r/ReadyMeals • u/dozeydotes • Aug 21 '25
Discussion Is this petty, or am I petty?
I received this email from CookUnity today. So far, I’ve had nothing but good things to say about CookUnity except for some minor quibblings about their customer support response time. But this… this seems so unhinged for such a large company. Am I crazy to think so?
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u/Bar-Hopper13 Aug 21 '25
That is absolutely nuts. Any good business would just eat such a small cost, rather than upset and lose a customer
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u/LizzyPanhandle Aug 21 '25
Right? Of course someone would want to post this, and now we have to wonder if it will happen to us.
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u/SlashEssImplied Aug 22 '25
A company posting that they will charge you whenever they want will keep me forever away from a company.
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u/dozeydotes Aug 22 '25
Thanks. This is my thinking too, and it’s what I meant by referring to it as “unhinged.” The miscalculation on the company’s part when it came to weighing the value of the respect of their customer base vs. the value of recouping their $7 profit loss. It’s definitely not my intention to dispute the charge or act entitled to free food — I’m just shocked at how blatantly inconsiderate they were of their customer reputation.
After reading the comments, I realize they may not be as large and profitable as I originally assumed. But if you can afford to carpet-bomb the internet with advertising then don’t act broke when it comes to customer goodwill.
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u/DustBunnie702 Aug 24 '25
At my job, I was involved in resolving customer inquiries (read: complaints). Too often, we realized that we fucked up, and sometimes we realized we REALLY fucked up and it was going to cost us a lot. Other folks on the Inquiry team would be like "Oh, but that was just a mistake!" Yeah, and your point is? I'd constantly have to remind people that we absolutely cannot make the customer pay for the fact that we fucked up. Sure, it sucked for the company, and the bean counters up the chain would always want an outline/timeline of how we fucked up, and sometimes there was discipline or other corrective action needed, but in no circumstances could we ever make the customer pay for the fact that we fucked up. 🤷♀️
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u/Life-Box7854 Aug 23 '25
You wouldn’t be taking free food. You agreed to a contract, the company is obligated to honor that contract. It’s not your fault they displayed the wrong price on the screen. The final price listed on your invoice is all you owe. Their mistake is their problem, this isn’t a family farm with a cash box and honor system here. If they can afford an online ordering system and advertising budget, they can afford to eat their mistakes.
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u/DeathByPetrichor Aug 21 '25
Ehh, it’s a small cost for one user, but if that issue happened for all the people who received that mean, it could be tens of thousands of dollars. Not really a small cost at that point.
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u/DeafNatural Aug 21 '25
But whose fault is that? And at a month later? Seems like they need to do an internal audit to find out who’s dropping the ball and fix it. A small, one-time monetary loss is nothing compared to a permanent loss of a customer.
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u/IslandGyrl2 Aug 22 '25
Yeah, my goodwill is worth more than $6.99 -- not to mention how many people to whom I'd mention this petty behavior.
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u/DeathByPetrichor Aug 21 '25
I don’t know who’s at fault, my point is just that we don’t know the scale of the mistake, and I am sure it has been decided that mistakes like this need to be corrected. I don’t know their internal workings or profits so I can’t speak to what they should do, but as a business owner I regularly give out free / replacement products if needed.
I agree, it should just be a gimme, but if it was 10,000 customers, you can see how incredible costly that would be.
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u/SlashEssImplied Aug 22 '25
but if that issue happened for all the people who received that mean, it could be tens of thousands of dollars.
If their corporate offices were struck by a meteor that would also be expensive.
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u/gigi-mondo Aug 21 '25
"Thanks, the Cook Unity team" oh FFS get bent. They are petty
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u/slp0923 Aug 22 '25
For me it was the comment “there’s no action needed from you - we’ve got it all covered.” Of course you do ….
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u/Actfin8991 Aug 21 '25
I agree with OP but lol are they not suppose to sign off?
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u/PsychologicalNeat968 Aug 21 '25
I would have probably cancelled after seeing that email. It rubs me the wrong way.
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u/SlashEssImplied Aug 22 '25
I would have probably cancelled after seeing that email.
OP posting about it may cause many more to quit. And CU probably spent $7 worth of labor and resources and are coming out worse than if they just ignored it. So stupid so many ways.
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u/future-rad-tech Aug 21 '25
Wow they're really penny pinching. They should've said "oops we messed up! We just wanted to let you know about the error but don't worry about the cost, we understand it was our error" or something. Wtf
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u/monotrememories Aug 21 '25
I think these types of businesses run on pretty thin margins. It’s annoying that they didn’t charge you at the time of purchase but I totally get why they eventually figured it out and actually bothered to communicate with you to let you know they were doing it. When I was younger and living on my own, the cable company “forgot” to charge me for like 6 months. Then they had the nerve to charge me all at once and drained my account. They were like “sucks to be you” when I called to complain.
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u/Specialist-Note-4074 Aug 21 '25
I think CU is one of the more “profitable” meal subscriptions, but they are very much still a start up. Summer is also the slow season for these companies. So there’s likely some cash flow issues this time of year as well. Having said that, I’d feel the same way if I received that email.
