cyanmonkey
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That's a weird business model. They're obviously not having any issues with sales, you'd think they would order more.
Brewmasters Warehouse
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Baja_Brewer
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I find it interesting that everything has fallen off so much considering Ed started the business with superior customer service in mind...I'm sure there are reasons, but it's a shame really.
That shelf photo says it all. It's called cash flow and they probably don't have the credit to keep those shelves full now. I live on the northeast side of ATL and they are NW. I have been a customer since they opened and they always do fill my orders...slowly now, but they do come through. The only time I was in the store, it was packed with merchandise. I don't see this ending well.
Sorry to say, but I'm done with BMW. I had trouble with an order back in August. I let it slide. Then placed an order 3 weeks ago. After a week I sent an e-mail asking about my order. I did not receive a reply. I then called and was told my order was canceled. I did not ask them to cancel the order. I hope they fix the problem, but I can't waste my time with them anymore
cyanmonkey
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How can they have a cash flow issue when they sell out of everything they stock?
Then they would have a large overhead, or some other expenditure. That means poor business model or management, right?
Then they would have a large overhead, or some other expenditure. That means poor business model or management, right?
To be fair to the business, lets not speculate about the business but rather keep the posts here to reports from customers about their experiences. That is also the rule for the company forum.
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Just dialed 770-973-0072 and they answered.
jvlpdillon
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These guys were the best homebrew store on the web until recently. I have been having way too many problems getting orders filled. It took 3 weeks the last time I ordered. I gave them a week this time, and heard nothing from them. I had to cancel. I really hope they get their act together. Until then I cannot support them.
benbradford
Well-Known Member
Here is my recent experience.
Ordered $300 on Jan 8
Called Jan 10 to make sure everything was in stock and it would ship without any issues(good advice with them because they will frequently hold entire order over something minor that is out of stock without an email or phone call)
They said it would ship no problem.
Two weeks later called on a sunday and left voicemail to call me back
Called on the following wednesday(the 21st) and there was no record of voicemail and the response was that everything was fine and that they would ship it that day. I was upset over the two week delay and asked if they could throw some dme into the shipment to make up for the delay. They said they would.
I received a shpping notification the following Monday and it said that is was shipping from roswell and only one box. I was confused at this since they are located in Marietta. I called on wednesday and they said that it was actually one of 3 boxes and that is would arrive Thursday. But, they were out of stock on 8 of the items and they had not been included in the shipment. i again expressed my displeasure with my experience and asked them to cancel the out of stock items and wanted to know what they could do to make up for my bad experience.
they said they would refund my out of stock items and send a $30 gift card.
I recieved a $18 refund the next day.
I just called today(5 weeks later) and asked where the rest of my refund was because the order totaled up to $40 in out of stock items.
They said they charged me for the dme and refunded the difference.
I explained that that was not the conversation that had taken place and they finally refunded me the price of the dme and emailed me a gift cert for $30.
Moral of the story seems to be that if you can wait 3-4 weeks and make 5 phone calls you can recieve the best prices on the internet and a gift card to repeat process....
This was my 39th order from brewmasters warehouse and probably wont be my last, but it is truly infuriating to receive such poor shipping time and communication.
Ordered $300 on Jan 8
Called Jan 10 to make sure everything was in stock and it would ship without any issues(good advice with them because they will frequently hold entire order over something minor that is out of stock without an email or phone call)
They said it would ship no problem.
Two weeks later called on a sunday and left voicemail to call me back
Called on the following wednesday(the 21st) and there was no record of voicemail and the response was that everything was fine and that they would ship it that day. I was upset over the two week delay and asked if they could throw some dme into the shipment to make up for the delay. They said they would.
I received a shpping notification the following Monday and it said that is was shipping from roswell and only one box. I was confused at this since they are located in Marietta. I called on wednesday and they said that it was actually one of 3 boxes and that is would arrive Thursday. But, they were out of stock on 8 of the items and they had not been included in the shipment. i again expressed my displeasure with my experience and asked them to cancel the out of stock items and wanted to know what they could do to make up for my bad experience.
they said they would refund my out of stock items and send a $30 gift card.
