Customers report long delays in shipments from Minnesota online organic food retailer

Customers are contacting the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) regarding problems they’re experiencing with Nature’s Prime Organic Foods, Inc., an online organic food retailer operating out of Victoria, Minnesota. The BBB processed twenty customer complaints filed against the company in the month of May, all alleging issues with delays in delivery or non-delivery of products.

“A significant uptick of complaints is always a cause for concern,” said Dana Badgerow, president and CEO of the BBB. “And though the company seems to be responding to and working to resolve the complaints we’re forwarding to them, we’re not yet seeing signs that the underlying cause of the delays in deliveries is being addressed.”

Consumers have stated that after placing orders on the company’s website and having their credit cards charged, the company failed to deliver their orders in the agreed-upon timeframe. Some customers report that the company did not return many of their inquiry phone calls and emails. Others say after contacting the company about delayed shipments, Nature’s Prime Organic Foods, Inc. missed promised follow-up delivery dates. In other cases, consumers have reported receiving only partial orders.

The company has addressed many of the complaints forwarded to their attention by the BBB and resolved some of them by delivering the ordered goods or by issuing credits. Some recent complainants have requested that their orders be cancelled and their credit cards be refunded. Currently over a dozen complaints are pending, and the BBB is in the process of updating the company’s report.

The Better Business Bureau contacted Nature’s Prime Organic Foods, Inc. in late April of this year in an attempt to discuss and learn more about the spike in customer complaints. The company responded to the message left by the BBB, but did not address the cause of the increase in complaint activity.

If you’re considering ordering food from an online supplier, the BBB recommends:

--Paying with a credit card. It’s best to use a credit card, because under federal law, the shopper can dispute the charge if he or she doesn’t receive the item.

--Keeping documentation of your order. After completing the online order process, there may be a final confirmation page or the shopper might receive confirmation by e-mail. The BBB recommends saving a copy of that as well as any e-mails for future reference and as a record of the purchase.

--Know your rights. Federal law requires that orders made by mail, phone or online be shipped by the date promised or, if no delivery time was stated, within 30 days. If the goods aren’t shipped on time, the shopper can cancel and demand a refund. There is no general three-day cancellation right, but consumers do have the right to reject merchandise if it’s defective or was misrepresented. Otherwise, it’s the company’s policies that determine if the shopper can cancel the purchase and receive a refund or credit.

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