Chi Company

[SkiGladys]

Looking to buy a bunch of new equipment for my keezer build.

Anybody used Chicompany.com? With good/bad results? How about shipping time?

I like their selection of stuff, but I have had bad experiences in the past with other distributors. Tried search function, but couldn't find another thread reviewing this company.

 

[Zen_Brew]

There are several members here who have used the Chicompany including myself. I picked up 4 refurb corny kegs from them on a sale maybe 6 months ago.

The kegs were shipped out and arrived quickly. They arrived pressurized and with a complete spare set of gaskets for each one.

They did all have a sweet syrup smell that I have been told is the washing solution that they use. Smelled like 7-up to me. I just gave them a good soak in Oxiclean and on a couple replaced the main lid gasket as it held the sweet smell. Other than that great product, at a great price and quickly shipped.

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

The owner is a member here and posts from time to time. Can't remember his handle though. I've purchased kegs from them in the past with zero issue.

 

[Skins_Brew]

Isnt his handle like 'chicompany'?

 

[wildwest450]

Very good results for me.

 

[Mattingly]

Isnt his handle like 'chicompany'?

I think it is like "mjc" or something, actually.

I only have ordered 1 item, but packing/shipping/communication was great.

 

[WenValley]

I just received four ball lock corny's from them. Great price, fast shipping. Two of the kegs were missing the little rubber feet on the lock down mechanism. I called and they sent three more in the mail that day. Two thumbs up...

 

[Skins_Brew]

I think it is like "mjc" or something, actually.

I only have ordered 1 item, but packing/shipping/communication was great.

Yup yup its something like that. I think his name is matt

 

[SkiGladys]

Awesome. Thanks folks. I think I will buy myself a little Christmas present and order today.

 

[sea2summit3]

I bought mine from their warehouse in Diamond Springs. Nice guy and the kegs were great. All were holding pressure when I bought them, but I couldn't get one of them to hold after cleaning. I discovered the poppet was leaking. Got some new popets from my LBHS and all was good!

 

[germanicus81]

Sounds good to me,, I'm looking to buy gear for a keezer retrofit pretty soon and have been eying their perlicks!

 

[SkiGladys]

Ordered a bunch of stuff on Christmas day online. They just informed me that they shipped it today. Very quick response considering the fact that it was Christmas weekend.

 

[Carrion]

I bought keg parts from them. No problems. Quick shipping. Kegs are like new now.

 

[boogyman]

They're like 20 min from me, and I've gone up there a few times to buy kegs. Nice guy & good service.

 

[Munsoned]

They did all have a sweet syrup smell that I have been told is the washing solution that they use. Smelled like 7-up to me. I just gave them a good soak in Oxiclean and on a couple replaced the main lid gasket as it held the sweet smell. Other than that great product, at a great price and quickly shipped.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but almost all used kegs come that way, regardless of the vendor. I think it's the cleaning solution from the pepsi/coke cleaning line, not Chicompany. Yes, the rubber gaskets hold that smell--so they need replacing regardless of the vendor you get them from (at least in my experience, which I think has been three different keg vendors now...)

 

[speedyox]

I had planned on purchasing some ball lock fittings from them but today I noticed that their website appears to be down.

 

[jtrainer]

+1.111

I order from them and am quite happy.... only one order got delayed for some odd reason... Other than that Order away...

 

[Zamial]

I feel there needs to be some sort of "truthful" review of these guys. I also feel that I have exhausted my desires to ever do business with these people again. This is not going to be a name calling or juvinille post just the facts and my experience dealing with them.

Back pre X-mas last year I had bought 1 weldless tower shank and elbow set to see what kind of product I would receive. A short while later I received a beautiful piece of hardware. I decided I would order up 2 more for my X-mas presents from my wife to me and this is where it takes a nasty turn.

The 2 tower shanks arrive and I open the box to find while technically correct the "collar" parts of the shank sets are horribly machined and chromed. 1 is so bad that it looks like it has threads, the other is not as bad but its finish is "dull". None of these collars look the same. Unsatisfied with the quality, I start to try to contact the vendor through e-mails and telephone calls.

Email from the site was never answered past the automated reply when I ask why I am told they were "to busy updating their website to answer emails" and when answering the phone (which I assume is a cell) they were seldom "in the office" but I was assured that they would look into it. A week would pass and I would not hear or see any progress, I would call back and they would brush me off with a "we are still looking into it." reply. After about 3-4 weeks, out of nowhere a package shows up.

