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Kelisha Able, who worked helping clients with special food needs, said she and her husband, who is a driver for the company, were informed of the closure Thursday night through a manager. The parents of three elementary-school age children are both without jobs now, Able said.
“Right now, I am going crazy,” Able said. “We don’t know how we are going to pay our rent, we don’t know how we are going to start for our kids to go back to school, all the bills that we have. Our job is paycheck to paycheck, it’s not like we have a lot in savings.”
Able, who worked for the company for five years and seven months, said she only had one clue that the business was in trouble: when plans were being discounted from $34.99 to $19.99 a day. At The Fresh Diet, clients pay a daily fee to have breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks delivered to their doorstep every morning.
Able said she finally got her two-week paycheck, due to her Friday, on Monday morning — but it was only for one week.
“We are trying to figure it out,” Able said. “I’ve applied for unemployment but that’s it, we don’t know what we are going to do.”
Several clients only realized the business closed when they stopped receiving their morning meals.
Longtime New Jersey client Hayley Stein said she and her fiancé paid nearly $11,000 in two meal plans purchased on a Black Friday deal in 2015. Stein has been using The Fresh Diet since 2011 and has been “thrilled” with the program and its customer service.
But on Saturday morning, for the first time since she’s ordered her meals, the food did not arrive.
“I feel like I was ripped off,” Stein said.
\n\nIt appears as if the FreshDiet packed up shop with no warning and have left customers high and dry. @ZalmiD you owe us $520. Pay up!
— Sacha Laustsen (@sachajl) July 25, 2016
She said she has paid the full cost of the plans and still has more than 200 days remaining. Most surprising, Stein said, is that on July 1 she received an email from the business with a subject line, “Introducing our new custom plan,” with information on a customizable diet plan. The email was signed by Duchman.
It didn’t seem like a company on the edge of ruin, Stein said.
Gielchinsky said the company is also “looking into” refunds for customers who already paid for meals.
Since the abrupt closure, clients have posted on Twitter and Yelp about money owed to them. Andrew Buck, director of infrastructure at the local Fresh Diet office, said Duchman texted him over the weekend asking him to delete The Fresh Diet’s Twitter, Facebook and some Yelp accounts. The website remains active but calls to a posted number go unanswered.
“Hey Zalmi, I hear that Fresh Diet has closed, and I paid a lot of food in advance. You owe me $2000! How are you going to fix this?” tweeted user @izrak2.
\n\n@ZalmiD Hey Zalmi, I hear that Fresh Diet has closed, and I paid a lot of food in advance. You owe me $2000! How are you going to fix this?
— isaac cohen (@izrak2) July 25, 2016
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"91787957","url":"https://www.miamiherald.com/living/food-drink/8j6bi5/picture91787957","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"FRESH00 freshdiet MHZ MCB","publication":"miamiherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/4992","modified_date":1469559047,"allow_comments":false,"published_date":1469484628,"thumbnail":"https://www.miamiherald.com/living/food-drink/8j6bi5/picture91787957/alternates/FREE_1140/FRESH00%20freshdiet%20MHZ%20MCB","href":"/web/v1/content/91787957","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["4992","5020"],"credit":"Miami Herald file photo","dateline":"","caption":"Zalmi Duchman, left, CEO and founder of The Fresh Diet, at their Miami kitchen, October 12, 2010.","photographer":"MARICE COHN BAND","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Miami","allow_comments":true,"image":"https://www.miamiherald.com/living/food-drink/8j6bi5/picture91787957/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/FRESH00%20freshdiet%20MHZ%20MCB"},{"id":"27298078","url":"https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/gay-south-florida/article27298078.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce in South Beach to train LGBT business people","publication":"miamiherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/5045","home_section":{"name":"LGBTQ South Florida","url":"https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/gay-south-florida/"},"modified_date":1437001856,"published_date":1436967340,"thumbnail":"https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/gay-south-florida/mgyfp1/picture27298072/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/IMG_2525","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["5045","5046","3179","5063","5092","5031"],"credit":"","dateline":"","summary":"In advance of its national conference next month in Fort Lauderdale, the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday and Wednesday is holding a Chamber Training Institute in Miami Beach for South Florida and South American LGBT business people.","content":"
In advance of its national conference next month in Fort Lauderdale, the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday and Wednesday is holding a Chamber Training Institute in Miami Beach for South Florida and South American LGBT business people.
