THIS Sh... Err, Stuff Will Never Replace MRE's

I do the grocery shopping. Usually I do it on Saturdays, but this week it was Tuesday. They tell you never to shop for groceries when you're hungry, but I headed for the store on my way home from work. While I had a list, I almost always go up and down the aisles, perusing the shelves. If I see something new and interesting, I've been known to throw one or two in the cart.

This week I found Rice-a-Roni's Express packs:

They were on sale, $1 a bag. I bought three: one "Hearty Beef," one "Golden Chicken," and one "Asian Fried."

I tried one Wednesday night.

Here's what I sent to Rice-a-Roni:

I just tried the Rice-a-Roni Express "Hearty Beef" product.

Ladies and gentlemen, that was just SAD. It smelled like old socks and tasted (yes, I tasted) no better than it smelled.

Whose brilliant idea was this product? It makes military MREs look good by comparison. The product was on sale at my local Albertson's for $1 a package. 10¢ worth was all I could stand.

I love the standard Rice-a-Roni product, but this? It's a "must-avoid."

Here's their response:

We're so sorry that you didn't enjoy Rice-A-Roni Express Hearty Beef.

Our objective, pure and simple, is to make high-quality products that our consumers will choose again and again. We appreciate your input and will use your comments as we continuously work to improve our products. Please accept our sincere apologies. Your comments and the information that you provided are valuable to us. We are sending out an adjustment for your purchase via the U.S. Postal Service.

Michele
Quaker Consumer Response

They're going to send me 90¢?

UPDATE: No, they sent me this:

I was not aware that Pepsico owned all those brands, in addition to Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC, not to mention Tropicana and Gatorade.