I cannot begin to describe my hatred for vita cost. I was a loyal customer for many years, but now whenever I open their site, i immediately regret it. They have ZERO customer service, they require a phone number in order to make a purchase, and they make absolutely everything more difficult than it needs to be. Do yourself a favor and shop literally anywhere else. Service Value Shipping ReturnsI had ordered successfully from Vitacost in the past so didn't hesitate to order again when they had an item I wanted but couldn't find anywhere else. The order arrived promptly and all contents were intact (including a glass jar of vitamins). Then I discovered my charge card had been billed twice. I immediately filed a dispute with my credit card company so I wouldn't be charged interest on the double amount and then opened a chat with Vitacost. I was told the amounts were pre-authorization billing and actual billing. This is common practice with online retailers but usually the pre-authorization charge is reversed when the actual charge goes through at shipment time. I was told by the Vitacost rep that the pre-authorization charge should roll off in 7-10 days. It is now day 9 and still on my account. I don't find this to be a business practice with which I am comfortable. Be aware if you order from them that this is how order charges are done. Service Value ShippingI tried to cancel my order about 2-3 hours after making it and was told my request couldn't go through due to "technical difficulties." When I tried again the next morning the order had already Been shipped and I would not be able to return it unopened for a refund. But then I complained again and the issued a refund and told us to keep the product! Products used:Kashi Go Lean original cereal Service Value QualityUPDATE: Vitacost did ship my order, finally, after my request to cancel it altogether. The message explained that there is customarily a "hold" placed on the credit card that does not reflect the order total; in this case, they charged me the higher amount anyway, then issued the discount (NOT the way a hold works). Sketchy business practices. Good luck getting email or chat to connect. I phoned, and the agent was pleasant but completely unequipped to execute corrections to the order, or to make anything right, really. 1. Promised discount showed up in my cart when I placed the order, but was not reflected in my credit card charge. 2. No way to communicate the issue except by phone, which didn't fix anything. 3. There is now no record of my order at all in my account. No order, no shipment, no tracking. Only the charge on my card. ETA: You can try their email at *******@vitacost.com, because their website form does not connect. I did get an automated response. Products used:Nothing was shipped.I have placed an order with Vitacost and some of the products received had an expiry date of July 2023. Reached out to Vitacost and they agreed to submit a refund request for the products, however they refuse to credit the shipping charges and the taxes paid, stating that they have not charged any. Well, they have charged me for the GST and PST (Canadian taxes) in the obscure section called "International shipping surcharges". When I confront them about that, their response is that they never refund these charges and they never refund the shipping charges. I said, ok then, reship the 3 bottles that were expired... They don`t do that. So they want me to accept to be ripped off... I have opened a dispute with Paypal and my advice, avoid this dishonest company at all cost unless you want to receive expired products and you want to be ripped off. After few days, escalations, they told me that they have processed the requested credit but no trace of any credit anywhere and after 1 week, still no credit showing...I asked them for the credit transaction number and without any surprise, they didn`t respond Service Value Shipping Returns QualityIn the many years of ordering from this company,I've only had a few problems,which were handles promptly online.And I order at least once a month,usually twice. I simply cannot believe these bad reviews as I've never experienced such as these reviews claim. Great company that I trust completely. Products used:OTC meds,drinks,food,etc Service Value Shipping QualityAnd after sending them a picture of the bottomless bottle, their customer service did not reply at all, I sent a few Emails with just an automatic reply saying they will be back with an answer and that was the last I heard from them Service Value Shipping Returns QualityOrdered and paid by credit card and said 4-5 day delivery and after 8 days I go to site and it still said processing. I talked to a rep on their site and he said canceled. I ask why and was not told but would get email. I tokes him I was at that time looking at statement showing i paid and he said no. I was right though. He said I could resubmit order but told him I wasn't going to allow them to rip me off twice. Next day I had credit card company take off charge. Very bad company and terrible customer relations. Service