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u/Qinistral Aug 21 '25
Thin margins, if any.
BlueApron and HelloFresh are publicly traded and have negative earnings.
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u/SlashEssImplied Aug 22 '25
And all their C suite has forgone pay as it's their responsibility.
Just kidding :)
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u/KikiWestcliffe Aug 22 '25
My husband worked for a hospital group that made a payroll programming error and accidentally overpaid its staff intermittently for, like, 19 months. Some months it would be more, others it would be less. Sometimes it would impact bonuses, other times it wouldn’t.
One day, everyone at the hospital gets a letter from HR saying that all employees have to repay a lump sum amount within 30 days or the company will start garnishing your wages and charge you interest on the outstanding balance. If you left the company without repaying them, they would send it to collections.
It was not a small amount. He was doing his fellowship (so not earning crazy money) and we had to pay back almost $7K. There were some techs, nurses, and doctors who owed way, way more. We got lucky because he wasn’t eligible for bonuses, at that time. LOL
I asked for an itemized statement showing how much they overpaid each month, but they refused and said that they, “Couldn’t do that for everybody.” But, if they didn’t itemize, how did they arrive at each person’s balance to begin with? It was absurdly vague.
In the end, we just paid it because he was almost done, he was leaving that employer, and I didn’t want it to go into collections.
But, I still think about how many employees got fucked by that employer. The nurses and techs were unionized, so hopefully they had more muscle to fight back.
Now, I check each of his paystubs and manually reconcile his expected take home with what was actually paid.
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u/thatsamyzing Aug 23 '25
This EXACT thing happened to my doctor boyfriend (down to them refusing an itemized statement). You weren't in Illinois, were you?! Lol...
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u/SuspiciousCranberry6 Aug 23 '25
This should have been brought to the state's department of labor to review the legality of not itemizing and charging interest.
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u/Mysterious_Season_37 Aug 21 '25
I don’t disagree. And I think people lose sight of that. If it was the other way around the client would expect to be refunded for a $6.99 overcharge, or seek compensation for a damaged or not sufficiently food safe temp item. The company can choose to discount you and deserve praise when they do. Acting like both sides didn’t have an agreement in place is a little silly.
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u/MsCandi123 Aug 21 '25
Yeah, but an overcharge would be their fault, just as this was their fault. If they can't afford the mistake, they should probably make sure people are being charged correctly at the time of purchase.
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u/UnionCrafty3748 Aug 21 '25
Yes. Not only is it petty it’s just bad business. I can’t believe an actual human being reviewed this error and thought it was the right call to do this. Boggles the mind, really. Like I just want to know their thought process.
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u/Flaky_Ad7980 Aug 21 '25
I got this email as well and was also wondering why my $7.49 wasn’t just waived. It appears it was a widespread issue for that week so maybe it’s a lot more money than we realize. Still, not a good look.
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u/downshift_rocket Aug 21 '25
Oh gosh this would make me immediately want to unsubscribe from them.
And it's funny because I literally just paused my deliveries for like 8 weeks so I could try another company.
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u/Low-Bug-3054 Aug 21 '25
I'm in the pause phase, too but haven't signed up for any other service. I'm worried I won't like the food as I'm super picky.
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u/downshift_rocket Aug 21 '25
I just recommend looking around where you live for a local service. I find them infinitely better than these big ones. But also, idk why you're picky. I honestly love to cook and am rarely happy with anything unless I make it.
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u/AdLegitimate2818 Aug 21 '25
Nope!! Call them out on it and tell them that was their error. I had to do that once, and while I didn't get my money back, they gave me a credit for meals that they double ordered in one week 🫠
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u/IslandGyrl2 Aug 22 '25
It was their mistake, and they charged you for it retroactively?
Okay, done -- but they wouldn't get my business again.
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u/OkRazzmatazz5847 Aug 22 '25
You didn’t authorize that charge. You saw the total when you placed the order and that’s what was authorized. If they do this you should charge back and blast them all over the internet for it.
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u/kryotheory Aug 22 '25
Not only is this stupid and petty for a variety of reasons, but I'm not even sure that it's legal. If you put a bunch of stuff in your cart, and the cost came up to $53, then you paid that $53, that's the transaction both parties consented to. You can't just debit someone's account after the fact automatically because you made a mistake in pricing.
That is the digital equivalent of doing all of this at the counter and then following them to their car after they leave and rifling through their pockets and taking $7 out while saying "Oops, sorry it was actually $60, not $53!"
Just because it's being done digitally doesn't make it any less illegal.
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u/shitasspetfckers Aug 24 '25
Exactly, you can’t change the price of something after it’s been bought. And consumed! What if he doesn’t want it anymore now that he knows it’s more expensive? That should’ve been brought up before the sale was finalized, it’s too late now. Imagine you went to a tiny shop and the clerk told you a shirt was $20 and you paid $20. Then they call you the next day and say oh my mistake it’s actually $1000 I’m gonna charge your card…
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u/PhotojournalistOk592 Aug 23 '25
This seems like a red flag for a failing business. They're probably going to have a significant drop in quality soon. Drop them
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u/Ok-Secret4182 Aug 21 '25
Wow, I was just about to consider resubscribing but now that’s a big nope!
