dominion harvest: is it worth it?
June 25, 2009
a bunch of weeks ago, we posted this. we wanted to perform a little follow-up to see if this local organic deliv. was really delivering the goods.
there has been some real mixed reviews.
a few pointers that may help with this most lovely of ideas:
a.) it has been brought to our attention- while lover-ing the fact that recipes are included to help serve up the veggie madness, they rarely coincide with what is in the box. perhaps this can be changed?
b.) another concern: what is in the box? for example: a bitter tasting lettuce (quite yum) was a delivery two weeks ago. WHAT was it? if someone were to try and purchase some of these items, they would be completely at a loss as to where or what they are. maybe an addition of a content list?
c.) is there anyway to tell my delivery person to try and not put my box in direct sunlight? all leafies were wilted and radishes shriveled beyond true fixable status. would this be feasible?
d.) so happy to have found these peeps, really want to thank them for bringing some super healthy into our lives with little to no stress.
these are questions that have been brought to our attention here. wonder if dominion harvest might be able to help rectify some of them.*
*we know that delivery of fresh produce is tough and all manner of things can go wrong.
I think the biggest issue for us is the wilted or rubbery produce. Many times, one or two of the items have been totally unusable. That just can’t go on. I’d be willing to pay extra for more ice or cooling things if that’s the problem. Very frustrating.
I’m glad to hear some feedback. Something about this whole operation seemed fishy.
Mine comes with a content list. One week though we received 5-6 different greens and I couldn’t tell one from the other. Maybe mark the produce? Overall I have been happy with them but one week they came when we were on a vacation (I had suspended service) and the crate was sitting out in the hot sun for over a week! We returned home to a compost pile of rotten veggies and when I tried contacting them to have it removed (it smelled like a dead body) no one ever got back to us.
While we’re at it, how about we give Victory Farms an earful? For instance, the variety? It’s too much. And too pretty. The endless choices paralyze me every week. And what’s up with all the places I can pick up my veg? You’re bringing out the compulsive eater in me. Lastly, how am I supposed to remember to pick up my produce every week with this flexible plan in place? Farmers should instill discipline in us city folk by keeping our money and veg when we’re too busy to show up. Some nerve giving us enough rope…
I am giving Dominion Harvest the benefit of the doubt. While I have had a few mix-ups, I believe in this type of service and think that they are just ironing out the kinks. One week my spinach and strawberries were delivered and they had begun to rot, once I notified them, they re-delivered them to me with an a apology. Give ‘em a chance folks!!!
My main concerns/complaints involve the fruit. It’s unusable most of the time. We backed to twice a month and upped to the larger box — we’ll see how that is. Each week, we get an itemized list with the contents, but it would be nice if they were labeled, or we had a picture book.
They are adding more ice to the boxes, and I’ve sent in a note about how they stack the produce in the boxes.
I did have few mixed ups: no delivery. However, I’m giving them a benefit of doubt b/c I had suspended my service the very 1st delivery week. I think they have been bombarded with questions, emails and phone calls. I wrote them 4 times about the delivery issue, but the final email with “Delivery Issue as subject line” was responded to, they coordinated an alternate date for me, followed up the next week to make sure everything was in order.
As far as the content goes, I got a content list. It was a bit confusing b/c things were checked, crossed off, re-checked, etc. By process of elimination, I was able to identify a couple of unknowns. I also used Google, Wikipedia, etc to find pictures to make sure. (I sorta have to in order to use these veggies I never had before, anyway) I got no fruit in my 1st delivery so I can’t comment. However, there were no ice packs in the box.
I chose DH b/c of the flexibility over a CSA. I go out of town ALOT and I really don’t want to drive around town to pick up, lose share b/c I can’t be there, etc. I’m going to stick with DH for now.
I am excited for summer months for more variety.
rvafoodie: you are a riot. i get my share from victory farms.
for the record, i think this idea is awesome. i am just sharing some feedback that has been sent in my direction.
Ignore the RVA-hole who left the sarcastic bit from Victory paradise. I think the feedback for Dominion will make their service stronger. There local produce craze may keep growing and there’s gonna be room for lots of room for numerous approaches (and hopefully slightly lower prices in the long run).
I really need to learn to proofread. A conciliatory tone doesn’t make up for careless errors.