I open the package to find 2 PLASTIC chrome plated collars. Now I am pissed. I did not order plastic parts nor would I ever have. I call up and they explain to me that they will try to contact the other warehouses to see if they can find some metal collars and that they were not at the warehouse and the warehouses were located someplace else. I wait another 3 weeks of phone tag and BS to the end result of them explaining to me that there are no more metal collars being produced and that all the collars were now this chrome plastic material. (Funny how when I contacted alternate vendors on this site they have no clue about this and all of the collars they have are metal...)

I now ask for my money back and they agree to refund it. The day I am going to try to return the hardware they come on this forum and play the part of the fool. That post has long since been deleted but it was enough to scare me away from sending my parts back to them as now there is absolutely no trust to be had by me in this company. I truly fear that if I were to send these parts back I would never see my money.

I have decided to just use the collars as they will function but they are less than the same, not what I ordered and I am 100% unsatisfied with them and the CHI Company.

IMO these are 2 guys with a website and a cell phone that are trying to sell parts remotely. They never see the parts or handle them so they are physically unable to do very much as far as quality issues are concerned short of mailing parts back and forth across the country. They act unprofessional and lack serious customer service skills. I would recommend trying to source parts from a different vendor.

GL

 

[Ace_Club]

You should file a complaint with the BBB.

 

[mmb]

And here I thought my experience with KegKits.com was bad. This sounds even worse. At least I finally received the parts to my satisfaction.

Vendor account on HBT or not, there are too many EXCELLENT vendors in the homebrew and draft beer business to deal with jokers like CHI and KegKits/Tom Hargrave.

I feel there needs to be some sort of "truthful" review of these guys. I also feel that I have exhausted my desires to ever do business with these people again. This is not going to be a name calling or juvinille post just the facts and my experience dealing with them.

Back pre X-mas last year I had bought 1 weldless tower shank and elbow set to see what kind of product I would receive. A short while later I received a beautiful piece of hardware. I decided I would order up 2 more for my X-mas presents from my wife to me and this is where it takes a nasty turn.

The 2 tower shanks arrive and I open the box to find while technically correct the "collar" parts of the shank sets are horribly machined and chromed. 1 is so bad that it looks like it has threads, the other is not as bad but its finish is "dull". None of these collars look the same. Unsatisfied with the quality, I start to try to contact the vendor through e-mails and telephone calls.

Email from the site was never answered past the automated reply when I ask why I am told they were "to busy updating their website to answer emails" and when answering the phone (which I assume is a cell) they were seldom "in the office" but I was assured that they would look into it. A week would pass and I would not hear or see any progress, I would call back and they would brush me off with a "we are still looking into it." reply. After about 3-4 weeks, out of nowhere a package shows up.

I open the package to find 2 PLASTIC chrome plated collars. Now I am pissed. I did not order plastic parts nor would I ever have. I call up and they explain to me that they will try to contact the other warehouses to see if they can find some metal collars and that they were not at the warehouse and the warehouses were located someplace else. I wait another 3 weeks of phone tag and BS to the end result of them explaining to me that there are no more metal collars being produced and that all the collars were now this chrome plastic material. (Funny how when I contacted alternate vendors on this site they have no clue about this and all of the collars they have are metal...)

I now ask for my money back and they agree to refund it. The day I am going to try to return the hardware they come on this forum and play the part of the fool. That post has long since been deleted but it was enough to scare me away from sending my parts back to them as now there is absolutely no trust to be had by me in this company. I truly fear that if I were to send these parts back I would never see my money.

I have decided to just use the collars as they will function but they are less than the same, not what I ordered and I am 100% unsatisfied with them and the CHI Company.

IMO these are 2 guys with a website and a cell phone that are trying to sell parts remotely. They never see the parts or handle them so they are physically unable to do very much as far as quality issues are concerned short of mailing parts back and forth across the country. They act unprofessional and lack serious customer service skills. I would recommend trying to source parts from a different vendor.

GL

 

[samc]

Agree, one of the worst vendors I ever dealt with. The guy has been b/s'ing about the email woes for more than a year as I recall. He just doesn't answer them. Spoke to him on the phone once, sounded like he was on the can.

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

As long as everything goes right, they are OK to deal with. They have a lot of neat stuff, and used to have really good deals on kegs.

However, their website blows. There was some confusion with a part that I ordered, and went through HELL getting it returned.

