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UrthBox Subscription Box Review – March 2015

Lindsey Morse
ByLindsey MorseMar 24, 2015 | 17 comments

UrthBox Subscription Box Review - March 2015 - Box

Urthbox is a monthly subscription that introduces subscribers to delicious and healthy new snacks. Every box includes a selection of non-GMO, organic, and healthy snacks, beverages, and more.

Subscribers select from four different box sizes and the following versions: The Classic, The Gluten-Free, The Vegan, and The Diet. This review is of The Classic Mini Box.

UrthBox Subscription Box Review - March 2015 - Inside

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

UrthBox Subscription Box Review - March 2015 - Contents

The Subscription Box: Urthbox

The Cost: $19/monthly for the mini box (4-5 products); $29/monthly for the small box (8-10 products); $39/monthly for the medium box (14-16 products); $59/monthly for the large box (20-24 products) (Less per month with longer subscription plans.)

The Products: Safe, healthy, and natural snacks from trustworthy brands.

Ships to: US (free shipping) and Canada ($6)

Visit the Food Subscription Box Directory to discover other snack subscriptions.

UrthBox Subscription Box Review - March 2015 - Card

Urthbox included a card that specified the month and type of box I received but did not provide a list of the items included in the box.

UrthBox Subscription Box Review - March 2015 - Coupon

There was also a card with a coupon code for $10 off my first order in the Urthbox shop.

UrthBox Subscription Box Review - March 2015 - Snakarola

Cantaloupe Crispy Fruit by Crispy Green (.36 oz)- value $1.59

Curry Cashew Snakarola by Laughing Giraffe Organics (3 oz)- value $4.69

I’m more than a little obsessed with freeze-dried fruit, and I was thrilled to receive a flavor I’ve never tried before. The cantaloupe was interesting, but I didn’t think it compared to my favorite flavors, pineapple and mango.

The curry cashews were excellent, but it took me a couple of handfuls before I realized the Snakarola packet contained 5 ½ servings. (Two tablespoons doesn’t seem like a very realistic serving size to me.) Regardless, I really loved this snack’s unusual flavor combination. Dried currants added a little bit of sweetness that nicely countered the spicy curry powder, and the addition of coconut was delicious. I might also be a fan of this snack because it reminded me of one of my favorite chocolates of all time, Vosges' Naga Coconut & Curry Bar.

UrthBox Subscription Box Review - March 2015 - Laiki

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chip Mini Cookies by Home Free (.95 oz)- value $1.49

Black Rice Crackers by Laiki (.74 oz)- value $1.25

The mini chocolate chip cookies didn’t blow me away. They were very crisp and fairly chocolatey, but I didn’t think the flavor was anything special.

On the other hand, I really liked Laiki’s Black Rice Crackers. They contain only three ingredients: black rice, palm oil, and sea salt. I thought they were delicious, and (this might sound crazy) I thought their saltiness and texture made them taste a little like Bugles!

UrthBox Subscription Box Review - March 2015 - Bumble Bars

Strawberry Granola Minis by Made Good (.85 oz)- value $1

Amazing Almond Bumble Bar (1.4 oz)- value $1.99

I was only able to find the Strawberry Granola Minis for sale on a Canadian health food website (with shipping to Canada only), so I’m not sure how readily available they are in the US. Taste-wise, I thought they were okay. I didn’t dislike them, but I don’t think I would buy them again. Interestingly, though, they’re made with vegetable powder (and contain the nutrients found in one serving of vegetables), so they might be a good snack for veggie-averse kids.

I’ve tried Bumble Bars before, and I really like them. They’re a “real food” energy bar made with dried fruits, nuts, and seeds, and I like that they are gluten-free and dairy-free.

UrthBox Subscription Box Review - March 2015 - Hemp Hearts

Natural Hemp Hearts by Manitoba Harvest (.5 oz)- value $.56

Purps Vita Multi-Vitamin Supplement Powder (9 g.)- value $2.08

Hemp Hearts are everywhere this month! I also received sample packets in the Love with Food Tasting Box and the Love with Food Gluten-Free Box, so I’m not that happy to see them again in my Urthbox. Still, I like them well enough, so I’m sure I’ll eat them eventually.

At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of Purps Vita, but after doing a bit of online research I was really excited to try it. It’s a multi-vitamin supplement powder derived from organic, non-GMO superfruits (including mangosteen, maqui, acai, and blueberry) that contains valuable phytonutrients, antioxidants, essential vitamins, and minerals. I enjoyed the berry flavor, but I did think the drink had a slight grittiness and “vitamin taste.” Which, to be fair, isn’t totally shocking for a vitamin drink.