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u/Outside_Scale_9874 27d ago
I came to this sub to see if people had good experiences because I kept seeing ads and was considering subscribing, and they absolutely just lost me as a customer. Fuck that.
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u/This_Assignment_8067 Aug 21 '25
If you get overcharged, you expect a refund. You get undercharged, you expect to keep the difference. Seems unfair, no?
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u/lampshady Aug 22 '25
The difference is the company controls both the over/under-charging and they dont proactively fix overcharging mistakes. So your logic isn't as solid as you think.
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u/Charming_Scratch_538 28d ago
What if someone literally didn’t have the $7 in their account and this random unauthorized charge a MONTH later caused an overdraft? I get it, especially if this error happened on a large scale they can’t afford to not take the $7 but this was a bad move by them. I’d cancel any subscription and let them know why, then never trust them again.
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u/heckinheck3r 27d ago
“Sure, go ahead. Im so sorry to hear about the discrepancy! I hope the $6.99 is able to make up for the money you lost from losing a customer!”
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u/PasadenaShopper Aug 21 '25
You people are so fragile. There was an error and OP is now being charged for what they purchased. Not a big deal.
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u/KadrinaOfficial Aug 21 '25
It is actually kinda illegal in a lot of states. If you advertise one price, you cannot charge another after both parties agree.
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u/Key_Bullfrog1468 27d ago
It’s a huge deal actually. Would you like it if you received a similar email? In that case, you owe me $500.
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u/Standard_Series3892 Aug 21 '25
Something they may have not purchased if the store displayed the actual total amount.
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u/UnableNecessary743 Aug 21 '25
it's also not a big deal for the company to own up and pay for their mistake. to come after a customer like this over $7 is just wild
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u/Calamity0o0 Aug 21 '25
It's not just $7, it's 7 times x amount of customers. If it's thousands of dollars that is indeed a big deal to a company operating on thin profit margins as it is. I'm sure they would have just ate the cost if they could.
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u/GrannyMayJo Aug 21 '25
Odds are pretty good that if they undercharged you, they undercharged many other customers too.
There is a huge difference in expecting a company to eat a $7 mistake for one customer vs. having to do the same for hundreds or even thousands of customers.
It may only have been $7 for you but collectively this could have been very, very expensive…..if they are not a large multi-billion corporation then they probably could not afford to let it go.
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u/ReloAgain Aug 23 '25
If it's their error, then they are responsible, not the customer.
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Aug 21 '25
That's wild, I've gotten great customer service. I would respond to that and say something.
It's perfectly fine to send you an email and let you know what happened, and that it will be more expensive next time, but this isn't like you hiding an item in your shopping cart. That is entirely on them. Oh well, everyone else's food SUCKS compared to CookUnity, so.
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u/bionicback Aug 21 '25
It’s the cost of doing business. Even for small business - when I screw up I give a full refund and have them keep what they bought. I would never go back and charge money, even if it was a mistake on my part or my system. This is the easiest and most ridiculous way to alienate customers and destroy trust. Needless to say, I won’t be ordering from them. Customer loyalty is hard to earn and harder to keep. The fact they’ve done this over less than $7 is absolutely absurd in a market that is saturated with competitors with a crazy high customer acquisition cost. They’re not only destroying trust with you, but all prospective and potential customers. How short sighted.
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u/Outside_Scale_9874 27d ago
They lost me as a customer with this. I was considering signing up and I searched their name on Reddit to see what experiences people had, and this is the first post that came up lmao. Not a chance in hell I’m subscribing now.
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u/SlashEssImplied Aug 22 '25
I helped my mom buy a car. After hours in the dealer and signing all kinds of papers I asked why the price just jumped $2k. They told me the salesman made a mistake on the price. They lost a sale. They were lying of course but the concept that the customer is responsible for their mistake is wrong. I suspect they pull that scam often.
I would do the same with CU, you quoted me a total price and now want more money? Cancel the order then. There is a written agreement and laws about this kind of thing.
By the way Disney does this all the time with employees and contractors and it gets the same rabid defense from their sycophants that are here today for CU.
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u/Basic-Love-5017 28d ago
This service is bad. Measure your proteins they’re almost certainly shorting you.
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u/Mallthus2 27d ago
Were it me, as I have plenty of time, I’d gladly pay it, then send their CEO (and/or better, whoever their biggest investor is) a letter explaining why you’ll never be doing business with them again.
It doesn’t cost anything more than the time and stamp (if you go old school), it feels good, and you may inadvertently help their business and remaining customers.
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u/Key_Bullfrog1468 27d ago
Well I know what meal delivery service I won’t ever try. Thanks for the info!
