The Cleveland Better Business Bureau, in reminding folks of the practice, cited an example in a June 28 press release of a Maple Heights woman that purchased $200 worth of steak and meat from a vendor last month, only to find that the cooked chicken was so tough that it was inedible. When she tried to call and ask for the refund, the number that the meat seller, Buckeye’s Finest Foods, provided did not work.
Buckeye’s mailing address is a UPS Store mail forwarding address where mail can’t be sent to, according to BBB. The BBB also says that after reaching the company’s owner, he said he has nothing to do with the vendors who go door to door.
BBB president Sue McConnell told WEWS:
“Honor their guarantees, give refunds if their customers insist on refunds. In this case people were buying a product that was just not edible. Are you really going to want a replacement?
“The owner told us once the broker purchases the meat, Buckeye’s Finest Foods is actually out of the picture. It’s the broker’s responsibility to handle the sale correctly get the proper permits.’”
The vendors could be arrested and face a fine upwards of $1,000 if caught, according to Maple Heights mayor Annette Blackwell.
This article appears in Jul 6-12, 2016.
The young dudes in the trucks have been trying to sell steaks in West Park for years. They say they have some “extra” meat that was “mistakenly” loaded onto their vehicle and they are trying to “get rid of it”…and the trucks have names on them like Colorado Prime or Iowa Meats and stuff like that. Usually have out-of-state plates, too.
They don’t bang on doors…people here are tired of scammers thinking we are all old geezers who are easy targets. So they don’t answer the door. These clowns hit on people who are outside in their back yards, maybe watering the grass or picking up leaves. They stop and back up and make their pitch.
This crap has been going on for at least twenty years now. Just saw one last week…first time in ages. I told him I was a vegetarian. That seemed to do the trick. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Don’t be a chump!
Chuckles the Clown.
There are some LICENSED individuals who actually bring quality food at great rates. It is a shame companies operate this way and ruin the business for local entrepreneurs that have good intentions. Because one or two unlicensed, bad intentioned indivuals do not represent the entire industry.
If you buy meat from some dude in a truck driving around your neighborhood, you get what you deserve. Seriously….use some common sense.
I just recently quit doing this after 8 years. The food isn’t always bad. There are a lot of good packs out there that I would buy and eat myself. That being said, each person that works in that business is 100% responsible for how they maintain it. If you find a sales rep that has a good pack and keeps it in a freezer that has an inverter to run it, or a block of dry ice, it can be pretty good. I’ve had people call me back claiming they were the best steaks they’d ever had. After 8 years I had lots of repeat business. Even though I no longer do it daily, I take care of customers that call me up for a delivery. I can’t blame anybody for being sketched out though. Lots of times the owners of these companies are greedy and make it hard to get things replaced, give their workers nice vehicles with refrigerated units, etc. It’s not all bad but people should definitely be careful. Check the pack date. Make sure the food looks consistent and not different color’s or freezer burnt. I’ve had bosses force me to take out returned food or I’d be fired. I usually had to come out of pocket to pay forit because I didn’t want to make people sick. If it says PC, PQ, or has initials in pen or marker on the front label, it’s usually a return. Like I said, these guys aren’t all bad, I did business right and had a lot of customers that had bought from me for years, but you should definitely be careful.