BeerBorg

So I ordered some Winter Dark refills because they are 1/2 price right now and I am extremely cheap. Literally one week later they send an email that is so needy I am reminded of my ex gf from high school:

Hey Jim,
We hope you love your new purchase!

Is it everything you expected it to be? Have you told all your friends you’re homebrewing yet? Don’t be shy. Tell us what you think of your Mr. Beer product by clicking on the item you purchased below and clicking the "leave a review" link.

Really? You want me to leave a review well before your faulty instructions even say it will be drinkable? So feeling like a smart ass, I decided to reply to their email with this:

Calm down there Mr. Beer, I haven't even bottled it yet. And your product usually requires at least 2 months of bottle conditioning before it is drinkable. I feel like you would have happier customers if you weren't acting like a stage 4 clinger and trying to get them to drink green beer.

Almost immediately I got 2 emails letting me know that a customer service ticket had been created, and that they had a goal of contacting me by Thursday.

I was just goofing around, and now thanks to Coopers new improved website design they will be paying some one to take care of my snarky email.

in their defense.. at least mr beer is taking customer satisfaction seriously. they've been trying over the last year or so since the great forum fiasco they had soured a lot of ppl on them.

yes, their email sounds very very needy.. comically so.. but.. that is better than not caring. i also like that their big shots check in on the forum and actually listen to what one has to say. i never had a bad experience with their customer support .

-z-

If it's anything like where I work, they'll create a ticket to handle the ticket and one guy will close a ticket because you somehow didn't respond to something while another guy will actually contact you but you'll receive a notice the ticket was closed. Enjoy...

An email that quick in the business they're in is simply going through the motions. Just because you go through those motions promptly doesn't show care or concern. I'll admit I have a definite opinion of the folks over at MrBeer, but don't they seem to show a constant disconnect between themselves and their customers? They were once fantastic... years ago.

You can make better beer, using better ingredients, at a lower price through almost any other homebrew supplier out there.

BTW, I loved that response. You know that ruffled feathers somewhere over there.

The last time I ordered something I got an email from Mrs. Beer, and it kinda seemed like she was coming on me. It was very odd.

Wow, they already responded to my smart ass email:

Hi James,

Thanks for the feedback (I'm going to steal "stage 4 clinger," hope you don't mind). We've actually been discussing pushing the emails back a bit so people actually have time to brew and enjoy before we ask for reviews. We're always looking for ways to improve, so feel free to let us know any other thoughts you have!

I'm glad he has a sense of humor about this, while recognizing the how silly it is to ask how my beer tastes a week after I purchase it.

jpsherman wrote:Wow, they already responded to my smart ass email:

Hi James,

Thanks for the feedback (I'm going to steal "stage 4 clinger," hope you don't mind). We've actually been discussing pushing the emails back a bit so people actually have time to brew and enjoy before we ask for reviews. We're always looking for ways to improve, so feel free to let us know any other thoughts you have!

I'm glad he has a sense of humor about this, while recognizing the how silly it is to ask how my beer tastes a week after I purchase it.

Where to start???

Wow, I got results!

Hi James,

Just FYI, I just got out of a meeting where we decided to push this email back to 6-8 weeks after purchase, so the issue should be resolved from this point forward.

Interesting. Pretty comical, but still ... interesting.

Just because a business was good, then changed management and started to suck, doesn't mean they'll always suck. It doesn't mean they'll bounce back and be as good at everything as they were before the buy-out, but there's no need to assume they're incapable of changing direction and improving their business model/customer service/product line/whatever.

The company I've worked for lo these past two decades has undergone a number of changes in that time, and while some things continue to be weak, other things have become much better.

True, but one check in the good column is still only one check in the good column. At least it cancels out the check in the bad column that started this thread.

Agreed. And it remains to be seen whether Mr. Beer is going to improve other aspects of their business model. Not that it matters to me, personally, as I haven't bought any Mr. Beer kits since shortly after the Cooper's buyout, and I have no desire to work with HMEs anymore. That's not a slam against Mr. Beer or BrewDemon or any other purveyors of HME kits. It's just that I've moved on to mostly AG recipes, and any time I want a quick and/or easy brewing day, I'll buy extract, specialty grains, hops, and go from there.

Mr. Beer and BrewDemon are niche markets, catering to new brewers and/or brewers who don't want a lot of fuss but still want the satisfaction of making their own beer. That's their choice, and that's the market for those companies. Nothing wrong with it; it's just not for me anymore.

That being said, these companies are fighting an uphill battle, since many of us who have gone beyond HME kits don't want to return to them. So there's sort of a planned obsolescence inherent in their mission statement. They simply can't keep their customer base for an extended period. Hence the "stage 4 clinger" behavior.

None of this surprises me. They are probably not getting much of a return on their investment that they thought they were. Before coopers bought mr. beer, the refills made it worth it cost wise to do the hme thing. Now why would I brew mr. beer when I can get the same amount of beer at the store and less hassle. I understand the whole "I made this concept" , but only a few times before you move on to cheaper methods. I still give classes on the mr beer and brew demon if I am asked to.

jpsherman wrote:Wow, I got results!

Hi James,

Just FYI, I just got out of a meeting where we decided to push this email back to 6-8 weeks after purchase, so the issue should be resolved from this point forward.

Don't know how to post just the video but I was reminded of this:

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/73C3/fedex-ground-kids-business

Way to set the youngsters right jp.

Brewbirds wrote:

jpsherman wrote:Wow, I got results!

Hi James,

Just FYI, I just got out of a meeting where we decided to push this email back to 6-8 weeks after purchase, so the issue should be resolved from this point forward.

Don't know how to post just the video but I was reminded of this:

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/73C3/fedex-ground-kids-business

Way to set the youngsters right jp.

Haha Nice.

I got an email saying they are now offering POOP. (POints Only Products).

Hurray.