Forest, VA – Some customers of a local vegetable co-op say the program is not living up to their expectations.
Sausser Farms offers weekly vegetables for a fee of $35.
We’ve received several calls into our newsroom with a whole list of issues with the co-op.
On Friday, when customers gathered for their delivery in Forest, there were many complaints, including that an hour past opening time, there was still no sign of anyone with the Sausser Farm co-op stop in Forest.
“There hasn’t been one time that we’ve come, and we haven’t been waiting for an half an hour, 45 minutes, today it was an hour,” Sausser Farm customer Yvette Simmer said.
The deal is you get five pounds of veggies a week for 24 weeks.
“$35 is what you pay to get in the co-op. I buy a lot of vegetables,” Sausser Farm customer Meagan Hinson said.
The farm promises organic, chemical-free, pesticide-free produce at a reasonable price, but getting the goods some customers say has been anything but reasonable.
“There’s been a few times when you come by and you expected there to be someone here or the vegetables weren’t here yet,” Hinson said.
And, once they do find the locations customers say the pick of the crop doesn’t always measure up.
“The vegetables that we are getting here are inferior. The cucumbers are all soft, tomatoes we have to throw away. And, we’re just so unhappy,” Simmer said.
Co-owner Samantha Sausser declined our on-camera interview, but told us any customer wanting a refund can send their co-op card back with their name and address.
For some the whole ordeal has left a bad taste in their mouth.
“I do regret it. I definitely wouldn’t invest next year. And I don’t know many people that would,” customer Bonnie Clark said.
We checked the farm’s website and their policy states that the farm reserves the right to limit quantity, based on the market. It also notes locations changes for customers.
Sausser says she invites anyone to come to the farm to see the co-op in action.
via Customers Dissatisfied with Vegetable Co-op|ABC 13.
