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I totally agree!  I will not buy another box until the original recipie is back.  What a disappointment, we used to enjoy Betty Crocker Potato Buds quite often before the new and improved came out. 

OMG....what did they do to their formerly delicious Potato Buds?!!   I bought a new box a while back, which says it has a new improved taste.  (Ha!)  I just made them for the ffirst time tonight and they taste more like the cardboard box than potaotes.  I have been buying them for years and loved the original taste.  Mashed potatoes are my favorite food and BC Potoao Buds were more like potatoes than boilng the real thing, in my opinion.  They had managed to really trap the potato flavor.  The new ones are awful and I won't buy them again until they are back to the original!   Also, they no longer have the opening to pour from the side of the box.  My family and I could live with that, but not the change in flavor.  I hope they read the message boards, but I also hope more disappointed people write in and let the Betty Crocker Corp. know.

   I completely agree with how bad the "New & Improved Taste" Potato Buds. They aren't even "buds" anymore. They tasted & smelled so bad I threw them out. I also called the toll free telephone number on the side of the box to complain in person.  They sent me a check for $4.00 to reimburse me for the box I bought. I used to use Potato Buds several times a week, but they lost a customer in me when they changed them. One can only hope if they get enough complaints they will go back to the original. Why fixsomething that isn't broken.

  I see that They have removed the 25 comments from here that were so negative about the Potato Buds, and no sooner do they try to cover up the truth, but folks come right back and continue the negative comments.  So even after reading the 25 bad reviews, no one at General mills seems to catch on to the fact that there are NO good reviews of the product since it was changed. 

   Each bad comment represents 100 or more people that didn't want to bother to sign on and write in a comment.  That is thousands of consumers that don't like the product, and with NO good reviews, that means there is no one out there that likes them.  Soon they will notice the drop in sales and Betty Crocker will come up with a bunch of phony reasons  to tell General Mills why it happened.  I doubt it will be the truth, that they messed with a good, solid product that had market share and consumer loyalty.  All gone now.

   Instead of covering up the truth, which obviously isn't working, why not correct the problem?  Did someone higher up issue an order and everyone is afraid to tell them the truth?

   Now, while you are busy covering up the true consumer responses to the change in the product, don't forget to go over to the Potato Buds review section under the product name and remove the 115 negative comments there, as well as the 1 spoon out of a possible 5 rating the Buds got.  While there, try reading the bad reviews.  They're the same as those here you tried to cover up.  I think the only way this is going to get resolved is for us to send certified letters to Big Ken the CEO and maybe the VP of marketing and explain what has been going on.

  When this happened to Coca-Cola they were smart enough to correct the problem and put the old 'Coke Classic' back on the market.  They caught their mistake just in time.  But they were a fast moving corporation that wanted to win.  Not a foolish old doddering company covering up the consumers disgust of their product.

   Who in the company is going to be the smart one and save the product from the trash can of history?  Take a chance and tell someone upstairs some bad news?

DudSpuds, many thanks for speaking out!  I am always amazed at companies not listening to the consumer and this is a classic case of that.  I stopped buying any boxed potato product years ago because they all tasted like the cardboard box they come in.   I see nothing has changed!  Convenience does not justify bad tasting products and the consumer simply won't stand for it, particulary in this economy when so many are watching how they spend their hard-earned money!

I Agree ! I have posted 3 myself that have never been used! No Fair ! We want to be seen and we want Betty Crocker to know we are very dissapointed. We made a special effort to be published in this site to let you know our opinions. If you do not want any more bad feedback ... then FIX your product! Listen to what we are trying to tell you !  We want our old " One of a Kind " potato buds back. Unfortunately, there are no others  or we would purchase them. Now it is as if  Potato buds are" made in China" just like everything else that is junk in this world. I am sure you did not do this to dissapoint all of us  so we will forgive you , as long as you fix our potato buds.  We need them . We cooked with them.  My Fried fish was potato buds not flour. My famous secret Thanksgiving mashed were 50% Betty and 50 % boiled fresh Idaho's  because yours made them so much more  creamy and delicious ! Thank You for letting Me speak out. I would appreciate it if you do not cut this from this post like you are doing with so many others. Sincerely, Margi B.

Margi-B: Thank you for taking the time to post. All comments are being shared with the team. We aren't cutting comments from the community around this subject. As long as they stay within our guidelines, we have no reason delete them.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/community/forums/25/3573

Sincerely, Cate

I could not agree more.  If I can be reimbursed for the box going in the trash, fine; but I'll never buy this terrible substitution for a good product again.

We have almost 50 people on my Facebook page, "Bring Back the Original Potato Buds."  It's gradually growing as people open their boxes of "New & Improved" and discover the awful-tasting secret.

Facebook page now has 98 disgruntled Potato Buds lovers.

Actually Kate, betty crocker IS cutting posts AND inflating ratings.

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/2356/potatobudscandal.jpg

I voted a 1.  The system made it 1.5

My old post is now nowhere to be found along with 120 others.  Is this how BC wants customers to feel after these loyal supporters bought their product for a lifetime?

Before all this I thought eh, whatever I don't have enough time to fight with a company who doesn't want to improve their product or sales.  I don't have much time to spare myself and I dislike being negative.  But now that you are trying hard to obfuscate the time people took to TELL YOU you've made a mistake ALONG with the "scathing" reviews, I just can't ignore it.

People went out of their way to tell you that your product isn't comparable to the old one and that you have a chance to change it back.  But now you prefer to throw these customers away without so much as an explanation.  If you were to say, "we're sorry but this formula is here to stay and there is nothing you can say to change this" I am sure people will be disappointed but at least theyhave an answer.  However, many of us are hanging on to a glimmer of hope that is frankly dying along with customer loyalty.

