The Etre/BiaB love/hate/?/rant thread...

[mjohnson171]

Etre Spring Pack

Invoiced and paid on 4/30
No tracking # email (SPAM or otherwise) since and today is 5/14.

Fully expecting my box to show up at my doorstep before an email comes. I just hope it’s soon. I’m jonesing to drink some lambic!

 

[jbdpsu82]

4/22 Email from Etre regarding options. Immediate response provided.
4/29 Invoice received and paid.
5/6 Sent email to Etre asking for status. Immediate reply received, stating shipping week of 5/13
5/13 Email from Etre with tracking, stating shipment occurred Friday, 5/10
Patiently waiting...0

No complaints here!

 

[CoinStarChange]

I’m expecting my package tomorrow (5/12).


Happy Mother’s Day to my wife!! She will be thrilled!

Got my box today at the post office.

They came by yesterday, but wouldn’t leave the package without someone signing for it.

The package job is A++++++ I’ll show pics later for anyone who hasn’t received an Etre haul.

 

[NClambicguy]

I got mine yesterday as well. So busy with life that I haven't even had time to open it yet.

 

[nathanmiller]

So busy with life that I haven't even had time to open it yet.

It me. Mine came three days ago. I'm sure I'll probably open it this week, hopefully.

 

[CoinStarChange]

Detail of how they pack the box. They also put a film of bubble wrap at the bottom and paper at the bottom of each bottle.

The gang's all here!

 

[mjohnson171]

Etre Spring Pack

Invoiced and paid on 4/30
No tracking # email (SPAM or otherwise) since and today is 5/14.

Fully expecting my box to show up at my doorstep before an email comes. I just hope it’s soon. I’m jonesing to drink some lambic!

Box showed up on my doorstep on 5/15. No tracking email. As predicted. No complaints.

Btw, that Shaarsbeekse Oogst 2017 is really tasty.

 

[CoinStarChange]

Box showed up on my doorstep on 5/15. No tracking email. As predicted. No complaints.

Btw, that Shaarsbeekse Oogst 2017 is really tasty.

The main reason I bought this package was for another opportunity to drink their Schaarbeekse. I had some at the TalkBeer charity share in NJ a few years back and it blew my mind.

 

[leftofthedial1]

My 3F spring box sent through Etre arrived in a Lazenne styro 12-shipper. Was totally blown away. Will absolutely be reusing it a bunch in the future for travel. Have ordered from Etre many times before (mostly 6 bottles at a time not 12), but it never came in a Lazenne.

 

[gueuzelife]

Got my Etre spring pack today, even made it safely through LAX customs

 

[NClambicguy]

Sharing a pic from the 3F enthusiasts group.

You’ll never guess which shipper had a box arrive in this condition. Seeing posts like this just makes my future proxy choices that much easier. Amazingly, none of the bottles were damaged in transit.

 

[tylerk88]

Serious question: how is the condition of that box Kurt's fault? Sure he could use sturdier boxes, but the thickness of the cardboard isn't preventing the damage that was done.

 

[RyanG1]

Sharing a pic from the 3F enthusiasts group.

View attachment 8077

You’ll never guess which shipper had a box arrive in this condition. Seeing posts like this just makes my future proxy choices that much easier. Amazingly, none of the bottles were damaged in transit.

Can almost make out the blond locks of Tracy Mills.

 

[jbdpsu82]

Serious question: how is the condition of that box Kurt's fault? Sure he could use sturdier boxes, but the thickness of the cardboard isn't preventing the damage that was done.

Sure, the thickness of the cardboard wouldn't make a difference, but the packing inside the box would provide more structural integrity. My last BiaB had a TON of empty space in it; pool noodles just rolling around inside. That empty space smashes easily. My last Etre box had cardboard dividers that spanned top to bottom, adding strength to the box if something was placed on top.

That being said, I've never had a bottle broken from either BiaB or Etre.

 

[NClambicguy]

Serious question: how is the condition of that box Kurt's fault? Sure he could use sturdier boxes, but the thickness of the cardboard isn't preventing the damage that was done.