 

[Golddiggie]

Problem is, almost no order from them "goes right"... I placed a super-simple order from them/him... Two 25L kegs, no valves installed. Worked with him, after several emails (which were not answered) and finally about 3-4 calls BEFORE he reached out to the manufacturer in PA to find out if they even had any in stock at the time. Was told 10 were in stock, so I placed the order that day. Shipping label was generated, so I had a tracking number. After no activity from UPS on the order, I got a hold of the man from Chi to find out what the F was going on... He claimed it was a "manufacturing delay" or some other nonsense... Really? After he checked with them, supposedly had two set aside, they sat on the order for the better part of a week? Really?? Once they finally shipped from PA, they arrived as I would expect any UPS Ground shipment to arrive.

Needless to say, that was my first, and only, order with Chi. I've since found used kegs online (ebay and Craigslist) which I've purchased.

Talk with even a small number of home brewers that have been at it for any decent length of time, and almost all of them have gone through the Chi pain... Pretty sad... I have to wonder how he stays in business. Unless, that is, he's dealing with larger customers during the day, who place larger dollar amount orders, and dealing with the home brew croud on off hours.

Personally, even if he's selling an item at 25% less than anyone else, I'll probably not order it from him. With the other vendors I use (Farmhouse, Rebel Brewer, Brewers Hardware, Bargain Fittings, MidWest, AHS, etc.) I at least KNOW they'll take my order seriously and it gets out the door within 1-2 business days. There's also good communication from them (sometimes it takes a little poke, but that's all). I would advise anyone else looking to place an order from Chi consider all the posts you can find here about less than good experiences. Let those help you to decide if you want to spend your money there.

 

[TXCrash]

Note: This is written a few days after a nasty motorcycle wreck. Vicoden and flexeril aren't great at inspiring better grammar.

I also wonder why HBT continues to allow a vendor like CHI to post on this forum and frequently deletes any criticism of them. I've never ordered from CHI because of the bad attitude that I've seen displayed through their posts and reports of very poor customer service/ unauthorized substitutions.

I don't worry about those who have been here and are aware of the type of company that CHI is. I will probably never do business with them (if I did, I'd be printing out what I ordered and ordering with a CC that I knew would back me up if they sent the wrong/defective part). I worry for those who haven't seen the concerns posted (most have been deleted) and expect the quality that most other vendors here posess.

I really feel like allowing a company like CHI to continue posting here and censoring concerns expressed does a dis-service to the honest, customer oriented vendors. Credibility should be gained by being a sponsoring vendor of the site - that credibility is lost when a company like CHI is allowed to "gain" the same credibility.

 

[Pappers_]

Note: This is written a few days after a nasty motorcycle wreck. Vicoden and flexeril aren't great at inspiring better grammar.

I also wonder why HBT continues to allow a vendor like CHI to post on this forum and frequently deletes any criticism of them. I've never ordered from CHI because of the bad attitude that I've seen displayed through their posts and reports of very poor customer service/ unauthorized substitutions.

I don't worry about those who have been here and are aware of the type of company that CHI is. I will probably never do business with them (if I did, I'd be printing out what I ordered and ordering with a CC that I knew would back me up if they sent the wrong/defective part). I worry for those who haven't seen the concerns posted (most have been deleted) and expect the quality that most other vendors here posess.

I really feel like allowing a company like CHI to continue posting here and censoring concerns expressed does a dis-service to the honest, customer oriented vendors. Credibility should be gained by being a sponsoring vendor of the site - that credibility is lost when a company like CHI is allowed to "gain" the same credibility.

Curtis, respectfully, I think you are out of line in your criticism of CHI in a review thread when you haven't even bought from them. Let those who have direct experience with CHI as customers, either positive or negative, have their say. Non-customers, like me, really don't have standing to chime in.

 

[TXCrash]

I've never purchased from them because of what I've seen on this forum. If comments from myself and others were left up, there'd be no reason for someone like me to post here.

I know they have business practices that I don't agree with. I know this through CHI's OWN POSTS, not heresay. Again - a noob can't find these because all references to same have been deleted.

 

[Yooper]

I've never purchased from them because of what I've seen on this forum. If comments from myself and others were left up, there'd be no reason for someone like me to post here.

I know they have business practices that I don't agree with. I know this through CHI's OWN POSTS, not heresay. Again - a noob can't find these because all references to same have been deleted.

You can't understand why our "company reviews" area requires just that- reviews of your experience with the company?

