The other day, I was working on my laptop for quite a long time. I had ignored my hunger pains for hours, but could no longer do so. I popped into the kitched looking for something quick, easy and filling to prepare because I was too darn hungry.
In the cupboard was a box of Kraft Dinner, a Canadian staple. It’s quick to prepare (takes 8 minutes for the noodles to soften) and very yummy. But because of my hunger, I wanted to prepare my Kraft Dinner in even quicker time.
I checked for the microwave directions on the box. What I found instead was a URL to go to the Kraft Dinner website for those directions. So, over to my laptop I go in search of the microwave directions.
I plugged in the URL and went to the website. I had to wait for the site to load up (it’s all in flash) and once it did, I clicked around for what seemed like forever and I couldn’t find what I was looking for.
There was alot of information, but not what I needed. For example, if I wanted quick meals in 5-minutes, oh there were many options. If I wanted to enter a contest, I could do that too. If I wanted to see how Kraft Dinner packaging looked 10 years ago, that was available. But I couldn’t find the microwave instructions as promised on the box.
I expected to see a bright red button on the first page stating “Click here for microwave directions.” But nadda. So now, I’m kind of pissed. Not only did I waste the time it could’ve taken me to boil water on the stove clicking endlessly through a useless website, but now my neck could no longer sustain the weight of my own head due to this nawing hunger.
So, I emailed Kraft. Here’s what I wrote:
I was so disappointed with your website. I wanted the microwave directions and the box said to go to the website. I clicked around for what seemed like minutes and I still can’t find them. I’m hungry as heck and all I want are the microwave directions as promised on the box. Please update your website to give customers what you promise they will find on your webpage.
I clicked send. Within minutes, I got an autoresponder (which was delivered right to my Spam folder). It was a generic message saying “Thanks for your email. We pride ourselves in serving our customers….yadda, yadda.”
Then, 24-hours after sending my complaint by email, I got a response from Kim in their Consumer Relations department:
Thank you for visiting http://www.kraftcanada.com. (My comments – I didn’t, it was kraftdinner.com)
Here are the directions for preparing Kraft Dinner in the microwave: (I already had my Kraft Dinner yesterday, so you’re late)
No-Drain Microwave Directions:
Empty Pasta into 6-cup (1.5 L) microwaveable dish.
Add 1-3/4 cups (425 mL) HOT water. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 8 to 9 min. or until water is absorbed, stirring every 3 min.
Add 3 Tbsp. (45 mL) butter or margarine, 1/4 cup (50 mL) milk and the Cheese Sauce Mix. Stir until pasta is well coated.
For the best tasting microwave product, we recommend that you try Kraft Easy Mac products specially
formulated for the microwave. (I don’t care about this product, only the one I was going to prepare – YESTERDAY)
Again, thanks for contacting us, and I hope you’ll continue to enjoy our products.
Kim
Can Kraft Canada be any more clueless? Think about it. I’m not sitting at home waiting for their email to come through with directions on how to prepare my Kraft Dinner by microwave. I had already prepared, eaten and released the meal out of my system by the time Kim sends me her email. Had I waited for Kraft to respond, I would’ve died of hunger.
What Kraft Canada should’ve done is write an email to me apologizing for how crappy their website is and that they will get their webmaster to make modifications so it’s easier to find the microwave directions. Then, end the note saying:
I hope you continue to enjoy our products. I’m including the microwave directions for your convenience in this email for the next time you prepare Kraft Dinner in the future. And because you were inconvenienced, I mailed you a few coupons that you can use for future Kraft Dinner purchases.
Now that’s how you treat a hungry customer. It’s obvious that Kim just copy and pasted some common response from her internal database instead of really applying customer service tactics to my email. And it’s not Kim’s fault – she’s just the messenger. She collects her cheque every two weeks and just goes through her 9 to 5 routine. So I don’t blame Kim.
Instead, the blame rests with Kraft’s marketing department. Their website and the information on their product packaging is not in synch. It created confusion for me and I’m certain it’s driving up costs for their customer service department everytime a customer calls or emails with a complaint that they can’t find what they’re looking for at the very place that Kraft told them to look.
It’s too bad. Kraft has an awesome product, but lousy marketing. I wonder when they’ll get it?
Thank you so much! I am starving and need the microwave directions. 🙂
The website was horrible though. It even required two computers. I first booted up my 6 year old laptop thinking a website for Kraft Dinner couldn’t possibly be that demanding, and the laptop promptly locked up after trying to deal with the stupid flash website.
Now I am on my new laptop, where I also could not find directions.
Hi Leesa,
I also found myself looking for the microwave directions on their site and could not find what I was looking for. Like Sheila and Sara I searched for kraft dinner microwave directions and low and behold they you were with the directions. As of today June 24/08 there is stil no directions on the box for microwave. Thank you for making it easy to find the directions and helping me to get rid of my hunger pains!!
THANK YOU LEESA!!Like You, I was starved and wanted something quick but tasty and could not believe I had to go thru this to find out the instructions.”What were they thinking”???? Thanks again.
Thanks so much for the huge laugh this article gave to my mother and me. I was on the phone with her trying to guide her to the notorious KD website so she could find the microwave instructions (she at her computer and I at mine in another city). I can verify that as of 21 March 2008 Kraft still has not made it easy (or even possible?) to find the KD microwave directions as stated on their packaging. In exasperation I guided my mother through a Google search (“kraft dinner microwave”), and your website was one of the ones that popped up. Not only was the article pretty funny (since it exactly mirrored our own experience), it also was the easiest way to find the actual recipe – thanks again!
Thank goodness you posted the directions – I’m just trying to microwave it now.
Interesting to note that they encourage you to buy their far more microwave friendly and also, gee, much much more expensive product Easy Mac. Note also that the directions for microwaving the much cheaper Kraft Dinner got taken off the box around the same time that the push to get consumers to buy Easy Mac started. Harder to find microwave instructions = increased sales on more expensive microwaveable product with /easy/ to find instructions.