bad customer service

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DrunkinIrish

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2011
Messages
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Location
St.Charles
Today I went to my local brew supply store, now mind you this store doesn't just sell beer supplies they are mostly a liquor store but they also carry brewers best equipment. I went in and asked if there was anyone knowledgeable on staff that could help me with some questions I had with some of the equipment. I asked the staff member some questions on what kind of carboy I should buy for my second stage fermentation. Being that I am still new to the whole home brew scene the questions that I was asking may have seemed uneducated but the responses I got on my questions were almost insulting. When I mentioned that the next brew I was going to attempt was a chocolate Irish stout the staff member rudely informed me that a brew of that nature is difficult and expensive. First off who is he to tell me what I consider expensive, in the past month I have dropped over two hundred dollars on brewing supplies at that store I think I know home brewing ain't cheap. Second if I want to try and tackle a more difficult brew that's my decision. Before anyone jumps on my back about how the staff member was just trying to prevent me from screwing up a batch, it wasn't just what he said but how he said it, it was said in a tone of voice that portrait superiority. How can you talk to one of your customers like they are under you, that's not going to help sales, originally I was planning on spending another hundred or so but now I have decided to just look else were for this particular list of items. Has anyone else had bad customer service at their local brew supplier?
 
Ok 1st off that is one big wall of text. Use the enter key please...lol ;)

LHBS vary from spot to spot some are fantastic, other filled full of bad advice givers, high prices and uneducated staff.

My best advice is compare prices with shipping from vendors here. Use the LHBS as an "omg my yeast is dead" or other such brew day emergencies and seek advice from folks here.
 
Lucky for you HBT is a wealth of information that can answer just about any brewing question that you have. We also have some great vendors that have awesome prices and great customer service. brewmasterswarehouse.com, austinhomebrew.com, midwestsupplies.com, rebelbrewer.com and northernbrewer.com are all worth a look.
 
Wall of text FTW!

I'm sure the majority of us have had bad customer service at one point. And there is one guy at my LHBS that i avoid because he is lazy and acts superior.

If you feel the staff at your LHBS is incompetent, ask your questions here and order online! My LHBS still preaches secondaries after 5-7 days in the primary. I ignore the majority of what they tell me. I also order the ocassional supplies online when I'm spending over $100. Free shipping and it saves me a 45 minute trip to the LHBS.

I hope this helps and remember RDWHAHB!
 
Never had a bad LHBS experiance. Find another one.

I love my LHBS.
Brew and Grow Bolingbrook IL
 
yah.. well my LHBS is somewhat knowledgeable, i would rather ask my questions on here and just spend an hour there asking for prices on things.. the people that are quote on quote knowledgeable in homebrewing are somewhat amateurs, as well as i am... so i dont trust what they say... but i use them for given things: emergency and bulk grain buys since they are the most reasonable price i can find (even if online shipping is free)
 
I got the same attitude from HBS here in NJ. The answer was simple. Went once, never went back. Mostly order online at BMW or make the trip over to PA if I can't wait.

As said, you get a broader more informative response to questions here on HBT. Just keep in mind that whether its your LHBS or HBT you'll have to sift through BS and come to your own conclusions.
 
My SWMBO got all my stuff for me for x-mas at a LHBS. When I went back to

exchange one of the extract kits the owner acted like I should know how to

do everything already and preached the 2-2-2 method. I did my research

(mostly here) and learned better. My wife and I just opened our own

business and there is a brew shop going in right next door. As you could

guess I'm very excited about that. Anyways, my advice, buy online.
 
Keep in mind your LHBS is in business to make money. I do not mean all of them are greedy, but sometimes you have to take their advice with a grain of salt.

Some will tell you not to reuse yeast. Maybe they have some but of truth in there, maybe it is because they want to sell you more yeast. I personally rewash yeast and it works fine...Just don't tell my closest LHBS.

I have heard them try to convince someone they needed corn sugar to bottle with. I told him, look you are putting so little sugar in it that it really does not matter. I suggested some white table sugar. He went with the ~$3.50 bag of sugar on suggestion of the shop.