I recieved a $18 refund the next day.
I just called today(5 weeks later) and asked where the rest of my refund was because the order totaled up to $40 in out of stock items.
They said they charged me for the dme and refunded the difference.
I explained that that was not the conversation that had taken place and they finally refunded me the price of the dme and emailed me a gift cert for $30.
Moral of the story seems to be that if you can wait 3-4 weeks and make 5 phone calls you can recieve the best prices on the internet and a gift card to repeat process....
This was my 39th order from brewmasters warehouse and probably wont be my last, but it is truly infuriating to receive such poor shipping time and communication.
stageseven
Well-Known Member
I haven't tried getting in touch with them yet, but my most recent order was placed on 1/17. I have nothing really special in the order, just a few ounces of fairly standard hops, a vial each of WLP001 and WLP051, and uncrushed grain. After over 5 weeks it's still pending. This is my last order with them for sure, I can't imagine any legitimate excuse for why it would take over a month to ship product without any notification of anything being out of stock. It's a shame because I really like being able to order ingredients in 1oz increments for grain, any suggestions for somewhere else to order?
Some posts earlier in this thread helped shed some light on the reasons behind the business falling apart:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f173/brewmasters-warehouse-257713/index257.html#post5332132
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f173/brewmasters-warehouse-257713/index257.html#post5332132
While I understand grieving is a process and takes time, that was over 1.5 years ago and does not excuse the continued mishaps of BMW. Customers by and large do not care about the personal struggles of the business owner. They want a competitively priced product delivered in a reasonable amount of time. How a business survives without that basic tenet is a mystery to me.
I wish Ed and company the best, but I don't order from BMW any more because it's too unreliable. Ed promised to make a change and change has not stuck. I brew on my own schedule, not anyone else's.
stageseven
Well-Known Member
I also remember when this happened, and that Ed came back and shipping times improved for a while. I was hoping that if he was going to need to step away from it again, he would hire someone to manage in his absence but either that hasn't happened or they aren't doing a good job. I did end up calling today and they were very friendly, apologized for the delay, and told me my order would be shipping today or tomorrow, so I guess we'll see if that happens.
Mountainjack1940
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I called them last Friday about my order that had been pending for about a week. They said they were behind and my order should be shipped Monday or Tuesday. It is now Tuesday late night and the order is still pending. Maybe tomorrow
eddiechilton
New Member
I have ordered from them in the past and gotten good deals and fast shipping. My last two orders, however, have been nightmares. I'm in the process of trying to get a refund for my last one, and will be done with ever dealing with this company again, once my money has been returned to me.
I've also told numerous people in the past that they should order from this company, makes me look like a fool!
I've also told numerous people in the past that they should order from this company, makes me look like a fool!
Cpt_Kirks
Well-Known Member
I put in an order on 2/5.
Still pending, with no replies to my requests for order status.
I'm trying to cancel the order, and am done trying to deal with them.
So sad, they were a good company.
Still pending, with no replies to my requests for order status.
I'm trying to cancel the order, and am done trying to deal with them.
So sad, they were a good company.
The main reason I have continued to use them is for their custom recipe packing using the Brew-Builder. Is there another supplier who has something similar to this? Is there an App that can do this? I have not wanted to stock a lot of malts since I got a bug infestation in a previous home that was ultimately tracked to a 50lb bag of 2-Row I kept in the basement. However, I did just order a 3-roller mill and will start to keep some malts again in very airtight containers.
cyanmonkey
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broadbill
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I checked both and neither seem to do the custom recipe packing nor do they have a place to store saved recipes. Where did you see that they do this?
