I have no luck reaching HomeBrewWest regarding an order I made 18.09.2014 :(
The payment where quickly withdrawn from my account, but no items received.
-10.10.2014 (22 days after ordering), I sent my first email asking for the status. No reply from HomeBrewWest.
-27.10.2014 (39 days after ordering), I send a second email. Also with just a polite question about the status. It was replied with "I will get Brian to check on this for you." But he didn't, no reply.
-04.11.2014 (47 days after ordering), I sent my third mail. Also just asking for the status. No reply
-The following week I tried to call twice with no reply.
-10.11.2014 (53 days after ordering) I noticed that HomeBrewWest has a facebook page where they encurage customers to ask questions. I asked about my order, but the question where just removed without answer given.
As this didn't work, I sendt a SMS also asking for the status.. no reply.
So.. what to do? Anyone else had a simular problem with HomeBrewWest?
This post could of course be deleted, just as my question on their facebook page. But for the fellow homebrewers, it is usefull to also highlight problems with suppliers so that others don't get burned.
Even after 54 days, I still hope that this is just because of some silly mistake or in other ways can be explained.
Steinar Aa.
You're not having much luck are you :( Try sending HomeBrewWest a PM here (http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php?action=pm;sa=send;u=71). Brian reads them.
No customer of any company, should have to come on here to PM a supplier, affiliate or not.
Wow... That's terrible. I haven't experienced similar with them myself. I hope you get a satisfactory resolution soon.
Just curious, why did you wait 22 days to send the first email?
I live in Norway, so I figured it could take some extra days.
I hope that I'm able to reach them this time, since HomeBrewWest is active on this forum and will probably read this.
Have tried to contact them trough their other channels of communication. Always in a polite way, but with no luck.
Steinar Aa.
That is pretty terrible now I must say; always have had pleasant and efficient dealings myself. At the very least, there should have been some sort of response, busy or not.
This order has just been refunded, sorry for the delay. I was going to try to find a way to get it to you.
A couple of points though: we don't ship to Norway (this order selected shipping rates for a different country). The paperwork involved for customs is so tedious, its not feasible to ship small orders to Norway.
Also, this small order contained certain items that we don't ship below a minimum order value. See:
http://www.homebrewwest.ie/speidel-braumeister-231-c.asp (http://www.homebrewwest.ie/speidel-braumeister-231-c.asp)
its clearly pointed out.
Also, we most certainly did not remove any Facebook comment.
A mail from PayPal just came in, the funds have been refunded. "Note from mercant; none provided".
So I concider this matter closed, just a lot of waisted brewing time.
If there was any problem with the delivery, then let the customer know. At least answer the mails, phone, sms or facebook message.
It should not be nessesary to lay it out on a forum to get a reply.
I know of at least one other Norwegian who has bought items from HomeBrewWest, so this "we don't ship to Norway" seems like a weak argument. Besides.. on the web shop Norway is spesificly listed as a country HomeBrewWest delivers to;
https://www.dropbox.com/s/87etr924lefwmc2/homebrewwest.jpg?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/87etr924lefwmc2/homebrewwest.jpg?dl=0)
Quote
Also, we most certainly did not remove any Facebook comment.
Yes, my post on this facebook page where removed.
https://www.facebook.com/homebrew.west?fref=ts (https://www.facebook.com/homebrew.west?fref=ts)
It was posted under a post from HomeBrewWest encouraging customers to ask questions, this post was removed as well.
I quess HomeBrewWest found out it was not such a good idea to let customers ask questions openly.
Wow, was surprised when I read this - 54 days is some 'delay' :P - a quick email to the customer at the time of order would have seen this sorted. But when someone has to go on a forum to get a response it looks really bad.
I encountered some communication issues with HomeBrewWest in the past when returning an out of date item, so can sympathise with the OP. The matter was sorted in the end, but I haven't used them since.
It's frustrating alright but we all make fúck-ups. Glad you got sorted eventually.
Why's it so difficult to ship to Norway anyway? HBW's site does say they deliver to Norway for €30, might need to change that.
Are there any forwarding services you can use like parcelmotel or shipito?
Norwegian customs isn't any different than other European countries. I'm pretty sure of that..
I order things almost weekly from all over the world. Cant remember having any problems before.
