Story
I'm ashamed to admit it. But I was scammed by a man selling steak from the back of a truck. I was heading out to the grocery store, and a guy outside my building was standing by a freezer truck emblazoned with the words "Direct USA Foods." He told me he was in the neighborhood from way across town to make a delivery, but the recipients hadn't shown up. He asked me to help him out. He had to sell the meat before going home, and he would give me a deal.
I was immediately skeptical but for some reason, I didn't walk away. Con artists play on your greed, and perhaps I was smelling a deal. He offered six huge boxes full of steaks for $150. He showed me a shiny brochure proving they normally go for more than $300. Now, I'm no rube, and I started grilling him. "How do I know the steak is OK? What if there is a problem?"
He wrote his cell number on the brochure and told me he would take them back if there was any issue. I probably would not have fallen for the scam, but a neighbor of mine, Mikey, came out and said, "Oh, yeah. I think I have had these steaks before. They were pretty good."
"I can't buy meat from the back of a truck," I said. But Mikey told me, "This is L.A. A lot of good food comes from the back of a truck."
Now, you have to realize that I'm normally a Whole Foods shopper who frequents farmers markets and buys her meat organic. I'm also a yogi who is guilty (sort of) about her meat consumption. So I don't know what I was thinking. Temporary insanity, I suppose, but I bought the damned meat. As soon as I got upstairs, my husband looked at me and said, "What did you do? Are you crazy?"
He Googled the name of the company, and the first thing that came up was Ripoffreport.com. Then he found a news story from Chicago called, "Frozen Rotten." Apparently, the company has sold a lot of people bad meat in places where it's not licensed to sell food at all. My heart sunk. I am such a fool, I thought. Maybe this is the universe's way of telling me to go vegan. I whipped out the brochure and dialed the cell number the salesman gave. Some woman answered. It was a wrong number. I called the company number printed on the brochure. No answer.
By now, I was pissed. I read the fine print on the brochure, and it said you could only get your money back if you dropped off the packaged meat at one of their official locations in the same condition you bought it within three days. But no such location was listed on the brochure. You also had to send a letter to the company headquarters in Florida within three days requesting a refund. There was no way to get them a letter, get their approval and return it to some undisclosed location within three days when I couldn't even reach anyone on the phone to find out where to go.
I had obviously been had. Instead of sulking, I figured I had about 20 minutes before this guy cashed my check. I immediately got online and stopped payment. Luckily, the loss was merely a $20 fee rather than the $150. (I'd much rather the bank get my money than these con artists.) I kept the boxes of meat in my freezer for three weeks waiting to see if they would call about the aborted check. Finally, I tossed the meat.
A week later, one month after the original sale--they must have radar sensing when you have trashed the product--I got a harassing call from a woman at headquarters demanding payment. Fat chance. Without flinching, I lit into her about their deceptive practices. She said she wasn't responsible for her independent sales contractor lying to me. "What he does is his business," she said.
After 20 minutes of heated discussion, I hung up and called the LA Health Department and learned it was, in fact, an illegal sale. The company is not licensed to sell food in LA. In response to my complaint, the Health Department attempted to call the company in for a hearing, but the letter was returned to sender. I also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and learned they have an unsatisfactory rating with 47 complaints against them. They never responded to the BBB, either. Finally, I filed a complaint with a regulatory agency in the company's home state.
I haven't heard back from the company since then. But apparently Direct USA Foods still operates in multiple states across the U.S. So whatever you do, don't buy their meat. This company stinks.
