Kegcowboy.com

[mcarb]

Nevermind. Really wish there was something done to keep people from making the same mistake over and over.

 

[dbrewski]

From what I see, as long as your order is in stock and no errors are made by them when shipping or item malfunction, then kegcowboy is a good vendor. I don't believe he is at all out to scam anyone or take your money. It's just the customer service area that is no good. Legit business with legit items...If you can't deal with the lack of communication then this is not the seller for you.

This is why I am not prepared to order with him. I'd like to know what's going on with my order if it doesn't arrive within 2 weeks.

This is my experience as well. I ordered a two tap perlick setup from them, because they allow you to do a ton of customizations. But i heard nothing for weeks. I inquired, the order was shipped out a few days later. Slow, not the best communication, but not a dishonest vendor. Good prices on a lot of stuff too. Not sure I'll order again though, honestly.

 

[JackCrow]

I placed an order with these guys back the first of December for a 4 hole backsplash and drip tray and a beer ingredient kit. The last communication received from them was Dec 7 when it shipped. I got the backsplash really quickly but no ingredient kit. I called that day and left them a message. I have called about 20 times and left 3 messages, emailed them twice and left them a pm on here. I have not received a single reply. The kit was $37 and I have not asked them for my money back or anything other than some form of reply as to will I get the kit or what the heck is going on.

 

[pjcampbell]

if you want your money back, you could call your CC.

 

[mcarb]

Good luck with your predicament. I suggest you post in the commercial review forum at the very bottom of the page.

Unfortunately, this seems to be the norm, not the exception, with this particular vendor. The problem is that there is no good way to warn others. You cannot post this in the vendor forum, where it will be seen.

I for one, would really be impressed if the mods at HBT took some action against this vendor. At the least, a talking to.

 

[buffalobrewer]

there's a place for vendor feedback https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f173/

 

[Bigscience]

-1 for Keg cowboy as well. I had to call and threaten a charge back to get my stuff. As a side note this is a very effective last resort because one it gets your money back and two, if it happens enough they can lose the right to accept cards.

Sent from my iPhone using HB Talk

 

[Huskysibe]

I also had an issue with an order that had zero communication and the order didn't ship, after it couldn't be resolved I asked for a credit, after numerous emails and calls I PM them here and finally got my credit.

 

[Pappers_]

. . . The problem is that there is no good way to warn others. You cannot post this in the vendor forum, where it will be seen.

It got moved to the company reviews forum, where someone would go to look for . . . company reviews. I don't get your insistence that somehow this is hidden.

 

[JackCrow]

I did not see the company review forum or I would have put it there to begin with. I actually never noticed we had so many forums. I see now they already have 6 pages of negative feedback posts and if I had seen that I would not have ordered from them. I was hoping that calling them out on the forum might motivate them to communicate with me. No such luck, and I guess I have to resort to getting my CC company to charge back for the missing kit.

 

[Huskysibe]

I guess I need to leave my negative experience as well. I ordered multiple items that were supposed to be in stock, well they apparently weren't but that wasn't communicated to me. After waiting a reasonable amount of time I dropped a few emails trying to get in touch with them, I finally got ahold of someone and he passed me off to another guy. I was told the hose on my order was not in stock. I asked if the rest of the order could be shipped and the hose shipped at a later date. I received the first part of my order but never the hose, I requested a refund but it never happened. After numerous attempts to get my refund I finally PM him here and he said he thought it was done. I finally got a refund but it shouldn't have been that hard. BTW the co2 manifold I bought from him leaked and I dumped 10 lbs of co2 overnight. Disappointing to say the least, I just ordered a new one elsewhere, not going to try and get that fixed.

Billy

 

[mistercameron]

I'm not surprised. I ordered a tap kit separate from the ball lock kegs... Nothing for several days. Called to find out the kegs were back ordered but would be in within the next day or two, so I waited. Actually I kept getting the same story every few days. Finally had the taps shipped and two weeks after canceled the keg order for a partial refund. It was like pulling teeth to get anyone to respond and actually do it.