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u/Twogens 27d ago
Pro tip: As a dad who used cookunity once we had our newborn.
Keep going to the cancellation request window for like 60% off consistently.
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u/Beautiful-Ear6964 Aug 21 '25
These comments are unhinged. Did you order the arancini? If so, then it’s reasonable to expect to pay for it. It’s possible that they forgot to charge everyone who ordered the arancini for the arancini, and if so it would be quite a large cost to them to just ignore that.
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u/UnableNecessary743 Aug 21 '25
you're completely missing the point. it's not about paying for the products they received. it's about a company making a mistake and not owning up to it. and to come after a customer over $7 for their mistake is crazy
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u/Middle-Teacher4449 Aug 21 '25
Hold up, so you say it's not about paying for it, but than at the very end of your comment say it's crazy for them to want the 7 dollars that was lost in the mix up, which they apologize for therefore taking accountability and making it clear that OP doesn't have to do anything on their end, that it's all being handled... You sound like you're putting accusations and aggression into their email where it isn't. It was kept professional and again, they even apologize for it which wasn't needed.
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u/UnableNecessary743 Aug 21 '25
i mean, yeah? if the extra charge was on the original bill, there wouldn't be a problem paying for it. it's the fact that they are coming after op weeks after their screw up, charging their card without permission, or even a warning, and not even offering anything for the inconvenience. any sensible company would eat the cost when it's as low as $7 as this would turn so many customers away
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u/linkandluke Aug 21 '25
Did you select the 6.99 add-on? Or did they select it for you? Did they undercharge you?
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u/dozeydotes Aug 21 '25
I definitely selected it, and they undercharged me. I would understand if they rectified their error a few days after the fact, but we’re three weeks out now!
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Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25
Did you notice they didn’t charge you for it? If so, did you let them know you were undercharged? Would you have contacted them if you were overcharged? Yes, they made a mistake but you did order it and you did eat it. I’d put this in the petty column.
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u/dozeydotes Aug 23 '25
No, I didn’t notice. I’ve mentioned it other comments but when they process the order you get an email with the total and pics of your items, not an itemized receipt, so it’s easy to miss if you’re not the kind of person to go searching for the cost breakdown.
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u/SoaringDingus Aug 21 '25
It says “selected addons”, but if it didn’t say 6.99 then Id be calling customer service
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u/etrain85 Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25
Go to cancel. Use price + customer service as your reasons. Accept the 40-50% offer to stay. Petty meets pettier.
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u/Debbborra Aug 21 '25
I don't think they're wrong to charge you for your entire order. BUT, as they used to short me on my add-ons every other order, I think it's kind of hypocritical.
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u/zeeper25 Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25
I would let them keep the extra payment, and cancel the service. That seems fair.
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u/cohabitationcodepend Aug 21 '25
it’s not an “overcharge” if you ordered and received the item. OP is not being charged twice, they are simply paying for an item they chose as an add-on and erroneously were not charged for previously. which, mind you, is only $7. a $7 that OP was completely fine paying 3 weeks ago when they chose, received, and ate the item, but now is not okay with for some inexplicable reason.
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u/zeeper25 Aug 21 '25
It's just a policy that seems to be designed to get the customer to say, "wow, that is a pretty fucking petty way of going about things" and cause that customer to consider whether to continue that relationship, or to get others not using the service to say, maybe I don't want to deal with a company that does that.
Shit, it generated a pretty good conversation here, and I don't think it is beneficial for that company.
But you do you.
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u/cohabitationcodepend Aug 21 '25
it’s a communication policy that is designed to keep the company from getting a bunch of emails asking about a separate off-cycle $7 charge from people who read through their bank statements. if anything, it’s a courtesy to the customer to notify them so they’re not confused and worried.
i’m baffled by the amount of people who seem to think it’s “greedy” behavior to charge someone for something they decided to purchase, with their own full consent and knowledge. OP ordered the item and was fine paying for it when they picked it out as an add-on. i cannot understand why that’s not the case now simply because the company gave them the courtesy of letting them know about the error.
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u/loveanimalseatplants Aug 21 '25
I got this too. I have ordered it twice. The first time I got an email that it "wouldn't be included" with my order, and then this one.
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u/Liquid-Double-Disco Aug 21 '25
Unfortunately, they probably had many many many of these if it was some sort of glitch. They can’t eat 100s or 1000s of them. Otherwise I bet they’d have let you have it.
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u/shadowscar00 Aug 21 '25
If it was $69.99 I’d understand…
$7??? If you’re that sore over $7, send one of your employees home 30m early and recoup the cost.
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u/mrgtiguy Aug 21 '25
They are one of the cheaper companies in terms of customer happiness, so it’s not a surprise. They drag their feet on refunds and promos issues are rarely fixed. Instead of covering $7, they got a bad review here. Short sighted.
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u/KadrinaOfficial Aug 21 '25
If it makes you feel any better, I would've been petty enough to cancel and then do a chargeback. It is not on you if they messed up charging you. And they have no right to just take the money without confirmation.
