William's Brewing

[etho1416]

I have had okay experiences with Williams, but here are two really silly problems they seem to have:

1. They don't accept American Express! Most of the other major online homebrew stores do take it. This is a problem since AMEX is huge in the gift card world. Williams lost out on a few hundred dollars of my business this holiday season since they refused my gift cards. That money went elsewhere

2. They won't split a purchase between different credit cards! With gift cards so common nowadays, I found that both my local supermarket and bicycle store would split purchases between cards. Again, I wanted to use a VISA gift card to pay for part of a purchase (it would only cover part of the price) and Williams refused.

I know accepting AMEX and splitting cards costs them more money in fees, but it was either that... or nothing, which is what they got from me.

 

[mcarb]

You're bitching because they don't accept Amex? Come on man, that's weak.

 

[mux]

Oh, my!

 

[lschiavo]

He said they were silly. I think telling your customer that their money is no good is a fine way to loose them.

 

[DakotaRules]

Great customer service!

 

[david_42]

As a small businessman: AMEX is VERY, VERY expensive relative to the percentage of people who use it. In five years of business, I've never had anyone complain because I didn't take it.

 

[etho1416]

I know it is more expensive than other credit cards, but since AMEX is big in the gift card business, they are basically refusing to sell things to a lot of people. Northern Brewer and Austin Homebrew both take AMEX.

Williams markups on their items must be high enough to still make a profit on the fees AMEX charges. They still make money off of visa/mastercard and while amex is higher, its not that much higher. If I ran a business I would rather make some profit than no profit.

 

[wailingguitar]

Not only is AMEX more expensive, they take longer to clear the funds. I owned a bookstore for close to 10 years, when I opened my doors I took Visa/Mc, Amex and Discover. I dropped Discover in the first year, and Amex after about 5 or so. They were more expensive, they took longer to clear funds and their customer service was HORRID. I can't blame any merchant for not wanting to fool with them.

 

[TJinWV]

I know accepting AMEX and splitting cards costs them more money in fees, but it was either that... or nothing, which is what they got from me.

Why do you say that? It's a gift card. You can use it just about anywhere. Use your visa to buy from Williams (or wherever), and the gift card to buy your groceries or gas.

I usually buy everything with Discover (it pays to Discover), but some online retailers don't take it, so I use my visa check card. It's all my money (well, technically it's credit, but still...), no matter where it comes from.

 

[weirdboy]

Using your ATM card like a credit card is just asking for a terrible situation if anyone ever steals the number and uses it to buy expensive goods.

The money comes right out of your bank account. Banks can take several days to reverse the charges, and meanwhile you can pile up fees for insufficient funds, etc. I have several friends who went through this hassle. The charges ultimately got cleared up in each case, but they also tended to stretch over the course of a few months to get everything cleared up, and it involved a lot of customer service calls and the like.

 

[TJinWV]

Using your ATM card like a credit card is just asking for a terrible situation if anyone ever steals the number and uses it to buy expensive goods.

The money comes right out of your bank account. Banks can take several days to reverse the charges, and meanwhile you can pile up fees for insufficient funds, etc. I have several friends who went through this hassle. The charges ultimately got cleared up in each case, but they also tended to stretch over the course of a few months to get everything cleared up, and it involved a lot of customer service calls and the like.

Which is no different than any other card, other than the "right out of your bank account" part, and also why you should do business with local banks.

 

[rhamilton]

1. They don't accept American Express! Most of the other major online homebrew stores do take it. This is a problem since AMEX is huge in the gift card world. Williams lost out on a few hundred dollars of my business this holiday season since they refused my gift cards. That money went elsewhere

2. They won't split a purchase between different credit cards! With gift cards so common nowadays, I found that both my local supermarket and bicycle store would split purchases between cards. Again, I wanted to use a VISA gift card to pay for part of a purchase (it would only cover part of the price) and Williams refused.

Maybe a complaint vs large retail chains but for a small retail specialty shop -- you are being too picky.

 

[weirdboy]

Which is no different than any other card, other than the "right out of your bank account" part, and also why you should do business with local banks.

The whole point of my explanation was showing the cascade effect that can occur when this happens to a card directly connected to your bank account, and the fact that the reversal of funds process materially affects the actual amount of money you have available in your bank account for a relatively long time, meaning you often cannot write checks, pay your mortgage, etc. during that time. Dealing with a local bank doesn't change the underlying banking processes or make them give you your money back any faster, usually. At least, it didn't in my friend's experience.

On an actual credit card, the damage is limited to that card account, and usually a single call (or a couple calls) is enough to get all the charges completely cleared up. Reversing the charges doesn't tie up any of your own funds for any period, unless you are living off your credit cards already, in which case you have deeper issues.

 

[two_hearted]

Their processing time and fast shipping always amazes me. I ordered Monday at 5pm, ships at 7pm from California and arrives in Ohio on Wednesday afternoon. All for the standard shipping rate. Williams is awesome.

 

[TyTanium]

+1 for Williams. I agree. Great products too.