I have seen employees tell customers decoction is too difficult. I have one who swears that boiling the grain will result in a ruined beer. And that same person estimated customers efficiency at 50-60%. I normally get 75%, sometimes as high as 80%. Is it true decoction is "harder" then batch sparging. Or really do they simply want to sell more grain.

Not that they all give bad advice. And when I bought my grain crusher from another LHBS they were very knowledgeable about its use and actually told me I did not need to use rice hulls if I set the crush right. About 50 batches later, I know what they told me was true.

So really it depends on the shop, and who you talk to. And as far as "easy" goes, it is a matter of what you know, what you have done, and what you are afraid of. Nothing is "hard" or "easy" it is just how much thought and work you want to put into it.
 
I bought my grain crusher from another LHBS they were very knowledgeable about its use and actually told me I did not need to use rice hulls if I set the crush right. About 50 batches later, I know what they told me was true.

Rice hulls are mainly used when we add something "sticky" to the mash like oatmeal or toasted pumpkin. Crush is not normally what causes a stuck sparge or a reason to add or not to add rice hulls, that I know of.

So, if you are mashing crushed barley only, you should never need rice hulls (They do not hurt to add them in anyway) but bet your last dollar I will be adding some into my pumpkin ale's mash...
 
I'm lucky to have homebrewit.com have their shop less then 5 min from my house. As a new brewer I have lots of questions and they help out a lot. They are very nice and knowledgeable.
Homebrewit.com elkhart indiana
 
My LHBS was very helpful when I was a virgin brewer, but they moved across town and sold to another owner. This guy was jerk-central and had not the first clue regarding good customer service. I never patronized his store again and now he has closed down. I currently use online suppliers exclusively.
 
Rice hulls are mainly used when we add something "sticky" to the mash like oatmeal or toasted pumpkin. Crush is not normally what causes a stuck sparge or a reason to add or not to add rice hulls, that I know of.

So, if you are mashing crushed barley only, you should never need rice hulls (They do not hurt to add them in anyway) but bet your last dollar I will be adding some into my pumpkin ale's mash...

Rice hulls are about 50 cents for insurance against a stuck sparge. I always add them. I might not need them, but I HATE stuck sparges.

My LHBS is great, but I mostly order online. I get a better selection, I save a few bucks, and it comes right to my door.
 
Wall of text FTW!

I'm sure the majority of us have had bad customer service at one point. And there is one guy at my LHBS that i avoid because he is lazy and acts superior.

If you feel the staff at your LHBS is incompetent, ask your questions here and order online! My LHBS still preaches secondaries after 5-7 days in the primary. I ignore the majority of what they tell me. I also order the ocassional supplies online when I'm spending over $100. Free shipping and it saves me a 45 minute trip to the LHBS.

I hope this helps and remember RDWHAHB!

45 minute trip? I don't know about you, but my time and gas are worth more than a $7.99 shipping charge, so even if you don't get free shipping it's probably worth it to order online rather than go see these dimwits that you don't listen to.

I don't like the LHBS by me. I order online for almost everything. If I have an emergency brewing need then I go there, and even then I don't really chat with them anymore. I just get what I want and leave. After brewing for 2 years and reading this site I find their advice was horrible.
 
My LHBS sucks. It's all the way across town, they rarely have what I need in stock, and the main guy there is not very friendly. I've pretty much gotten into the habit of ordering everything I need online. Now I just pay the $7.99 shipping charge, enjoy the fact that I don't need to drive all the way across town for a bad experience, and RDWHAHB.

Whenever I hear the "support your LHBS" propaganda I cringe and think to myself their LHBS must be a lot better than mine. :(
 
Morebeer is my LHBS, but I still order online. I barely have time to brew, much less drive there. Sometimes I still order online from them, sometimes from other vendors. It just depends. I recently ordered from Austin Homebrew because I like how they combine the grain bill so I don't have to buy additional grain that I may never use. So far, it's the only HBS that I have seen that provides that service.
 