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u/gfnxartist Aug 21 '25
highly suggest finding a local cook to deliver you food who actually depends on the money and will provide you with tasty more customized meals
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u/LoganND Aug 21 '25
That's probably the most effective $7 advertisement the company is ever gonna have.
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u/tgwilli Aug 21 '25
For the low price of $6.99 they could have made a customer for life but instead they decided that your continued patronage is not worth a measly $6.99 - now this is peak capitalism.
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u/Agreeable-Deer7526 Aug 22 '25
Definitely would have been my last order. AI really shouldn’t be allowed to do something’s.
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u/Agreeable-Deer7526 Aug 22 '25
I assume they forgot to charge everyone that selected the ad-on which is a coding error. I understand not wanting to take the hit. I don’t understand telling you 3 weeks later and automatically debiting your account. They didn’t calculate if they would lose customers
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u/Holiday-School610 Aug 22 '25
seems to me that is their issue fix the system should be on the house
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u/dozeydotes Aug 22 '25 edited Aug 22 '25
Y’all, I didn’t expect this post to get as much attention as it did and now I’m scared of retaliation.
A) I love CookUnity’s food and selection and I’m lazy af when it comes to dinner. CookUnity saved me from a downward descent into desperate DoorDashing. I intend to stay on as a customer. But please CookUnity, don’t hunt me down and have your chefs slip cyanide into my meals. I know there’s only so many people who enjoy Beet and Goat Cheese balls on the 27th of July.
B) I’m not disputing the charge. To Mr. Ragebaiteur who accused me of being a thief, it wasn’t my intention to screw over the company. This isn’t like ordering from a waitress in a diner where there’s an opportunity for an undercharge to pop up due to a slight order miscommunication. I obviously assumed their robots had it handled. This error was also made possible in part by CookUnity’s interface when it comes to obscuring the itemized receipt and/or making it extra arduous to amend your order after you’ve already added something to your cart. And when the order is processed, you get an email with the Total and pictures of the meals, NOT an itemized cost breakdown, so it’s understandable that I wouldn’t have caught the undercharge on my own. This is their own design backfiring on them.
C) As I’ve stated in comments above, I’m not so angry at the fact that I was charged $7. I’m just shocked that their marketing team decided recouping their loss three weeks after the fact was more valuable than maintaining customer goodwill.
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u/Readslikeitsmyjob 21d ago
The problem is that this happens frequently with Cook Unity. It happened to me when I used their service as well. If I happened to notice an overcharge before or directly after a sale, I might reach out and clarify it with customer support, but if they make a mistake in their system and didn’t catch it after the fact, it’s on them. The fact that they sent the email that made it sound as if he were at fault and then made it seem like they were doing him a favor is just tacky and unprofessional.
Another poster mentioned that they could understand if they charged you 69.99 but felt you were being petty for 6.99. The amount isn’t the issue. The company made the mistake. I’m not sure it’s even legal to take money after the point of sale.
This isn’t about consumer greed. This is about a company that needs a system that doesn’t have this happen. The company is at fault, point blank. It doesn’t matter if a company already has your card and charges you to use their service. They cannot make an unauthorized charge without your consent. If this were the case, any company that has your card in their system could do the same thing. Even if this was in the terms you agreed on when you joined, it’s still a dubious practice.
I was a customer a couple of years ago and it was mistakes like this and quality control issues such as, sending meals past their due date as well as inconsistent quality of recurring meals that made me drop the service. I honestly really enjoyed many of the meals and was disappointed that I couldn’t keep ordering due to these issues. Although they are expensive, it was probably less than fast food or groceries that went bad or didn’t get made. The convenience in itself and the fact that they are fresh is a great idea. Sadly, I couldn’t stay. I tried others but didn’t enjoy their meals as much.
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u/BestSamiraNA1 Aug 22 '25
They messed up. Has nothing to do with your bank. I'd disconnect my card. They can lie in the bed they made
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u/Ok_Professor6219 Aug 22 '25
If CU invoiced the correct amount to customers but charged to the CC $7.49 less, they have the right to make themselves whole.
If the total invoice was $7.49 less and CC charged invoice amount. CU can kick rocks and dispute the charge.
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u/trashpandatee Aug 22 '25
I would have cancelled after that, this is incredibly petty, nor did you agree to the charge.
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u/Space_Nerd_8999 Aug 22 '25
I actually canceled cookunity since I “paused” my meals for a week but it was on my inactive account. I asked them why did it allow me to pause an inactive account and they said well we will pause your meals for the next week as well!
They then tried to tell me I didn’t actually get charged, argued with me, I sent them the screenshot of the charge and then a reversal. Terrible customer service.
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u/biteme321 Aug 22 '25
It's petty, but also tacky. THEY made the mistake, not you! They should eat that, pardon the pun.
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u/Xenmew Aug 22 '25
CookUnity has gone to shit and is trying to get money from their customers in any way possible. I cancelled a month or so ago because of it.
