awful experience with Smith and Sons Meat Processing in Mt.Pleasant, MI

Moderators: gds, bakerjw, renegade

User avatar
plant.one
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 6823
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: Oakland County, MI

awful experience with Smith and Sons Meat Processing in Mt.Pleasant, MI

Post by plant.one »

-5 star review (yes thats less than 0 stars!) for Smith and Sons Meat Processing in Mt.Pleasant Michigan

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Smith-and-S ... 192914103/
http://smithandsonsmeatprocessing.com/

This incident happened at 5pm on December 4th, 2019.
Thank you Smith and sons meat processing for showing me your true colors as a "reputable" butchering location.

Im sorry to have to write this, but i had the most awful experience and everyone who even considers using Smith and Sons needs to be aware of whats going on in this business.

I had my deer processed this year at smith and sons. We've been using them for several years now after our long time butcher changed hands. This year the group i hunt with took 7 deer here.


Unfortunately my deer was not processed how i requested - sadly however thats not even what brings me to write this review.


While attempting to address my expectations of what i ordered vs what i received - the management's FIRST serious option to me (after asking if i'd like to return some of my venison!) was to offer me EXTRA venison.

thats right... SOMEONE ELSE's MEAT that i was told was there "in the back" "for making sausage or jerky" and they could "pack some up for me in a few minutes"

:oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops:

#waitwhat ?!?!?!?!?!? #WHAT #THE #ACTUAL #FUCK ?!?!?!?!?!?

I absolutely refused, along with refusing their offer of some beef jerky sticks and left the building - i adamantly DO NOT condone shorting another customer's product to make up for YOUR mistake in how you wrote my order down.

Thats simply not ethical and shows a level character that i will not be party to.

To whomever's deer i didnt take - i'm sorry that they tried to screw you over to fix their mistake. I hope you get all your meat back that you expected - especially since you're paying extra (by the pound im sure) for sausage and jerky. I'm not that guy and i wont be party with any business who asks me to be THAT guy.

And now i'm forced to wonder if i even received the same venison that i dropped off to have processed.
I'm flabbergasted that this was their solution.
Reloading info shared is based on experiences w/ my guns. Be safe and work up your loads from published data. Web data may not be accurate/safe.
This disclaimer will self destruct in 10 seconds.
BlogSarge
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 1336
Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2013 11:10 pm

Re: awful experience with Smith and Sons Meat Processing in Mt.Pleasant, MI

Post by BlogSarge »

Hey plant, that stinks for sure. You have to wonder how much meat they skim off everyone’s order to have some stock “in the back”.

Try Kelly’s Deer Processing in Big Rapids. I went there all the time when I hunted Mecosta County. They were always great, and make heavenly teriyaki hunter sticks!

https://www.kellysdeerprocessing.com/
User avatar
bangbangping
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 2695
Joined: Sun Sep 15, 2013 6:34 pm
Location: Texas Gulf Coast

Re: awful experience with Smith and Sons Meat Processing in Mt.Pleasant, MI

Post by bangbangping »

Are you saying there are places where you can pay someone to process the deer you killed? What has this world come to?
User avatar
rebel
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 7285
Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2013 2:01 pm
Location: Moonshine Country

Re: awful experience with Smith and Sons Meat Processing in Mt.Pleasant, MI

Post by rebel »

I just do it myself. On Thanksgiving day there were so many deer dropped at one local processor that they laid outside for hours. I would hate to get that 45th or 50th deer that was covered in yellow jackets. Hell some of these rubes don't even gut them, just drop them off.
You can't beat the mountain, pilgrim. Mountains got its own way.
User avatar
dellet
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 6967
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 1:25 pm

Re: awful experience with Smith and Sons Meat Processing in Mt.Pleasant, MI

Post by dellet »

I can’t say what happened with the folks you dealt with or how they acquired the “extra meat”, but I will say before really trying to start a negative campaign against them to simply find out where the extra came from.

I have had a couple of customers over years who commercially process game, farm raised or home raised animals. Basically you get the percentage of meat you’re willing to pay for. If it’s a surprise to you that you don’t get all the meat down to the bone, or even 90% of what you would get if you did it yourself, it must be the first time to a processor or you have never done it yourself.

