Echoing here what everyone else has already said. Purchased a product and the next thing you know I receive a notification saying I’ve been signed up for a membership that is $79/year after my free trial ends in 14 days. WHAT! Never at any time throughout the purchase process was I notified of a membership or trial. There was no way to cancel directly, instead I had to go back and forth with customer service explaining why I wanted to cancel the membership I never signed up for. I finally received an Airtable link and was able (hopefully) to cancel. Absolutely terrible experience. Steer clear!
LW
Lenny W.
charged for a membership I didn't want
Same as many here- I was charged for a membership I did not request. And they have no phone number- just a text option. Total scam.
AD
Amy D.
Public Goods is a Scam that you Cannot Simply Cancel
We joined this service actually willingly the first year. The initial food was great, and the ingredients are good, but there were not many products that we ended up wanting in order to justify the 79 dollar charge. We tried to cancel twice, but there is just a form that seemingly goes nowhere because we never got a response. We were charged again this morning despite trying to cancel and not using it for months. We are contacting our bank to contest the charge and we will be blocking the service from charging again. We also will be sending a letter to the company by hard copy. This place has good products, but it is truly a scam in not being able to cancel and not having any customer service at all.
HJ
Holly J.
Membership fee charged with hardly any warning
They send one email with one line buried at the bottom that you’re going to be charged $79. Complete scam. Just because a company calls itself good doesn’t mean it is.
TA
Tas
Beware of jumping through hoops
Seems like a cool company with good products. The reason for my review is that they make you jump through a million hoops to cancel your free trial or membership. Had to email them back and forth and then fill out some ridiculous long form just to cancel and not be charged. If you are going to stick with them- great. If you are just trying out their products to see if you like it, its not worth the effort.
TO
TSAV O.
Scam
Scam. Trick you into a $79 membership fee. Like everyone else here, I was just trying to buy some dish soap. First of all my card got charged twice. Also apparently somehow they trick you with a membership fee after you buy anything. I bought my dish soap and was totally unaware that I was signing up for a membership fee. Company is tricky deceitful
BH
Beverly H.
Not Worth the Membership Fee
Tbe products are ok, the membership has no benefits that I can see. Shipping cost is too high so I haven’t ordered again. One item I liked is no longer available.
Not worth it.
GT
Gabe T.
Public (Great)s and minor membership confusion
I'd give 4.25 or 4.5 if I could, but I'm feeling generous today.
I remember seeing an Instagram ad for their ramen and thinking, "Man, this might be a good base for a meal between classes." I was pleasantly surprised with how good it was! I enjoyed both the Original Ramen and the Spicy Sesame Oil Ramen. I have yet to try their other products, but I'll work my way around to them.
Now, let's get to business practices. I wish how the "2-week membership free trial" thing worked was clarified better before purchasing.
The first reference to the membership is on the homepage. You need to scroll down some to see it, but it's there. This one is straightforward and tells you about the 2-week free trial. It also briefly describes the reasoning for the membership pricing ($79/mo). It does not, however, tell you if it's opt-in.
The second reference to the membership is on the checkout page. At this point, the membership is automatically added to the cart and cannot be removed. Despite this, it DOES EXPLICITLY SAY that you can cancel the free trial any time. The process to do so is relatively simple and easy (read on for my experience later in the review). I don't think this is the best way to introduce the membership. I don't know how many people would ACTUALLY scroll down the homepage to the first reference, so most are probably being introduced to it at checkout.
Like any free trial involving a membership/subscription, they WILL charge you the specified amount at the end of the period. An email is sent to you for setting up a Public Goods account after your first purchase. Again, not the best way of doing this. If that's not your experience, you can contact their support. The easiest methods I could find were: the "Contact" link at the bottom of the page and the "FAQ" link at the top, next to "About."
Arguably, the BETTER way to implement the membership system would be to create the account BEFORE (or during) purchasing. Many goods/services websites are structured that way, and consumers will be more familiar with that sequence. I don't know if that's possible, as it may depend on how their site/infrastructure is configured, but it would be the better way to go about it.
Lastly, I'll talk about customer service. The exchange I had was brief but excellent and responsive. Initially, I was going to cancel, but I was convinced to stay (yeah, I know, but I will be buying a lot of their ramen this year). Honestly, I was expecting an email in the morning (I sent it close to 10pm) but ended up getting a response within 15 minutes. The following emails were equally prompt.
For people worried about the 1-star reviews: don't worry. As long as you can read carefully—everything is spelled out clearly if you pay attention—you'll know what to do and won't be charged the membership price.
