Cheap meat: Waterford residents say man tried to sell them $5 Omaha steaks
Feb. 7—WATERFORD — Last week, Brian and Angela Swanhaus, who live in the Woodland Mobile Home Park, said a man knocked on their door and tried to sell them some "dirt cheap" Omaha steaks.
"He had said that he had extra steaks he was trying to get rid of," for $4 or $5, said Angela Swanhaus.
Neighbor Steffan Danz said he encountered the same man last Friday and he was driving a white Ford pickup with a refrigeration unit in the back.
"I clearly heard him say 'In that box is Omaha Steaks,' " Danz recalled. "When I heard Omaha Steaks, I thought, 'Did someone steal it from somewhere?'"
Another resident, Tina Mell, said that last Thursday a short man with a scruffy beard knocked on her door, startling her. He told her he had just delivered steaks in the neighborhood and had extras for sale and they were cheap.
"And Omaha Steaks are pretty damn good," Mell said. "I thought about it."
When the man asked her to come look in his pickup truck, she declined.
"I've been here for the past three years and never once have I had a guy knock on my door and offer me cheap beef," Mell said.
Company representatives said Wednesday that it was not the first time they had heard of a person profiting off the Omaha Steaks brand name, a well-known online retailer of premium steaks and other meats.
Kathleen Al-Marhoon, Omaha's director of public relations and corporate communications, said Wednesday she was sure the steaks inside the truck were not Omaha steaks.
"We do not sell door-to-door out of a vehicle or van," she said, adding that the only delivery company that is allowed to sell Omaha Steaks products is Yelloh, a frozen food service formerly known as Schwan. But those trucks are yellow and not white and can only sell hamburgers.
"It's very disappointing that there are people that would be trying to fool customers and misrepresent the Omaha Steaks brand," she added.
Police said they were called about the steak salesman, but when they arrived he was gone. They encouraged citizens to be "vigilant" about in-person, phone or email scams and to call police if they are suspicious about a solicitor.
Omaha Steaks President and CEO Nate Rempe also issued a statement Wednesday to The Day about the incident.
"At Omaha Steaks we pride ourselves on the quality of our products and the care we put into ensuring every order is packed and delivered directly to our customers with ease and accuracy, direct from Omaha, Nebraska. We are dismayed that scammers have attempted to use our brand and likeness to cheat unsuspecting customers."
He warned Omaha Steaks customers to stay vigilant when shopping online, and only to purchase from one of company's 43 in-person stores or the Omaha website.
The company released a press release last September about social media users who claimed they encountered similar door-to-door sales.
"Often times they are seen driving trucks or vans with false Omaha Steaks logos. Just as companies like Rolex, Coach and Oakley have copycat or 'knock-off' brands, there are also those who attempt to capitalize on the Omaha Steaks brand name and reputation to sell non-Omaha Steaks items," the release read.
