Kegcowboy.com

[timewasted]

This is a great review. Unfortunately I am dealing with the same communication issues you had. I am going on 12 days since I ordered a keg and was charged. After sending a couple of request for a status update, I was cc'ed on an internal email asking for a status update. I'm hoping I find out something today. I ordered parts that you would expect to be in stock (pepsi keg, o rings, and connectors). I am hoping to use this in a couple of weeks, but I am starting to wonder if the parts will be here in time.

They have a great site, but communication is almost non-existent.

 

[mcarb]

When I placed my order, I did not hear a word from them until I started to threaten them with file a complaint with their attorney general. I eventually received my order almost 5 weeks after I ordered, but only after I had to threaten them with legal action. Why is this company still allowed on this site with so many complaints?

Keg Cowboy advertising Memorial Day Sale, giving out discount coupons for purchasing keg kits. Placed order on 5/23 and still havent recieved my order. Placed email on site no reply!
Called phone number, I however did recieve a return call. Regulators on backorder.
Who in the hell has a sale without having the parts in stock????? Unbelieveable!
Mods need to remove kegcowboy's ads and get him off here. I could have placed the order with one of the big companies and gotten it within 5 days. Trying to help the little guy and get kicked in the nutz.....

CAVEAT EMPTOR!!!!!!

I have wondered this for some time now. I think kegcowboy gives HBT a black eye. Please, for the love of God, get this vendor off of this site. At this point, I truly believe there is some sort of financial incentive for HBT to keep this guy here. I just can't think of another reason this guy can use this BB as his personal playground for scamming people.

 

[zachattack]

My experience has been almost identical to OP's. The kit I bought is fantastic, great price, the website is decent but their lack of communication and poor customer service is unacceptable. I did eventually have success calling them on the phone, but the only place to find their phone number is the top of your e-mail confirmation, they don't list it anywhere else so for the first week or two I thought I could only contact via e-mail.

It took me about a month to receive a kit that was supposed to be shipped in 1-4 days. Like OP, this was because my parts were backordered, but it took 2.5 weeks, 10 e-mails, 5 "contact us" messages on their website, 10 HBT messages and a couple phone calls before I knew that some parts weren't in stock. They shorted me some parts and 2 weeks later I'm still waiting for the correct fittings to arrive (should come in today though).

When my order finally arrived it was in a huge box that was almost ripped in half. The corneys were just sitting there unprotected, and my new CO2 tank was only protected by a thin layer of plastic. Pretty crappy packing of you ask me. I should also mention that all the corneys were pressurized when I received them, this is pretty dangerous, especially since I had it shipped to my work and was going to leave them in my hot car for the afternoon before I noticed this. Again, not acceptable.

I picked Fedex Commercial as the shipping method and they shipped it Fedex Home. This delayed things a couple days, we have a Fedex dude that's at my work a few times a day but the Fedex Home guy tried to come outside business hours and then they waited a few days before they tried again.

Not communicating with someone that just gave you $700 is unforgivable in my book. These guys told me they're real busy setting up a new shop, working out of a warehouse, moving, etc. but if that's the case they should stop accepting new orders until they get their **** together and are back on track. Instead of doing this, they have a gigantic sale giving 5% off coupons away like candy. If you can't fulfill the orders of existing, paid, waiting customers, it's not cool to invite a zillion new orders.

They responded to every request for a coupon within a few hours, but it took 2 weeks to respond to my 20 requests to get my order status. They say it's an e-mail problem on their end, but for a store that's exclusively web-based you'd think they'd make it a priority to fix such a thing.

In conclusion, I'm very happy with the product, assembly, quality etc. but I'm appalled at the customer service. Consider this before you order.

 

[zachattack]

I just posted this in a similar thread in the bottling/kegging section:

My experience has been almost identical to OP's. The kit I bought is fantastic, great price, the website is decent but their lack of communication and poor customer service is unacceptable. I did eventually have success calling them on the phone, but the only place to find their phone number is the top of your e-mail confirmation, they don't list it anywhere else so for the first week or two I thought I could only contact via e-mail.

