Disappointed with Austin Homebrew Supply
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AHS is my one and only. If I order on Monday it's on my doorstep by Friday ready to be brewed on Saturday. I do agree about the OOS the last couple months but I'm patiently waiting.
Things happen that are out of our control,so with the service and quality that I get from them the rest of the year I can deal with it.
Things happen that are out of our control,so with the service and quality that I get from them the rest of the year I can deal with it.
WileECoyote
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I would like to Support Austin's by saying I use them often, every order has been shipped quick, any time a item in my order was backordered, their was a note on my invoice explaining that item would be shipped out as soon as they got it in, and thats what they did.
Also I live in Arizona its 120 degrees in the sumer here, Austin's is the Only Place I have found that will work with me on making sure my liquid yeast is viable when delivered, if I order on a thursday or friday on my request they will hold my order and ship my liquid yeast on a monday instead of just shipping it whenever, otherwise it would sit in a dark brown truck in the sun with it 120 degrees out all weekend long.
Just try asking that of any other supplier and you will hear we don't hold orders.
Austin's has some of the best customer service I have experienced period.
Just recently ordered 5 pet carboys that are on sale at Austin's, after receiving them I was so pleased, I ordered 3 more.
Thanks Austin's
Cheers
Also I live in Arizona its 120 degrees in the sumer here, Austin's is the Only Place I have found that will work with me on making sure my liquid yeast is viable when delivered, if I order on a thursday or friday on my request they will hold my order and ship my liquid yeast on a monday instead of just shipping it whenever, otherwise it would sit in a dark brown truck in the sun with it 120 degrees out all weekend long.
Just try asking that of any other supplier and you will hear we don't hold orders.
Austin's has some of the best customer service I have experienced period.
Just recently ordered 5 pet carboys that are on sale at Austin's, after receiving them I was so pleased, I ordered 3 more.
Thanks Austin's
Cheers
MikeBTexas
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Good to hear from AHS about the problem people are having. I too had to split my order between AHS and Midwest brewing because of out of stock at AHS.
I found myself on this thread after googling "Is Austin Homebrew going out of business". I'm local and new to home brewing and love the customer service they provide and want to support them in every way that i can. I was taken aback by the inventory levels I experienced recently and that have been expressed here. Sounds like they appreciate the concern and are addressing it.
If that's your experience with Lean, then somebody is doing it wrong. The whole point of Lean is to eliminate waste to control costs, and unhappy customers who cancel orders and/or don't come back are a major cost. Granted, organizations tend to get carried away with magic buzzword quality tools and often pull the trigger before they aim. That doesn't sound like the case here, though. This is just $**t happening at the wrong time, which is par for the course with any small business. Sometimes you just get knocked down.
In defense of [some] MBAs, though, statistical inventory management is a ridiculously effective tool when used by someone who has the right data and knows what he/she is doing. Again, applied properly it results in happier customers because management has a more reliable projection of how much they need and when. Management also saves money because they don't carry unnecessarily large stocks. Plus, if your inventory guy/gal is really awake, they tend to find all kinds of "well, duh" places to fix the supply chain while sifting through the numbers.
(Said the guy with the totally fake brewing company.)
Brick, Oh, I completely agree with you. I work for a company that has taken the tools of Lean, and completely screwed everything up. Just passing this possibility to the OP.
So... UPDATE. The counterflow chiller that I wanted to purchase was supposed to be in stock on Jan 8th, then the date changed to Jan 9th, then changed to Jan 21st. Then it changed to Jan 30th. Then it changed to Feb 2nd. Now it says Feb 18th. This is getting ridiculous!
Marc77
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This is a prime example of something that could easily be corrected. Don't guess when you're going to get it back in and then have to keep back pedaling. Set a date you know you can get things back in and make it.
Working in the computer programming world that drives me absolutely nuts. I avoid it by saying to clients we'll have it to you in 3 weeks. If it takes 2 then you get a thank you for getting it to them early. But usually if you think it's going to take 2 weeks it will normally take 3 because something pops up, someone gets sick and can't work on the project or other complications, etc.
As for the person saying "So basically you're having a hard time dealing with reality".... I'd agree with the other person, if you don't have anything constructive to say then keep out of the conversation.
Wrecked
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Anything worthwhile is worth waiting for.
I know what it's like to wait on something on back order. I can also look at the situation from the perspective of having 20+ years experience in inventory control. I guarantee AHS wants to get your product in stock and out to you as soon as possible. RDWHAHB!
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kombat
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We demand photos!
Marc77
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You're thinking too small. Someone grab a welder and some tools. We'll tear the roof off and weld the doors shut. Then we just need to call the fire department for the water and we've got the starts of one hell of an IPA!
We're going to need a lot of grain...
OK, but now this thread can't end until we have a grain bill and a name for the recipe.
Marc77
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Adventures in Destruction IPA?
WileECoyote
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Mare_Mortis
Member
We are talking about a business that is based upon supplying products to customers, failing to do so is bad business. And blaming lack of stock on the holidays a month later is not acceptable.
