Reply from repprovisions.comMay 28, 2026
Hi Sheron,
Thank you for your feedback. We are truly sorry to hear that you were unhappy with your experience with us, as this is not something we hear often. We sincerely regret that things did not work out as expected for you.
As mentioned in our previous email communications, damage to packaging can unfortunately occur at times during the shipping process. Inside each box, we include a sheet titled “Good Things to Know,” which contains important information about the products upon arrival, including the issue you experienced.
During transit, our boxes can go through significant handling. As the dry ice dissipates, the frozen products naturally shift inside the box. Because the packaging is exposed to extremely cold temperatures, it can become hard and brittle, and with the constant movement during shipping, packages may rub against each other, occasionally causing small tears, pinholes, or minor damage to the outer packaging.
Please know that every package is carefully inspected before being packed, and we would never intentionally ship a product with a broken seal or visible damage. These issues occur during transit and are unfortunately outside of our control. This is also why we recommend placing the meat on a plate or tray while thawing, as noted on the “Good Things to Know” insert included with your order.
Again, we are very sorry this happened. We certainly do not like it either, but shipping frozen perishable products can be challenging given the amount of handling and movement the boxes endure before reaching customers.
Based on the photos you provided, none of the products appeared to show signs of freezer burn. In some cases, small ice crystals can form if a small amount of air reaches the product. True freezer burn generally takes many months to develop. The small amount of ice crystals visible would not affect the quality or taste of the meat.
As we also explained regarding your chicken you thought was freezer burn because it was lighter in color, because our chicken is pasture-raised, natural variations in color can occur from batch to batch. This is actually very common with pasture-raised poultry and is often influenced by factors such as the birds’ diet, activity level, age, breed, and even seasonal pasture changes.
With pasture-raised poultry, more variation is generally expected because the animals are not raised in as standardized an environment as conventional production systems. Consistency is much easier in highly controlled commercial systems where feed and conditions are nearly identical year-round.
Regarding the shipping insurance, this is an option we recently introduced for customers who would like additional protection on their packages. Because we ship perishable products, carriers are often not obligated to reimburse us for losses caused by shipping delays or transit-related damage. As a small family farm, it became very costly for us to continue replacing or refunding orders in these situations, so we added the optional shipping protection to help provide customers with extra coverage if they choose it.
Regarding the joke we sent, we like to send happy notes and fun jokes related to food inside the boxes. If you’re referring to the joke you received, “What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground beef”, most of our customers think it’s pretty funny. Maybe you don’t get it. A cow with no legs would be on the ground, and since it’s a cow, it’s beef. We’re sorry you were offended.
We truly appreciate you giving us a try and are very sorry again that your experience did not meet your expectations. Thank you for giving us a try anyway. 🙏🏻