Thought I would share my experience. Ordered on 01/11 and received order of two partial mash recipe kits today 03/03. During this time I did make a phone call and sent two messages using the contact page on Brewmasters webpage. I am happy with the order I received so I guess the bottom line for me is if I am in no hurry, I will continue to order from Brewmasters as their prices and option to put together recipes is hard to beat. But, if I need something quicker than 2 months, I will look elsewhere. I did order two kits from Ritebrew and was very happy with their product and service.
You were satisfied with a two month delivery on something that should have shipped at the very least in 2 days????
They used to have very good reviews.. (I have never ordered from them) Given this I would not even consider ordering....
You were satisfied with a two month delivery on something that should have shipped at the very least in 2 days????
No, the two months to get my order was ridiculous. What I was happy with was the content in my order. Sorry that wasn't clear.
No, the two months to get my order was ridiculous. What I was happy with was the content in my order. Sorry that wasn't clear.
cyanmonkey
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No "recipe builder", but you can order custom grain bills. Ritebrew calls it grain quick selector, or something and keystone you can order down to the thousandth of a pound, I believe.
cyanmonkey
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http://www.ritebrew.com/Articles.asp?ID=256
Keystone should have it available if you select the grain. I haven't used them before, but I know they fulfill custom orders.
broadbill
Well-Known Member
thanks-Not sure how I missed the RiteBrew setup on their site...I think that is actually a better interface that BMW. BMW is nice on the back-end if you are ordering the same recipe over and over...a bit of PITA if you aren't (another recipe book to manage). Getting stuff into the recipe builder was a bit of a PITA too.
Then there is the two-month shipping BMW has right now
stageseven
Well-Known Member
I called them last Friday about my order that had been pending for about a week. They said they were behind and my order should be shipped Monday or Tuesday. It is now Tuesday late night and the order is still pending. Maybe tomorrow
Following up on my experience. I called them on 2/23 and was told as well that they were behind, but my order would ship that day or the next. It still hasn't shipped as of today. I also sent them a message through their website on 3/3, but haven't gotten any response. I just filed a charge dispute with my credit card company, I'm done waiting for a 2 month old order to ship.
Cpt_Kirks
Well-Known Member
Do they even read messages anymore?
I asked them to cancel my last order, and it still pending.
Guess I'll have to call, or reverse the CC charge.
I asked them to cancel my last order, and it still pending.
Guess I'll have to call, or reverse the CC charge.
eps2103
Active Member
I don't use them anymore. The last time I ordered from them they charged my card, and *then* they told me the stuff was not in stock. After a couple months of a few emails & phone calls, I was able to get them to issue a refund. Very poor customer experience.
I placed an order on 2/23, hadn't seen this thread with all of the problems listed. Waited about 10 days, then contacted them via email. No response, so I sent another email. At 14 days, I left a voicemail. At 16 days I called during business hours, no answer, left another voicemail, asking for order to be cancelled. Also sent a message via facebook this week, asking for same. Order still listed as pending, but haven't gotten any form of response from them. Next step is dispute with CC company.
Mountainjack1940
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I called them last Friday about my order that had been pending for about a week. They said they were behind and my order should be shipped Monday or Tuesday. It is now Tuesday late night and the order is still pending. Maybe tomorrow
Finally after 3 more calls I was assured it would ship on Monday March 2nd. The order had been placed on Feb 17th. The partial shipment with missing item that was marked as shipped arrived on Mar 3rd. Two more phone calls and the missing item arrived on Friday Mar 6th. Refund on credit card for items not in stock was applied on Mar 5th was a couple of $$$ short. I am not sure it will be worth the hassle as the flat rate shipping and small refund shortage was still a bargain.
Will I use them again. Maybe if I am not in a hurry :beard: as the prices and shipping are hard to beat if you can put up with the aggravation.
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Don't think they will be around much longer.
theonetrueruss
Senior Member
I am sad to say I agree. BMW used to be my go to store.. I was in there early last week and they pretty much were out of everything. Even the guy working didn't seem to have any belief that anything was going to be in any time soon. Total look of a business that is done for.
I do hope they manage to pull things back together but I seriously doubt that is possible at this point.
mysteryshrimp
Well-Known Member
Former employee here.