So one day I'm out of town for thanksgiving and I see a shipping notice... Looks like my canceled kegs were on their way. Emailed once, then again, then... I lost track. I heard nothing back from any of them. Mind you I copied every email address I had for them and nobody took the time to respond even after the thanksgiving weekend. I even called a few times.

Eventually somebody got back to me and it was a pain to work out but I eventually got a return shipping label printed to put in the box. I would have figured they would care more, especially when they shipped me $100 of merchandise that I didn't pay for.


My theory is that "the boss" as he is referred to, doesn't allow his employees to take care of even basic things like returns or refunds. Every time I called I would be directed to "my boss" but he wouldn't be in. The guys can do order fulfillment but that was about it. And either he doesn't trust his employees with the money and the website or they are incapable. From what I've seen, I think it's a trust issue.

Second, I think the website just isn't sophisticated enough to do more than basic orders. And on top of that , I think it's a bait and switch to put up a bunch of products you know are out of stock but not tell anyone until they call in because nothing ships for a week. They probably don't have any kind of inventory control either, at least with what they sell online, which only exacerbates the issue. I've programmed some pretty complex ecommerce sites in the past, so I'm well familiar with what is involved, but even at the least mark something as out of stock as soon as you find out.

 

[mcarb]

Pappers, see the quote from the OP. This is why.

I did not see the company review forum or I would have put it there to begin with. I actually never noticed we had so many forums. I see now they already have 6 pages of negative feedback posts and if I had seen that I would not have ordered from them. I was hoping that calling them out on the forum might motivate them to communicate with me. No such luck, and I guess I have to resort to getting my CC company to charge back for the missing kit.

 

[Pappers_]

Pappers, see the quote from the OP. This is why.

McCarb, he has a total of four posts and said he hadn't noticed that there were multiple sub forums. Now he's done a quick look through the forums and knows.

You keep saying it's at the bottom of the forum lists. First, that's not true for supporting (paid) members. And so what? Some forum has to be at the bottom, it's not hidden, as evidenced by the many many posts in it.

New users need to spend some time using the forums to find the right places to post. Lots of new cider makers post in the beginning brewing subforum because they haven't seen the cider forum. Someone points it out to them and they often say 'oh I never looked through the forums.' No one thinks there is a conspiracy to hide the cider forum.

 

[JackCrow]

I actually used the search function and searched vendor issues. It sent me to posts in the general chit chat forum so I posted there. I am a recent convert from another site and posting and reading from an iPad. I think the way it shows the sections is part of it. There is a big long list of recipes in between the top and bottom of the forum list and I thought that was the bottom. I now know, and I apologize for posting in the wrong place.

 

[Pappers_]

I actually used the search function and searched vendor issues. It sent me to posts in the general chit chat forum so I posted there. I am a recent convert from another site and posting and reading from an iPad. I think the way it shows the sections is part of it. There is a big long list of recipes in between the top and bottom of the forum list and I thought that was the bottom. I now know, and I apologize for posting in the wrong place.

No apologies needed, in my opinion, posting in the wrong subforum is nothing to worry about. You're new on HBT and now know your way around.

 

[nut4wine]

Anyone else having troubles with shipments from Keg Cowboy? I place an order for a wort chiller on December 7th (supposed in stock), but I have yet to receive it. The order status shows "shipped" but I've only received a hose that was part of the order. There's no tracking information and they aren't responding to e-mail requests or posting on their web site about the order.

Are they just flaky or should I be worried? They seem to have several fans here, but currently, I don't see why.

Update: Well, their voice mailbox is full, they don't respond to e-mail and my credit card was charged on December 8th. Looks like I'm going to have to dispute the charges.

Are they still in business?

 

[joefino]

 

[atoyot]

Anyone else having troubles with shipments from Keg Cowboy? I place an order for a wort chiller on December 7th (supposed in stock), but I have yet to receive it. The order status shows "shipped" but I've only received a hose that was part of the order. There's no tracking information and they aren't responding to e-mail requests or posting on their web site about the order.

Are they just flaky or should I be worried? They seem to have several fans here, but currently, I don't see why.

