5 to 6 days before shipping from AHS?!!

Hey all,

I have recently placed an order with AHS because I thought I would try them out. They look like they have a lot of nice kits out there and I have read a lot of good things about them on this forum. They also have the 6.99 flat rate shipping. I read a thread from someone stating that they now had more people working the shipping as well so I gave it a shot.

4 days later my order still has not shipped. When I inquired about this I was told that the flat rate shipping orders are taking 5 or 6 days to ship out.

In the past I have always ordered from MW or NB. They have always shipped my stuff same day or the next at the latest! MW actually shipped an order I placed on Dec 23 on Dec 24!

Although I am sure this is a reputable company from all I have read, it appears that the flat rate shipping is not getting better, but only worse. If I could have done it over, I think I would just order from MW, pay the lower prices for just about everything, and pay a little bit more for shipping!

I really wanted to brew this weekend! Now it simply won't happen.

/rant off

Mod edit.

Originally Posted by Austinhomebrew
Thanks to the people that understand. No one has ever said that the $6.99 flat rate shipping means that your order will always ship in 5-6 days. This is not the normal turn around.

We are currently a victim of our own success. This years orders so far are more than double the number and it doesn't look like it will slow down.

Expedite orders, meaning you pay for your shipping charges (like most stores) means we will ship your order out the same day. If you select the flat rate shipping it usually goes out in 2-3 days. The exception is when we have one of our sales or we have a large increase in orders. Our last sale bought in 636 orders in one day (that is 3 weeks worth of orders).

Those of you that know me and my company know that I am working hard to resolve this problem. The department manager has been working 70 hours a week since October when all of this additional growth started. This week, I have been rearranging the store to accomodate for the growth. I just hired a new person today fresh out of the Air Force for 6 years that is eager and ready to work hard. I am still taking applications as well.

We have certainly outgrown our 6,000 square feet and I have already begun to look for a new store that is a least 12,000 square feet so we can accomodate the success we are having.

I am truly sorry if this is your first experience with the company and you are experiencing this delay. This truly is not a lack of costomer service. We are not moving in slow motion on our tippy toes. I am working on doubling our shipping department.

I hope this helps to explain the delay and we will be back to our normal schedule by Monday (in 3 days).

We will be having a 50 day sale starting in February. Lots of great deals, give aways, and other surprises. The sale will be One State per Day for 50 days. One of the give aways will be a $50 gift certificate each day, given randomly to one of the people from the state featured, who placed an order.

I will keep you posted.

Forrest
Austin Homebrew Supply
(AHS, AHB, AHBS, etc)

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Why don't you just email them and ask if there is a problem? My orders have always shipped within a day or two.

That is exactly what I did and that was when I was informed it would be 5 to 6 days prior to shipping any flat rate orders and if faster service was desired I should in the future choose the expedited service.

I originally thought perhaps something had went awry because frankly in this competitive day and age where people are fighting for every dollar that they can get, this type of service would be atypical, and most places ship things quite rapidly.

For example, I bought a slot car on ebay yesterday, and it arrived today. Now that is service!

Elm...I am in the same boat. After this 1st experience I will go with MW from now on.

Hopefully Forrest (the owner) sees this and can chime in.

I have had similar experiences. Sometime I would order and it would ship in 1 day, sometimes 5. The unpredictable nature of this has pretty much forced me to look elsewhere.

I'm sure they are pretty backed up with the post christmas rush. All of the noobies ordering ingredient kits and people redeeming gift certificates. I don't think it's that unreasonable for the order to go out 5-6 days after an order is placed. If you *needed* the ingredients by a spcific time you should check the shipping and possibly pay for faster shipping.

They have a note on their site that they are indeed backed up with orders. I ordered something from them a few weeks ago with the flat rate and it got here very quickly.

I guess the only thing I would say to that is like I stated originally, I ordered from MW on DEC 23, and they shipped my items on DEC 24. It is fairly reasonable to assume that that was an equally hectic time and there seemed to be no issue there, and there never has been.

Frankly its simply an issue of the level of service you want to provide to your customers. Obviously I am unsatisfied and won't order from this supplier in the future.

I ordered two brews worth of grain Christmas Eve and it shipped out the following Monday which was the first day UPS resumed service.

Austin Homebrew Supply.

Now maybe Forrest will find this thread.

I have always had good luck with AHS... sorry to hear about that, but if I was in a rush I would have upgraded shipping.

Another good reason to just stock up on brewing supplies so that you can always brew on a moments notice.

Brewsmith, I'll drink to that!

