Midwest Supplies has terrible shipping policies.

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It really doesn't matter how long they take to ship it. You both agreed to the delivery date range and as long as it arrives within that agreed upon range I don't see any issues.

It really comes across like you are expecting expedited service without wanting to pay the price for that service
 
I agree with you that a faster shipping policy would be better, but the way you approached it here was to disparage their business by suggesting that they hid something from you, when in reality, they were completely upfront with you, were on track to do exactly what you asked them to do, and accommodated your request for a free rush processing.

Its nonsense for you to claim you were okay with 14 day shipping until you learned it was 3 day shipping plus processing time. You knew that from the beginning because you know it doesnt take that long for ups to make a delivery.
 
murphyslaw said:
I agree with you that a faster shipping policy would be better, but the way you approached it here was to disparage their business by suggesting that they hid something from you, when in reality, they were completely upfront with you, were on track to do exactly what you asked them to do, and accommodated your request for a free rush processing.

Its nonsense for you to claim you were okay with 14 day shipping until you learned it was 3 day shipping plus processing time. You knew that from the beginning because you know it doesnt take that long for ups to make a delivery.
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I mean it wasn't 14 days to begin with. More like 10 which is not unheard of for a carrier. But after-the-fact research and conversations made me unhappy with how they handle things.
 
Alright guys lets just call this thread done shall we? A lot disagreed, some agreed, I still feel the way i feel, some think i'm wrong so I guess we have nowhere left to go but down if we keep going.
Happy brewing eh?
 
In closing:

Northern and Midwest ship from the same warehouse here in Minnesota, we sort all the entries for the Minnesota Mashout there.

They use a FIFO operation for picking and shipping, if they have all sorts of $20.00 kits for sale and they get swamped, it will take a few days to clear up the back log. If you call all nice and such, they will pull your order right after all the ones that pay for an expedited ship are done.

This is why they can afford sales, special kits etc. If they hire me as a temp when they get behind, they lose the margin YOU all expect them to share back with you in the form of sales, special priced kits etc.

They are an AMAZING crew, please stop whining... :mug:
 
Jasper, you stepped in the Baby Jesus of home brewing supply. Tuck your tail and run. There are those who go to a restaurant and order a medium steak and get a well done steak and eat it, and there are those who send it back.
 
TorMag said:
Jasper, you stepped in the Baby Jesus of home brewing supply. Tuck your tail and run. There are those who go to a restaurant and order a medium steak and get a well done steak and eat it, and there are those who send it back.
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Incorrect. You are comparing apples to orangutans.

If I order medium and they say it'll take 45 minutes, I first decide if I want to continue or go somewhere else. If I proceed, I expect it in 45 minute and don't get in a tizzy when I am not eating in 20 minutes.

But if that medium arrives in 20 minute and well done, i am going to take issue.
 
I didn't get in on this before, so I'm going to leave a parting comment now:
It sounds, OP, like what you mean is less that they have terrible shipping policies and more that their processing lagtime puts them behind the curve when compared against their competitors, and maybe they're missing out on a chance to create some additional brand loyalty.

Which, yeah, is probably a fair point, but also probably you'd agree that "terrible" is an overstatement of that point. So yeah... you're not totally wrong, but you're also not totally right.
 
GilaMinumBeer said:
Incorrect. You are comparing apples to orangutans.

If I order medium and they say it'll take 45 minutes, I first decide if I want to continue or go somewhere else. If I proceed, I expect it in 45 minute and don't get in a tizzy when I am not eating in 20 minutes.

But if that medium arrives in 20 minute and well done, i am going to take issue.
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Relax, it was a metaphor.
 
Mainer said:
I didn't get in on this before, so I'm going to leave a parting comment now:
It sounds, OP, like what you mean is less that they have terrible shipping policies and more that their processing lagtime puts them behind the curve when compared against their competitors, and maybe they're missing out on a chance to create some additional brand loyalty.

Which, yeah, is probably a fair point, but also probably you'd agree that "terrible" is an overstatement of that point. So yeah... you're not totally wrong, but you're also not totally right.
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Well said. :mug:
 
Mainer said:
I didn't get in on this before, so I'm going to leave a parting comment now:
It sounds, OP, like what you mean is less that they have terrible shipping policies and more that their processing lagtime puts them behind the curve when compared against their competitors, and maybe they're missing out on a chance to create some additional brand loyalty.

Which, yeah, is probably a fair point, but also probably you'd agree that "terrible" is an overstatement of that point. So yeah... you're not totally wrong, but you're also not totally right.
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Which, would be 100% true.

IF it were the case that the entire warehouse was sitting around on their hands Monday and Tuesday doing nothing.

Literally, I mean, they were doing NOTHING, and NOT A SINGLE ORDER was picked and packed and shipped...

IF that was the case, the complaint is completely valid. If the OPs order was the ONLY order to be put in on Friday/Saturday/Sunday, then there is OF COURSE no excuse to hold off on processing it that long.