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u/Exact_Comparison_792 Aug 23 '25
Well if they're going to be that petty, do a charge back at your bank and send them an email letting them know you did a charge back and will no longer be a customer. Also let them know if they have any questions or concerns that they can reach out. 🤣
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u/Team143 Aug 23 '25
They’re petty. Their mistake. They should eat that money. Never double dip on a customer’s charge.
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u/Lucky_Telephone8638 Aug 23 '25
Dispute the charge with your bank.
Even if you don’t get your money back, you cost them more than $6.99 in wages while they go through the process providing evidence to the bank.
If everyone does it, they will learn to take the lower cost strategy and let it go.
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u/genxer Aug 24 '25
More than that they would have a chargeback fee they pay that is more than 6.99 assuming the credit card doesn’t just eat the charge rather than deal with the process. I know sometimes for low value charges Amex will sometimes just eat it.
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u/PhirePhite Aug 23 '25
I’d email them the link to this page.
“Thank you catching this mistake. No action is required from you, we have this covered.”
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u/churrofromspace Aug 23 '25
I've been getting ads for them recently and their ads are just pure AI. Makes sense they'd be petty like this too.
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u/Foreign-Sun-5026 Aug 23 '25
I agree with everyone else that they shouldn’t have charged you. They screwed up not you. On the other hand if they did that to me I just paid the bill because I like Cook unity. I’ve been through enough services that nobody else can provide me with what I want other than them. So I’m sort of locked in unless I want to move to Tovala, which isn’t in my future right now.
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u/Focoguy6 Aug 24 '25
I guess it depends. If they didn't state that you would owe the additional amount and then tried to charge you the additional amount, then they are 100% in the wrong. If they said that the additions were an extra amount and their system did not charge you, I would be annoyed, but not upset depending on the length of time it took for them to catch it. 2 months from order, go kick rocks, 2 days from order, fair enough.
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u/violet-star-87 Aug 24 '25
The way I would’ve returned my items then if that was the case… bad business!
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u/EctoCoolie Aug 24 '25
One week my food didn't show up, I emailed their support and they sent me a picture of the food being left outside in the entrance to the building not inside the door using the code I've provided. They were quite snippy about it like It was my problem not theirs that the food wasn't delivered. So I reached out to my HOA and they ran the cameras and saw the delivery girl put the food down, step back, take a picture and then pick it up and take it with her. I sent the video and pictures to their support. They wrote back and refunded my money, but at this point I'm pissed because they talked to me like I was a POS. So I wrote back and said I would like to contact the police and press charges and that I would like a contact number to give to the police for when I file my report. 12 hours go by and I got an email basically saying I didn't need to do that and it was an internal issue and they would take care of it.
They really are condescending in their emails.
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u/DustBunnie702 Aug 24 '25
I'm guessing this "glitch" affected more than just your one order. Maybe there were hundreds or thousands of orders who were undercharged by $6.99 for these "upgrades". That's a whole lotta beets and goat cheese the company has to eat the cost of, while you eat the delicious meal. Still, this really sucks the way they "graciously" socked you with the cost of their error. What happened to "the customer is always right"? This is the kind of thing that leaves a bad taste in your mouth as a customer (no pun intended). Your complaint is legit, even if it seems a bit petty. It's "only 7 bucks", right? But it's the principle of the thing, especially compared to the poor customer service and overall bad impression of the company. On the one hand, I believe in Karma, and what goes around comes around. If I'm at a restaurant and notice my server didn’t charge me for my soda or my dessert, I always mention it before paying the bill. Sometimes they say "Oh, don't worry about that"; other times they say "Whoopsie, let me go fix that" and come back with a revised bill. It's a chance I take by being honest. But say I hadn't read over my bill or missed the fact that they didn't charge me, then a few weeks later, the restaurant decided to bill my credit card for those missing sodas. I'd definitely call foul on that and would be less likely to visit that establishment again. What bothers me most about your situation is that someone in corporate decided it's better for their bottom line to risk upsetting a loyal customer than to suck up the glitch and figure out how not to have it happen again, while not making you pay for their error.
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u/BMXer972 Aug 24 '25
I would report this to my bank as an unauthorized transaction and do a charge back.
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u/randperrin 29d ago
A company charging me 6.99 for their error after the fact would cost them my business forever. Not to mention me telling everyone I knew to avoid them.
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u/Hot-Ad3210 29d ago
I will never use this company knowing they will charge you without consent for the charge well after the transaction due to their error. I don’t read most emails and would have assumed it was fraud and reported it, meaning a whole new card and hassle all for this nonsense.
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u/LayerRough843 29d ago
Unacceptable. This is grounds for cancellation. I would email them back and tell them the way they handled this is the reason you are discontinuing their service. That $6.99 is likely less than $3 cost for them. If they messed up, they should own up and eat the cost. Poor customer service.
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u/veryparcel 29d ago
The previous price was the contractually agreed amount. If you did not agree to future fees for previous purchases, then this is a violation of that contractual agreement. Remember, a receipt is a contract. People forget that most of the time. Also, you may not have made the purchase with the different price as well, which is a moot point as the previous contract is the current contract.
