Meal kit madness: Customers say they got empty boxes, spoiled food from Blue Apron, Marley Spoon

(NEXSTAR) – Meal delivery companies Blue Apron and Marley Spoon have been hit with a barrage of complaints and threats to cancel after weeks of supply chain issues have left once-loyal customers with nearly empty meal boxes arriving on their doorsteps.

Both companies are examples of popular meal kit delivery services. Customers pick recipes in advance, and an insulated box with all the ingredients necessary to make those recipes is delivered to their home weekly.

At least that’s how it’s supposed to work.

But since the companies’ old supplier FreshRealm filed for bankruptcy, transitioning to a new system has been a bumpy ride, the Wall Street Journal reported.

“I received an empty box this week. They shipped a box with just ice packs,” posted one person on Reddit , alongside a photo of his allegedly empty meal kit.

Another customer said they received a box with their recipe cards, but only a handful of ingredients were inside : two lemons, a spice blend and some dill.

“I have been a customer since launch. No joke!” wrote another person on Reddit. “Today’s box was missing 75% of the ingredients across 3 dishes, including 2 proteins. The packaging was horrendous.”

Yet another, who said they’ve been a Blue Apron subscriber for a decade , complained the food arrived spoiled. “This week’s box was 2 days delayed so its been out in the 80-90 degree heat all weekend. It felt like I was carrying a massive diaper that’s literally about to burst from the bottom.”

Others complain their orders never arrived at all.

Both Blue Apron and Marley Spoon posted statements on their social media channels earlier this month saying they were working to implement fixes.

“Over the past several weeks, we’ve been transitioning to a new fulfillment partner, and to say that it has not gone smoothly would be an understatement,” said Blue Apron.

As more orders moved over to a new warehouse run by Misfits Market, they realized some of the inventory counts reported in the bankruptcy filing were wrong, Misfits Chief Executive Abhi Ramesh told the Wall Street Journal. The hasty transition left them with little time to find replacements, he said.

A Blue Apron spokesperson told Nexstar that the meal service is trimming down its menu offerings to focus on “what we’re confident we can deliver,” as well as boosting quality control at fulfillment centers.

“Missing ingredients. Incomplete boxes. Delivery delays. Issues that made it harder to get meals on the table,” said Marley Spoon. “We’re truly sorry and we’re working to make this right.”

A Marley Spoon spokesperson told Nexstar on Friday, “We expect these issues to improve over the next few weeks as we progress with the transition, and we’ll keep our customers updated along the way.”

Can Blue Apron, Marley Spoon customers get refunds for botched deliveries?

The issues have been so widespread, customers say they haven’t been able to get ahold of customer service for quick replacements or refunds.

Marley Spoon told Nexstar that customers experiencing any issues with their deliveries should reach out to customer service through their Help Center . Credits “may be automatically issued in some cases,” the company said, but requests for refunds will also be reviewed and may be granted based on the circumstances.

Blue Apron tells customers who receive items that are missing or unusable (like meat that is no longer cold to the touch) to contact customer service at contact@blueapron.com within seven days of delivery.

A spokesperson added that “with the recent fulfillment issues, we are proactively crediting or refunding customers who have missing items or incomplete boxes.”