Let me give you an example. I heard Amazon was too big. So I won't do business with them. I don't like Wal-Mart, because I heard they hire illegal aliens to sweep their floors. I'm not wild about Sierra Nevada, because one time a friend of mine said they had a bad bottle. Does that give me the right to go onto a well-regarded internet forum and bash Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Sierra Nevada? But I really DID hear they were bad, and I really DID have a bad impression of them from some website I read!

Do you see the dilemma? Reviews ONLY work if the people who actually dealt with the company report their experiences.

There is NO conspiracy to protect bad vendors, no matter what you believe. But blasting Wal-Mart because my brother's wife's sister was treated poorly is completely inappropriate. The Vendor Showcase is THEIR place. The Company Reviews forum is YOUR place. But you can't say, "I've never dealt with this company, but thumbs down!". That's not right.

 

[TXCrash]

You can't understand why our "company reviews" area requires just that- reviews of your experience with the company?

Let me give you an example. I heard Amazon was too big. So I won't do business with them. I don't like Wal-Mart, because I heard they hire illegal aliens to sweep their floors. I'm not wild about Sierra Nevada, because one time a friend of mine said they had a bad bottle. Does that give me the right to go onto a well-regarded internet forum and bash Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Sierra Nevada? But I really DID hear they were bad, and I really DID have a bad impression of them from some website I read!

Do you see the dilemma? Reviews ONLY work if the people who actually dealt with the company report their experiences.

There is NO conspiracy to protect bad vendors, no matter what you believe. But blasting Wal-Mart because my brother's wife's sister was treated poorly is completely inappropriate. The Vendor Showcase is THEIR place. The Company Reviews forum is YOUR place. But you can't say, "I've never dealt with this company, but thumbs down!". That's not right.

I'm not "thumbs downing" them because I "heard" they did something. I'm thumbs downing because CHI themselves "told" (through posting) me they did it. Then again, those posts have been deleted.

 

[SwampassJ]

I'm not "thumbs downing" them because I "heard" they did something. I'm thumbs downing because CHI themselves "told" (through posting) me they did it. Then again, those posts have been deleted.

I'm with Tx on this one too. I remember that post, then there was no post. Not even the usual removed for "insert infraction here" was left behind.

 

[DarkPhyre]

Very tough to call.
Leaving negative feedback that isn't drawn from personal experiences is inappropriate.

Due to my readings today, I feel a little weary of any purchases now or in the future from this vendor. Which, is not fair to the vendor.

This site also has an obligation to protect their cash generating ad revenue. - especially - from apparent malicious posters.

 

[bob1852]

Very tough to call.
Leaving negative feedback that isn't drawn from personal experiences is inappropriate.

Due to my readings today, I feel a little weary of any purchases now or in the future from this vendor. Which, is not fair to the vendor.

This site also has an obligation to protect their cash generating ad revenue. - especially - from apparent malicious posters.

Honest question though: what if you had access to posts/threads that have been deleted?

 

[ndsgr]

Sorry Yooper, but there is a difference. Many of us have dealt with TheChiCompany through his own posts. While I haven't purchased anything from him, I have had experiences with him through here. Those experiences were bad enough that I refuse to buy anything from him.

While HBT may not be trying to protect vendors, this forum is not able to be self regulating. Other forum's members will "out" bad vendors, while HBT doesn't allow any negative feedback, except in this section. Some of the other forums also ban bad vendors or don't allow them to re-up. At the least, they allow negative feedback to remain as long as it's still somewhat on topic of the thread (example: the conical fiasco was totally on topic, but it was negative, so deleted).

I'm not saying HBT is wrong or should change. I am only saying that members on here should never think of "HBT Vendor" status as an endorsement. We the customer just need to keep in mind that any vendor on HBT should be treated like a guy selling out of the back of a van until some personal research is done. Fortunately, finding good vendors on here is usually just a search away. That said, this personal research is very difficult when moderators/adminstrators start deleting potentially damaging posts, even if they are made by the vendor himself. Really, the only people hurt by this are the good vendors and the forum members.

 

[TXCrash]

Sorry Yooper, but there is a difference. Many of us have dealt with TheChiCompany through his own posts. While I haven't purchased anything from him, I have had experiences with him through here. Those experiences were bad enough that I refuse to buy anything from him.

