Campbell’s Cream of Screw Soup
Yes, I know. Campbell’s soup isn’t exactly a gourmet ingredient. But, the cream soups make a good casserole. (Foodies such as Paula Deen, James Villas, and M.F.K. Fisher list them in recipes, so there.)
Last week I was in the mood for a comfort food casserole - cooked everything else from scratch, including sauteing fresh shrimp. Added some cream of shrimp soup. Looked great, smelled wonderful coming out of the oven. Then, in my second bite, there was something hard. Turned out to be a small screw. So, that ended dinner and a big casserole had to be thrown straight into the trash.
Having grown up with trusty ol’ Campbell, I thought that surely the screw didn’t come in the soup…but nothing was missing out of the stove hood; I cook in cast iron; and everything else was - as I noted - made from scratch. Sooo…I go to Campbell’s web site to send them an email. First, of course, I’ve got to find the right “contact us” link (Another company that really doesn’t want to hear from you.) Then, I went through the tedious process of selecting the appropriate boxes (type of product, etc.) and sent the email.
Do I really have to tell you? Nope, not one word of response from Campbell. So, now I’m looking at that cream of mushroom in my pantry…do I really want to chance it?
The actual screw was one very small, if unappetizing, thing. What really damaged my life-long relationship with Campbell is their lack of response. (Not even one of those dumb “Do Not Reply” emails.) I wasn’t threatening to sue (stuff happens.) Didn’t expect a phone call from the CEO. Don’t want some ridiculous amount of compensation. But, I would have liked an acknowledgment and an apology…and if they threw in - say - a $5.00 coupon, that’d be a nice touch. (The casserole ingredients probably cost me fifteen…)
P.S. As a cookbook collector, I even own several vintage Campbell Soup cookbooks, including Cooking with Soup. Sure, there are some howlers in them, but some of the recipes are still quite good.
Tags: customer relationships, marketing, marketing troubleshooting, Campbell’s Soup
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November 24th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Back in the day (pre-Internet) we got a can of chicken soup from Progresso which had a bone in it. Cut off the part of the lid with the factory code on it, wrote a note and put it in the mail. Two weeks later got a letter of apology, and a coupon for 2 cans of soup.
I just went on the Progresso website and took one click to send them an email. Haven’t bought Campbell’s soup in a long time.
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