Group Buy in Chicago #8

[ghoti]

OK, I think we can drop the other two full sacks if there are no other takers. Bill will be updating the spreadsheet so you can pay him.

 

[dbrewski]

All of them have substantial number of splits and they are messing orders for a lot of ppl

Not to name names but homebrewfrank alone has 13 splits. That will be fun to unwind.

 

[Doongie]

One guy backed out and this is what we have left of his stuff. Anybody want to claim it?

2 full sacks Briess 2-Row Brewers Malt
1 full sack Bairds Malt Maris Otter
1/2 sack Briess Caramel Munich 60L

Alright, alright, I'll take the M. O., and the Caramel Munich....

 

[Doongie]

Alright, alright, I'll take the M. O., and the Caramel Munich....

Show it in the spreadsheet and I'll send pmt to Bill.

 

[johns]

Out of all the people that bought into this GB there is bound to be a few defectors. but overall I think the percentage has been exceptionly low

 

[bmason1623]

Out of all the people that bought into this GB there is bound to be a few defectors. but overall I think the percentage has been exceptionly low

I just find it absolutely annoying when those who have not paid never respond to your messages. It really messes up these large buys.

 

[johns]

you know that they say in baseball.....3 strikes and your out. if they dont respond my the 3rd email then maybe its time to move on,,,,,,for now or the next time.

 

[Doongie]

I just find it absolutely annoying when those who have not paid never respond to your messages. It really messes up these large buys.

That does suck. Good thing it's not too many. Maybe have splits prepay when the split is filled (minus shipping)? Late splits will be aware of the risk of not filling, early filled splits will be financially safe... It sounds easy to drop full sacks.

 

[wickman6]

I'd take the other sack of 2row if it isn't spoken for.

 

[brewingmeister]

I just find it absolutely annoying when those who have not paid never respond to your messages. It really messes up these large buys.

I thought there was a deadbeat rule where anyone to not follow through gets banned from this and future buys, is that still in effect?

 

[bmason1623]

I thought there a deadbeat rule where anyone to not follow through gets banned from this and future buys, is that still in effect?

Yes. This one person in particular lives in Milwaukee and that's all I know about him. He never responded to my emails, hbt messages or even a facebook message that I sent him. And he ordered quite a bit of stuff including splits.

 

[starman]

Even for the best intentioned people, invariably something will come up for someone. I'd like to see a mass email to brewers giving notice that payment is due followed by 72 hour window to pay or at minimum an email Bill. After that period, if there is still radio silence - splits go to the masses and sacks get dropped.

 

[Neopol]

No splits for newbs....no splits for newbs.....

Maybe an simple policy of no splits within the order mgmt. system until you've participated at least once successfully as a way of vetting the ill intended...not saying that's the case..

 

[mikescooling]

No splits for newbs....no splits for newbs.....

Maybe an simple policy of no splits within the order mgmt. system until you've participated at least once successfully as a way of vetting the ill intended...not saying that's the case..

2nd, I'm always amazed that 97% can pay and do what we are suposto. I think brewers are good people.

 

[jmg727]

Well, all's well that ends well. Some of us got a second bite at the apple and all splits seem to have been filled. I hope nothing tragic caused the few guys to pull out. Can't wait to get the order. Looking forward to seeing you all at pick up.

 

[IslandLizard]

Even for the best intentioned people, invariably something will come up for someone. I'd like to see a mass email to brewers giving notice that payment is due followed by 72 hour window to pay or at minimum an email Bill. After that period, if there is still radio silence - splits go to the masses and sacks get dropped.

I'm not in this GB or in the greater Chicago area, but have some experience with group efforts. I do participate in the MD GBs. Newbies are always a larger risk to bail or disappear. Some people tend to be very casual. Too casual!

Not sure if I interpret this right, but when you talk about "emails" I hope you mean an actual email to a valid email address, not the internal HBT "pm" system. Reason is, if someone doesn't check this board anymore, can't see, or ignores the pm flags, his pm-s remain unread/unanswered. Portable devices have different interfaces, and you never know what someone can or can't see.

 

[Doongie]

Even for the best intentioned people, invariably something will come up for someone. I'd like to see a mass email to brewers giving notice that payment is due followed by 72 hour window to pay or at minimum an email Bill. After that period, if there is still radio silence - splits go to the masses and sacks get dropped.

Agreed. Hopefully it's not the case, but if some catastrophic event happened, no amount of PM's or emails will get a response. Plus, many suggestions only make managing the buy more work. Maybe there are software solutions, but that requires time and effort too. I very much appreciate the volunteers who have made this a possibility for me, and if I can think of a way to make their job easier I will bring it up.

Managing the payment is a necessary evil. Managing splits is a bonus. Changing when it happens could make the overall duration of the buy shorter, but it still needs done.

Maybe the dashboard could feed some additional info to the spreadsheet. Are you willing to pick up the remainder of the split? In the case of splits less than half, ask how many additional shares you are willing to pick up. Splits with no volunteers get automatically dropped at closing. At least this way there is a focus on a group who is willing to complete the order, and the timeline can be optimized a bit.

 

[dbrewski]

no splits for newbs....no splits for newbs.....

Maybe an simple policy of no splits within the order mgmt. System until you've participated at least once successfully as a way of vetting the ill intended...not saying that's the case..

