PO'd at Supplier [RESOLVED]

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jacksonbrown

jacksonbrown

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[RANT]
I ordered my BoilerMaker on Monday morning and paid $19 to have it shipped UPS ground in hopes of getting it in for this weekend's brew session. Along with that I ordered 2.25 lb. of grain, and 5 oz. of hops. I got the grain and hops today along with a note stating that the BoilerMaker will be shipped from the manufacturer. When I called AHS they said there is no way to track it and it could take at least two weeks.
Why the he!! did I pay $19 for shipping then? For the hops and grain only? That's almost equal to the cost of said ingrediants. I double checked AHS's BoilerMaker page, along with the emails from them, and nowhere does it say anything about shipping from the manufacturer or how long it might take. If I had known it would take weeks regardless, I would have just gone with the $6.99 shipping option. Grrr. At least I didn't pay $70 for overnight.
[/RANT]
 
MMMM....These are getting a bit old...Maybe just because I have such good luck with AHS....But I do feel your pain on this one. I've had this happen to me before with Midwest. They charged for the overnight shipping, but then took 4 fucHing days to process the damn thing and ship it out.
 
I'm sure they'll work something out, and forest will fix the error on the web stating that it is shipped from the manufacturer (unless this was a back-order sort of situation)

Edit to include full name Austin Homebrew Suppy
 
Yeah, some of the HBS rants are kind of stupid, but that right there is an instance where AHS is in the wrong. If a product is going to add a couple weeks onto the shipping time because it's got special conditions (like shipping from the factory, etc.), then I believe the retailer has the obligation to inform the customer of that at some point before payment. Sorry to hear about your problem, though, that sucks. I'd talk to them and see if they can throw a little something your way for your troubles. Personally, I've only had one issue with them, namely that they had that big sale once and it took them a full week before they actually got the order together...and then, it was only after I bitched about it here on HBT that they put it in the mail :( But overall, Forrest is a good guy and will typically make things right...and he'll continue to be my go-to guy for online shopping. Now, if we could only get him to start carrying pale chocolate...:D
 
I agree. I had an issue with an order once. A tube of LME had burst open shipping, getting LME everywhere, and losing probably 1/6 of my extract. I was still able to brew my beer, just had a little less LME.
He gave me half off my next recipe kit.:D
 
BuffaloSabresBrewer said:
No more bitching until you check with a company to see if they will do something about it.
Click to expand...

+1 on this!!!! Especially Forrest, because we know he'll make good...But in any situation, and lest try one customer service complaint before bashing...it's after they fall on deaf ears do we unleash the power of the internetz rant...
 
olllllo said:
I never pay for rush shipping without calling and making sure that it makes sense.
Shame on you.
Click to expand...

I am not sure I agree. If I place an order and pick a shipping method, I would think all of the items in my order are going to be shipped in the window I selected.
 
olllllo said:
I never pay for rush shipping without calling and making sure that it makes sense.
Shame on you.
Click to expand...

I disagree. I think it's the sellers obligation to update their info and let potential customers know things like that. The BoilerMaker page should clearly indicate that it's sent from the manufacturer and may take extra time. That's not unreasonable if that's the norm on that product.

I really thought this thread would be over looked, and certainly not garner up this much attention. I didn't mean to bash AHS, I've been happy with them. I'm just upset with the situation at hand and needed to vent.
 
To the OP:

You used the words "in hopes of getting it in for this weekend's brew session", implying to me that you had some doubts. That's why you should have called.
 
OP should have called, but the website also should have indicated that it was being shipped from elsewhere and that it might take a little while extra. I've seen that on plenty of other websites and it seems like a very reasonable thing to request.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
 
olllllo said:
Then prepared to be disappointed. If I don't get what I ask for, I have someones name.
Click to expand...

Remember what I said about Consumer Beware?

I am with OllllO on this, if you want good customer service, you need to be a good customer...and that means checking to ensure availability of what you are trying to order. It also means not bashing some vendor here on HBT. I wish we could have a no bashing policy....just a link to Forrest's PM box if you have issues.

Really, Nobody else takes care of us the way AHS does, and I'm kinda tired of people trying to make a public scene over what AHS didn't do right.

and just for the record, My order...placed yesterday morning, will be here tomorrow.
 
olllllo said:
To the OP:

You used the words "in hopes of getting it in for this weekend's brew session", implying to me that you had some doubts. That's why you should have called.
Click to expand...

The only reason I had doubts were because it's UPS ground, and you never know with them.
 
I'm sure AHS will make it right, but I agree that something should be said on the webpage that the items will be shipped from the manufacture. That's a common practice in retail.
 
BuffaloSabresBrewer said:
No more bitching until you check with a company to see if they will do something about it.
Click to expand...

Why? Isn't the number of mistakes as important as fixing them? When you buy a new car do you want it to be right the first time or is OK to take it back to the dealer a number of times, so long as they fix it.

Paul
 
Why? Isn't the number of mistakes as important as fixing them? When you buy a new car do you want it to be right the first time or is OK to take it back to the dealer a number of times, so long as they fix it.
Click to expand...

Because spouting off on an internet forum isn't a way to have the problem fixed. Contact the company first then complain publicly if the concern wasn't properly or satisfactorily addressed.
 