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Wrecked
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Every business is based on supplying something to someone. Stock shortages happen for a variety of reasons. Small businesses sometimes have expenditures that have to be addressed and they have to move slow moving products to the back of the list until capital becomes available to restock such items. This is not bad business, it's just bad circumstance. IMO, Getting bent out of shape about it because you can't have what you want "right now" is not a good reason to bring a grievance to a public forum.
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Cottonmouth
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So I guess what you're telling OP and all others who've had items placed on backorder that they should put everything on hold and just wait for Austin to get their **** together.
Cottonmouth
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And while I'm at it I'd like to thank OP for bringing this grievance to my attention. The vendors I patronize keep track of their inventory and you can ACTUALLY see if an item is in stock or not on their website. I've never dealt with AHS and don't think I will based on what I've heard so far.
troy2000
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Personally, I think it's a very good reason - particularly when the in-stock date keeps getting shoved back and back and back.... if I were him, by now I'd have asked them to refund the gift certificates so I could go elsewhere.
I'm curious: what would you consider a 'good reason'?
Wrecked
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I'm not trying to be confrontational here. I would suggest you go back and read my original response. In that original response I simply stated I could see his point and understand it from AHS position too. If you want to get yourself all twisted up over it, go right ahead.
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Wrecked
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I found the responses talking about repackaged/bulk packaged yeast informative.
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Cottonmouth
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It's a simple question I asked.
Wrecked
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Once again, I would redirect you to my original response to the OP.
I personally don't give two squirts if you chose not to buy from AHS. It would be your loss to take this one event and form a negative opinion of them. I've spent close to $4.5k with AHS over the past 5 years and have had excellent service from them and that earns them MY loyalty and a little latitude in this situation.
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troy2000
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I think he should form his opinion based on his experience with them, not yours....
Of course if he doesn't have any, it may make sense for him to be cautious - at least until this particular storyline is played out.
And on the downside, a shrinking inventory and failure to restock is sometimes an early indicator of cash-flow problems, or worse.
That said, Austin seems to have a good track record and a lot of loyal, satisfied customers. So hopefully this is a temporary glitch; things sometimes temporarily go south for the best of us.
Wrecked
Well-Known Member
I think he should form his opinion based on his experience with them, not yours....
Of course if he doesn't have any, it may make sense for him to be cautious - at least until this particular storyline is played out.
And on the downside, a shrinking inventory and failure to restock is sometimes an early indicator of cash-flow problems, or worse.
That said, Austin seems to have a good track record and a lot of loyal, satisfied customers. So hopefully this is a temporary glitch; things sometimes temporarily go south for the best of us.
Totally agree. Cheers!
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kranak
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I've been trying to order from the for almost two weeks. Started with bottle caps out of stock. Then multiple grains and hops that I need. I'm not really used to this experience from them.
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And now I see that the counter flow chiller I want to order... the "in stock date" has been changed once again... This time to Feb 26th. So, recap: supposed to be in on Jan 8th, then 9th, then 21st, then 30th, then Feb 2nd, then 18th, now February 26th.
This company has lost all credibility as far as I'm concerned. If I didn't have this stupid gift certificate, they would see no more orders from me.
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I've traditionally ordered all of my kits from AHB (as well as my original brewing supplies) but recently I've been swapping to a more local brew store, mostly due to shipping times (my impatience, not them being slow). I've also had a few beers have off flavors from them. I'm going to see if changing to a local store will help fix that. It's almost 100% due to my inexperience, however.
Their grains and other ingredients have been quality with a nice crush when i have ordered from them in the past. Its just they don't have any for sale these days...
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Not surprising. I knew things were going south last fall when I ordered a bulk sack of Maris aotter and was sent an unlabeled trash bag of (presumably) Maris Otter. At least it was taped closed and did weigh what it was supposed to weigh.
.j.,I'm
, m hbm
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, m hbm
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Austinhomebrew
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Sorry you were misinformed about the situation. Austin Homebrew is not going out of business. Our POS system crashed hard and it was a very very large emergency expense to install a new one. I am restocking. We have 44,000 pounds of grain arriving shortly and we are ordering on a daily basis.
The brewery is a separate business.
I understand your frustration and I apologize for the inconvenience it has caused. Thanks for understanding. I am here for you guys so I will make it right.
Forrest
The brewery is a separate business.
I understand your frustration and I apologize for the inconvenience it has caused. Thanks for understanding. I am here for you guys so I will make it right.
Forrest
Well, there ya go.
livetaswim06
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Forrest,
Do you know when AHS will be back to normal for stock levels? I understand you have been working through numerous issues, but I also understand the frustration of customers who seeing basics like nylon bags, caps, wort chillers etc sold out.
Trying out your new iPad?
Better yet, my 1-year old was helping me me out ...
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Have you ended the repackaging of yeast?
Still feel a bit burned on that one...
I just want to say thank you to Forrest for letting us know whats going on. I have been going to AHS for over a year and have been extremely happy with you guys. I was afraid you were going out of business or that someone just didn't care about the store anymore. I will continue to shop with you guys.
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