I would be upset if they didn't have a note on their site, but they have a note so it tells people before they give them money that it will take a while. Hopefully it speeds up soon because I have an order I want to place and I need the stuff quick so I might go back to MW.

elm33 said:

Hey all,

I have recently placed an order with AHS because I thought I would try them out. They look like they have a lot of nice kits out there and I have read a lot of good things about them on this forum. They also have the 6.99 flat rate shipping. I read a thread from someone stating that they now had more people working the shipping as well so I gave it a shot.

4 days later my order still has not shipped. When I inquired about this I was told that the flat rate shipping orders are taking 5 or 6 days to ship out.

In the past I have always ordered from MW or NB. They have always shipped my stuff same day or the next at the latest! MW actually shipped an order I placed on Dec 23 on Dec 24!

Although I am sure this is a reputable company from all I have read, it appears that the flat rate shipping is not getting better, but only worse. If I could have done it over, I think I would just order from MW, pay the lower prices for just about everything, and pay a little bit more for shipping!

I really wanted to brew this weekend! Now it simply won't happen.

/rant off

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Had the same expericence and received the same e-mail explaining shipping policy.

I have switched to Ed at Brewmasters Warehouse. Even with the 6.99 shipping rates, my order ships same or next day. I know if I order Wed.s eve., I'll be brewing on Saturday. Have ordered 5 different brews, and have had the same result.

elm33 said:

I guess the only thing I would say to that is like I stated originally, I ordered from MW on DEC 23, and they shipped my items on DEC 24. It is fairly reasonable to assume that that was an equally hectic time and there seemed to be no issue there, and there never has been.

Frankly its simply an issue of the level of service you want to provide to your customers. Obviously I am unsatisfied and won't order from this supplier in the future.

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do you normally feel this way after just one bad experience? i think if you do a bit of looking around here, you'll see that Austin Homebrew Supply has been a huge supporter and steady contributor of this site. i think you should chalk this up as a fluke bad experience and give them another shot down the road. give them a chance to change your mind.

If you have an issue with a supplier and haven't contacted them yet, but have taken the time to post a thread here, that is where you went wrong. Contact Austin Homebrew Supply and let them know what your situation is. Give them a chance to rectify the situation. If you don't get resolution there, then it is time to post a thread.

BREWMASTERS WAREHOUSE. Dude. You live in Georgia. BMW is right there. They get stuff out the same day. TRUST ME. I'm a convert. Ed is awesome. Maybe because he's just starting out he can get things turned around more quickly, but after a couple of times with the situation you described, I'm on board with BMW.

Give them a try. You won't be disappointed.

McKBrew said:

If you have an issue with a supplier and haven't contacted them yet, but have taken the time to post a thread here, that is where you went wrong. Contact Austin Homebrew Supply and let them know what your situation is. Give them a chance to rectify the situation. If you don't get resolution there, then it is time to post a thread.

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Do you read the threads before responding? He already contacted them.

This man's humble opinion:

If you want next day shipping, pay for next day shipping. If you pay the cheapest price possible for shipping, expect a slight delay.

Austin Homebrew Supply is a small operation with an excellent reputation here. Perhaps Forrest from Austin Homebrew Supply will shed some more light on the situation.

Exactly why I have made all my batches thus far using my LHBS.

Yuri_Rage said:

This man's humble opinion:

If you want next day shipping, pay for next day shipping. If you pay the cheapest price possible for shipping, expect a slight delay.

Austin Homebrew Supply is a small operation with an excellent reputation here. Perhaps Forrest from Austin Homebrew Supply will shed some more light on the situation.

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Here, here I get frustrated by posts that are like that: "place "A" doesn't ship for 5-6 days, but place "B" does all the time."

well, quite frankly, order from place "B" then. I just recently found out that the homebrew shop in Flagstaff has FREE SHIPPING for orders within Arizona that are over $50! :rockin: And my last order got here pretty quick.

But, AHS has a much better selection so they'll still get a chunk of my business....

p.s. the comment about that in these economic times everyone should be doing whatever they can to make a buck seems weird. Yes, you should please the customer, but sheeesshhh, the business' still have to break even and pay expenses! That's like saying, "The economy is bad, I'm gonna make everything free to make the customer happy!" /end rant

Brewsmith said:

I'm sure they are pretty backed up with the post christmas rush. All of the noobies ordering ingredient kits and people redeeming gift certificates. I don't think it's that unreasonable for the order to go out 5-6 days after an order is placed. If you *needed* the ingredients by a spcific time you should check the shipping and possibly pay for faster shipping.

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I am sorry but if waiting 5-6 days for shipping is normal, I will never use AHS. If this however is an anomoly, then I will work with them in the future.

chase said:

Do you read the threads before responding? He already contacted them.

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Lot's of information. I missed that part and apologize. Still if 5 day flat rate shipping is the company policy, then expecting anything sooner is not right. Just because they normally ship sooner doesn't mean you can expect it everytime.

If the Op does want to shop somewhere else it really is his own business though.