Verdict: This is my first Urthbox, and, so far, I’m really impressed. For the most part, I really enjoyed the curation of the box, and I liked the majority of the snacks that were included. One thing I want to point out about Urthbox is that there is a huge gap in pricing between a monthly subscription and a 6-month subscription. For the mini box I received, the prices are $19 per month and $9 per month, respectively. The value of this box comes in at $14.65, which is an excellent value only if you’re willing to commit to a 6-month subscription.

Given Urthbox’s similarities to Love with Food, I think it’s difficult not to compare the two. Both companies offer boxes that are roughly the same size and cost and include natural snacks that are often gluten-free, non-GMO, and organic. Comparing this Mini Urthbox to March's Love with Food Tasting Box, I would say that I preferred the products selected by Love with Food but that Urthbox had the better value. I also like that Love with Food provides a brochure with information about the snacks they’ve selected for the box. Honestly, though, I enjoyed both boxes this month, and I look forward to seeing how these two boxes stack up against each other next month!

Have you tried Urthbox? What did you think?

Lindsey Morse
Lindsey Morse

Lindsey is a professional baker, cold brew coffee addict, and rosé aficionado who loves writing about food and wine. When she’s not sharing her love of subscription boxes with the world, you’ll find her in the podcasting studio, perfecting her cake decorating techniques, or cursing her way through the New York Times daily crossword puzzle. 


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17 comments

Vicki

Very unhappy with this company and would highly recommend that others avoid it.

At the end of my six month subscription that I actually wanted, I let them know in writing that I wanted to cancel the subscription. I asked to cancel the subscription after the cut-off date, so I knew I would be receiving another six months of boxes, even though I did not want them.

I accepted this because it is posted on the website as one of their policies.

Six months later, I get another $209 charge on my credit card bill. My subscription had been auto-renewed again, though I had told them in writing that I did not want any more.

I contacted the company to tell them I had cancelled six months ago and wanted a refund. I was told they had no record of the cancellation, and asked if it was a different email address. I explained to the representative that it was originally purchased with my old email address, which had been disabled by the service provider several months prior. I was told I needed to provide a screenshot of the email where I requested cancellation. Seeing as that email address no longer exists, I cannot do that.

The representative told me that the best she could do was cancel the auto-renewal on the current subscription, so that in six months I would stop receiving boxes.

I am very dissatisfied with the “resolution” to this issue. I believe they should have taken my word that I had already cancelled the subscription six months ago, and reversed the charges and stopped sending boxes. Now I’m stuck receiving another $209 worth the boxes I don’t want, on top of the $209 I originally didn’t want, for a total loss of $418.

I feel like I’ve been conned out of over $400. I believe that if they were an honorable company, they would have reversed the charges for me and made sure the subscription would not renew. I hope they change their minds and refund my credit card, and do something to set their karma straight, such as send some boxes to the Hurricane Harvey victims.

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Savannah

They charged me for a $160 subscription that I would NEVER have purchased. Contacted customer support and they told me that they can’t refund anything even though I haven’t even received the first box. Furthermore I purchased a box as a christmas gift in November and the recipient still has nothing and no tracking. All this company is, is a scam.

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AW

I like many other experienced the terrible customer service from UrthBox when I purchased a Groupon for ONE subscription and they continued to charge me for more boxes without my consent. When I brought this to customer service expecting then to cancel remaining boxes and provide a refund for the ones that have not yet been sent they were extremely rude, condescending and inappropriate. HIGHLY do not recommend purchasing. In addition to the terrible service many of the snacks are not great and most are broken on arrival. Would not ever consider this company again and would recommend others to avoid.

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James Bosch

I too would caution anyone from signing-up with this company–definitely shady! Poor customer service would rather not refund money than possibly gain a good relationship. After six months, NO auto renewal email, no way to cancel. Simply charged my credit card.

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Anna

BEWARE: When you sign up there is an “AUTO RENEWAL” box that is PRE-CHECKED! I purchased a 3 mth subscription for my daughter’s second semester in university and didn’t notice that they were continue to bill me until the second renewal ($250 later). Customer service was very unreasonable, condescending, and refused to do anything to resolve the issue besides cancel the subscription for the next time. They wouldn’t refund the money even though the next set of boxes hadn’t been sent and my daughter was at home for the summer so she didn’t even need the products. They said because it was the second renewal “I must have known”. Sad because my daughter really liked the products so we would have continued to purchase a subscription while she was away for the next two years. BURNED!

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Barry

Terrible customer service. They ignore complaint tickets posted on their website, don’t return phone calls, and hide behind policies.
When I finally got them on the phone and mentioned the ticket she said “yes, that’s why I’m returning your call”. You didn’t call me, I called you!!!

I got a deal through Groupon for $20 and it was mediocre at best. I called to get a refund because they chardged me full price even though I entered the promo code, they gave me back my money and I asked them to cancel the service because I only did it for the deal.

