HelloFresh charging customers for orders they don't want

This ongoing issue has been plaguing customers for more than three years and has been well documented in the media. Despite this, HelloFresh still insists there is no problem with its system.

Join the queue

Alice, a HelloFresh customer, is part of a Facebook group in which others have been raising the same issue she is experiencing.

“I noticed a thread where multiple HelloFresh customers were being charged for boxes they had skipped.”

Having had the issue herself a week before, Alice contacted HelloFresh, because she thought it was clearly an issue at the company’s end. Alice tried to skip her scheduled delivery before the cutoff date, via the app, but was still charged.

The HelloFresh refund policy states that if a customer is charged despite having cancelled within the required timeframe (before the cutoff date), they will be issued a full refund minus the postal cost of returning the product, which the customer will have to cover themselves.

However, under the Consumer Guarantees Act, if HelloFresh mistakenly sends a box to someone who skipped their order before the cutoff time/date, the customer shouldn’t have to pay a cent to return the food. Alice was only offered a 50% refund.

Another customer said: “I’ve told them so many times, their app has a bug that doesn’t save properly when you skip a delivery. I never get emails [confirmation] if I’ve skipped deliveries, only if I’ve cancelled my whole account.”

App issues

HelloFresh has an app which is supposed to make life easier for its customers. The app advertises the ability to ‘conveniently skip weeks’ when you don’t want a delivery. However, many customers have had skipped orders still turn up on their doorstep and their account charged.

The website also says that you can skip boxes via the app.

Alice asked: “How would I know the box hasn’t been skipped when I followed the instructions on your own app successfully and there was no highlighted issue or disclaimer [that] it wouldn’t work, though it’s a known issue?”

Alice is fed up.

“It’s a known issue with their app but when you initially query it, their argument is you should have contacted them to say the app wasn’t working in time, but (a) you don’t know it hasn’t worked and (b) they know full well it doesn’t!”

Alice says comments regarding the issue posted on the HelloFresh Facebook page are regularly deleted. The few that are left show a strong pattern of frustrated customers getting the runaround.

HelloFresh: “There are no identified issues with the app”

A HelloFresh spokesperson told us it strictly adheres to the decisions of customers to skip or cancel deliveries, as long as they are submitted before the cutoff date.

“There are currently no identified issues with the website or the app functionality in the back end ... it is a process that customers are always refunded if any inconsistencies are discovered,” the spokesperson told Consumer NZ.

“The option to cancel subscriptions is housed solely on the HelloFresh website. This has been in place since February 2021.

“A ‘how to cancel’ guide is outlined in the FAQ section of the website and app under ‘manage my account’. It has step-by-step instructions for customers to follow if they wish to cancel their subscription.”

The instructions for skipping can be found in the FAQ section of the app under ‘placing and editing orders’.

What can you do?

If you’ve been left out of pocket, with an unwanted box of meal ingredients on your doorstep, there are a few steps you can take.

Companies have an obligation under the Consumer Guarantees Act to carry out their services with reasonable skill and care. This includes making sure any requests received before the cutoff time to skip a delivery or cancel the service are actioned.

If a customer skips an order or cancels their subscription with the required notice, as stated in HelloFresh’s terms and conditions, they are entitled to a full refund. But they do not have to fork out anything to return the food to HelloFresh.

• Learn more about your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act.
• Keep records of when you skip an order, or cancel your subscription, including screenshots and emails. This could come in handy if you ever need proof to back up your claim.
• If you cancelled your order in time but HelloFresh refuses to provide a full refund, you can contact your bank and request a chargeback.
• Report the issue to the Commerce Commission.

Reporting issues to the Commerce Commission keeps it informed about what’s affecting consumers the most. While the Commission may not have time to look into every issue, the more complaints it receives about a particular issue, the greater the chance of an investigation.

You can make a complaint here.

• As a Consumer NZ member, you can contact our advice line and talk to one of our advisers about your specific situation.