Buyer Beware!
CSA is an acronym for Community Supported Agriculture. This is a system whereby the customer pays up front for fresh, local, organic produce that will be delivered during the growing season. The prepayment is necessary to assist the farmer with early season cash flow. This particular CSA plan included 11 bi-weekly deliveries of organic vegetables between early June and late October. There were two choices:
• payment for a “half share”—enough produce for one person for two weeks at $200; or
• payment for a “full share”—enough produce for 2 persons for two weeks at $350
This sounded amazing to me and to one of my friends, so we both joined—it was anything but amazing! We later discovered that an additional 20 people had also joined, paid the fee upfront, and were having the same problems as we were—little or no produce delivered.
We began to discuss this situation with others who had joined in previous years and learned that they, too, had been through the same scenario. We wondered why we had not heard these stories regarding others who had paid for goods and had not received them.
I decided that the only way to get answers was to contact the farmer and I did that in July as the produce was not being delivered as promised. He advised me that things were a little late, but would be delivered soon. I continued to telephone and email him throughout the whole growing season, and managed to receive five deliveries valued at approximately $50. Others had only received one delivery and, yet others, none at all. Among these others were a few university students who had saved the money in order to be able to eat fresh, local, organic produce.
Remember the friend who joined with me? She contacted a lawyer and was told that it seemed to be a case of fraud and that she should contact the police. We did contact the RNC in St. John’s, and the RCMP outside St. John’s. We, and one other lady, were the only people to file a complaint. I did contact others involved to ask if they would file a complaint with the RNC and/or the RCMP because the police officer had indicated that it would be to our benefit to have as many people involved as possible. Most said that they would file a complaint, however, they never did—and so, this farmer is able to continue with the CSA plan.
Copies of all of my contacts with the farmer, along with his Facebook page stating that his crop was very good was not enough for me to proceed as the police officer advised that we had entered into a contract with the farmer that stated “By paying up front the customer is entering into a contract with the farmer, and taking some of the risk. The customer trusts the farmer that the food will be there throughout the season, and is helping out the early season cash flow. As with all forms of farming, there are risks involved in small-scale market farming. Poor weather, insect outbreaks and labour issues can all contribute to a poor harvest just as good weather, healthy crops and willing helpers can lead to a bountiful harvest.”
If this farmer had lost a crop, I could understand the risk I had taken, but he indicated on his Facebook page that he had a bountiful crop—this is what makes this so unjust. He was actually selling the crops he had grown with our prepaid funding from the CSA in his own community, thereby receiving payment twice for these prepaid goods.
I can only hope that he will eventually realize what he is doing to others, and stop taking hard-earned money from unsuspecting and trusting people.