One freely admitted to the point of bragging that he fed his family all year on scraps. People who specify “no bloodshot meat” or “prime cuts only”. One of his favorites had his processed for free every year, all he wanted was “backstraps and tenderloin”, you can keep the rest. Drop off 5, pick up 4 to cover the bill.

I know there is more to your story and are not one to get all pissy over nothing, but having extra meat laying around a processing business is not enough reason for me to question someone’s integrity. Small businesses barter more than most people think, any kind of service industry even more.
300 Blackout, not just for sub-sonics.
User avatar
plant.one
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 6823
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: Oakland County, MI

Re: awful experience with Smith and Sons Meat Processing in Mt.Pleasant, MI

Post by plant.one »

sadly - after a conversation today with the DNR - it appears that technically they didnt do anything illegal by offering me someone elses meat. shady as hell - yes. illegal no. which frankly speaking is still disgusting.

again - it would have been a different thing if they told me they had extra meat from someone who donated, etc... but they clearly told me it was there for making product. you cant sell wild game in michigan, so that clearly indicates to me that it was meat that someone else had brought in and paid extra to have done as part of processing for their deer.

regardless of that - i dont want some freaking mystery meat from some mystery-who-the-hell-knows-what-happened-to-it-deer. i paid to have MY deer cut and packaged, not given away to someone else. i didnt pay for a box of meat that randomly fills the "heres about a deer's worth of meat" box. and if they're willing to give away someone else's meat to me - that means they'll have zero compulsions of dipping into my deer to fix someone elses problem too.
Reloading info shared is based on experiences w/ my guns. Be safe and work up your loads from published data. Web data may not be accurate/safe.
This disclaimer will self destruct in 10 seconds.
golfindia
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 1380
Joined: Thu Jun 20, 2013 1:16 pm

Re: awful experience with Smith and Sons Meat Processing in Mt.Pleasant, MI

Post by golfindia »

You should also look into your state's health dept/food processing regulations. Many states have pretty strict "in-out" requirements for custom processors. There's also a lot of variation in what the definition of "commercial" and "custom" operators are. E.G. some rules prohibit custom processors from even possessing extra game meat that isn't "scrap associated with butchering".

Sounds sketchy to me.
User avatar
rebel
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 7285
Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2013 2:01 pm
Location: Moonshine Country

Re: awful experience with Smith and Sons Meat Processing in Mt.Pleasant, MI

Post by rebel »

Plant - talking as a business owner here and still a friend of yours.
1- Do these folks have a good rep in the community? If yes, is this just an unfortunate F-up?
2- As dellet said, processors get extra meat every year. Maybe someone never picks up the deer ( it does happen ), maybe the customer can't pay up, maybe the customer tells them to keep one of 6 as partial payment. So on the point you seem most angry about can be explained.
Screwing the initial order up is another matter, but it happens and they tried to make it right. Do you know that was someone elses order or extra stuff they just had for reasons I said above?
Not saying I would ever go back, it only took one time for me taking the easy way ( deer processor ) to learn my damn lesson years ago. But does the crime fit you outing them publicly? ( I obviously don't know how you were treated face to face ) , or calling officials and raising a stink? I really don't know all the circumstances, I know you need a snickers bar, and when I read your post I called our local guy who is a customer of mine and he gave me all the details of how extra meat is procured. He distributes it personally to needy in the community. So fill in a few gaps for us - all I know right now is they screwed up and your pitchin' a bitch :mrgreen:
edit to add - Not getting back the deer I left is the reason I started processing my own. Harvested a young doe for a farm that was over run by deer, the meat I got back was gamey and tough. This was when I lived in another area but as far as I know the guy is still in business.
You can't beat the mountain, pilgrim. Mountains got its own way.
dowser
Member
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2019 4:54 pm

Re: awful experience with Smith and Sons Meat Processing in Mt.Pleasant, MI

Post by dowser »

Every game processor I have every dealt with ends up with extra meat at the end of the season from people who never come back and pay for the processing service. They don't actually sell the meat at the end of the season - they offer it to anyone who is willing to pay the processing fee.
Clare44man
New Member
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Feb 01, 2020 6:29 pm

Re: awful experience with Smith and Sons Meat Processing in Mt.Pleasant, MI

Post by Clare44man »

I've been in Texas long enough that I don't remember the name, but I've always been very satisfied at the processing place on Broadway st just east of Isabella road in Mt Pleasant.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests