  08/03/2022

  Hi ****,
  
  We’re so sorry to hear that you’ve had trouble reaching a member of our customer service team. Summer is a busy time with family trips and kids at home so our staff has been very busy. We wanted to address your complaint right away and clarify with you that **** ********** is *not* a part of Passanante’s Home Food Service. They are a third party financing company. We are terribly sorry that you’ve had trouble working with them and would be happy to assist in anyway, but it appears your complaint is for their business. Please reach out to us at service@****************.com or call our Customer Service Manager Beth at 800.772.7786 ext.*** if we can be of any assistance.

  Best,

  Passanante's Care Team

• Initial Complaint

  06/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  When I signed up for Passanantes, the told me that the extra item (a deep freezer) was essentially mine for the same price as our food order if we agree to continue ordering from them. The first order was fine. I was surprised when the payments on the freezer continued, but thought they’d be finished quickly. Since then, we have reordered 2 other times, and always been satisfied with the food. The 2nd order was way more expensive, but we ordered a lot more food, and honestly I charged it on my credit card and didn’t pay much attention. The delivery guy the 2nd time shorted us on items without telling us, and didn’t listen to us about how we preferred to pack our freezer, making it difficult to figure out what was missing from our order kist. Fast forward, we order a 3rd time, same thing. Free gifts for same price as the food. But now I’m realizing that we’re STILL paying on ourThis last time, it was a new guy Allen, and he basically told us that the company was aware of previous issues, and they’d make it up to us. We place another order. This time, I reviewed every piece of paperwork. Some of these items that were “free” for the same price are actually costing me $10,000 additionally. I called Passanantes’ customer service quickly after that order and explanation that all the items (except the freezer) are unopened and I’d like to return them. I’ve called multiple times since then, and been told I’ll receive a call back. Others, I’ve left a message. I’ve gotten one call back which I missed because I was working. Months later, ruined credit, and I just want them to take back these items so I don’t have all this debt hanging over me. Someone please help me resolve this issue.

  Business response

  07/11/2022

  We appreciate you taking the time to let us know about your experience. Josh, our regional manager, has been trying to reach you to resolve the situation as you requested in the BBB complaint, but unfortunately, it seems we haven’t been able to connect. We would really love the opportunity to find a resolution with you so please feel free to return those calls at your convenience or reach out to our customer service manager who is also aware of the situation. Beth can be reached at [email protected].
  
  Thank you!
  
  Amanda**** S*****
  
  Director of Digital Marketing

• Initial Complaint

  02/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  When the salesman made his pitch in our home (August 2021), we were under the impression this was a monthly food delivery service. We asked the salesman questions specific to monthly deliveries, such as, if we did not like what we got the first month, if we could change the delivery for the second month. He assured us we could change our deliveries on a month to month basis within our 6 month contract. We calculated with him, that if we received the amount of food displayed on their order form monthly, that the food would average to 8 or 9 dollars per pound. We come to find out that their service is not monthly, but rather one singular delivery that is paid for over six months. This one delivery of food estimates at 35 dollars per pound, an absolutely ridiculous price for the quality. No where in the contract we signed does it describe the exact details of the service they provide, only the amount of money we had to pay. Our understanding of their services was based solely on the pitch from the salesman, who was blatantly dishonest with us. We have tried to get the company to drop our contract, as we would never have agreed to sign the contract had the salesman been honest with us, but they will not. They have offered us another delivery of food, or to pay half of our contract, but are still trying to coerce us into agreeing to compromise on a lie their salesman told us. We paid the first installment (roughly $530) on the 6 month contract because we believed at the time we were paying for monthly deliveries, left unpaid is about $2500. This is the amount we would like to be released from the rest of the contract, we don't want a refund, and we don't want to deal with this business anymore. If we need to take this to small claims court beyond this, we will.

  Business response

  03/11/2022

  We are very sorry to hear about any confusion with this purchase and have made several attempts to resolve the issue which this customer has continued to reject. When the customer had a concern with the amount of food deliveries, we offered to send more food at no cost to the customer even though we felt we had performed as scheduled in delivering every food item that was ordered on their menu. When that offer was declined we even offered to absorb a large portion of the cost of their order as a gesture of goodwill in order to resolve their complaint, but the customer rejected it as well and insisted that we accept a payment of $550, forgive the nearly $3,000 they still owe us, and absolve them of the legally executed and binding contract they signed when they joined our service.
  
  The reality of this situation is that this customer met with a representative, learned about our service, signed a legally binding contract, placed a large order of over $3,500 of foods, accepted the delivery of said order, has been eating and enjoying those foods, and now they do not want to pay for it. Imagine going to a restaurant, ordering food, eating the food, refusing to pay the ****, and then complaining to the BBB about the restaurant refusing to give you a free meal. Its ludicrous.
  
  No business, much less a small family-owned one, can stay in business if theyre giving away thousands of dollars to every customer with buyers remorse. Again, we are very sorry that these customers are unhappy with their decision to engage in a contractual agreement, place an order, receive the order, and eat the foods from that order, but we cannot and will not accept payment of 1/6th and take the rest on the chin. We truly wish this would have worked out differently as we wanted nothing more than to work out an amicable resolution for both parties but we were not allowed that opportunity. Since they have chosen to lash out at us with this complaint in order to attempt to leverage our company reputation to get out of their contractual obligations, we are at this point removing all offers of settlement and they can deal with the collection company in court.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