When ordering something from USA, I often use Jetcarrier due to an export limit of 100USD. Thought it was just towards USA such services was needed?
Quote from: Hauglia on November 11, 2014, 12:12:39 PM
Norwegian customs isn't any different than other European countries. I'm pretty sure of that..
That's what I was thinking too.
Quote from: Hauglia on November 11, 2014, 12:12:39 PM
When ordering something from USA, I often use Jetcarrier due to an export limit of 100USD. Thought it was just towards USA such services was needed?
It's not just the US. We need to use parcelmotel sometimes to get stuff off our neighbours in the UK. Yet we can get stuff delivered free from China :-\
I'm in the middle of an order with HBW now.
I can see where it says Norway under Delivery, but under Checkout there is no option.
It might have been an idea to check in advance before commiting cash if there was any doubt.
I do this for items of a less than 10 Euro on fleabay.
I have found service from HBW excellent for as long as I have dealt with them - one or 2 hiccups but always remedied with minimum fuss.
What kind of beers are you brewing?
Will we see entries from Norway in the 2015 National Competition?
...and Welcome to the NHC!
I have probably given HBW a harder time than most and i have to say when things go to plan their delivery etc is spot on,however when something is amiss their communication and speed of response is spotty at best.I realise they are up the walls business wise but they really need to get on the ball with their IT and online stuff,after all its where most shopping is done these days,walk ins are becoming a thing of the past IMHO. ;D
I have talked to Brain and he is a pleseant chap on the phone i just think they need to get someone in there to specifically keep an eye on the online stuff and answer emails etc. ;D
johnrm;
Thanks :)
I make all sorts of beer.. It's the nice thing with homebrewing, beeing able to try out various types. I make about 1200 liter pr year in 50L or 20L batches. Good receipies are always appreciated, any suggestions?
Here is bad photo of my "brewery", taken on a bad day.. I usually have it much more tidy than that :-[
Took the picture to sell that engine crane.. It was just functioning only as an attachment point at the roof. Big and heavy, so I was glad to get rid of it last week. This last sunday was my first brew with just a single ring drillet up in the roof to lift up the maltpipe.. I wasn't 100% sure it would hold the weight, but it did:)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5oceuj7x9j0v4bj/2013-05-04%2009_44_59.jpg?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/5oceuj7x9j0v4bj/2013-05-04%2009_44_59.jpg?dl=0)
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/q43960ghuxe5dsf/AAAp_CY1s4PXf6FlHv-B9o5Ka (https://www.dropbox.com/sc/q43960ghuxe5dsf/AAAp_CY1s4PXf6FlHv-B9o5Ka)
I don't use cornelius barrels or simular. Just bottles.. Mostly 0,75L flip top bottles, I have glass etched the brewery name "Hauglia" on some of them (from etchworld.com).
Home brewing is good fun. It is an incresingly popular hobby here in Norway, how is it in Ireland?
Hauglia i have pm'd you with the name of an American brewer in Norway that is big on the youtube brewing scene. ;D
Time it takes to reply to emails is a joke.
i don't see why everyone's got such a big problem with picking up the phone.
@Hauglia, 2 x 50l Braumeisters? You're either producing commercially or you've an awful lot of friends!
Or just a big fan of beer ;)
Nah.. I donate a lot to family and friends, in return I got to do a lot of bottle washing.
Come to think of it.. perhaps it's not so good deal.
Thinking of Braumeister..
I'm in the process of making a reproduction of a portable brewing machine from the early 1800s. It looks like those Brewmeisters.. perhaps I will start a thread about it, this seems like a nice forum.
Steinar
We're always happy to see projects evolve here.
Look what this crazy Aussie did!... (One of our own :D )
http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,5267.msg65768.html#msg65768 (http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,5267.msg65768.html#msg65768)
Apologies to genuine Norway (NO) customers.
Here is a summary of the paper work required by our couriers, same pretty much for all non EU countries. I think most will agree that its just not realistic to spend several hours on a small order.
The killer is "commodity code per item" . . . . its a Norweigan one they need for NO. Impossible to find. We tried our best, as did DPD to help us, and still had shipments destroyed because of wrong codes.
So we can't do it anymore. We did try! Very hard.
