Clearly Canadian Promises Remaining Preorders Will Ship… Eventually

Two years after fans of Clearly Canadian helped crowdfund an effort to bring the beverage back from the dead, and more than a year after the company finally started shipping out preorders to those who backed it, some customers say their orders still aren’t complete.

Back in July, Clearly Canadian blamed a string of preorder delays on the sudden shutdown of a plant in the middle of a run.

At that time, company spokeswoman Jennifer Black told Consumerist that 9,000 cases had been produced and shipped, and that the remaining 16,000 cases would be produced and shipped starting in August through September.

Still Waiting

But as of this week, there are still customers out there waiting for their preordered pallets, including Consumerist reader Chuck. He tells us placed an order in 2015 for several cases of Clearly Canadian as part of the crowdfunding campaign.

While he received one case in Feb. 2016, he hasn’t gotten any more since. Though he was in contact with the company on a “regular basis” last year, he said the line went silent in December and he none of his emails to support had been answered.

“I am afraid they shut the doors and I have lost the money I sent them,” he tells Consumerist.

He’s not alone: Other Clearly Canadian preorder customers have been asking the company what the deal is on its Facebook page recently.

“Any chance you will ever send me the Clearly Canadian I paid for nearly 2 years ago?” one customer wrote this week. “This is unacceptable! i’m extremely disappointed in your company. A company I backed so that you could get your product out!”

“Any updates for those of us still waiting on pre-orders?” another asked, with no reply yet.

Yet another backer who hasn’t received their preorder dating back to July 2014 says he’s “heartbroken and thirsty.”

The company did respond to a March 25 Facebook post asking about the absent preorders, in which the customer wrote that it “feels like every crowdfunding I support just takes my money and forgets about me.”

“No one here forgot about u – we just not able to ship the last batch…..hang in there …..this was never suppose to be easy – – even down right painful,” the company replied.

Cash-strapped

We reached out to Clearly Canadian for an update, asking when customers can expect to receive their remaining preorders, and why this second delay had occurred.

Company spokeswoman Black says everyone at Clearly Canadian is “still pushing” to get the last preorders out, and to have national retailers bring Clearly Canadian to market nationally, adding, “as always, everything in good time.”

When we asked again what was causing the delay and for a more specific timeline on when customers will get their preorders, Black blamed the holdup on a lack of financing.

“Our delay in shipping the remaining orders is entirely due to our low cash on hand which itself is directly a result of the November 2015 Vancouver plant shutdown that set us back one full year,” she told Consumerist. “We are hopeful to have all remaining product shipped the moment we have the available financing to do so – and don’t expect it to be all that much longer.”

Did you preorder Clearly Canadian through the crowdfunding campaign? Let us know if your order is complete or if you’re still waiting: Email tips@consumerist.com with the subject line CLEARLY CANADIAN.