Rather than giving an honest answer, you now owe the community at large an apology for deleting posts, inflating ratings, wasting our time, disregarding our patronage, as well as obfuscating the truth.  Because of what I've seen with my very own eyes, I will think twice before I buy anything with a betty crocker label. 

I have said nothing that is not violating terms of service nor is it hateful, slanderous or untruthful.  It is contentious but it needs to be said.  Therefore I will screenshot this thread and will join others, coming back from time to time to warn people what BC has done until they give the public at large a formal apology.

I cannot edit my post but I misspelled Cate and to correct the double negative at the end.

That no I have not violated tos, etc.  I believe many others have not as well.

Hi all!

I understand how upset everyone seems regarding the "New and Improved" Potato Buds.  I decided to buy a box to see if they are as aweful as everyone says.  I followed the microwave directions and made sure not to overmix the ingredients.  Other than the fact that I had to add more hot water than the instructions stated, my mashed potatoes came out fine.  I needed to add about 1/4 cup extra water when making 3-4 serving recipe.  I've had this happen with other brands too.  My family and I thought they tasted fine.  Not wonderful, not horrible, just fine.  I normally make mashed potatoes from scratch so I don't buy instant potatoes that often, maybe one box every three years.  I even have a half-box of original Buds.  One thing I do to enhance or improve the taste of instant mashed potatoes (plain, not flavored such as cheese or roasted garlic) is to add a pinch of ground nutmeg when adding potatoes.  Don't add too much nutmeg, just a pinch.  Mix carefully when making instant potatoes of any brand as overmixing will cause the potatoes to become gummy.  One last thing, please don't bash me because I said something positive about the new Potato Buds.  Thank you.  Enjoy your day!

Hi WhisperPntr, Thank you for taking the time to alert us to this issue. The site recently went through an update, and these effects on the product reviews were an accident. Please see my response in this thread for more information: http://www.bettycrocker.com/community/forums/12/39026

WhisperPntr:

Actually Kate, betty crocker IS cutting posts AND inflating ratings.

 

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/2356/potatobudscandal.jpg

 

I voted a 1.  The system made it 1.5

 

My old post is now nowhere to be found along with 120 others.  Is this how BC wants customers to feel after these loyal supporters bought their product for a lifetime?

 

Before all this I thought eh, whatever I don't have enough time to fight with a company who doesn't want to improve their product or sales.  I don't have much time to spare myself and I dislike being negative.  But now that you are trying hard to obfuscate the time people took to TELL YOU you've made a mistake ALONG with the "scathing" reviews, I just can't ignore it.

People went out of their way to tell you that your product isn't comparable to the old one and that you have a chance to change it back.  But now you prefer to throw these customers away without so much as an explanation.  If you were to say, "we're sorry but this formula is here to stay and there is nothing you can say to change this" I am sure people will be disappointed but at least theyhave an answer.  However, many of us are hanging on to a glimmer of hope that is frankly dying along with customer loyalty.

Rather than giving an honest answer, you now owe the community at large an apology for deleting posts, inflating ratings, wasting our time, disregarding our patronage, as well as obfuscating the truth.  Because of what I've seen with my very own eyes, I will think twice before I buy anything with a betty crocker label. 

I have said nothing that is not violating terms of service nor is it hateful, slanderous or untruthful.  It is contentious but it needs to be said.  Therefore I will screenshot this thread and will join others, coming back from time to time to warn people what BC has done until they give the public at large a formal apology.

WhisperPntr:

Thank you for taking time to post. I was out last week, but talked to the team 1st thing this morning to see if there were any updates to the issues you brought to our attention. My update is here:

http://www.bettycrocker.com/community/forums/12/39026/59329

Since I've posted this, I've been told that the fix will happen during one of our bigger site updates on the 31st of August.

Sincerely, Cate

Agree totally. The taste was semi-okay, not like before, however........

If I wanna buy cheap-o potato FLAKES then I can save myself a dollar plus, per box!!

They're not buds anymore, they look just like the Valu Time flakes that cost 1.19!

I do change the amount of my ingredients, halving the water and doubling the milk, to make them taste better, but please:

GIVE US BACK THE GOOD OLD BUDS BETTY CROCKER!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, I just had to add to this post, while you are at it, if anybody bothers to read these consumer remarks:

BRING BACK DATE BARS, OMG they were the most delicious desert I ever tasted, I have never had a pan last more than 24 hours, EVER!!!!!

No matter that they had 1800 calories in one box, there's no law saying you have to eat the whole thing yourself. And if anyone else is there with you, you won't get the chance to eat the whole thing.

Please Listen to us Betty !   Bring back our old Potato Buds!!!   I do not think life wil be the same without them.  I used them in so many wonderfu recepies ! Could we buy all the old ones that you have left in the factory ?  The new ones taste like you are sweeping the flor and re boxing the " DUST OF "  potato buds past.   Why ???   If it's not broke why fix it ?   Please ?  Bring them Back .

The new Potato Buds are just terrible, nothing is going to help this product.  I guess it is to The Hungry Jack brand we go. 

Where did Betty Crocker get the people for this focus group?  Were they brand loyal to Potato Buds or just common people off the street?  Common people off the street wouldn't know the difference, but Potato Bud brand people would have tasted the difference because they would have spit them out.  I conduct research and I can just imagine the ordinary people sitting there saying "these are good, great, go with these".  I want to see the footage from these focus groups.

The new and improved are so bad we spit them OUT!  Grown people spitting out food.....