It took me about a month to receive a kit that was supposed to be shipped in 1-4 days. Like OP, this was because my parts were backordered, but it took 2.5 weeks, 10 e-mails, 5 "contact us" messages on their website, 10 HBT messages and a couple phone calls before I knew that some parts weren't in stock. They shorted me some parts and 2 weeks later I'm still waiting for the correct fittings to arrive (should come in today though).

When my order finally arrived it was in a huge box that was almost ripped in half. The corneys were just sitting there unprotected, and my new CO2 tank was only protected by a thin layer of plastic. Pretty crappy packing of you ask me. I should also mention that all the corneys were pressurized when I received them, this is pretty dangerous, especially since I had it shipped to my work and was going to leave them in my hot car for the afternoon before I noticed this. Again, not acceptable.

I picked Fedex Commercial as the shipping method and they shipped it Fedex Home. This delayed things a couple days, we have a Fedex dude that's at my work a few times a day but the Fedex Home guy tried to come outside business hours and then they waited a few days before they tried again.

Not communicating with someone that just gave you $700 is unforgivable in my book. These guys told me they're real busy setting up a new shop, working out of a warehouse, moving, etc. but if that's the case they should stop accepting new orders until they get their **** together and are back on track. Instead of doing this, they have a gigantic sale giving 5% off coupons away like candy. If you can't fulfill the orders of existing, paid, waiting customers, it's not cool to invite a zillion new orders.

They responded to every request for a coupon within a few hours, but it took 2 weeks to respond to my 20 requests to get my order status. They say it's an e-mail problem on their end, but for a store that's exclusively web-based you'd think they'd make it a priority to fix such a thing.

In conclusion, I'm very happy with the product, assembly, quality etc. but I'm appalled at the customer service. Consider this before you order.

 

[vmaxinid]

keg cowby is no longer on my goto list.

I ordered a chiller off their website before i was a member here. It took bacoming a member of this forum and calling them out before they would communicate with me. I had a post on their page but they erased it.

Basically got the runaround about in stock and shipping dates, same story different customer, SSDD.

 

[jmeister]

Wish I had came across this thread 10 business days ago (order placed 5/29) before I ordered my dual perlick draft tower. Still hasn't shipped and only one short email reply that "my info was being forwarded to the shop". Guess I need to call tomorrow and get some answers.

 

[zachattack]

Wish I had came across this thread 10 business days ago (order placed 5/29) before I ordered my dual perlick draft tower. Still hasn't shipped and only one short email reply that "my info was being forwarded to the shop". Guess I need to call tomorrow and get some answers.

Yeah I think the number at the top of the e-mail is one of their cell phone numbers. Call the number, nobody ever answered my e-mails.

 

[BeastBrewer]

Man, I have never seen a company with such bad reviews.
You know a company is bad when someone would rather shop at Walmart.

 

[JonW]

Man, I have never seen a company with such bad reviews.

Weird thing is, they were a great vendor just over a year ago.

 

[TheMan]

When my order finally arrived it was in a huge box that was almost ripped in half. The corneys were just sitting there unprotected, and my new CO2 tank was only protected by a thin layer of plastic. Pretty crappy packing of you ask me. I should also mention that all the corneys were pressurized when I received them, this is pretty dangerous, especially since I had it shipped to my work and was going to leave them in my hot car for the afternoon before I noticed this. Again, not acceptable.

They responded to every request for a coupon within a few hours, but it took 2 weeks to respond to my 20 requests to get my order status. They say it's an e-mail problem on their end, but for a store that's exclusively web-based you'd think they'd make it a priority to fix such a thing.

Sorry to break it to you man, but all companies ship the cornies pressurized. Standard practice so that you know they hold pressure when you get em. It is not a hazard, they have a release valve that opens if the pressure got too high anyway.

Aside from that, you're complaints are the same as everyone elses. He did the same shady business back in October. Apparently it was fixed for a little. Now he is back at it.

Also, to those asking why he isn't gone from HBT. There is a sticky that explains how a vendor gets banned. Simply put, they ban vendors that SCAM people. KegCowboy just seems to suck at business. He does get you your products, it just takes quite a while to get them. If you guys really wish to make yourselves heard, TX and the Moderators have said several times to PM them with specific information on what is going on.

