7 Oct Sun
Hmmm.... was looking at some links when noticed mention of Quan Fa Organic Farm.
Some time back, I had wanted to do a review on it but it subsequently slid away. That was... I am actually looking at the "Cash Sale Invoice" at the moment... early this year 2012.
I tend to keep things for future reference if I intend to perhaps return to the matter later. I just pulled it out of the heap of stuff on my dressing table and the printout is still very clear.
I made my first order with the company at that time, and was severely disappointed. Since then, despite their every Friday SMSes regarding their new/fresh arrivals, I have never ordered from them again.
I first knew of Quan Fa Farm from the plastic wrappers of the organic vegetables from Taste Original organic shop that I also reviewed about here. Thinking of getting fresher and more regularly from the farm itself than from supermarkets, I looked up Quan Fa and e-mailed them my enquiries.
The person who replied was Jun Jie (JJ).
After browsing their online list, I ordered via e-mail and everything was confirmed, including a 6-pc tray of apples.
I was asked if I would like to be included in their SMS list for notification on every Friday when they have their new arrivals every week. I said Ok. Since then, the SMSes sign-off has changed from JJ to Fabian.
Why wouldn't I order from Quan Fa again?
1) Delivery was Very Late. Was supposed to be 1 to 3pm according to the e-mail reply. Even till 5pm, no sign of the delivery man. Had to SMS JJ to ask what happened. The reply contained no apology. Continued waiting until the man came with the box of stuff.
2) Celery. Ordered 2 bunches. $23.10.
a) Expensive considering the size that can also be found at our supermarkets. US organic celery purchased from Cold Storage around $6 to $8 per bunch. Meidi-ya @ Liang Court at various prices depending on size ($4+ to $7 per bunch).
b) The celery Quan Fa sent me were very disappointingly battered and not fresh. I ordered from Quan Fa thinking it would be fresh and better than what the supermarkets were selling.
3) After the delivery man left, I realized the apples I ordered were missing from the box. Called JJ to ask. He said, "It's not in the box? Did you pay for it?". I looked at the invoice and saw the price wasn't in. So, I said Ok, since it wasn't in.
Still, the apples were confirmed in the e-mail communication, so I don't know why it was left out.
I paid cash on delivery.
4) Minimum order is S$50.00. Deliveries only on Saturday and Sunday. These are already 2 problems if a customer just wants a few packets of vegetables to be delivered every few days. Also, Saturdays and Sundays are not the best times to receive deliveries since people are outside. Plus, the delivery service is so poor and so late...
Vegetables and fruits are perishables. Even if order a whole box to reach $50, it is still a race to eat up everything quickly. Just 2 to 3 days after delivery, the vegetables already start to spoil in the fridge. So, there's no way to "stretch" that box of food the whole week till next delivery.
5) Some of their produce can be obtained from our supermarkets. Zenxin has expanded its range to include vegetables like Nai Bai and Kale, and mushrooms. (side note: I stopped buying Zenxin's Xiao Bai Cai because they started having a strange bitter taste some time back). Zenxin's produce can be found at Giant and Cold Storage supermarkets.
Organic fruits and vegetables can also be purchased from Meidi-ya @ Liang Court (celery, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots...). Their Earthbound Farm Broccoli are Very beautiful and big. So at $7~8 per packet (2 or 3 heads together), it's an Ok price. Their produce also frequently comes in, so it's very fresh and beautiful.
Update 10 Nov 2012: Meidi-ya has stopped selling organic avocados and apples.
Every Tuesday, Meidi-ya stocks up their vegetables. Fridays are the best days to get stuff for the weekends. Everything fresh and arrived. Vegetables, fruits, meat. Saturdays are pretty good too.
Quan Fa's organic strawberries come in a very small box @ $8, very small strawberries and you can't choose. Cold Storage sells around that price but for bigger and juicier-looking organic Driscoll's strawberries and you can choose whichever box you want to buy.
For organic eggs, Meidi-ya (sometimes) and Cold Storage have big and beautiful eggs from this brand: 12 in a box $10.50. NZ New Zealand no antibiotics/hormones/pesticides/genetic modification.
So, it has become unnecessary to buy from Quan Fa, unless absolutely must have organic coconut, organic mangoes and organic blueberries.
Buying from supermarkets, it's not necessary to have to spend any minimum amount just to buy a few packets of vegetables or fruits, and no need to wait the whole day for the delivery man to come.