3 months later I get a charge for $90!
I write a ticket online and dont hear anything back so I call and explain the situation. She said she couldnt refund and would have a manager/supervisor call me back but that never happened. I asked to cancel again so it didn’t happen in another 3 months time. She said she would and that I’d get an email confirming the cancelation. I never got the email, I called several times and left messages, I tried to cancel through the website but still haven’t gotten any confirmation of cancelation!

Next step is to call the bank and ensure they have no access to funds.

On the original order for 3 months I only got 2 of the packages. They didn’t seem to care about that issue either.

If I could give less than 1 star I would.

Don’t even try it for the deal through Groupon, it’s just not worth the hassle!

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Stacy

Unhealthy snacks full of allergens, height fructose corn syrup, maltose dextrin, dextrose, etc. Most products taste terrible. The business is not responsive to customer’s complaints or cancellations. They are an online scam. Stay away. Any review that says otherwise is someone paid by the business to post a review.

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Jordan West

Also received something that contained SPLENDA. Yuck. It’s a great concept but agree with all the reviews.

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Claire

UrthBox has a nice selection of snacks, but the business itself is too shady for me to invest in it. I found the company on Instagram and on every single one of their posts, there are a ton of people complaining about either being charged for subscriptions but not receiving their boxes or being refused to cancel subscriptions. The top complaint on their Instagram by people is about the horrendously atrocious customer service–always on hold on the phone, emails not being answered, only one person running customer service, not resolving complaints. Waste of time.

For this subscription box, the review shouldn’t be in the products being sent, but should be about the company itself.

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April

Buyer Beware when it comes to UrthBox. Please do your research. Some call this company a scam. On Yelp, they have just 2 stars for illegally renewing subscriptions without consumers’ knowledge or consent. (The law states that the terms for automatic renewal have to be “clear and conspicuous,” being in text different from the text surrounding it so as to draw attention to it, and the terms have to be on the checkout page. They are not. They are buried in the fine print. That’s unlawful.) They have an F-rating with the BBB for ignoring consumer complaints. They illegally renewed my 6 month subscription and took $295 from me. I have been fighting it, but despite the fact that they still have all of my money, they sent me just 2 boxes and then stopped. I do not want the boxes, just my money. The law says I do not have a contract with them, but if I did, they’d be in breach of it! Unethical! My story is not uncommon.

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traci

I had this issue, then, when I thought I had canceled after a knock down drag out round 6 months ago, today I got it renewed! They need to be stopped!

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Veronica H

I love my Urthbox, I first subbed out a 3 month deal and then later signed up for a 6 month sub. I think I get the regular, medium box. I love getting new snacks that are on the healthier side. I would see these in stores and walk right past without trying for fear of not liking, but getting the box makes me try something yummy I might not have otherwise. I have found the hemp hearts are amazing in oatmeal and in yogurt. I actually have purchased them because of getting them in Urthbox. This month I received chocolate covered espresso beans. I haven’t had those for years. Such a great treat. I like this so much better than Naturebox, which I had before, because I can actually find these snacks somewhere versus just having to buy them through the company.

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:)

This is my first urthbox. I haven’t had time to do more than peek into the box, but I notice that several of the items are the same (curry cashews, chocolate cookies, hemp hearts, bumblebar). There was some kind of juice box in there and an energy drink, too. I believe also parmesan crisps? And a turkey sausage! I’m a vegetarian, so I’ll have to swap that one out.. can’t remember which version of the box I signed up for- maybe I should touch base and see if I should/could swap to a vegan box if they are going to include meat products. Overall, I’m excited to try most of the items in the box (minus the turkey sausage and the energy drink).

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Lisa

Also, is this definitely the mini box? It says mini has 4-5 snacks but I count 8. Although a couple of snacks seem sample size…

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Lindsey

Hi, Lisa! I just double checked- it’s definitely the mini box. 🙂

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Lisa

I subscribed to Urthbox last year or so through a deal site. It was before they offered different sized boxes. I really liked the snacks they sent! I have a Love with Food subscription as well but if Urthbox’s subscription really does turn out to be $9 a month, I might need to jump on that! I need healthy snacks to counteract the Japanese candy boxes I subscribe to! 🙂 Thanks for the review!

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Ragan

I’ve had thosse Laiki crackers before. They do remind me a little bit of Bugles.

I don’t get UrthBox right now although I really did like it in the past (even better if you can get a deal on a flash sale site). I don’t mind the hemp hearts because that’s something I put in my oatmeal every day, so every packet I get in a sub box is something I don’t have to buy at Whole Foods (I think a slightly larger package was in Vegan Cuts recently, too). Although at the same time, it’s not a new item to discover, either.

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