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I love Hungry Jack! I have tried Idahoan and did not like them at all.

Thank you.  I will try Hungry Jack.

P.S.

I looked at Hungry Jack's website and saw that they have an "original" version along with a few others.  I don't know why Betty Crocker refuses to do that.

I will get some Hungry Jack tomorrow and try it out.  Thanks again!

Classic_Potato_Buds:

P.S.

 

I looked at Hungry Jack's website and saw that they have an "original" version along with a few others.  I don't know why Betty Crocker refuses to do that.

 

I will get some Hungry Jack tomorrow and try it out.  Thanks again!

Let us know how you like them. Thanks!

I tried Hungry Jack instant mashed potatoes and I like them!!

Better yet, my grocery store even gave me full credit for the open box of Betty Crocker Potato Dust that I returned!

So, to Betty Crocker:  I'll be eating Hungry Jack mashed potatoes until your sales of "New & Improved Taste" Potato Dust drop so much that you realize you need to bring back the original recipe.

 Every one has different taste--Our mom thinks they all stink.

Classic_Potato_Buds:

Hey everyone,

 

Since Betty Crocker seems to be ignoring our requests to bring back the original Potato Buds, I am looking for a suitable replacement.  There' is NO WAY I'm buying this "new improved taste" again.  Has anyone tried another company's instant mashed potatoes that they can recommend?

Hi Classic_Potato_Buds:

We are listening and sharing your comments. I thought it would be helpful to give you some more information on the change.

Our goal is to give consumers quality products at a good value.  Prior to introducing any product, extensive consumer testing is done.  We conduct market research and product testing continuously to obtain consumer reaction to existing products and to changes being considered.  Only when we feel confident that a product change will broaden its appeal will we alter a product′s formulation.  We are sorry that you do not agree that the recent change in Potato Buds was for the better.

Sincerely, Cate

Cate, your response is different from an e-mail I received.  According to Paula A. Vaughn, the change was made to accommodate people who need gluten-free diets.  Well, I'm sorry but I don't need nor do I want a gluten-free diet.  I want my original Potato Buds back. Why can't you at least put out both products and let consumers make their own choice?

Here's the e-mail I received:

I received a letter from Betty Crocker and some General Mills coupons.  I sent the coupons back, stating that the only satisfactory remedy for me is for Betty Crocker to sell the original recipe of Potato Buds again.  Until then, my choice is Hungry Jack. 

BTW, Hungry Jack has a variety of instant potatoes, including their Original formula.  Why is that concept so difficult for Betty Crocker to understand? 

And who exactly was in your research testing group?  I have not seen or heard a single complimentary comment ANYWHERE about the "new and improved taste."

Judging from the negative comments I've seen here and elsewhere, your market resaerch was a failure. Have you seen the comments all over the web? Not one positive comment for the change in recipe. If you want to offer a gluten free product, fine. Just don't ignore the vast majority of us that want the original product. Cate, the recent change was not for the better. In a very short time, you will see that sales of Potato Buds are dropping off the chart. Don't take my word for it. Read the comments all over the web. NOBODY likes this change, and we are upset about it. Perhaps we should take the advice of another post and boycot Betty Crocker until they bring back the original Potato Buds!

I have also switched to Hungry Jack mashed potatoes.

I guess Betty Crocker should be impressed that there is SUCH a stir on the Internet about the change in Potato Buds.  They were kind enough to send me a check for $5 to cover the cost of the "new improved" buds that I bought and threw out after one use.  I couldn't even tell you when I started using Potato Buds, but years ago, my local Kroger didn't carry them, so I would go to a second grocery store, just to get them.  Whether we were making potatoes for 2 or 3 or the 30 that sometimes grace our Christmas dinner table, they always turned out just the way I like mashed potatoes.  Even my mother couldn't tell that they were "instant" potatoes, something that she would never even think about using.  I appreciate the $5 Betty, but PLEASE, PLEASE bring back the original buds.   

Cate,

   It appears that different people have gotten different reasons for the change in Potato Buds.  I would suggest that the underlying reason, no matter what the corporation told you, is that the change is to save money for the company.  This is the reason why any corporation does things.  When they do something altruistic, it is really to look like good folks and caring about the customers.  Unfortunately, there will be such a great loss of customers that it will overcome any profits you would have made from the reformulation.  This is a serious corporate error. 

   Something else I have to pick at is the story that 'extensive testing' was done on the new potato Buds.  Don't let them fool you.  If they did an honest test on the product, since there were NO customers here that liked them, you can't possibly have gotten a generally good response from any test group unless they were afraid to tell the truth.   If the testing was not honest, that answers itself.  Another possibility is that someone higher up figured that the change could be done without testing, and more money would be saved.  If so, it was a terrible error as we now know.  Any way you look at it, with EVERY SINGLE message on this board and EVERY SINGLE review on the product page being bad, there's no chance that an honest test was done.  With the 121 or more reviews and the 45 comments on the boards, that comes to 15,600 real negative comments.  I'm using the standard marketing formula where for every comment sent in, there are 100 comments either good or bad that wasn't sent in.  I suggest you go to the testers if they are near you and ask questions and see for yourself what happened.  Otherwise it appears that they have put you and other customer service people out front with bad information.

   Another possibility occurs to me, and that is that someone higher up the 'food' chain in General Mills decided to change the product so that the new formula would cost less to make.  They would simply hold on until the screaming is done, and then expect customers to come back and uase the potatoes again and forget all about the change.  Anyone that has looked around at the consumer comments here and on the product page could tell the decision maker that would be an error too.  People are already going away and trying and getting settled with other products, or going back to regular potatoes, which are what it's all about.

   I can see there is going to be no other way to go with this thing, but to go toKen Howell and a few of the other executives and explain this whole problem and the complete lack of response we got, other than 'We're sharing the information'.  Sharing with who? Top executives that make decisions, or local 'team' members?

   If you need a copy of the bad comments from the product page, I have kept a copy of them in the event they have to be sent in certified mail to a decision maker.

Cate,

   Sorry, I got my numbers wrong when I counted the bad comments here.  I had said 45, but it turns out to be 88 under different topics.  So it's really 8,800 bad comments without ANY good comments to balance them out.

  You do realize that customers are using your own bulletin board to hunt up a competitor's product to use in place of the Potato Buds, don't you?  Shouldn't someone higher up than the 'team' have this shared with them?  People want to stay with Betty Crocker, but Betty Crocker (really General Mills) isn't listening to them, so they're looking around.  Time for a hero to get the word upstairs.  Unless this problem came from upstairs.  In that case, forget it, Betty Crocker is committing suicide.  They don't even have their own customer service, it's all General Mills customer service now.

I wouldn't waste too much time on this Cate.  It's a box of mashed potatos.  Good Lord.  A FaceBook page dedicated to instant  spuds? Really?

Yep, a Facebook page.  In my case, it's based on a 40-year loyalty to what WAS a great product.  I can't think of anything else I eat that I have so much loyalty for that I'd create a Facebook page.  Apparently over 50 other people have their own reasons for agreeing with me.  Why don't you check it out yourself and see the comments that are posted there?

I agree Betty Crocker needs to bring back the originall Potato Buds. I am now using the  Idahoan brand.

until the original Potato Buds come back I will not use the new not improved kind of Betty Crocker Mashed potato.

This is where we find out that B C owns one or more of the other brands!  Ya'll have a great day!

Hungry Jack's are great. My son says they are better than my homemade! haha