I had the exact same situation. I ordered on Monday and it still hasn't shipped yet. I read something that said most things ship from the store within two business days of ordering, regardless of the shipping method you choose. It was just unexpected and a little frustrating for me. I've only ordered from Northern Brewer and they all ship very quickly, so I wasn't expecting such a wait. It seems like they are backlogged, which is understandable, but it's still frustrating (and justifiably so, I think).

AZ_IPA said:

Here, here I get frustrated by posts that are like that: "place "A" doesn't ship for 5-6 days, but place "B" does all the time."

well, quite frankly, order from place "B" then. I just recently found out that the homebrew shop in Flagstaff has FREE SHIPPING for orders within Arizona that are over $50! :rockin: And my last order got here pretty quick.

But, AHS has a much better selection so they'll still get a chunk of my business....

p.s. the comment about that in these economic times everyone should be doing whatever they can to make a buck seems weird. Yes, you should please the customer, but sheeesshhh, the business' still have to break even and pay expenses! That's like saying, "The economy is bad, I'm gonna make everything free to make the customer happy!" /end rant

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I find it bizarre that you find my comment about the economy weird. Whether I am spending hundreds of dollars or one dollar, I expect recipient of my business to provide the best customer service possible.

If the general consensus is that a 5 to 6 day average delay in shipping due to the fact I chose flat rate shipping as acceptable, then clearly some of the other suppliers are providing EXCEPTIONAL customer service because they are shipping to their customers same day or next day.

I find it weird that somehow a portion of the populous here seems to somehow equate flat rate shipping as an excuse for bad service? I don't see how one justifies the other?

With that said I probably never would have posted this if the word _sorry_ appeared anywhere in the response to my original inquiry. Had I perceived some small amount of empathy for the thirsty customer then all would have been well and I would have chalked it up to a rough patch. Unfortunately I received I canned e-mail that said if you, when you boil off the language, want better service, then you need to pay more money for it.

I guess the morale of the story is this is not my experience with the other major supplies and that is why its so shocking.

To get back to economic times--right now a lot of people (myself included) are having to make choices around how the spend their disposable income. I am sending hundreds of dollars to someone with the expectation that they will be returning a service, in the same rapid manner in which I paid for it. Given the choice I would always choose the supplier who was willing to provide excellent customer service, versus one who was not.

If you take into account the competitions turnaround time in this industry or any other, this delay is way outside of what most people would define exceptional, or acceptable.

I gotta butt in here because even though I've never ordered from Austin Homebrew Supply, Ive seen several threads about their delay in shipping and Forrest has responded several times with stuff that is listed on their site

Expedited Shipping
Orders placed with us will be shipped out within 2-3 business days. Our expedited shipping service will guarantee that your order will be shipped out on the same day that we receive it...... Select a UPS shipping method to expedite your order, or select flat rate shipping for our standard turn-around time.....

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and then just down the page

Flat Rate Shipping Best Value!
Flat rate shipping is the best value because you pay only $6.99 to ship your entire order, no matter how large or small. All orders are completed in the order that we receive them, unless you pay to expedite. Then your order moves to the front of the line.

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If you want your stuff sooner, pay for it. Otherwise, relax! This is a peak ordering time of year!!

Ever hear the phrase, "you get what you pay for?"

I think 4-5 days to shipping is normal but I also know that they have hired more people lately. One problem with a business like this is success. At some point you are having trouble and need to hire AND train new people.

I have no problems with the lag because the quality is fine and I have the ability to look ahead.

I talked to them on the phone last week... they called me because they were out of something. I was surprised the order hadn't shipped yet and was told they were swamped with orders and that as per their site shipping FAQ, orders using the 6.99 flat rate weren't first priority.

My fault for not reading it. I'll make my future buying decisions based on how quickly I need what I'm ordering... If I want it fast, I'll pay their expedited rate or order from someone else.

I think all things considered it's unfair to bash a company for doing exactly what their FAQ says they will do.

Well it sounds like if you need something fast, simply do not use AHS. Thank god for my LHBS...I am very sensitive about my brewing. haha

elm33 said:

I find it bizarre that you find my comment about the economy weird. Whether I am spending hundreds of dollars or one dollar, I expect recipient of my business to provide the best customer service possible.

If the general consensus is that a 5 to 6 day average delay in shipping due to the fact I chose flat rate shipping as acceptable, then clearly some of the other suppliers are providing EXCEPTIONAL customer service because they are shipping to their customers same day or next day.

I find it weird that somehow a portion of the populous here seems to somehow equate flat rate shipping as an excuse for bad service? I don't see how one justifies the other?

With that said I probably never would have posted this if the word _sorry_ appeared anywhere in the response to my original inquiry. Had I perceived some small amount of empathy for the thirsty customer then all would have been well and I would have chalked it up to a rough patch. Unfortunately I received I canned e-mail that said if you, when you boil off the language, want better service, then you need to pay more money for it.

I guess the morale of the story is this is not my experience with the other major supplies and that is why its so shocking.

To get back to economic times--right now a lot of people (myself included) are having to make choices around how the spend their disposable income. I am sending hundreds of dollars to someone with the expectation that they will be returning a service, in the same rapid manner in which I paid for it. Given the choice I would always choose the supplier who was willing to provide excellent customer service, versus one who was not.

If you take into account the competitions turnaround time in this industry or any other, this delay is way outside of what most people would define exceptional, or acceptable.

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order from someone else than, and I'll take full advantage of the fact that AHS has flat shipping....and I'll probably get my order faster if you don't order?

just messing with you on that last point; but it's the typical american mentality -- we want stuff fast, cheap, and easy. We want cilantrao to cost a buck a bunch, yet we don't want illegals in this county (even though they're the one's harvesting the stuff).

Oh boy, I'll just end this before I go off anymore by saying:

When I 1st ordered from AHS, it took 4-5 days to get my stuff; now it might take 4-7. Regardless, the shipping is still cheap, so I just need to plan ahead and order on a Thursday or Friday rather than a Monday or Tuesday.

Regarding your comment about customer service - go ahead and order from the other companies. AHS has always made things right when they've.....oh wait, they've never messed up my order

You could order from Brewmasters Warehouse... they have flat rate shipping, competitive pricing, and generally fill the order the same day. They get rave reviews about thier FAST shipping, it is posted all over this forum.

AZ_IPA said:

Regarding your comment about customer service - go ahead and order from the other companies. AHS has always made things right when they've.....oh wait, they've never messed up my order

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Again, having never ordered from them, I've heard this as well. And when I happened to stumble across a thread where someone did complain about a bad grain crush, or missing pieces or anything, Forrest was right there willing to make things right. From all I've ever seen, he's very loyal to his customers!

My last order took a while to ship out, but that was over the holidays, so that was understandable. Usually, my orders have shipped within two days.

There are several great online homebrew stores out there that have comparable prices - pick the one you like best. I think AHS has the best options for mini-mash kits out there, and will stick with them for recipe kits. For custom recipes and individual ingredients, I usually end up buying from Northern Brewer because they have a somewhat wider selection and more specific descriptions on where their ingredients come from for many items. And I'll throw in the occasional order at my overpriced LHBS, because it's always good to have them for the occasional hiccup when something needs to be replaced right away.

I would give AHS another chance and judge them by the quality of their products - their shipping department is probably the weakest part of the operation at this point. It's unlikely you will be disappointed with any other aspect of the company.

AHS has been as good to me as any other on shipping. Morebeer on the other hand held up a 200.00 order because they were out of a package of s-o4 yeast and thier policy is to ship the whole thing at once.

Thanks to the people that understand. No one has ever said that the $6.99 flat rate shipping means that your order will always ship in 5-6 days. This is not the normal turn around.

We are currently a victim of our own success. This years orders so far are more than double the number and it doesn't look like it will slow down.

Expedite orders, meaning you pay for your shipping charges (like most stores) means we will ship your order out the same day. If you select the flat rate shipping it usually goes out in 2-3 days. The exception is when we have one of our sales or we have a large increase in orders. Our last sale bought in 636 orders in one day (that is 3 weeks worth of orders).

Those of you that know me and my company know that I am working hard to resolve this problem. The department manager has been working 70 hours a week since October when all of this additional growth started. This week, I have been rearranging the store to accomodate for the growth. I just hired a new person today fresh out of the Air Force for 6 years that is eager and ready to work hard. I am still taking applications as well.

We have certainly outgrown our 6,000 square feet and I have already begun to look for a new store that is a least 12,000 square feet so we can accomodate the success we are having.

I am truly sorry if this is your first experience with the company and you are experiencing this delay. This truly is not a lack of costomer service. We are not moving in slow motion on our tippy toes. I am working on doubling our shipping department.

I hope this helps to explain the delay and we will be back to our normal schedule by Monday (in 3 days).

We will be having a 50 day sale starting in February. Lots of great deals, give aways, and other surprises. The sale will be One State per Day for 50 days. One of the give aways will be a $50 gift certificate each day, given randomly to one of the people from the state featured, who placed an order.

I will keep you posted.

Forrest
Austin Homebrew Supply
(AHS, AHB, AHBS, etc)

Forrest, you shouldn't have to explain every time someone wants to whine about your company. I don't see any of the other online stores on here explaining every little hiccup in their service. I appreciate that you do it but it sucks that you get targeting so often.

+1 on that. I'll be stopping in tomorrow for a march pump, oxygenation kit & some other stuff.