In the end, research vendors before purchasing to help protect yourself.

 

[zachattack]

Sorry to break it to you man, but all companies ship the cornies pressurized. Standard practice so that you know they hold pressure when you get em. It is not a hazard, they have a release valve that opens if the pressure got too high anyway.

I didn't know this was standard practice, thanks for clearing that up. I don't know why you're sorry to break it to me though

Regardless of whether it's standard, I still think it's a hazard. I'm no stranger to moving compressed gases or lab safety practices in general, but I like to know what I'm dealing with. If I get a small, low-pressure gas cylinder shipped to me at work there are big shipping labels warning me (and the shipping company) that there's compressed gas inside. My air compressor has a safety release valve, but I'd rather not move it when full if I have a choice. You know what I mean? And I'd rather not bet my life on a tiny spring. An exploding keg recently killed a worked at Redhook, I'm going to be as careful as I can.

In the summer, in the sun, closed cars can get pretty damn hot as evidenced in the stickied thread about the CO2 cylinder venting in that one dude's car. This can clearly be a dangerous situation, imagine if you got in the hot car and started driving, then when you hit a bump the overpressurized keg vented, startled you, and caused a serious accident. No thanks.

I wish they would at least have put a sticker or something warning me that the system was pressurized, but now that I know it's standard practice I'll be sure to vent any other kegs I get as soon as I receive them

 

[organ]

FWIW, I ordered a 30 plate chiller from them on 6/7 and it shipped today.

 

[jmeister]

Seems that is the only item they can get in a timely fashion. I had to cancel my order after 12 business days. Finally got a hold of Jeff and he said they were waiting on swivel connectors for the ball locks & that they had only gotten a partial shipment from UPS that day or something. Still waiting on him to issue a refund even though the order was cancelled immediately. Maybe a paypal dispute will remind him since emailing isn't working.

 

[usfmikeb]

Maybe they can't afford to keep anything else in stock because they have a warehouse full of plate chillers.

 

[organ]

Maybe they can't afford to keep anything else in stock because they have a warehouse full of plate chillers.

haha

 

[mjcoyne]

Don't bother with Keg Cowboy, placed an order on 6/3/12, no order updates and plain refusal to respond to any of my contact emails or phone calls, terrible vendor in my personal experience. Had to initiate a claim with my CC to attempt to get a refund....

 

[steiny]

Sad to say that I am also unhappy with the level of service provided by kegcowboy.com. They shipped an order that had been canceled 18 days before it shipped and never refunded the money.

 

[alestateyall]

+1 on all the bad experiences with kegcowboy.

I bought a kit about 6 months ago. They were giving out coupons right and left and then it turns out their ball lock kegs were back ordered.

Then I got a broken regulator. Very difficult to contact; no response to email, website contact, etc. It took forever to find the right phone number.

They eventually took care of me but the process stunk and the whole time I had my wife telling me I had been scammed.

 

[TaylorInOK]

Took them a month to ship a small order (just pressure hose and a 2 way manifold). Hard to get them to answer any form of communciation just to get a $&%^$# status.

Tried to haggle and change the order a month later. They magically had the parts when i demanded a refund.

Shipment is finally on its way but i'm taking bets on whether or not the order is wrong, or its poor quality.

Glad it was a test order.

NOT RECOMMENDED!

 

[jmeister]

Still waiting on my refund since cancelling my order 2 weeks ago. Opened a paypal dispute and have been emailing Jeff every other day with no response. Half expecting my original order to show up on my doorstep one day and being totally wrong.

 

[TaylorInOK]

Took them a month to ship a small order (just pressure hose and a 2 way manifold). Hard to get them to answer any form of communciation just to get a $&%^$# status.

Tried to haggle and change the order a month later. They magically had the parts when i demanded a refund.

Shipment is finally on its way but i'm taking bets on whether or not the order is wrong, or its poor quality.

Glad it was a test order.

NOT RECOMMENDED!

Update: Recieved this order today. They sent a 3-way manifold with two check valves and a plug in the middle. The hose was all there.

The upgrade on the manifold makes me feel a little better about the whole thing. Sorry to say that it won't make me feel comfortable about using this service in the future though.

