Sometimes getting to a product takes a little longer than expected due to a packaging malfunction. Other times there’s copy on the package that gives you pause for thought. I experienced both situations with Rice Dream Rice Drink from The Hain Celestial Group, so I took the time to investigate…
Dear Dreamers of Rice,
I’m a consumer of your Rice Dream Rice Drink, plus I really admire the way you balance your R & D efforts.
One problem: What’s with those flimsy foil tabs you put over the container spout? They’ve broken off between my fingers one time too many. Then, I have to find a sharp object, which many people feel I should not be around, and perform a foilectomy. This is no easy task because your foil resists cutting and only responds to stabbing. Once there is an incision, I try to pry off the foil, but it clings on tighter than a leech suctioned to the leg of a Boy Scout. How do you expect people to Taste the Dream if getting to it is a nightmare?
Another confounding thing about Rice Dream are the ingredients. Why does it say: “safflower oil and/or sunflower oil and/or canola oil”? Can’t you make up your mind? Doesn’t changing the oil on a whim change the consistency of the Rice Dream flavor? How often do you change the oil, every 3,000 boxes?
Keep the Rice Dream alive, but please wake up and fix that finicky foil!
A Consumer Relations Representative from The Hain Celestial Group responded with:
Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding your recent experience with our Rice Dream Beverage.
Quality is very important to us. We strive to manufacture the very finest natural products and we are always interested in hearing from you when our products do not meet your expectations. We thank you for reporting this issue.
Your comments regarding the foil tabs has been sent to our packaging department and our leadership team. We are sorry that you are experiencing problems with removing the tabs.
We use three different oils in our products. Use will depend upon which oil is available at the time product is being packaged. Listing all three oils saves us from having to print new packaging each time the oil changes, allowing a consistent supply of product at your market.
As one of our valued customers, your comments are very important to us and we appreciate the time you’ve taken to contact us. I have enclosed Imagine Coupons, which we hope will be used for future purchases.
Thank you for your continued support. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us at (phone number and hours of operation followed).
Final Thoughts: The moral of this story is, before drinking anything, always be careful when opening a tab. But remember, there are all sorts of tabs. There’s the kind you pull, which started this whole thing. That progressed to making the company aware of the issue so their packaging department and leadership team can now keep tabs on the situation. Finally, there’s my favorite type of tab — the kind someone picks up — like Hain Celestial graciously did by enclosing three coupons on future purchases — 2 Save 55¢ on any Dream Beverage and 1 Try Any Dream Beverage FREE. Just be careful when you’re running more than one tab at a time to keep tabs on all your tabs or who you tab to do what.
It’s interesting that the oils change depending upon which is available. You would think that changing the oil might affect the flavor, but so far I can’t taste when they’re doing the switching. In any case, I admire their ability to stay on top of this because I can’t even remember to change the oil in my car regularly.
If you’re looking for a refreshing drink that’s lactose, dairy, soy, cholesterol and 99% fat free, try Rice Dream. However, when you feel a manufacturer needs a wake-up call regarding their product’s packaging, it’s time to Write The Company.