The free training institute at the Hilton Bentley South Beach hotel, “is focused on How to Create Attractive Business Development Programs: Corporate Support,” according to the NGLCC Facebook page.
NGLCC and Wells Fargo sponsored a reception for attendees Tuesday evening. Speakers included Sam McClure, NGLCC senior vice president; NGLCC co-founder and President Justin Nelson; Jorge Villacampa, Wells Fargo area president for Miami-Dade and Monroe counties; Jose Nido, vice president, global supplier diversity at Wyndham Worldwide; Steve Adkins, president of the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce; and Andrés Vázquez Moreno of the Colombia LGBT Chamber of Commerce in Bogotá.
The 2015 NGLCC International Business & Leadership Conference, presented by American Airlines, will be held Aug. 11-14 at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa. Speakers currently include personal finance expert Suze Orman, CNN anchor Richard Quest and Washington Post columnist/CNBC contributor Jonathan Capehart.
More than 800 LGBT business people and allies are expected at the conference, Nelson said.
This week’s training institute in South Beach is sponsored by Wells Fargo, a longtime ally within the LGBT business community. Wells Fargo sponsors the annual galas presented by the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber and in April unveiled a video featuring a lesbian couple in a national advertising campaign.
Televangelist Franklin Graham denounced the video and announced the Billy Graham Evangelical Association was moving its money to BB&T —a bank where a same-sex couple wed in February at a Miami Beach Gay Pride fundraiser inside the South Beach branch.
Wells Fargo has stood behind the campaign and its outreach to the LGBT business community.
Last week, Wells Fargo issued results of a company survey of LGBT people.
Finances Top of Mind for LGBT Americans, New Wells Fargo Survey Reveals
Majority of LGBT Americans indicate changes to marriage landscape has altered how they think and plan for their future; more education needed
A new survey from Wells Fargo & Company of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Americans sheds light on how marriage laws are shaping the attitudes, behaviors, and conversations of LGBT couples related to money and planning for their future. The majority of LGBT Americans surveyed (86%) say that marriage-equality will improve the financial lives of same-sex couples, with 50% citing financial security and benefits as a top reason for wanting to get married ( love and commitment tops the list at 86%).
Marriage Changes How Couples Think About Finances
The survey included an oversample of LGBT Americans currently in same-sex marriages (living in states that recognized same-sex marriage before the federal ruling) to explore the impacts so far of legalized marriage. Seven in ten (70%) say they feel better off financially. Moreover, legalized marriage has changed how many think, feel, and talk about their lives:
“The decision to marry seems to bring with it a level of financial security for same-sex couples,” said John Lake, Wells Fargo LGBT Segment Manager. “While LGBT Americans recognize that access to marriage provides certain financial benefits and obligations, there is still a significant knowledge gap around specific issues.”
The survey showed that 81% of LGBT Americans see getting married as a big financial decision, and almost nine in 10 (89%) say it’s important to evaluate the financial implications of getting married before doing so. However, just one in three (32%) say they fully understand the financial implications of doing so, and even fewer (29%) fully understand how Federal and state laws apply to same-sex marriages in their states. Likewise, most survey respondents do not fully understand all the legal implications of being married versus living together in several specific areas related to money and planning. For example:
There remains a strong need for financial planning work and increased education. While almost half (48%) of LGBT Americans in same-sex marriages have a financial advisor (compared to 23% of U.S. married couples), less than one in five (18%) consulted with a financial or legal professional before getting married. Now that they are married, 56% say they have lot of financial planning work to do. Most LGBT Americans in same-sex marriages (54%) say that being married makes talking about money easier. Still, almost one in five (19%) have disagreements about money at least monthly, and 30% admit that discussions about finances have caused tension in their relationships.