Consider though, that there were probably hundreds of orders placed at all hours, from all over the country, of all sorts of sizes and compositions.

More than likely with the sale, and it being pay day for a lot of folks on Friday, he was probably in a LONG LONG line of orders. If I hadn't had the time to go to Minneapolis on Saturday I would've put my order in on Friday morning 5-6 hours before the OP. If I had found out that the OP had their order picked packed and shipped before mine, when I placed my order first, I would be pretty frustrated with the situation.
 
I kind of want to order from Midwest .. knowing their kits are not boxed up weeks in advance and sitting there gathering dust instead of made to order? That is a plus ..... those $20 'basics' are really appealing ..

If I am planning anything for a weekend, I tend to get everything in a week or two early so I don't have to stress the last few days before any project.
 
ArkotRamathorn said:
Which, would be 100% true.

IF it were the case that the entire warehouse was sitting around on their hands Monday and Tuesday doing nothing.

Literally, I mean, they were doing NOTHING, and NOT A SINGLE ORDER was picked and packed and shipped...

IF that was the case, the complaint is completely valid. If the OPs order was the ONLY order to be put in on Friday/Saturday/Sunday, then there is OF COURSE no excuse to hold off on processing it that long.

Consider though, that there were probably hundreds of orders placed at all hours, from all over the country, of all sorts of sizes and compositions.

More than likely with the sale, and it being pay day for a lot of folks on Friday, he was probably in a LONG LONG line of orders. If I hadn't had the time to go to Minneapolis on Saturday I would've put my order in on Friday morning 5-6 hours before the OP. If I had found out that the OP had their order picked packed and shipped before mine, when I placed my order first, I would be pretty frustrated with the situation.
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Well, there is that.
I mean, if they were able to guarantee shipping on every order the next business day, it would really be a huge advantage to the customer.
Except for the part where they have to expand their workforce, systems, storage capacity, and supply chains, and pass the cost of that along to the customer.
Every customer service has a customer cost.
 
TorMag said:
Jasper, you stepped in the Baby Jesus of home brewing supply. Tuck your tail and run. There are those who go to a restaurant and order a medium steak and get a well done steak and eat it, and there are those who send it back.
Click to expand...

And more often there are people who order a steak medium-rare, get a medium-rare steak and then complain that their steak is raw and expect to get their steak for free.
 
A few years ago Morebeer would sit on orders that used the moresaver (free) shipping. It irritated me and I mentioned that in a morebeer thread and I got told pretty much what the OP got told. I get it, both sides of it.

Ultimately if they offer a slower shipping option and you choose that option then expect slower shipping. Part of shipping is picking and packing.

OP, many companies absolutely do take a hit on shipping. Obviously they make up for it somewhere, but it is not at all uncommon for flat rate and reduced rate shipping options to cost teh company more than what you pay them. If they also offer expedited shipping you better bet your ass that those expedited shipping orders get process before your reduced rate order. If I paid for expedited shipping and found out my order was delayed so that they could process reduced rate shipping orders before mine I'd be more pissed than you are right now and I certainly wouldn't ever pay for that service ever again.

Oh, and I let morebeer know that I didn't like the delay in shipping times. It's been a really long time since I've had an order from them not ship same or next day.

So if you want free and fast shipping try morebeer.
 
I can see both sides of this issue.

When NB first started this policy (and MWS did not), I missed my brew day when NB sat on my order for six days. See: Drom John not brewing an IPA while others talk about why everyone is into only IPAs
I was miffed. (Maybe still am miffed.)
The difference in my case was there was no expected delivery range, merely a statement (not on the shipping page) that I'd get lower priority. I falsely assumed that "lower priority" meant that I was behind all other Thursday orders, and not that I was behind all other orders on Friday to Tuesday also. This is where I side with Jasper18.
I had an chat session hissy fit.

I only brew every six weeks, and by the time I was ready to order again, NB had added the expected delivery date range to the shipping page. I now have no longer a problem with the NB policy. This is where I don't side with Jasper18.

So my new irritant is indirectly related to how I have chosen to handle the new policy. I've been setting up an order cart well ahead of time, then over the weeks (then days when it gets close), I click to estimate shipping so that I can check on the delivery range.
I Can Wait Flat Rate (Arrives between 06/01/16 - 06/03/16) = $7.99
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Hmm, next brew day is 2 July 2016. I'll wait maybe four weeks to order; get fresher ingredients, and have the money stay in my bank account longer.
But every time I monitor the shipping range then close the page, I get an automated email from NB with the subject: "Oops! It looks like you have forgotten something!" Uff da!

Meanwhile, my regional HBS has sent out an email to all customers to find out if anyone other than me wants organic malt. (Related because organic malt is why I use NB and MWS.)

As to that first missed brew day, I recommend the NB Conundrum Session IPA.
 

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