I mean, jbdpsu82 hit most of it on the head. The outer walls of the boxes are about 1/2 the thickness of your typical Etre box. BIAB Kurt also usually lays his bottles down, which means there aren't any additional supports like what Etre uses to provide structural integrity to the box. Boxes shipped with USPS are going to get beat up a little bit but just throwing the bottles in a box with some pool noodles around them and calling it good doesn't work for me.

I get that bottles usually arrive intact, but I would rather not get flagged by USPS because they can easily see beer bottles in the box I'm receiving. YMMV

 

[stupac2]

I get that bottles usually arrive intact, but I would rather not get flagged by USPS because they can easily see beer bottles in the box I'm receiving. YMMV

I once had an Etre box arrive with the half of the bottom missing. It was like someone had taken a box cutter and cut that whole side flap off. The only thing holding the bottles in was the layer of bubble wrap on the bottom, and I have no idea how that was even managing. USPS still delivered it! They give zero *****, as far as I can tell.

 

[CoinStarChange]

Sure, the thickness of the cardboard wouldn't make a difference, but the packing inside the box would provide more structural integrity. My last BiaB had a TON of empty space in it; pool noodles just rolling around inside. That empty space smashes easily. My last Etre box had cardboard dividers that spanned top to bottom, adding strength to the box if something was placed on top.

That being said, I've never had a bottle broken from either BiaB or Etre.

The Lambic Drop Challenge is big in Belgium during grade school.

 

[shadetree67]

For those that received tracking numbers from Etre, did the USPS tracking ever get update or does the box just show up?

 

[stupac2]

For those that received tracking numbers from Etre, did the USPS tracking ever get update or does the box just show up?

My number usually update before the box arrives, but not always.

 

[JonathanAmes]

For those that received tracking numbers from Etre, did the USPS tracking ever get update or does the box just show up?

Joana sent me my email on Monday and it’s in the USPS system tracking currently.

 

[SeaWatchman]

For those that received tracking numbers from Etre, did the USPS tracking ever get update or does the box just show up?

When you look on Bpost there are two different tracking numbers. One is for bpost and the other is for the US.

 

[boogercrack]

Joana sent me my email on Monday and it’s in the USPS system tracking currently.

Me too.

And I had a delivery attempt today :O

 

[tylerk88]

4/19: Etre email confirming my purchase
4/30: Etre sent PP invoice & I paid
5/13: Etre sent tracking information (box shipped on 5/9)
5/15: Arrival at NYC Customs
5/20: Departed NYC Customs
5/22: Arrived in Boston & box was delivered

All arrived safe & sound. No idea what I'm going to open first or stash away. I will admit, it's pretty cool seeing all of the variants/colors together. 3F's marketing/design person deserves some props.

 

[shadetree67]

4/19: Etre email confirming my purchase
4/30: Etre sent PP invoice & I paid
5/13: Etre sent tracking information (box shipped on 5/9)
5/15: Arrival at NYC Customs
5/20: Departed NYC Customs
5/22: Arrived in Boston & box was delivered

All arrived safe & sound. No idea what I'm going to open first or stash away. I will admit, it's pretty cool seeing all of the variants/colors together. 3F's marketing/design person deserves some props.

Did your USPS tracking get updated? Mine shipped on 5/15 and left Belgium on 5/16. USPS is still showing "Pre-Shipment: Origin Post is Preparing Shipment".

 

[tylerk88]

Did your USPS tracking get updated? Mine shipped on 5/15 and left Belgium on 5/16. USPS is still showing "Pre-Shipment: Origin Post is Preparing Shipment".

Looking at the USPS tracking history now it shows movement in Belgium, but from what I recall the USPS tracking didn't start to update until "Processed Through Facility ISC NEW YORK NY(USPS)" which was 5 days after it left Belgium. I'm no expert here, but I wouldn't expect your USPS tracking to say anything until it gets to customs.