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11/24/09 13:50pm PST helpingthepublic
I am working on shutting them down in the NY, PA area my brother is in legal field, I was informed it is illegal to 1. solicate without having the proper permits 2. hire employees without drivers liscenses to work as a driver LOL 3. the warehouses are not inspected by any departments of the state ie; board of health to insure the freezers are working proper, the freezer they carry on the back of their trucks are non-working!! so your frozen meats have sat in a truck all day!! NASTY is the only word that comes to mind, if you love you family take the lost if you bought this food and throw it away!! -
11/24/09 12:09pm PST Jeneclectic
Thanks for sharing an insider's perspective. I wish regulators could shut these crooks down. -
11/24/09 05:46am PST helpingthepublic
Ok Folks Here is the real deal!!! I applied for a job with theses scammers, hired 1st day, trained for 3 day with what I will refer to as ex-prisoner, my first day 1 girl was selling pills to another!! I am sent out with a guy, who was very sweet but asked me if I smoked POT, after I said NO! he smoked by himself, next day, I am told I have to drive for this guy that has no drivers liscense, find out that he has NO ID either?? day 3, I drive for yet another unliscensed driver, who does nothing but smoke POT all day and imforms me that he has a warrent for his arrest out of GA, but due to a failing economy I go back for day 4, most trucks leave with unliscensed drivers!! 1st truck comes back to inform boss that his partner he was driving with was picked up by his PO, so I leave as if I am going to work with them as I was afraid since I was told they would screw up my car several times, only to wait till I knew the office was empty dropped off their truck and left, they load this meat into freezer no ice no electric, all drug addicts or excriminals who come to your door to sell you something that you can buy cheaper at the store, quality of food is very poor, I was informed the owners of theses company are either recovering addicts or current addicts, they hire people who can not get jobs do to drug use, hired me because they felt I was an attractive female who could con the public, I feel prey because I do not want to lose my home but I would rather lose my home than my diginity!!! If the police waited do the road from their location, they would make their arrest for the month in one day!! So beware allowing theses guys in your homes!! Buy nothing!! the offer a deal by giving you free food, they pay $100.00 per box what do you think they owner pay $50.00 a box?? BUYERS RIGHT TO CANCEL: This is a home solicatation sale (illegal in most areas) and if you do not want the gooda or services, you may cancel the aggreement by providing written notice to the seller in person ( try to find theses guys) by telegram, or by mail(just ask them for their addresses) and by returned the entire product in a resalable condition( if you cook it find out its bad meat, that is not a resalable condition you are out $$) This notice must indicate that you do not want the goods or service and must be delivered or post marked before midnight of the third business day after you obtain the agreement( you will never get this paper)If you cancel this agreement, the seller(them) may not keep all or part of any cash payment if the product is used or resalable(LOOK AT THE TOP OF THE FLYER!! SORRY NO CASH REFUNDS) so this paragraph makes no sense!! AGAIN be warned theses folks are hitting PA and upstate NY hard. -
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10/28/09 17:54pm PDT adarkmoonmonster
So, your going to love this one. Today I see two men get out of a small pickup truck that had just parked outside of my house. The one man came to my door and the other man went to the neighbors house. I opened the door and that little voice inside me right away was screaming to me "something is really wrong with this" I could not even tell what the guy was selling, as he was talking so fast. A FAST TALKER!! LOL I asked him if he had a business card or a brochure and he said no. I'm glad now that my great dane stick his head out the door and he kept his eyes on the stranger while we talked. I then backed into the house more and told my husband that he better come to the door. My husband is in law enforcement, so I knew he would smell him out fast. I'm watching out the window and he goes into this freezer in the back of his truck and starts walking with it to our door with my husband. I later asked my husband what he was saying and it was something along the lines that he had to get rid of this extra meet that they often deliver to the neighborhood. He would unload it here he said and then my husband asked him how much this would cost. The salesman said, we can talk about that inside. My husband asked why he needed to come inside and he said to lay it all out so we could see what we were buying first. How nice of them!! So you know the saying when something is just too good to be true, then it probably is. My husband told him no way and came right in and called the police. The other neighbor talked to them unknowingly while we called for the police and held them long enough for the police to arrive. I must say they looked stressed when the police pulled up. The police came and ran the plates/ID's and after some time the police escorted the truck out of our plan. I'm so glad that we called the police to make a record these fakes. I live in PA and this happened on October 28, 2009. I did a Google for the words meat, truck and scam and this and many other posts came up. Report this to your local police if you are approached. People are just nuts today…..listen to your inner voice!!!!!



Stumble It!
Definitely a health violation.