Before Saying “I Do”
Among same-sex couples considering marriage, the need for advice is strong. Forty-seven percent feel unsure whether legal marriage would be financially beneficial for them or not, and 52% do not feel fully-prepared to make an informed financial decision about whether or not to marry. Only one in four (25%) have fully discussed with their partners whether marriage would be a good financial decision or a bad one.
The need for more conversations about money also resonated throughout the survey on a variety of issues LGBT Americans consider important to discuss before marriage. Fewer than one-third, for example, have fully discussed:
“Having conversations about financial issues like saving, investing, and preparing for retirement is critically important for same-sex couples. There are many unanswered questions out there, and as an industry we must keep working hard to provide useful information same-sex couples need in order to achieve their financial goals,” Lake added.
Wells Fargo Advisors – Accredited Domestic Partnership Advisor (ADPA) Program
The Accredited Domestic Partnership Advisor (ADPA) program was created, through a partnership with the College for Financial Planning, to educate advisors about the unique needs and financial considerations of same-sex couples and domestic partners. Financial advisors who earn this designation are well equipped to work with domestic partners and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clients to develop a thoughtful approach to help identify and work toward their financial goals. Wells Fargo Advisors created ADPA in conjunction with the College for Financial Planning. Today, Wells Fargo Advisors has more than 100 ADPA-certified financial advisors nationwide, more than any other firm in the country. For more information on financial services offered to LGBT individuals and couples, please visit www.wellsfargo.com/LGBT.
About the Survey
Versta Research conducted an online national survey for Wells Fargo among 1,152 LGBT(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender) Americans between April 8 and April 25, 2015.Qualified respondents were non-students, ages 25–75, who are the primary or joint financialdecision-maker in the household. The sample included 207 who are in same-sex marriages and301 who are in same-sex civil unions or domestic partnerships or who live with a same-sex partner. Data were weighted to reflect the overall LGBT population in the U.S. based on LGBT and same-sex relationship status. The survey also included a similar national comparison sample of 360 Americans, weighted to reflect current Census data for gender, age, race, ethnicity, household income, and region. Assuming no sample bias, the maximum margin of error is ±3% for the LGBT sample and ±5% for the full U.S. sample.
About Versta Research
Versta Research is a full-service market research firm, headquartered in Chicago, IL, specializing in customized strategic market research and public opinion polling. For more information, visit www.VerstaResearch.com.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.7 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,700 locations, 12,500 ATMs, and the internet (wellsfargo.com), and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 266,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30 on Fortune’s 2015 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories.
","kicker":"","text_alignment":"Left","href":"/web/v1/content/27298078","allow_ads":true,"allow_stn_player":true,"byline":"","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"27298072","url":"https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/gay-south-florida/mgyfp1/picture27298072","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"IMG_2525","publication":"miamiherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/5045","modified_date":1437001856,"allow_comments":false,"published_date":1436967340,"thumbnail":"https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/gay-south-florida/mgyfp1/picture27298072/alternates/FREE_1140/IMG_2525","href":"/web/v1/content/27298072","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["5045"],"credit":"\nMiami Herald Staff\n","dateline":"","caption":"From left: Andrés Alberto Vázquez Moreno of the Colombia LGBT Chamber of Commerce in Bogotá; Sam McClure, senior vice president of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce; Steve Adkins, president of the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce; Justin Nelson, co-founder and president of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce; Jorge Villacampa, Wells Fargo area president for Miami-Dade and Monroe counties; Leo Toca, Wells Fargo vice president and senior community development officer; and Keith Blackburn, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce at the NGLCC Chamber Training Institute reception Tuesday at the Hilton Bentley South Beach hotel.","photographer":"\nSteve Rothaus\n","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Miami","allow_comments":true,"image":"https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/gay-south-florida/mgyfp1/picture27298072/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/IMG_2525"}],"showSummary":false,"initialQuantity":0,"isLoading":true,"isVisible":false,"areMoreResults":false,"page":0,"offset":0},"sectionConfig":{"lang":"en","pubTimeZone":"America/New_York"}}