Canadian Select Farm Foods

[CYBER]

Has anyone dealt with this company, and if so any feedback would be greatly appreciated (positive OR negative). We are considering buying one of their "packages" but would like to research them a little, but I can't find anything on the net about them. Thanx for any info, Bill.

[Retiree]

I was optimistic about this company and its product after a good presentation by the rep. Although I have no freezer, he offered a new one from The Brick at no charge if I contracted for a year's worth ($2,600 plus) or more of his product. At the end of the presentation I asked for some references and was told that would be no problem, that he would get back to me in a day or two. He did call back as promised but wanted to know if I had made a decision. I reminded him that I did not want to invest in his product brefore speaking with some of his references. He again promised to call me back soon with references. I have not been contacted by the rep since that time (more than two weeks ago). There's no evidence of a scam here but the absence of a call back with references causes me to wonder if something here was not on the up and up or that there may be other problems.


Update: March 16, 2007

It's been more than one month and the rep still hasn't called back with the client references. I'm satisfied I made the right decision not to proceed without insisting on receiving this information. Caveat emptor - let the buyer beware!

[mp2007]

In 2005 we ordered successfully from CSFF. The product was amazing, packaged wonderfully, our customer service rep was very friendly and knowledgeable. We had no qualms about reordering last fall when we were due to.

We made our appointment with our service rep (who is still wonderful regardless of what I'm about to follow with). We had our order date in the beginning of Nov. last year, our delivery was made at the end of the month. First notice the packaging was different; foil backed plastic..cannot microwave defrost which is very annoying when you are short on time. The second problem was we ordered less ground beef than we did in 2005, we found we just did not use it as much as we thought we would. Well 20% of our order ended up being ground beef with our steak/stew beef selection being sparse. The third problem was that the ground beef was spoiled (everything else has been fine though).

We called for a replacement/correction within 2 days of delivery. We were told it'd take a month or two for the replacement product. fine no big deal. Our first attempt (beginning of Feb)at having the replacement delivery/pickup made the guy showed up but our product was not on the truck. The second reschedule(mid Feb) they didn't even show up. The third reschedule (yesterday) was a no show as well. There has been no resolution and my phone call today to investigate further was not returned before they closed up for the day (6pm).

At this point I have no idea how their 90% customer return rate exists as the service we've received aside from our customer rep has been absolutely dismal. We will not be a return customer after this order and we do not recommend them to anyone. Which is a shame because we were so excited about this company in 2005 and had nothing but praise for them then as the service and product was outstanding.

[mike23]

Avoid dealing with this company. We signed a one-year contract with them, and went with the freezer-rental arrangement that "Retiree" mentioned. The service was lackluster at best, but the real problem came after we declined to renew the contract, and they took back the freezer. They appear to have either lost the freezer, or have forgotten that they picked it up, because for about 6 months after the pick-up they called us repeatedly to arrange a pick-up date (for the freezer they had already picked up). Unfortunately, we've lost the receipt from the pick-up, so as they refer our case to a collection agency, it looks like we'll be stuck paying them for the freezer that they took back from us. I say again: avoid dealing with this company.

[Jawwak]

I would like to echo what mp2007 said. We were very happy with our service and first order made in 2005, but our second order made in 2006 was not nearly as good. The packaging is different (foil based), the meat does not seem to be of the same quality and the portions are a lot smaller.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a similiar company that is better?

[Manager CSFF]

NO COMMENT.

Manager CSFF

[Retiree]

This refers to the comments by the Manager CSFF (I wonder why this "manager" does not indicate his/her name?) and is to assure readers that I am not, nor have I ever been, associated with this company as an employee or otherwise. If my earlier comments defame the company it is not because of any ulterior motive on my part.

[curious]

Well, In looking at the web and listening to their phone calls, I've gained the opinion that they appear to first and foremost a telemarketing company, somewhat reminiscent of the old "freezer beef" marketing efforts with all that implies. The company appears to operate out of Barrie, Ontario and carries out telemarketing efforts cyclicly on a city by city basis....hence the continuing phone calls (they appear to use the local phone books rather than the approved list approach required of telemarketers thus are probably in contravention of Bell Canada rules and CRTC decisions reqarding telemarketing protocols.).

I'm advised that the company claims they're marketing in support of farmers, which is nice, but food is produced by farmers....however it is marketed. Apparently, they also claim to be selling product that has been federally inspected. Since the only federally inspected beef plant in Ontario slaughters only cow beef (beef from older dairy cattle), this means that the beef that they are selling is either cow beef or comes from the two Alberta plants that do the bulk of production now. You might want to check with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency or the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs regarding their product actually being inspected

The responses here are interesting - one appears to be a plug from the company itself, another trys to blame an ex-employee for a negative comment about the poor quality of product received. What can one expect from a telemarketer?

As to buying a side or quarter of beef for your freezer, given the investment, you're probably better off buying your beef from a local meat market - at least you'll know where to find them if there are problems.

[Retiree]

I always scan the meat section at our local chain grocery store (even when I don't intend to buy meat) and frequently find amazing bargains in the discount section of the meat cooler. How about finding selections of prime beef, chicken and pork at HALF PRICE?

Yes, in our local store it's marked down by half, usually a day before the freshness expiry date. I have bought MANY kilograms of meat in this category and not once have I been disappointed---the product has never been less than fresh in my view.

I keep our small fridge freezer filled with choice steaks for the grill, roasts for our Flavor Wave Oven, and stewing beef and other cuts for the slow cooker. Often these cuts are prime Angus beef. Thus, I never pay full price for meat unless it's not already in my freezer or I have an urgent need for a cut that is not in the discount section that day.

[ex-employee]

All about Canadian select farms...

I am new to this site, but i just HAD to register when i saw this thread. Yes i used to work there, and i would never deal them.

The reps you deal with are usually nice guys or girls, workin REAL hard to make a living. Keep in mind they pay for their own gas, and cell phone bill, and work 100% on commision. Some of them have families, and need to feed them. Dont take it personally if a rep pushes a sale, he needs to.

You want to help the farmers? Buy FROM the farmers. A customer asked me once, where the farms were actually located, because he was a farmer. My manager did not know, his manager did not, and head office couldnt provide us a list, just a general area somewhere in ontario.

These guys push a very close boundary between legal and illegal, and the main goal is $$$. Not to say thats a bad thing, most businesses do, but this one just has a bad style..

The old manager WAS a lazy guy, he didnt do anything but drink and waste the company's time, the new manager actually works, but he is not at all sincere, and will screw you any way he can to get your money. (even if you worked for it).

Following up on what CURIOUS said, you have to be REAL careful, and listen and ask questions about what these guys tell you. EVERY SINGLE WORD is important.

They will pitch to you that the beef is "naturally raised". What does that mean? Absolutely nothing. It is not certified organic, and they had to change the pitch a few years back to avoid certain law suits. It may or may not contain antibiotics, but the meat is definately not certified organic. Avoid any implications that it is. Federally inspected is another one, not 100% certain about this, so i wont say more than that.

The company's infostructure is based (possibly stolen) from another company that ive worked for, called tristar. The owner of CSFF used to be a longtime employee for Tristar. (they sell a new age vacuum cleaner, which is problem free). Amazing the striking similarities between the two companies and how they operate.

They call you from the phone book, and will keep calling you, and you cant do anything about it. Avoid this company, it doesnt help any farmers, and you just dont need what they are selling.

CSFF is a young company, and the owner is a real smart guy, actually pretty nice. Im not in a place to say what he hoped to accomplish out of this company, but i am definately not impressed with their dealings in Ottawa.

Just keep in mind, most of the people you deal with from this company, are highschool students, trying to pay bills, or single moms, or people just trying to make a living.... If you "have beef" with them, before you get heated, ask to speak to a manager.