House Box response

I really don't like complaining.  I will go out of my way to avoid confrontation any kind.  I was raised by the old "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" philosophy.

I don't like posting poor reviews, but the last one was a negative review.  After a few days, I thought i should at least give the company an opportunity to respond.  I sent Alison, the owner of House Box, an eMail expressing my disappointment in the first box, a link to my post and a request to cancel my subscription.

Here is her response:

Hi Joann,
Thanks for letting me know about your blog post, and about your feelings of disappointment towards the service. I am truly sad that you felt the value was not there, as the box was carefully thought out and curated to present new ideas for household items. I understand that not everyone will love the service and will feel that the product total is not worth the money spent. All I can say is that the idea is to present new ideas, not necessarily deliver a dollar value of product.

When I first thought of the company, I had no idea how much all the things that went into producing a shipment was going to cost, and was completely shocked when I learned what shipping costs were! Ideally, the cost would be closer to $15/box plus $5 shipping, but then it would be costing me money to produce. As we become more established and our brand is recognized, I hope we will be able to include more high value "deluxe" samples. And I understand that when our volume of shipments increases, we will be offered lower shipping rates, which we will gladly pass along to our subscribers. I am sorry to see you cancel your subscription, but I understand it was disappointing if it was not what you had in mind.
Sincerely,
Allison Brown

Although she was very polite in her response, I'm certainly not changing my mind about the subscription.  Firstly, these really weren't 'new ideas' that were being presented.  I use all natural laundry detergent and dish soap already (and there are a LOT of options out there and places to purchase them).  Paper straws can be purchased online, or in local department stores.  As for coffee..........nothing new there.  

As for shipping, I completely get that Canada shipping is pricey - and completely out of her control.  The subscription price does not include shipping - that is an extra $10 which is enough to cover the cost.  Obviously, there are costs of packaging, etc. that need to be covered too but paying $30 for $7 worth of stuff can't all be blamed on shipping. 

I wish her luck in her business, but I think she's going to have a tough time of it.