What started as a failed first delivery has now turned into one of the most frustrating customer experiences I’ve had with a subscription service.

I placed my first HelloFresh order last Wednesday for delivery on 14 January, as clearly shown in the app. I planned my day around it, left work early, and waited at home. Only 24 hours before delivery, I was informed that the delivery window would be 17:15–18:00, which is already very late for a dinner meal kit.

The delivery never arrived. There was no proactive communication, no delay notification, and no updated ETA. When I contacted customer support after 7 PM, I was told the order was still “probably” several hours away, with 24 stops before mine, and might even arrive the next day. I had no choice but to arrange dinner myself in snowy conditions.

I requested cancellation of my subscription on 14 January due to this failure.

After leaving an honest review, HelloFresh contacted me and offered a free box as compensation. I accepted this offer. However, I later learned (only on a call this Monday) that HelloFresh’s box-filling cutoff is Sunday at 11:59 PM. This information was never communicated earlier.

This is critical, because I had already emailed support on Friday explaining that I was unable to place the free box due to a system issue and asking for manual help. If support had responded in time or had been transparent, they should have clearly stated that I would not receive a box that week. Instead, I received no response, and the cutoff passed silently—once again leaving me without meals.

To make matters worse, on Sunday at 23:59, HelloFresh deducted 799 SEK from my account without my consent, after I had already requested cancellation, and without any confirmed order or delivered service.

To summarize:
• First box never arrived
• No proactive communication about delays
• Compensation offer could not be fulfilled due to lack of response
• A known cutoff (Sunday 11:59 PM) was not communicated
• Customer support stopped responding
• 799 SEK charged without authorization after cancellation

This is no longer a one-off issue but a pattern of poor communication, missed responsibility, and unacceptable billing practices. I have had to escalate this through my bank.

HelloFresh promotes convenience and reliability. My experience delivered the opposite.

I would strongly caution anyone considering this service to think twice.