Brewmasters Warehouse is effectively closed at this point.
There has been a serious attempt at an employee buyout for the last two months or so, but the negotiations have broken down to the point that it is nearly impossible to envision terms.
For several years, most of the employees have been very unhappy about certain aspects of the business. Several have left over these issues. The employee buyout was designed to bring some life and a bit more integrity back into management. In the last two weeks, three out of the four employees have either simply walked away or put in their two weeks notice. This leaves (in about a week) one part timer and an owner that is occasionally in on a Saturday.
The employee that was heading the proposed buy-out is now exploring options to open a shop in the Marietta/Smyrna area. He would be bringing at least one other long-term BMW staff with him, probably more. He is estimating 6-12 weeks before opening.
The employees do appreciate all of our customers. We have had our hands tied with all of the inventory issues, the shipping issues, and the incredible institutional inefficiency. The new store will take most of the good things that were in place in BMW, fix most of the more serious issues, and offer the services that BMW was known for 3 or 4 years ago. We know how much our service has slipped in the last 2 years or so, but there was not much that the employees could do while being out of 2-row, extract, and/or US-05 most of the time and being given information that was nowhere near reality. I still believe in the business, but it sometimes seems like the employees are the only ones who still do.
As of now, we are still open, but not operational. No employee has access to the code of the website, so we can't make a statement on there. I frankly expect us to be officially out of business on Monday.
When the new LHBS is nearly opened, the announcement will be made on HBT. If the thread still is up at that point, I will post here as well. In the meantime, I really have enjoyed helping you as much as I could, and I hope that some of the customers will at least give us the opportunity to let us serve them. Thank you all for being customers in the past, and I look forward to having some of you as customers again.
Sam
Brewmasters Warehouse
Brewmasters Warehouse is effectively closed at this point.
There has been a serious attempt at an employee buyout for the last two months or so, but the negotiations have broken down to the point that it is nearly impossible to envision terms.
For several years, most of the employees have been very unhappy about certain aspects of the business. Several have left over these issues. The employee buyout was designed to bring some life and a bit more integrity back into management. In the last two weeks, three out of the four employees have either simply walked away or put in their two weeks notice. This leaves (in about a week) one part timer and an owner that is occasionally in on a Saturday.
The employee that was heading the proposed buy-out is now exploring options to open a shop in the Marietta/Smyrna area. He would be bringing at least one other long-term BMW staff with him, probably more. He is estimating 6-12 weeks before opening.
The employees do appreciate all of our customers. We have had our hands tied with all of the inventory issues, the shipping issues, and the incredible institutional inefficiency. The new store will take most of the good things that were in place in BMW, fix most of the more serious issues, and offer the services that BMW was known for 3 or 4 years ago. We know how much our service has slipped in the last 2 years or so, but there was not much that the employees could do while being out of 2-row, extract, and/or US-05 most of the time and being given information that was nowhere near reality. I still believe in the business, but it sometimes seems like the employees are the only ones who still do.
As of now, we are still open, but not operational. No employee has access to the code of the website, so we can't make a statement on there. I frankly expect us to be officially out of business on Monday.
When the new LHBS is nearly opened, the announcement will be made on HBT. If the thread still is up at that point, I will post here as well. In the meantime, I really have enjoyed helping you as much as I could, and I hope that some of the customers will at least give us the opportunity to let us serve them. Thank you all for being customers in the past, and I look forward to having some of you as customers again.
Sam
Brewmasters Warehouse
That is sad to hear, but I'm so glad you posted this so we can all know the deal.
Obviously that means that my order from January isn't ever going to ship, so what do you think I (and others in the same boat) do about getting a refund?
Hopefully the website gets taken down soon; I just now heard an ad for BMW on the Brewing Network..
Obviously that means that my order from January isn't ever going to ship, so what do you think I (and others in the same boat) do about getting a refund?
Hopefully the website gets taken down soon; I just now heard an ad for BMW on the Brewing Network..
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