 

[ThirstyNomad]

+1 Always had a great response and fast delivery of any orders that I have put through.

 

[taterosu]

+1 decent prices and fast shipping

 

[Hammy71]

I've also always had a good experience with Williams.

 

[Pappers_]

A few months ago, I purchased Williams Brewing's oxygenation system and its been great. Fast and easy service, plus the product makes a difference in my brewing. Two thumbs up!

 

[gizmodog51]

i've used williams for several orders of extract kits always good to go.

i had to return a corona mill; they were more then acceptable about the situation. sent a UPS p/u for the item and away it went.
100+ for williams customer service! + they reimbursed my original shipping cost! can't any better than that!
thanx williams......

GD51

 

[jturie]

I've been ordering from Williams for years, probably more than any other store. Takes a while to get my stuff (they're in CA, I'm in PA), but they have a lot of cool gadgets, and their Oxygenation system is really fantastic. Never had a problem with them.

 

[Marko73]

I have been really happy with Williams. Also think there kits have produced some of the best beer I have had. I wish they shared the ingredients, but when I asked, I understood their concern about proprietary information. It's just odd when all of the other suppliers share their recipes. I think it would allow a lot of return business.

 

[bleme]

A friend I've brewed with a couple of times recommended Williams so when I was thinking about buying some grains to make 10 gallons of Caramel Amber Ale, I checked them out. I needed 3 pounds of Caramel/Crystal 80, 4oz of Chinook and 2oz of Willamette. With shipping, I got the following prices:

$30.62 Austin Homebrew
$29.27 Northern Brewer
$28.17 Midwest Supplies
$24.76 Morebeer
$20.53 Brew Brothers
$18.90 Williams Brewing

I think I am sold on Williams!!!

 

[swackattack]

Got my o2 kit quickly and the wand is much better than old aeration methods

 

[brewbama]

I first started with Williams about 20 yrs ago. I have produced great beers with their products. They get stuff out the door fast, too. I've never had a bad experience with them.

The only con I can even think of is they sell pouches of LME vs a jug. I often brew alone so pouring with one hand while stirring with the other is preferred. That's easier with a jug and harder with a pouch.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[MaxStout]

I wanted to pass along a recent experience dealing with William's Brewing. Last week I received an order of various items, including some brass quick-disconnect fittings for garden hose. One of the female fittings was dented, as if it had been dropped on a hard surface, and was unusable (couldn't thread the male fitting to it).

I sent a quick email to Janis at William's, thinking that I'd have to get an RMA, re-pack it and send it back. It was just a $5 part, but I needed it for an upcoming project. I didn't want to drive across town to the LHBS in search of a replacement.

Not only did Janis tell me to not worry about returning the bad one, she also sent the new one Priority Mail, and I received it in a couple days.

With all the recent threads of people having bad experiences with other online dealers, it's nice to see one stand above the rest in customer service.

Bravo!

 

[grainbill]

I have used Williams for years and have always had excellent service. I don't use them as much anymore as I have moved from Seattle, where the shipping was minimal, to Georgia where the added cost of shipping makes them a little less competitive. I still get the odd ball thing from them for time to time. If I move west, they will be back to being my best online vendor....

 

[Pappers_]

Merged with the previous Williams Brewing thread.

 

[LastChair]

They were my go to store when I was an extract brewer. When I went to all grain, my needs changed and rarely use them much anymore. Was always happy with their products and service.

 

[MaxStout]

I want to give a shout-out to William's and Five Star, for their professionalism in handling what could have been a bad situation.

Yesterday I received a small order from William's, which included a 32 oz. bottle of StarSan, among a few other things. The package arrived with evidence of a leak. The bottle had been wrapped in a plastic bag, and the bag was thoroughly wet on the inside. The measuring chamber of the bottle was half full. The plastic bag obviously didn't contain the leak and there was a large, black splotch on the bottom of the carton, where leaked StarSan had burned into it. The splotch was partially visible on the outside of the carton. It appeared that about 1 oz. had leaked out. None of the other items were touched by the StarSan, as they were packed higher up in the carton.

I cleaned up the mess and examined the bottle. StarSan now features "child-resistant" caps, similar to those on pill bottles. The inner protective seal over the measuring chamber had a leak, and the cap, which was loose, did not contain it.

I'm going to assume that the ground transport over high elevations on its trip from CA to MN created a pressure differential which forced out some liquid.

I emailed William's customer service yesterday afternoon and let them know. I insisted that everything is good with me--no one was hurt and there was no damage. I just wanted to give them a heads-up so that hopefully no one else would encounter the same problem.

This morning, they wrote back, apologizing for the problem, even though it was probably not their fault. They noted that they had forwarded the info to Five Star. But I was impressed that William's responded quickly.

Later today, I received a nice email from Five Star's customer service, apologizing as well, and thanking me for bringing the issue to their attention. They are shipping another bottle of StarSan to me, even though I didn't lose enough to really matter. I'm going to have a lifetime supply of the stuff, now.

Both companies did the right thing, and responded quickly. This sort of customer service is what separates excellent companies from mediocre ones.