 

[garbageman]

Though I can't say anything for Keg Cowboys shipping and internet customer service, I did want to comment on the opening of their new store in Lexington SC.

I visited days after they opened (June 20th) to snoop around and was impressed. Matt greeted me and was very eager and willing to help. Jeff was also in the back. Matt took the time to talk about brewing and equipment when questions were asked. He is quite the brewer, involved in the brew community and even has a 30 something acre hop farm locally.

They have a huge cooler filled with stacks and stacks of bulk grain and something like 30 yeast strains to choose from. Tons of all the shiny brew equipment also. They even are starting brewing classes for the community.

I do have one other LHBS in the Columbia area but Kegcowboy has a better selection and a Huge cost savings over the other. Like $10 saving on a 5 gallon grain bill.

It is hard to understand the comments over the last few months about bad service after visiting, but then again, I am a walk in customer. Maybe they were busy opening the new brick and mortar shop. Hopefully they read these comments make a 180 to better serve ya'll.

Between Keg Cowboy and Austin Homebrewing, I'm taken care of.

Just my $0.02

 

[thargrav]

I've said it before and I still believe the same - kegcowboy is going down the same path I was when my business was failing three years ago. Let's see where they are six months from now.

 

[zachattack]

Though I can't say anything for Keg Cowboys shipping and internet customer service, I did want to comment on the opening of their new store in Lexington SC.

I visited days after they opened (June 20th) to snoop around and was impressed. Matt greeted me and was very eager and willing to help. Jeff was also in the back. Matt took the time to talk about brewing and equipment when questions were asked. He is quite the brewer, involved in the brew community and even has a 30 something acre hop farm locally.

They have a huge cooler filled with stacks and stacks of bulk grain and something like 30 yeast strains to choose from. Tons of all the shiny brew equipment also. They even are starting brewing classes for the community.

I do have one other LHBS in the Columbia area but Kegcowboy has a better selection and a Huge cost savings over the other. Like $10 saving on a 5 gallon grain bill.

It is hard to understand the comments over the last few months about bad service after visiting, but then again, I am a walk in customer. Maybe they were busy opening the new brick and mortar shop. Hopefully they read these comments make a 180 to better serve ya'll.

Between Keg Cowboy and Austin Homebrewing, I'm taken care of.

Just my $0.02

This almost makes it worse. They're going out of their way to lure in new customers and they're opening a shiny fancy store, but meanwhile they still have a backlog of paid customers that haven't received their orders. It's like when he was replying to coupon requests within 5 minutes but never answered any of our e-mails asking for order updates. Screw these guys.

Nothing against you garbageman, but it pisses me off that they're taking the time to be nice to you when they're still actively ignoring tons of people that paid $500-1000 for keg kits.

 

[tre9er]

I have to agree that having a vendor with such poor reviews linked to HBT gives us a bit of a black-eye. Why recommend or even link to a vendor that continually has issues with communication and order fulfillment?

 

[alestateyall]

I think part of the problem is this company reviews topic area is hidden under the home brewing community category. It should in the vendor showcase category so people requesting coupons from kegcowboy see it and can get feedback from other users before ordering.

 

[wittmania]

I won't ever order from Keg Cowboy. My story from this week: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f173/1-ritebrew-com-1-keg-cowboy-339148/

I agree with you, kehaar, that part of the problem is where reviews like these are placed on HBT. They need to be more visible so people can be better informed before placing an order with a vendor who can't/won't fulfill their order.

 

[jmeister]

nm

 

[garbageman]

Nothing against you garbageman, but it pisses me off that they're taking the time to be nice to you when they're still actively ignoring tons of people that paid $500-1000 for keg kits.

None taken. I took the time to read through a few pages last night of this thread. Wow! I feel bad for the HBT community and for the poor customer service. I too manage a local business in Lexington and stress customer service as the #1 commitment to our customers. I hope that Jeff and his crew can reverse the slide and help you guys. Though that is going to be a tall hill to climb.

 

[alestateyall]

How do you find this sub-forum on the regular web site? On my iPhone it is under the home brewing community category. On the regular web I can't find it anywhere. Curious?