Value Shipping QualityVitacost uses a shipping Company which is the worst company I ever came across. Package never came and I just getting contrary reason. Canceled order because of the lack of shipping reliability. Products used:None never received the merchandise Service Value ShippingThe box came with no packing in-between glass jars, several were broken and leaking in the box. A heavy container of laundry liquid was in the box with the glass jars and the cap wasn't screwed on. Most of the order was ruined, broken glass and sticky everywhere. Have ordered from them for years, they used to package the boxes better, they are good about replacing things, but it is so wasteful and careless to pack a shipping box like that. Service Value Shipping Returns QualityContinued receiving damaged items, often missing item. Needing to spend hour(s) on phone with customer service ( or sometimes LACK of service!) Today received a badly busted 1 pound bag of paprika, plus unordered item, PLUS missing ordered item. The list goes on for past orders-unusual to get an order that something isn't wrong! My advice is order from Amazon- no need to order $50 worth to get free shipping- plus hardly,if any price difference, PLUS 5% if using their card. Tip for consumers:All info is in my review Products used:Missing one ordered item One item busted QualityThey claim quick international shipping. I paid extra for shipping to Colombia South America. Package went to Germany then mailed regular mail from there. Took over 6 weeks. Customer service said call back after 75 days DHL had no record of tracking number. Package was received but frustrating process.Very good pricing, never problems with credit card or delivery promptness. Their Vitacost-brand items are always great formulas, great prices and quality above average. Of course in the recent past, there were supply-chain issues (like everywhere else), but that's cleared up though some companies went out of business. I've been a steady customer for about 20 years. I rely on them, period. Tip for consumers:Best choice for me, for about 20 years. Products used:Health supplements (especially Vitacost brand), food, healthcare products. Service Value Shipping QualityEven though I live in a metro area where food allergies are accommodated Vitacost offers me easy, fast ordering and a wide variety of products. I hung with this business for that reason through the shipping problems I originally experienced and one or two unhappy customer experiences. To their credit they have always refunded my money and are constantly improving. Logistics have improved dramatically and I now receive my shipments in perfect shape and within 5 days sometimes sooner. If you have a special diet or food allergies this is a great place to shop. I also get cents off coupons and they frequently run sales. I can search for products that fit my particular diet so don't have to weed through things I can't eat. I've been shopping here for about 5 years and feel comfortable saying this business is terrific Tip for consumers:shipping is free with medium orders. The dollar amount occasionally changes. Check back often for good sales. Products used:allergy foods and supplies Service Value Shipping Returns QualityThis company hits all the high points i. E. the ones mentioned in the subject line. Their prices are very good, but what also differentiates them is that, unlike iHerb and AllStarHealth, their packaging is 100% environmentally friendly. Kudos. See the attached image of my order from this week. Products used:Various vitamins and supplements, and organic instant coffees. They also have some food products that we will be exploring. Service Value ShippingSent wrong items (packed with care by Maria R), called customer service and they were useless. As soon as I asked to talk to a supervisor, they hung up on me. Called back and supervisor Tracy told me that it would now be 7-10 business days to reship my items due to a "Bin search" that is Vitacost policy! Since when did their mistake become the customer's problem? Service Value Shipping Returns QualityI just love Clearly Natural Aloe Vera liquid (and bar soap). It is priced well at $3.99 per bottle and sold in health food stores as well as places like BB&B, Home Depot and the like. Its scent is fresh and clean... and the bottle looks stylish in kitchen or bathroom. I do see some poor reviews here... but do not confuse a five star product with human ineptitude from some mail-order warehouse. An array of scents is offered... but I stick with aloe vera. Five lovely stars.This company, Vita-cost are liar's and thieves. I accidentally made 2 orders of the same item and wanted to cancel within 12 hours on a weekend order. It states, processing orders are taking longer then usual, so, that gave me plenty of time to cancel the extra item. I was then told that it was already processed. I said " Really"? It hasn't even been deducted from my account or on hold and they already processed it? I told them to stop the BS and process the refund for the extra item. They don't want to give refunds for ANY