Omaha Steaks? :-(

[cardude]

I was gifted a big box of "Omaha" steaks from the Omaha Steak Company back in December, and I thawed one out this morning and just ate it for lunch. And.................

IT WAS TERRIBLE !!

Gristly, tough, and it had a real funky taste on one end of it. I'm not a picky eater at all, and I ate almost the whole thing ('cause I'm cheap), but damn, it was gross.

Did I just get a bad one, or is the Omaha Steak Juggernaut just a big marketing scam?

[Sarah in SC]

Big marketing scam.

[Dimsumkid]

I haven't had these in over a decade, they we ok, but really expensive. I know if you're not satisifed, you can call them and they'll replace it for free if you want to give it another try. At least this is what they offered in the past.

[freebird5825]

Call them up and tell them what happened. Who knows? You could get even more of the same.
Seriously, though, sounds like their quality control system burped. I see a free shipment of replacements in your future. Or better yet, tell them you want something else. Got lobster?

[ziggy29]

I did it once, but only because I had an unusually massive coupon where (even with shipping) I paid something like $35 for 2 pounds of burgers and 6 pounds of steaks. It was probably some "loss leader" deal.

In my case, I thought the quality was fine, but even with the commonly offered "discounts" it would be too expensive for me to do again.

[Westernskies]

Well, you definitely got a bad one. But it sounds like you gave it a fair evaluation, eating all the way to the funky taste on the other end.

Marketing scam? They have a pretty good reputation for quality and customer service, give them a call and see if they will exchange the box (maybe it thawed out and was re-frozen?...)

[freebird5825]

Here ya go...keep us posted

Omaha Steaks 100% Satisfaction Guarantee

Lobster can be found here

http://www.omahasteaks.com/servlet/b.../Seafood?Dsp=2

[Bestwifeever]

Was it past the "use by" date--the steak's been in your freezer for at least two months and not sure what the expiration date would be.

But agree, call them up and they will likely replace it.

I haven't had an Omaha steak in several years but remember it being really good. They seem a little over-priced, but not sure they're a marketing scam.

[Orchidflower]

When I had little to do for a long period of time caretaking my elderly mother, I got into ordering some from Omaha Steaks. Overpriced? Yeah, waaaay.
But I can honestly say all the steaks I got were really tender and good. Wonder what happened?
Well, from my experience complaining about anything at Omaha Steaks--like their obnoxious emails I used to get almost daily--you won't get anywhere with them I'll bet. But I would still TRY if I were you.
Once I was really jerked around by Best Buy and--altho I understood it was a changeover in management--they actually have someone who culls the internet to seek out customer complaints, the rep in that office called me personally to offer a $100 gift certificate. They said they read all the complaints all over the net and offer this to only the tiny percentage they feel are legit. Maybe Omaha Steaks does the same?
But I'd sure complain somewhere. If you don't get service from them directly, go to the internet and see if you get any response. Just my suggestion. Companies like this really hate it when you go "public" with that sort of complaint.

[Sarah in SC]

Grass fed is so much better if you really want to spend some money on quality.

[rescueme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bestwifeever Was it past the "use by" date--the steak's been in your freezer for at least two months...

Sounds like you have been investing (e.g. "buy and hold") ...

[mystang52]

Never tried Omaha Steaks, mainly because I did try Lobster Gram. Thanks to a big gift certificate I only paid the same amount I would've paid at my local store (in other words, they are also way overpriced). I'm a lobster/seafood aficionado, and the LobsterGram's lobster tail was...mediocre.
Seeing Omaha's advertising immediately reminded me of Lobster Gram so I never even tried them.

[Bestwifeever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rescueme Sounds like you have been investing (e.g. "buy and hold") ...

Just timing the (meat) market here.

[ziggy29]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bestwifeever Just timing the (meat) market here.

So what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?

Oh, not THAT kind of a meat market. Never mind....

[73ss454]

I had them a few times, not bad. I'm very happy with Sams Club for steaks. As a matter of fact DW and I are having porterhouses for dinner today. I like to cook them as soon as we get them as they are better than after freezing.

[Dimsumkid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bestwifeever Was it past the "use by" date--the steak's been in your freezer for at least two months and not sure what the expiration date would be. But agree, call them up and they will likely replace it. I haven't had an Omaha steak in several years but remember it being really good. They seem a little over-priced, but not sure they're a marketing scam.

USDA claims you can freeze raw steaks from 4-12 months @ zero degrees, so 2 months isn't a problem. They also state you can freeze indefinitely, but quality obviously would deteriorate with time.

[Bestwifeever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dimsumkid USDA claims you can freeze raw steaks from 4-12 months @ zero degrees, so 2 months isn't a problem. They also state you can freeze indefinitely, but quality obviously would deteriorate with time.

True--I was thinking if cardude received the steaks in December, who knows when they were packaged and first frozen at Omaha (they're at least two months frozen and could be past the four months). But they surely have an expiration date of some sort stamped on them.

[missionfinder]

I could never justify the cost of buying from them. I just bought 15 lbs of ribeyes for $3.99/lb, and 15 lbs of New York strips for $2.99/lb at Save-A-Lot. So far the 4 strips we've eaten have been very good.

[Dawg52]

I tried some once. Not impressed either.

[scrabbler1]

I have been buying Omaha Steaks since 1994. I don't buy often, maybe once every 9-12 months so some of what I buy (burgers, mainly) stays frozen for nearly a year. I stay away from the really expensive stuff, sticking to the Steak Tips or the 5 oz. burgers (16 for $25). The Steak Tips are a little pricey even if they are on sale (the Tenderloin ones are better than the Sirloin ones). Sometimes, the Steak Tips are really good but sometimes they were just good-not-great. However, I think I will stop buying the Steak Tips.

The 5 oz. burgers have always been superb. The only time I had a problem with them was with the packaging - there were some small bubbles in the plastic which broke and exposed the meat. I returned them to the store and exchanged them - now I always make sure to inspect every one in the box before I leave the store.

A few years ago I also bought the breaded chicken fingers which were good-not-great and a bit pricey. My dad used to like those franks I would buy for him but he no longer eats them.

I try to shop at their store when they have some good freebie offer like a chocolate cake. They used to have one of those frequent shopper cards which gave me a chance to try out some other freebie items after I completed the stamped card.

I once told them not to call me with special offers because I found the calls intrusive. They respected my wishes. I get plenty of mailings from them which is fine because when I am close to running out of their stuff I gather up anything recent I got to see what they have on sale. Because my freezer space is tight, I can only buy more when I know I have enough space in there.

There used to be a store pretty close to where I live but it closed several years ago, so I have to drive a bit further to another one.