LayMeister said:
Why? Isn't the number of mistakes as important as fixing them? When you buy a new car do you want it to be right the first time or is OK to take it back to the dealer a number of times, so long as they fix it.

Paul
Click to expand...

The problem is that he apparently didn't even attempt to resolve it.

Granted it should not have happened in the first place, but at least TRY to get it remedied before complaining.

5 minutes on the phone might have prevented this thread, and there's no sense complaining until you at least give them a chance to rectify the situation.
 
Evan! said:
Yeah, some of the HBS rants are kind of stupid, but that right there is an instance where AHS is in the wrong. If a product is going to add a couple weeks onto the shipping time because it's got special conditions (like shipping from the factory, etc.), then I believe the retailer has the obligation to inform the customer of that at some point before payment. Sorry to hear about your problem, though, that sucks. I'd talk to them and see if they can throw a little something your way for your troubles. Personally, I've only had one issue with them, namely that they had that big sale once and it took them a full week before they actually got the order together...and then, it was only after I bitched about it here on HBT that they put it in the mail :( But overall, Forrest is a good guy and will typically make things right...and he'll continue to be my go-to guy for online shopping. Now, if we could only get him to start carrying pale chocolate...:D
Click to expand...

Evan!: We have had pale chocolate for months because you wanted us to carry it. Here is a link: Austin Homebrew Supply

Forrest
 
Rant:
I'm getting thoroughly sick of these complaints being made public in this manner before any normal private channels have been exhausted. The fact that AHS has a vendor membership on this forum does not mean that he should be subjected to negative public exposure as a first course of action. I've had minor problems too with online suppliers, as, I'm sure most of have in the past. I have always been treated well after my complaints. I have never used AHS personally, but I see masses of evidence on this forum that suggests if you contact Forrest privately, he will deal with it, and even recompense more generously than most other companies.

This situation where people feel they have a right to "out" a distinguished and trusted member of this forum simply because their day has been spoiled seems to be getting out of hand in my opinion.
 
flyangler18 said:
Because spouting off on an internet forum isn't a way to have the problem fixed. Contact the company first then complain publicly if the concern wasn't properly or satisfactorily addressed.
Click to expand...

I'm confused, I thought he said he contacted them in the original post and they told him how it was being handled. I'm sorry if I misread.

Paul
 
I'm getting thoroughly sick of these complaints being made public in this manner before any normal private channels have been exhausted.
Click to expand...

+ 1. Well said, mate- and this is something that I have been trying to drive home whenever these complaints hit as the latest thread.
 
I was just trying to bring the situation to the attention of others who might come across a similar situation. For the record, all has been taken care of.
Thank you very much, Forrest!!

Your order has been boxed and is ready for pickup by UPS. Customer called in. he was upset that he did not receive the boilermaker pot with the rest of his order and had not been informed that it was going to ship separately at the time the order was placed. forrest approved a refund of $11.97 for the expidited shipping.
Click to expand...
 
Jacksonbrown,

We apologize for the miscommunication on this issue. I researched into your Boilermaker Brew Pot and the manufacturer specified that it shipped on 9/16/2008 and should be arriving to you on 9/20/2008. This package was shipped FedEx and the tracking information has been noted on your order.

We are also issuing a refund for $11.97 for the expedited shipping, as it was not communicated very well that the Boilermaker Brew Pot would be shipping from another location and would take longer before you received it. We have taken steps to communicate this better on our website.

Lockwyn M.
Austin Homebrew Supply
 
This entire rant is just stupid. First post was at noon, resolved by 3PM. Why not wait to see if Forrest makes it right before publicly taking him to the woodshed?

I work in retail, have for many years, and you must first ask the retailer for help before you spout to your buds about how it wasn't handled correctly.

Three hours is too long to wait? C'mon!:rockin:
 
Jim Karr said:
This entire rant is just stupid. First post was at noon, resolved by 3PM. Why not wait to see if Forrest makes it right before publicly taking him to the woodshed?

I work in retail, have for many years, and you must first ask the retailer for help before you spout to your buds about how it wasn't handled correctly.

Three hours is too long to wait? C'mon!:rockin:
Click to expand...

I agree. This thread should be deleted IMO. It does not serve anyone well.
 
hell no, leave it up there as a lesson to all the MF'ers who feel like bitching publicly should be the first course of action.
 
Austinhomebrew said:
Jacksonbrown,

We apologize for the miscommunication on this issue. I researched into your Boilermaker Brew Pot and the manufacturer specified that it shipped on 9/16/2008 and should be arriving to you on 9/20/2008. This package was shipped FedEx and the tracking information has been noted on your order.

We are also issuing a refund for $11.97 for the expedited shipping, as it was not communicated very well that the Boilermaker Brew Pot would be shipping from another location and would take longer before you received it. We have taken steps to communicate this better on our website.

Lockwyn M.
Austin Homebrew Supply
Click to expand...


This is probably the reason for all the posts when there is a problem with AHS. Every time someone makes a post like this it is quickly and publicly solved, and all of the resolutions have been fair. We all know that when you call in and complain you're rarely talking with anyone who can resolve a problem in anyway other than sending missing parts/product. However if you post it here the big dogs see it and resolve it asap.

Why don't we give them a 3 day window to solve problems before we start exploiting the forums.

just my $0.02
John
 

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