reason. I've dealt with companies like this with the pandemic going on and I'm not buying that it's already processed and sent out because so many people have to wait a long time to receive mail orders. I'll never ever order from them again they can stick their products up their $#*!. That's the way I feel about them. Tip for consumers:Don’t order from Vitacost you will definitely pay the COST. Products used:Hair product and it states refunds accepted within the USA only ,but that’s a lie also. As well as them lying about it was already processed within less then 12 hours on a weekend at that. I’ve dealt with companies that refuse a refund due to needing money. It’s BS & Its not my responsibility to keep them afloat. Service Value Shipping Returns QualityI was told a refund would not be issued because they are not accepting returns. The product All Max Leucine powder does not dissolve in water. I met their terms (purchase in US and request within 60 days of purchase) and yet they deny my request. According to their website, a refund was issued And when I followed up one week later, I was informed of their decision. Nowhere on their website does it say "all sales final" or "we reserve the right to reject requests for refunds". They can choose to take items back but to refuse a refund of less than $60 is pathetic and bad business practice.I've been a loyal customer of Vitacost for years, but I will no longer be purchasing from them. I stocked up on some supplements during a sale, and it backfired on me. I opened a Vitacost brand container, and the bottle was empty except for the cotton and silica gel packet. (I made a video while opening the bottle as it felt suspiciously light when I pulled it from my stash.) Vitacost won't do anything about it because my order was over 60 days old. Very disappointing. Tip for consumers:60 day return/refund policy in force regardless of situation. Open every bottle you receive within 60 days to confirm there is actually product in the container. Products used:I have purchased all kinds of vitamins and supplements over the years. The product for this review was Alpha Lipoic Acid 600 mg. Service Value Returns QualityI normally don't write reviews but I get tired of companies using every excuse to not deliver their products and have bad customer service. I'd give NO stars for Vitacost if I could! I've waited weeks for a box of simply items and still waiting then just today after another round of excuses as to why I've not yet received my order I get an email from Vitacost saying one of the items I ordered weeks ago and they had said was on its way is out of stock. Yet they took my payment weeks ago and also I paid for shipping! Bad customer service and horrible excuse for a company in my opinion and I will never order from them again. Service Value Shipping QualityI have been a loyal Vitacost customer for at least 15 years. Today was the final straw -- I received an order with two liquid items (coconut milk) completely demolished, soaking the package and destroying everything else in the order. After spending an hour cleaning up this mess, I tossed everything that was destroyed out and contacted Vitacost for a whopping refund of $5.00. Get this: no picture, no refund. I explained to the customer service person that everything was in the dumpster, and she said 'no photo, no refund.' My response was: after spending thousands of dollars with your company, you want me to go to the dumpster to take a photo?' No thanks. I'll never order anything from them again. I hope this review steers any potential customers away from this company. They do not value their loyal customers. Tip for consumers:This company used to be wonderful, but not any longer. I hope to find a new place to order my healthy food. Do not shop Vitacost!!! Products used:Food was most common purchase. I also purchases some cosmetics and cleaning products over the years. Service Value Shipping Returns QualityThey cancelled one item from our order that turned out to be out of stock. However, they did not credit the full amount of the charge back, for no obvious reason. I communicated a number of times by email and attempted to call unsuccessfully, and they did nothing. In addition, one item was shipped in a bag with no cushioning and it arrived totally smashed, while two other items were left off the shipment entirely with no explanation and no credit. STAY AWAY! Service Value Shipping Returns QualitySpent two hrs putting items that showed up on website, it went trough and I even got charged. I received an email for delivery date and tracking. After few days Vitacost I for me trough email that 19 items out of 20 is out of stock. Huh? They sending me only a can of coconut creamer for now. I had plans to bake and cook for the weekend. They ruined my plan. Vitacost if you don't have the stuff why you put it on website and why you allow people to waste their time. Are you going out of business? Tip for consumers:Dont waste time ordering. You will not get it. Most their stuff is out of order Products used:None showed up Service Value Shipping Returns