Hmmm.... was looking at some links when noticed mention of Quan Fa Organic Farm.
Some time back, I had wanted to do a review on it but it subsequently slid away. That was... I am actually looking at the "Cash Sale Invoice" at the moment... early this year 2012.
I tend to keep things for future reference if I intend to perhaps return to the matter later. I just pulled it out of the heap of stuff on my dressing table and the printout is still very clear.
I made my first order with the company at that time, and was severely disappointed. Since then, despite their every Friday SMSes regarding their new/fresh arrivals, I have never ordered from them again.
I first knew of Quan Fa Farm from the plastic wrappers of the organic vegetables from Taste Original organic shop that I also reviewed about here. Thinking of getting fresher and more regularly from the farm itself than from supermarkets, I looked up Quan Fa and e-mailed them my enquiries.
The person who replied was Jun Jie (JJ).
After browsing their online list, I ordered via e-mail and everything was confirmed, including a 6-pc tray of apples.
I was asked if I would like to be included in their SMS list for notification on every Friday when they have their new arrivals every week. I said Ok. Since then, the SMSes sign-off has changed from JJ to Fabian.
Why wouldn't I order from Quan Fa again?
1) Delivery was Very Late. Was supposed to be 1 to 3pm according to the e-mail reply. Even till 5pm, no sign of the delivery man. Had to SMS JJ to ask what happened. The reply contained no apology. Continued waiting until the man came with the box of stuff.
2) Celery. Ordered 2 bunches. $23.10.
a) Expensive considering the size that can also be found at our supermarkets. US organic celery purchased from Cold Storage around $6 to $8 per bunch. Meidi-ya @ Liang Court at various prices depending on size ($4+ to $7 per bunch).
b) The celery Quan Fa sent me were very disappointingly battered and not fresh. I ordered from Quan Fa thinking it would be fresh and better than what the supermarkets were selling.
3) After the delivery man left, I realized the apples I ordered were missing from the box. Called JJ to ask. He said, "It's not in the box? Did you pay for it?". I looked at the invoice and saw the price wasn't in. So, I said Ok, since it wasn't in.
Still, the apples were confirmed in the e-mail communication, so I don't know why it was left out.
I paid cash on delivery.
4) Minimum order is S$50.00. Deliveries only on Saturday and Sunday. These are already 2 problems if a customer just wants a few packets of vegetables to be delivered every few days. Also, Saturdays and Sundays are not the best times to receive deliveries since people are outside. Plus, the delivery service is so poor and so late...
Vegetables and fruits are perishables. Even if order a whole box to reach $50, it is still a race to eat up everything quickly. Just 2 to 3 days after delivery, the vegetables already start to spoil in the fridge. So, there's no way to "stretch" that box of food the whole week till next delivery.
5) Some of their produce can be obtained from our supermarkets. Zenxin has expanded its range to include vegetables like Nai Bai and Kale, and mushrooms. (side note: I stopped buying Zenxin's Xiao Bai Cai because they started having a strange bitter taste some time back). Zenxin's produce can be found at Giant and Cold Storage supermarkets.
Organic fruits and vegetables can also be purchased from Meidi-ya @ Liang Court (celery, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots...). Their Earthbound Farm Broccoli are Very beautiful and big. So at $7~8 per packet (2 or 3 heads together), it's an Ok price. Their produce also frequently comes in, so it's very fresh and beautiful.
Update 10 Nov 2012: Meidi-ya has stopped selling organic avocados and apples.
Every Tuesday, Meidi-ya stocks up their vegetables. Fridays are the best days to get stuff for the weekends. Everything fresh and arrived. Vegetables, fruits, meat. Saturdays are pretty good too.
Quan Fa's organic strawberries come in a very small box @ $8, very small strawberries and you can't choose. Cold Storage sells around that price but for bigger and juicier-looking organic Driscoll's strawberries and you can choose whichever box you want to buy.
For organic eggs, Meidi-ya (sometimes) and Cold Storage have big and beautiful eggs from this brand: 12 in a box $10.50. NZ New Zealand no antibiotics/hormones/pesticides/genetic modification.
So, it has become unnecessary to buy from Quan Fa, unless absolutely must have organic coconut, organic mangoes and organic blueberries.
Buying from supermarkets, it's not necessary to have to spend any minimum amount just to buy a few packets of vegetables or fruits, and no need to wait the whole day for the delivery man to come.
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