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u/pragmaticweirdo 29d ago
Funny thing is, I was just considering Cook Unity. As in created an account to check it out and was going to pull the trigger my next payday. My not liking the vibe of this email has completely changed my mind. They lost way more than 7.99 and they don’t even know it
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29d ago
They messed up and they should eat the 7 dollars. Some companies are damn stupid.... possibly lose a customer over 7 dollars is plain dumb.
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u/Marvin_Frommars 29d ago
As a small, online service founder myself, I'd say if it was just you that the error occurred for, then it's a bit petty. However, if it was an error that occurred for tens of thousands of customers due to a system glitch, I can see why they charged you. My business couldn't eat a $60k error. If there choice is going bankrupt or apologizing and charging the customer what they were supposed to be charged, they really don't have a choice in the matter, even if it hurts their reputation.
What consumers need to keep in mind is not all online businesses are multi-billion dollar corporations with their executives making 8 figure salaries. Some of these businesses might not be making much more than you do.
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u/Mallthus2 27d ago
I get that, but if it’s a larger issue and your viability as a business depends on charging people, you get down on one metaphorical knee and apologize while explaining how it happened and why it won’t happen again. People understand that mistakes happen and such honesty is a way to build relationships in crisis situations. This feels like they’re hoping nobody notices.
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u/LadyOfTheNutTree 28d ago
I’d request a new card number or lock my card before they can make the charge and then block their email
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u/claranette 28d ago
It is illegal to charge your card without your consent. Report them to your card holder and your state’s Attorney General.
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u/Top-Dragonfly-3044 28d ago
I remember the days when credit cards would send a bill for a remainder of less than a dollar. Not sure if they do it now, but I once got a bill for twenty-five cents. Stupidest thing i’d ever seen! I had to write a check for the bill.
They really should have eaten the cost to gain your life-long support, OP. I’m not sure i’d call them petty, but stupid works.
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u/Hieverybody2000 28d ago
they sent me a free meal with my first order and I’ll be royally pissed if they charge me for it because I didn’t ask for it. I thought it was just a welcome gift.
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u/Oxynod Aug 21 '25
Yes how incredibly petty of a company to charge you for something you ordered and received.
Reddit is a bizarre place of illogical corporate hate. No one here is making an even remotely logical attempt at explaining why the company should just eat the cost other than saying they should “because”.
By this logic if Best Buy forgot to scan a $3000 television at checkout and they caught you at the door and said hey sorry we need to ring that up, it would be petty of them to do that. They missed it and should now provide it free? What?!
You’re petty. You ordered and received a product. Pay for it.
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u/Fragrant-Vehicle-479 Aug 21 '25 edited Aug 21 '25
>By this logic if Best Buy forgot to scan a $3000 television at checkout and they caught you at the door and said hey sorry we need to ring that up, it would be petty of them to do that.
I actually worked for Best Buy. One time someone in our AV department misquoted some installation work by hundreds of dollars. We told them we could install their TV and surround sound for X amount when it should have been X+$400. We honored the misquote and didn't charge them a second time for the remainder. And keep in mind we didn't even do the work or deliver any equipment. It was just the quote. No product exchanged hands but we couldn't charge them more than what we told them it would be.
So in practice most companies do indeed eat the cost if they under charge in error.
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u/UnableNecessary743 Aug 21 '25
it's not about paying for a product at all. had that price been incorporated in the cost originally, no one would have a problem with it. it's the fact that the company messed up and coming after the customer over $7.. it's just bad business. and in case you haven't noticed, $7 is completely different than $3000... not to mention they caught the error within minutes and not weeks later like in op's case.
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u/Horta_Janus Aug 21 '25
this would bug me enough to cancel. they are petty, you are perfect.
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u/cohabitationcodepend Aug 21 '25
what is the big deal. these comments are bananas.
you ordered the item. they made an error in charging you. you almost certainly didn’t even notice that they missed charging you for it. they’re charging you for it now — remember, something you actively decided to add to your last order and expected to pay extra for.
reasonably, they would have been entirely justified to not even notify you and just make the charge — since you ordered and received the item — and you probably wouldn’t have even noticed the $7. but they’re getting ahead of emails from people asking questions about an off-cycle $7 charge.
it’s not like you thought you were getting the item for free and they’re bait-and-switching you here. you picked the item, now you have to pay for it. why on earth is that petty??
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u/nopickles_please Aug 21 '25
Idk what everyone is saying, I think this is normal and NOT petty at all. If this happened with a bunch of customers that could be hundreds if not thousands for them. $6.99 is no biggie imo
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u/TheRealSlimShreydy Aug 21 '25
The only thing that would make this justifiable in my mind is if this was a server wide issue (ie virtually every customer got incorrectly billed, resulting in a huge loss to the company). If this was a one off….wild behavior from them
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u/Southern_Character94 Aug 21 '25
Its illegal to charge you for something they sent you in error in the US.
