I purchased a package of Contessa Orange Chicken "Restaurant Quality", which is one of those frozen "meal in a bag" things—actually four bags in one. It was rather expensive for this type of thing ($7.29)."Quality" is mentioned several times on the package—probably a bad sign. I prepared it exactly according to package directions (stovetop, not microwave) and served it as dinner for my wife and myself. What a mistake!
My wife took two bites and wouldn't eat any more. I had a little more ('cause I was really hungry), but this stuff is nasty! The chicken was rubbery and the breading was soggy and "doughy". The vegetables were scraggly and looked nothing like the picture on the package. The overall taste was definitely sub-standard. I was angry and I vowed to contact the company and demand they refund my money.
The next morning I did just that! When I was connected to customer service I said I was complaining about this product and I asked specifically what restaurant might serve something like this "restaurant quality" stuff. That question was neatly dodged by the representative, who went on to tell me how long the company has been in business and how many people "love" their food. I mentioned those things weren't really pertinent and I said I wanted a refund of my $7.29 because it was a rip-off. After asking me several questions about what specifically I did not like, she told me the company does not have a money back guarantee, but she would be happy to send me a coupon so I could try one of their many other products.
After some discussion over why I might not want to try any of their other products (based on my experience so far), and that I would be much happier with my $7.29, I could see I was getting nowhere, so I told her I would tell all my friends and the store manager what a crummy product this was, and even post it on the internet (which is what I am doing here) in the hope of costing their company way more in potential lost sales than the $7.29 they ripped me off for. I hate it when a company doesn't stand behind what they sell!
So that's my story (and I'm stickin' to it). I would strongly recommend not buying this or any food from Contessa "Premium" Foods Company.
Thank you for reading this, and if you may have had a similar experience with Contessa foods, I encourage you to let them know at: contessa.com—just don't try to get your money back, they'll only offer you coupons...
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