Morebeer is my LHBS, but I still order online. I barely have time to brew, much less drive there. Sometimes I still order online from them, sometimes from other vendors. It just depends. I recently ordered from Austin Homebrew because I like how they combine the grain bill so I don't have to buy additional grain that I may never use. So far, it's the only HBS that I have seen that provides that service.

You obviously haven't heard of www.brewmasterswarehouse.com.
 
Did you get your questions answered ultimately on the size of the carboy? Also, for your chocolate irish stout (sounds yummy) are you using real chocolate in it? From my experience either the coco nibs or the dry powdered chocolate works best.
 
I just looked at the site, but I don't see where they combine the grains. Unless I'm missing something. It's interesting that they are a little farther from me than Austin Homebrew, but their shipping is less. It always pays to compare...

Click the Brewbuilder cap.

To the OP, don't let the LHBS guy impact your decision. I see no reason why that stout would be any more difficult than any other beer. Brew it and enjoy it, all the while knowing that you proved the uninformed LHBS wrong!
 
The LHBS I went to in Glendale was very knowledgable and friendly. I did feel that he was trying to steer me away from using glass carboys and secondaries altogether but that is just his personal preference.

I think you will get 20 different opinions if you ask 30 different people so you have to take it how you will. However, I dont deal with bad service so if the guy was just being condescending then I personally wouldnt give them anymore of your money. There are too many other options out there.

If I were you I would call them and let them know how you felt and you wont be returning. If you dont feel comfortable calling then email or something. Sometimes they dont even realize they came across in a foul way. Other times they just dont give a sheet but thats when you take your money elsewhere.

I personally ordered my equip and kits from MidwestSupplies just recently. I called and asked the guy some questions before I ordered and he was very helpful and polite. I just barely brewed my first kit so I havent tried it yet but it sure smelled delicious. Whatever you do, dont stress out about it too much. This is supposed to be a fun hobby that gives you a break from all the other stress in your life.
 
I am lucky that I have 2 HBS within 5 miles of me. I went to both before I got started to pick their brain about equipment. Both shops where very friendly at first. One pushed very hard for me to buy there start up kit.
Flash forward to a couple weeks later. I got a massive set up off a craigslist barter. I went back into the one shop that pushed for me to get their start up to get some supplies. They gave me the cold shoulder big time. SO I didn't buy anything from them and have yet to go back.

I am happy that the other store is a GREAT STORE. While it is a little pricier (I think its location) They are always happy to help answer questions and are just fun to be around. So in my eyes its worth the extra couple dollars
 
Thanks for all your great posts.

I took a look at the online stores that were suggested and ended up spending my money at Midwest.

I am glad I found this site, the tips and tricks that I have picked up from just cruising the site will surely come in handy for my next brew.

Oh and I found that elusive enter key everyone was going on about.:D
 
Thanks for all your great posts.

I took a look at the online stores that were suggested and ended up spending my money at Midwest.

I am glad I found this site, the tips and tricks that I have picked up from just cruising the site will surely come in handy for my next brew.

Oh and I found that elusive enter key everyone was going on about.:D

Very nice. What did you end up ordering? Did you get any brew kits?
 
at my first lhbs i went to, the guy is a fountain of info, except for ag, and has been brewing 16 years. he'll help you out all kinds of ways on lme or dme, but sneers at grainers. he charges 2.25/lb for all grains he sells. i went ag after 3 months, and knew more about ag after a couple months of doing it
 
I bought

5 Gallon glass carboy
6025 1 $28.95
Rubber Stopper- Size 7- Drilled
6130 1 $0.90
Carboy Handle- 5 & 6 Gallon Carboys
6045 1 $4.95
21" Stainless Steel Spoon
6340 1 $7.95
Star San- 16oz
7962 1 $11.95
Carboy Brush
6530 1 $4.75
Regular 5/16" Auto-Siphon
6882 1 $9.95
 

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