While HBT may not be trying to protect vendors, this forum is not able to be self regulating. Other forum's members will "out" bad vendors, while HBT doesn't allow any negative feedback, except in this section. Some of the other forums also ban bad vendors or don't allow them to re-up. At the least, they allow negative feedback to remain as long as it's still somewhat on topic of the thread (example: the conical fiasco was totally on topic, but it was negative, so deleted).

I'm not saying HBT is wrong or should change. I am only saying that members on here should never think of "HBT Vendor" status as an endorsement. We the customer just need to keep in mind that any vendor on HBT should be treated like a guy selling out of the back of a van until some personal research is done. Fortunately, finding good vendors on here is usually just a search away. That said, this personal research is very difficult when moderators/adminstrators start deleting potentially damaging posts, even if they are made by the vendor himself. Really, the only people hurt by this are the good vendors and the forum members.

This

 

[Pappers_]

The non-customers who have been bashing CHI are coming off very poorly, in my opinion. I'd advise giving it a break and let actual customers post about their good or bad experiences.

 

[TXCrash]

The non-customers who have been bashing CHI are coming off very poorly, in my opinion. I'd advise giving it a break and let actual customers post about their good or bad experiences.

Thing is, we're non customers because of behavior by the vendor that we've seen on this board. Behavior which has been deleted.

A potential customer needs to know about a vendor who:
1. Posts a thread about how stupid customers are. In this case, CHI had (by their own admission) substituted parts without authorization. The customer got upset, tried to deal with it through CHI (again, through CHI's words). CHI posted a rant about how stupid some customers can be. The thread got deleted.

2. Posts misinformation about other vendors anti foam drops and is unable to back up their claims about their own. The thread dissolves into name calling by the vendor and other forum members. Once again, either the entire thread or any dissenting posts got deleted.

3. Posts an illegal lottery and gets bent out of shape when it's pointed out that what they're doing is illegal. Again, most posts in that thread are deleted.

I could go on. There are more but why keep going?

If all posts to these threads (even if only CHI's) were restored, there'd be enough information for someone who hadn't seen these threads go down to make a decision.

 

[broadbill]

Thing is, we're non customers because of behavior by the vendor that we've seen on this board. Behavior which has been deleted.

A potential customer needs to know about a vendor who:
1. Posts a thread about how stupid customers are. In this case, CHI had (by their own admission) substituted parts without authorization. The customer got upset, tried to deal with it through CHI (again, through CHI's words). CHI posted a rant about how stupid some customers can be. The thread got deleted.

2. Posts misinformation about other vendors anti foam drops and is unable to back up their claims about their own. The thread dissolves into name calling by the vendor and other forum members. Once again, either the entire thread or any dissenting posts got deleted.

3. Posts an illegal lottery and gets bent out of shape when it's pointed out that what they're doing is illegal. Again, most posts in that thread are deleted.

I could go on. There are more but why keep going?

If all posts to these threads (even if only CHI's) were restored, there'd be enough information for someone who hadn't seen these threads go down to make a decision.

First off...I don't have a dog in this fight.

But....to be fair, those posts were probably deleted because they violated HBT's TOS (nothing discussion of anything illegal, no name-calling) and not because HBT was protecting CHI in any way.

That being said, those comments from CHI speak volumes about the type of person/people/company they are. I think their reputation is beginning to precede them around here.

 

[ndsgr]

If all posts to these threads (even if only CHI's) were restored, there'd be enough information for someone who hadn't seen these threads go down to make a decision.

That's all I'm aiming at.

 

[NEKvt]

Just got an order in from these guys that went as smoothly as any order I've made elsewhere.

I used them because they were the only place I could find the little plastic inserts for John Wood keg posts. Grabbed a bunch of other keg fittings and some WLP090 as well. Order shipped quickly, and both packages (yeast directly from white labs) arrived in flat rate boxes within 3 days.

 

[Backporchbrewery]

^^ Same here. I ordered from these guys and everything went as smoothly as possible. I ordered a couple of small parts I couldn't find anywhere else and a couple keg disconnects. Shipped fast, everything was great. No complaints here.

 

[Sausagegut]

I purchased a temperature controller from them, the shipping I picked was wrong so they sent an e-mail wanting more for shipping and they would send an invoice, I said ok and a week went by and no invoice I sent a few emails with no replies, a week later i get a sorry we will send invoice reply. Another week goes buy! So I report a paypal dispute and finally get an invoice. But after all that the temp controller I got didn't work! Did some research and re-wired it cause it was done wrong! Good thing I figured it out so I wouldn't have to deal with returns and more terrible customer service.