+1

 

[bmason1623]

Alright, alright, I'll take the M. O., and the Caramel Munich....

i'm updating the spreadsheet now. do you still want these two sacks?

 

[Clanchief]

No splits for newbs....no splits for newbs.....

Maybe an simple policy of no splits within the order mgmt. system until you've participated at least once successfully as a way of vetting the ill intended...not saying that's the case..

I have to say that I disagree with this personally. This is my first time in the group buy, so I am a newb. I got a few splits, especially the hop splits, because honestly I don't need 11 pounds of any one hop, nor do I have the storage capacity for it. I paid quickly and in full. I also know that I some of those splits had not been available, I would have been less likely to participate. I know that isn't necessarily much of a loss, but I helped finish some grain splits and a hop split.

I'm more in favor of pre-payment on splits which was mentioned. That way there is protection on those splits early and it's easy to drop whole sacks of grain.

 

[ArtimusBeerimus]

My $0.02...

There seemed to be a lot of emphasis on stocking up grains. There also seemed to be a fair amount of excitement about the overall size of the order. Perhaps a few folks got over extended and couldn't back themselves out when all was said and done. Hell, for all we know, some one's in the hospital or has lost Internet access or whatever.

I'm sure it's a giant pain in the ass for those managing the buy, but having 3 or 4 guys bail doesn't kill the buy, just slows it down a little. (I may be way out of line with that statement.) We can all pretty much guarantee that the splits will get picked up by someone, right guys?

In the possible solutions dept, how about requiring some type of confirmation of commitment during the open buy period. Either via email or through the Group Buy tool. That won't solve the problem completely but it should help identify potential problems/ slackers.

 

[bmason1623]

My $0.02...

There seemed to be a lot of emphasis on stocking up grains. There also seemed to be a fair amount of excitement about the overall size of the order. Perhaps a few folks got over extended and couldn't back themselves out when all was said and done. Hell, for all we know, some one's in the hospital or has lost Internet access or whatever.

I'm sure it's a giant pain in the ass for those managing the buy, but having 3 or 4 guys bail doesn't kill the buy, just slows it down a little. (I may be way out of line with that statement.) We can all pretty much guarantee that the splits will get picked up by someone, right guys?

In the possible solutions dept, how about requiring some type of confirmation of commitment during the open buy period. Either via email or through the Group Buy tool. That won't solve the problem completely but it should help identify potential problems/ slackers.

when we start dropping sacks then the shipping costs go up for everyone else. it's too much of a hassle to recalculate the new shipping costs then have everybody re-submit payment to cover he additional costs. granted, a few sacks for this large of a buy is negligible for each individual respectively, it does add up when the paying party has to make it up. Ideally, everybody pays for what they ordered. Period.

 

[TyTanium]

When it closes, instead of going straight to payment, you could request everyone to confirm their order, either through the website or an email with a link...I realize adding another step is rarely ideal, but neither are the no-shows.

For those of us who are attentive, getting confirmation is no problem...we're chomping at the bit anyway
For those who stopped paying attention, they get dropped/reallocated before moving to payment.

That way, when it comes time for payment, you have a "cleaner" list.

 

[bmason1623]

for those that took the re-assigned items please submit payment if you haven't. refer to spreadsheet rows 246-262. thanks.

 

[sk888smooth]

I thought there a deadbeat rule where anyone to not follow through gets banned from this and future buys, is that still in effect?

This just makes sense.

 

[rustoleum]

This was my first Group Buy and I had 13 splits for the simple fact I can get a good price on a full sack of base grain from my lhbs.
I thought this was a great way to start building stock of some of the specialty grains that I seem to use pretty regular.

Yes I paid, actually it looks like I still owe Bill 12 cents which he will get from me at pick up.

Deadbeats should be dropped period unless they have a valid reason. And if that was the case then most would have more than likely replied back to him.

Personally I think only three people not paying is good for the number of people in this buy. Not great but acceptable.

I"m sure this has and still is a lot of work for Bill and I appreciate it greatly.

Now how about somebody spinning something positive about this Group Buy!!

 

[johns]

Well maybe prepay on splits and next time remove the prepay option on splits for the new guys, or another idea would be for the guy that is buying for the first time to send you a downpayment of have like a 50 usd buy in that would go to the grain purchased.

 

[Gothic_Horror]

I don't think anyone is trying to be difficult here, which is good. Bill organizes these GBs to benefit everyone. We, collectively get a very good deal participating in these buys. I can't even get my three siblings to agree on a place for Mother's Day. So the fact that we can get this many people to place an order as complicated as this and then pay in less than a month is astounding if you think about the logistics. However, everyone that participates needs to follow common rules with any purchase. Once you agree to the purchase, pay as quickly as possible to avoid any issues. For those that need to drop out for whatever reason, should know before the buy closes if they can pay or not. If you cant pay, cool, before the buy closes, drop everything from your cart and the group more times than not will pick up the splits. But don't wait until after the buy closes to reach out. It does cause issues because your splits are interwoven with other people's orders and that's not fair. Again, I've participated on several of these buys through Bill and they get bigger each time and I am always astounded at how quickly we can get everyone organized and ready to pay. We decided on Connie's for Mother's Day, BTW, decent breakfast buffet.

 

[Doongie]

i'm updating the spreadsheet now. do you still want these two sacks?

Yea

 

[bmason1623]

Yea

The 2-row has been accounted for via email. Do you still want the MO?