Update: Well, their voice mailbox is full, they don't respond to e-mail and my credit card was charged on December 8th. Looks like I'm going to have to dispute the charges.

Are they still in business?

I'd be worried. A coworker of mine ordered burners from them, on my reccomendation, on November third and still hasn't recieved them and can't ever get anyone to return his calls or emails. He finally filed a dispute with his Credit Card company today. The do seem to be able to post up here though.

 

[joefino]

I'd be worried. A coworker of mine ordered burners from them, on my reccomendation, on November third and still hasn't recieved them and can't ever get anyone to return his calls or emails. He finally filed a dispute with his Credit Card company today. The do seem to be able to post up here though.

Update:
I just heard back from Jeff at Keg Cowboy and it seems they've been having some troubles in the shop. Looks like I don't need to seek a dispute with the credit card company.

 

[nut4wine]

I posted the following in the Vendor Showcase "Free Shipping" thread before I knew this forum existed:

Anyone else having troubles with shipments from Keg Cowboy? I place an order for a wort chiller on December 7th (supposed in stock), but I have yet to receive it. The order status shows "shipped" but I've only received a hose that was part of the order. There's no tracking information and they aren't responding to e-mail requests or posting on their web site about the order.

Are they just flaky or should I be worried? They seem to have several fans here, but currently, I don't see why.

Update: Well, their voice mailbox is full, they don't respond to e-mail and my credit card was charged on December 8th. Looks like I'm going to have to dispute the charges.

Are they still in business?​

I've since disputed the charge with my credit card company. At this point, I cannot consider them an honest merchant. An honest merchant would have been more responsive. I've seen this before, it's never a good thing.

Update: 2011-12-23, after disputing the charge, Jeff asks if this is my first communication (far from it). Then he tells the shop not to send anything since I've disputed the charge. He states:

Our hands are tied as the charge has been disputed with the bank which they may process the refund without contacting us.* So now we can neither refund the purchase or send the product until the bank contacts us. - Jeff
​

This is total BS. That's not how bank's process credit card disputes and if he has half a brain he knows that. This is not the first credit card dispute to come his way. I have to question either his competence or honesty. I don't know if he's going out of business now or not, but these are all classic signs of such.

 

[thargrav]

I'm not defending Keg Cowboy - I happend to believe they are going through the same thing I was going through when I failed.

But they are correct about the dispute / chargeback. The money is held for up to 90 days while the dispute is being investigated and he can't ship because as far as he is concerned the order is no longer paid for.

Tom

 

[Swift45]

I'm not defending Keg Cowboy - I happend to believe they are going through the same thing I was going through when I failed.

But they are correct about the dispute / chargeback. The money is held for up to 90 days while the dispute is being investigated and he can't ship because as far as he is concerned the order is no longer paid for.

Tom

That's right. You have essentially stopped payment when you go through the bank. My bank (a big one) has been incredibly slow to respond to anything in the past.

 

[nut4wine]

I'm not defending Keg Cowboy - I happend to believe they are going through the same thing I was going through when I failed.

But they are correct about the dispute / chargeback. The money is held for up to 90 days while the dispute is being investigated and he can't ship because as far as he is concerned the order is no longer paid for.

Tom

That's not how my bank explains the process to me. While I'm issued a provisional credit for the disputed charge, the merchant is given a chance to respond and resolve the issue. If we agree the issue is resolved (for example, by completing shipment), then the dispute on the charge is canceled. The merchant then has payment.

However, if what you say is more accurate of the practice, this creates a bit of a catch-22. Keg Cowboy ignored several queries about the status of my order. Only after disputing the charge and telling them I had done so did they finally respond. The messages from Jeff to the "shop" imply that they thought the order was completed. I didn't see that I had any other choice, I don't dispute charges lightly but given the lack of response on Keg Cowboy's part, I had no other choice.

Their insistance that "their hands are tied" now means the only resolution is to cancel/refund the order. I need a chiller and I'm going to have to order one somewhere else. Accepting one from Keg Cowboy is no longer a viable option due to their actions.

