I finally decided to finish off my keezer conversion. All I needed was a tap tower. After searching the net, I decided to go with a
5-tap stainless steel tower, sold by kegkits.com(hindsight). Even with a perlick faucet upgrade, it was the cheapest around. I placed my order on 9/13. According to the site, the tap tower should have shipped within 2 weeks.
On 9/24, I email for an update. I got a response the next day: their items are built to order, but the shipment will be ready by the end of next week (10/5). This puts us at a little over 3 weeks total for the item to ship. Not ideal, and not as promised, but also not terrible.
10/10, I check the website, still no update. I send an email.
Tom Hargrave [TH]: "No, we had sheet metal fit issues and the manufacturer is reshipping 10 tower shells to us this week."
We're coming up on 4 weeks, and every time I ask for an update, the date gets padded. I decide to poke around and see if the dude has any history of doing this, and boom:
Read this before you buy from Kegkits.com.
Now I'm panicked, so I send an email requesting a cancellation.
TH on 10/10: "I will cancel your order when I'm at the shop this evening or tomorrow - when I cancel 100% of your money will be refunded through PayPal."
I've used Paypal before, and I've been on both sides of a refund: this process takes 5 minutes, tops. I ask him to please have it done the same day.
TH: "I have already committed to cancelling your order - if the replacement tower shells were in I would have offered a ship date instead. You always have the option to use PayPal's dispute process but if you do, nothing changes except I will be less motivated to process your refund promptly. This is because I already committed to refunding your order."
Fine, I let it go. Predictably, his deadline comes and goes with no refund being processed (In the meantime, I've ordered the same item from
Keg Connection, for about $50 more. This item ships the same day I order it - imagine that).
So this morning(10/12) I email him: "The order has still not been cancelled. This process should take no longer than 5 minutes. Please have it done today".
TH: "This business is cash flow driven and as soon as there is enough money in the PayPal account I'll refund your order. Sales have been slow the last three days. As soon as we receive enough cash in, sometime this weekend, I will cancel and refund your order."
Me: "Unacceptable. You've had my money tied up for over a month now, money that should not have even been transferred until the item was ready to ship. I did not sign up to be an investor in your business. You have until the end of today."
TH: "If you can't wait then you can file a claim with PayPal. Their process will take about 30 days to complete. I have been honest with you and will refund your money and because we tried to work this out, If you file a claim I will be motivated to pay other bills first."
This is where I enter rage mode:
"You have not been honest with me during any step of this process.
1- Your website claims the tower would ship within 2 weeks. That was a lie.
2- After asking you for an update, you said the item would ship by the end of last week. Also a lie.
3- This week, I had to get in touch with you to find out that my order would not be shipping in time. I asked for a cancellation, which you granted. According to you, the return would have been processed by last night, at the latest. That was also a lie.
I would like my money returned immediately. There was no transfer of goods or services, and you have no right to continue to hold onto it."
This dude is a scumbag. He openly admits to abusing Paypal's dispute system, using my money to fund his business when there has been no item transferred between us, and then has the audacity to claim to have been dealing honestly from the beginning. I believe he has no intention of returning my money, and yes, I have filed a dispute with Paypal. At this rate, I'm expecting my replacement tower(which will arrive on Monday) to be in my hands before I see a dime of money I send to Tom Hargrave/Kegkits.com for a part which should have arrived over two weeks ago.
Do your business elsewhere. I wish I had done my research at the beginning and saved myself the headache.