 

[jbdpsu82]

Did your USPS tracking get updated? Mine shipped on 5/15 and left Belgium on 5/16. USPS is still showing "Pre-Shipment: Origin Post is Preparing Shipment".

What tylerk88 said. USPS will just say "pre-shipment" until it either makes it to, or often times, clears customs. It could be anywhere from a few days, to a few weeks. Contents, package size/weight seem to be irrelevant in regard to how long it takes to clear customs - as I had a sweatshirt from Cantillon sit in customs for 2 weeks recently, but my box full of 3F beer cleared it in two days.

Your best bet is to just be as patient as possible; be prepared to wait up to 3 weeks to a month in extreme cases. However, if you begin to get concerned about its lack of movement, you would need to reach out to the shipper (Etre or BiaB) and ask them to contact Bpost on your behalf to file a claim that Bpost will send to USPS.

 

[shadetree67]

What tylerk88 said. USPS will just say "pre-shipment" until it either makes it to, or often times, clears customs. It could be anywhere from a few days, to a few weeks. Contents, package size/weight seem to be irrelevant in regard to how long it takes to clear customs - as I had a sweatshirt from Cantillon sit in customs for 2 weeks recently, but my box full of 3F beer cleared it in two days.

Your best bet is to just be as patient as possible; be prepared to wait up to 3 weeks to a month in extreme cases. However, if you begin to get concerned about its lack of movement, you would need to reach out to the shipper (Etre or BiaB) and ask them to contact Bpost on your behalf to file a claim that Bpost will send to USPS.

You were spot on. 2 of my 3 boxes made it through customs in a few days. The 3rd box took over a week to get through. Everything was packed extremely well and would highly recommend etre for those looking to ship bottles home from belgium.

 

[nathanmiller]

I bought the OBD box last year, like a month or two after OBD when I happened to be in town for a weekend. I knew I didn't have enough space in my luggage so I opted to ship it back. When presented with the option of Etre or BIAB, I was told that BIAB was preferred because they can fit an additional 4 bottles more than Etre can fit. So I bought an extra 4 various A&G blends and went with BIAB.

A couple weeks later, the box arrived, with a note from USPS that some contents had been damaged. I unpacked the box and did an inventory; missing were three bottles: the only Golden Blend from that box and two A&Gs that were already multiples in the box. So not a massive deal on the A&Gs really, but the Golden Blend, as I've stated on this site elsewhere, was a real loss to me since it's an absolute love of my life.

I emailed Kurt and he responded saying he couldn't replace those bottles but would I like an assorted Cantillon 3-pack instead? I responded thanking him for his flexibility and said "sure I suppose that'll work" knowing that my GB was lost forever.

Fast forward several months and 50 emails mostly of me saying "Hello, Kurt, any update here?" Eventually, I bought the Spring Box and went with Etre. It arrived faster than most of y'all in this thread, apparently. And then, a few days later, Kurt got back to me. He had the latest Golden Blend and two A&Gs set aside for me. Got my address, sent them a day later, and a few days later, all was made right in the world.

I know we all like to complain about these folks (that's what this thread is for after all), and I know it took a long time for things to be made right, but ultimately, Kurt really impressed me. Whereas he could have blamed USPS or BPost instead of the pool noodles, or even just said "tough luck," he found a way to replace the exact missing bottles (albeit with different blends but that just means more blends to try!) and get them to me. And now I'm very happy.

 

[Hindsight1]

Me: Hi BiaB, I have 30 kilo order ready to be shipped, has been awhile since I have placed and order and am reading not-nice things about your current shipping practices.

BiaB: Dont you believe that for one second, we still exercise the same care as we have in the past.

Me: Ok, I figured. Thank you!

Meanwhile at BiaB:
-“we have this 30 kilo shipment to get out today, any boxes laying around?”
-“yeah, we can use that one we got that large stuffed animal in last week”

.........

 

[wuntrikpony]

**** Kurt. I've been constantly trying to contact them and close a box since March. Sent an email last week that I would be contacting my CC company if he didn't respond. Looks like I'll be disputing the charges.