Invoice
Five original invoices (commercial only, pro forma not allowed) have to be included with the shipment. A zero value invoice is not allowed. The invoice (printed on company paper) should contain the following infor-mation:
The name and full address of the consignor.
The name and full address (incl. phone number) of the consignee.
An issue date of the invoice and invoice number.
EORI number from the consignor.
The parcel numbers of each parcel in the shipment
A clear description of each item.
A commodity code per item (obligatory for values below € 1.000).
An amount reference per item.
A value per item and the total value for the entire shipment.
Currency information.
The gross and net weight of the shipment
Indication of country of origin or declaration of origin
Standard DPD incoterm: DAP cleared. If another incoterm is applicable is has to be clearly mentioned on the invoice. It's mandatory to mention the final destination with each incoterm.
Shipments with a value of € 1.000 or more have to be accompanied by a customs declaration.
Shipments with a value of € 6.000 or more have to be accompanied by a customs declaration and a EUR.1 certificate. This certificate has to be issued by the consignor. DPD does not provide this service.
Clothing
It's important to provide a statistical number for shipments containing clothing. In case a statistical number is not available the invoice should contain at minimum the below details:
Production process ( / knitted or other)
Composition of the fabric (i.e. 100% cotton)
Type of clothing (male, female or children's)
VAT & PID number
The PID (Personal ID) number should be mentioned on the invoice when a shipment is destined for a private consignee. The VAT number should be mentioned in case of a corporate consignee.
Printed matters
Shipments containing brochures, newspapers, magazines, annual reports and so on should be accompanied by an invoice if the weight is 10 kilos or more.
Invoice address / Postal Boxes
Only invoice addresses within Norway are accepted. DPD cannot deliver to postal boxes.
DPD (Nederland) B.V. / Tormentil 10 / 5684 PK Best Version 23/10/2014
Tel +31 (0)499 – 33 99 00 / Fax +31 (0)499 33 99 61 Subject to misprints and typesetting errors.
Export Manual
DPD CLASSIC (by road) destinations
17
Forbidden goods
The below list contains goods that can't be shipped to Norway due to limitations from the Norwegian net-work.
Alcohol
Ammunition
Antiques
Artwork
Banknotes, bearer bonds, checks and money orders
Counterfeit products
Credit cards
Dangerous goods
Drugs
Dry-ice
Endangered species (as defined by the CITES agreement)
Foodstuff
Health food and vitamins
Human remains
Identity cards
Live and dead animals
Money (bills and coins)
Passports
Personal effects
Pharmaceuticals and medicine
Phone cards
Plants, flowers and seeds
Precious metals
Precious stones
Tobacco
Weapons and parts (including fighting weapons)
Quote from: Garry on November 11, 2014, 12:19:18 PM
Quote from: Hauglia on November 11, 2014, 12:12:39 PM
Norwegian customs isn't any different than other European countries. I'm pretty sure of that..
That's what I was thinking too.
Quote from: Hauglia on November 11, 2014, 12:12:39 PM
When ordering something from USA, I often use Jetcarrier due to an export limit of 100USD. Thought it was just towards USA such services was needed?
It's not just the US. We need to use parcelmotel sometimes to get stuff off our neighbours in the UK. Yet we can get stuff delivered free from China :-\
Norway however is not in the EU it is a an EEA member and so although
most of the regulations are the same not all are. Fees on small items valued under E20 are normally waived by Customs authorities as the processing time exceeds the value returned to the Exchequer. There's a big difference between you or I marking gift and a low value on something and a retailer doing it. Remember what happened to Garlic man? http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0309/314490-begleyp/
I would suggest locking this thread. Any issues between stores and individuals should be resolved between themselves.
I disagree, think fellow homebrewers shall have a chance to see how HomeBrewWest do their business.
{Snip}
Before posting here, I asked if anyone had any experience with HomeBrewWest on a Norwegian forum.
http://forum.norbrygg.no/threads/noen-med-erfaring-fra-homebrewwest.23842/ (http://forum.norbrygg.no/threads/noen-med-erfaring-fra-homebrewwest.23842/)
BTW our correct Facebook page is:
Home Brew West
www.facebook.com/pages/Home-Brew-West/300972223332163
This is the correct site. Bianca updates it every now and then. We are lacking here though and need to do more in the new year.
The old one is dead and hasn't been maintained for years.