 

[thargrav]

That's not how my bank explains the process to me. While I'm issued a provisional credit for the disputed charge, the merchant is given a chance to respond and resolve the issue. If we agree the issue is resolved (for example, by completing shipment), then the dispute on the charge is canceled. The merchant then has payment.

However, if what you say is more accurate of the practice, this creates a bit of a catch-22. Keg Cowboy ignored several queries about the status of my order. Only after disputing the charge and telling them I had done so did they finally respond. The messages from Jeff to the "shop" imply that they thought the order was completed. I didn't see that I had any other choice, I don't dispute charges lightly but given the lack of response on Keg Cowboy's part, I had no other choice.

Their insistance that "their hands are tied" now means the only resolution is to cancel/refund the order. I need a chiller and I'm going to have to order one somewhere else. Accepting one from Keg Cowboy is no longer a viable option due to their actions.

Your bank explained the process from your perspective.

But you are correct in one aspect - the bank issues you a immediate provisional credit.

Merchant chargebacks do not work the same as PayPal complaints. PayPal complaints can be issued then resolved, releasing funds immediately. The merchant account charge back process is very different from what you understand. As soon as a registered complaint is received by the merchant company they lock down the equivalent funds until the investigation is settled. And these funds are not available to the merchant for 90 days or more.

I just had a charge back settle in my favor and the associated purchase was made on Sept 2. That's 3-1/2 months ago!!! And for the entire time the money has been locked up & out of my hands. And BTW the customer has had the product for 3 months.

 

[WhiteToad]

I'm not defending Keg Cowboy - I happend to believe they are going through the same thing I was going through when I failed.


Tom

Actually both kegconnection and keg cowboy are expanding and appear to be growing. Keg connection just moved their whole operation to a large warehouse in Commanche Texas and Keg Cowboy opened a store in a different state and moved their shipping to a large out of state facility following Amazon when Amazon left Texas. I also heard that they were hiring for a second store. I bet some of these complaints for these companies are from them moving their facilities right before Christmas. It is also kind of wierd that both companies decided to expand at almost the same time.

 

[thargrav]

Actually both kegconnection and keg cowboy are expanding and appear to be growing. Keg connection just moved their whole operation to a large warehouse in Commanche Texas and Keg Cowboy opened a store in a different state and moved their shipping to a large out of state facility following Amazon when Amazon left Texas. I also heard that they were hiring for a second store. I bet some of these complaints for these companies are from them moving their facilities right before Christmas. It is also kind of wierd that both companies decided to expand at almost the same time.

I have a lot of respect for Keg Connection and I believe they are great business but you have not changed my opinion of Keg Cowboy.

 

[sudsmcgee]

I have had nothing but great luck with Keg Connection. Keg Cowboy spends more time handing out coupons and posting pictures than communicating with it's customers and fulfilling orders.

 

[TheMan]

I have had nothing but great luck with Keg Connection. Keg Cowboy spends more time handing out coupons and posting pictures than communicating with it's customers and fulfilling orders.

My exact thoughts...kegconnection was wonderful, I recommended them to two other people who also had fantastic buying experiences with them.

Seems Kegcowboy is active about promoting his site. So I don't understand why the ordering process is so error filled. I hardly see anyone jumping to his defense here...so it makes me see that his store is not worth the hassle.

Since seeing this thread over two months ago and being in the market for a plate chiller and march pump I was hoping to see some positive remarks to help me feel more comfortable ordering. He has great prices, but here and other places on the web have too many bad reviews on his site. So I couldn't bring myself to have my family order through Kegcowboy and possibly deal with this for my Xmas presents, so I told them to order elsewhere and pay a little more. Both items came without a hitch.

Hopefully kegcowboy is reading this stuff and planning to improve his business.

 

[abarhan]

A joke. Called and asked about kegs before driving to town and was told he had some. Made the trip in and was told he could get some...

**** I can get some sometime, I was expecting to buy them there not get a "sometime soon" answer.

Will never go back to Kegcowboy.com or refer to this joint, there are too many other choices that are honest places that are not interested in wasting your time.