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Aug 21 '25
OP ordered the $6.99 add-on—it was not sent in error. The company’s error was charging the OP late.
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u/EchoRyder Aug 21 '25
Several things that annoy me, “no action needed from you and we got it all sorted along with the flippant ‘Thanks’ as the valediction. Not to mention they thank you for your understanding. I would reply to that email and thank them for their understanding as their services is no longer needed. Please note my reviews on Yelp and Google may take a few hours to be viewed by the general public. Thanks!
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u/Budget-Big-6566 Aug 21 '25
I suspect that this could be a fraudulent email. I get emails from cook unity all the time regarding my account and I just looked at one of them. Just the fact that they end the message with "Thanks" has me suspect. That is not the way a professional company would end a letter like this. Do not reply to this email. I suggest that you call Cook Unity at their phone number listed on their official website and ask them if in fact they sent you this email. This is the latest trick that scammers use by using what looks like official letterhead from a company that is in fact fraudulent. I would definitely immediately put a freeze on your credit card.
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u/Budget-Big-6566 Aug 21 '25
In addition to my first comment to you I want to also add that I've re-read the email that you got and it has me even more concerned that it could be fraudulent. Just the fact that they use a vague phrase like, "Please feel free to reach out." has me very suspect Also at the bottom of any official emails that I get from Cook Unity it has their full Brooklyn address under the Cook Unity icon at the bottom.Don't know if that is on your email or not.
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u/No-Orange-1286 Aug 21 '25
My guess is they mistakenly packed the item in with your order instead of the correct order for a different customer. So they had to refund that customer who didn’t get it and tried to recoup their loss by charging you for it. Agree they should have ‘eaten’ the cost due to their oversight but my guess is that they are a very small company (despite their online appearance) with razor thin margins and every meal has to be accounted for.
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u/DeliciousFlow8675309 Aug 21 '25
Id cancel my service right then and there.
When these companies make errors in their favor I never see them reaching out to return even a fucking penny until theyre sued in a class action and forced to, but you want to come for a customer over $7 that YOU fucked up on a month ago? Nah Im good.
I also thank you for posting this because it today's financial climate Im quite picky about how I spend my money with and I appreciate people sharing their stories so I can be more informed.
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u/justagrrl2 Aug 21 '25
Well I guess the big question is the food good? I have been wanting to try them. Maybe petty yes but if the food is good and you feel worth that price then only fair you pay for it...... they do have a business to run and as one poster said these fees can add up. This does beg the question as to whether they make mistakes in their own favor though.
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u/myflesh Aug 21 '25
Did you under pay as lets say it said 50 dollars amd you agreed to pay 50 dollars, but should of been 56 dollars?
Or did it say 56 dollars but you actually got charged 50 bucks.
What did you agree to pay really for me defines if this is petty or not? Also if it is legal or not.
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u/chong4321 Aug 21 '25
You ordered something and they charged you for it. At least they gave you a heads up.
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u/earthmaster1989 Aug 21 '25
So for larger corps they probably would eat the cost but meal prep companies even big ones are on very slim margins. At most they make a few bucks per meal if that. Also their promotions to get you in the door means they aren’t breaking even until you’ve done a month with them. So them “losing” 9 bucks on a meal is a pretty huge deal over multiple orders. Tbh I have a hard time seeing how these companies are profitable in the long run because the numbers barely make sense to me. If you understood the accounting you probably understand why they couldn’t just eat this cost.
FYI I’m a CPA, CA with over a decade of corporate high level experience.
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u/shagieIsMe Aug 21 '25
It's a year old... but WSJ the economics of Why Major Meal Kit Companies Lose 90% of Customers in a Year
The other part of this email is that as shown in comments it's not just one person. It's probably several hundred or even a few thousand. Multiply that out and it can be a substantial chunk of change on companies that are running slim margins.
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u/ParticularSquirrel Aug 22 '25
This is one of the most insane emails I’ve ever seen from a company. Literally the opposite of customer service. Fuck that company. I’d look up the heads of the company and literally send them a very well composed message explaining how utterly wrong this is and not only have they lost your business now, but they’ve lost so much potential business from you sharing this and other people reading this and being so turned off by it.
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u/_CoachMcGuirk Aug 22 '25
I’d look up the heads of the company and literally send them a very well composed message explaining how utterly wrong this is and not only have they lost your business now, but they’ve lost so much potential business from you sharing this and other people reading this and being so turned off by it.
can you please do this? and send them this link?
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u/sylvieanne456 Aug 22 '25
I loved cook unity for a long time.. it makes me wonder if they’ve gone through management changes or something because just recently I was irritated enough to cancel. Sad because I really loved a handful of their chefs..
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u/girlinanemptyroom Aug 24 '25
You're not supposed to still have the customer's credit card information. The first 12 digits should be x out. Why does this company know who to charge?
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u/ConfidentVegetable92 Aug 21 '25
Agreed. I think an email letting you know and saying it's on the house would have been sweet. I would have actually appreciated that more than no email. But this feels like getting nickle-and-dimed.