# This Is C&c Distributing, In Ca. Usa, The Keg Guy.



## mchitiea (10/12/04)

One of our Australian customers of our Ball lock kegs referred me to this forum. 
We are the ones everyone is writing about on this forum concerning the 3 and 5 gallon ball lock kegs.

After reading the forum, I think there needs to be some clarifications:

1. The USPS has a size limit on packages DEPENDING ON DESTINATION COUNTRY. "By the book", a box of four, 5 gallon kegs is JUST OVER the size limit, by a pinch, for Australia
2. MOST U.S. Post Offices will not take our boxes of 4 kegs, heading your way BUT...We do have ONE P.O. that will, and does.
3. WE CAN SHIP FOUR, 5 GALLON KEGS PER BOX.
4. WE CAN SHIP FOUR, 3 GALLON KEGS PER BOX.
5. Transit time ranges from 4 to 12 weeks, 8 to 12 being the norm.

If you want to see all that we have available, look at our website, located at: www.chicompany.net

That's about it.
Thank you!

"Perfect" Condition 3 gal kegs with oval lids are beginning to run low. We are now sending out the kegs with "RaceTrack" style lids. Some have minor dents.

The 5 gallon keg supply within the Pepsi system is getting REALLY LOW. We now only get what is being directly pulled from service for the bag in box customer change-over. The days of having 20,000 kegs "lying around" is LONG GONE. I figure one year, at the most, for "cheap", used kegs.

_--Edited due to updated info.--_


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## sluggerdog (10/12/04)

Thanks for the overview mchitiea, 

Am email has been sent to the above address regarding an order.


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## kman (10/12/04)

just wanted to get some more information on the race track style lid, can you give more info or possibly a pic of them?

cheers mate


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## AshTreeBrewery (10/12/04)

I just bought and paid for 4 though Ebay this morning, can't wait until they arrive.

thanks

Ebay id: emmjayau


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## mchitiea (11/12/04)

RE: Race Track lid style kegs.

Yes, we will post a pic of the lid style this weekend. 
Basically; you all know what an oval lid is and what it looks like.
A "Race Track" style lid has two parallel sides, like a school running track. The opening is not as large as an oval lid, it is slightly smaller. Those with "Governator" Scharzenager arms will have a harder time reaching in to scrub/clean, but "normal" fore-arm sizes are no problem.


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## kman (11/12/04)

cheers mate


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## GMK (11/12/04)

There can be sealing problems with race track lids - ie the rubber seal stretches easily and then does not hold on the parellel straight bits.

Becomes a PITA to seal them.

My preference is for oval lids only....


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## mchitiea (11/12/04)

RE: Lid sealling w/ Race Track lids.

The Original Equipment lid gasket is square. Those are no longer made in the U.S.
Using a NEW round gasket (same used on oval lids) will seal even better, for the material used in the round lid gaskets is harder than the old square edged gaskets. Round lid gaskets have been used for years at Pepsi with no problems.

Matt Chitiea
C&C Distributing


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## Trough Lolly (12/12/04)

Hey Matt,
Good to see you taking the time and effort to post some clarification to this forum - I'm sure there are many customers, including me, who feel a bit more confident about ordering from you. As you can imagine, it's a leap of faith to order something worth hundreds of dollars and then wait up to 3 months for it to be delivered...

Thanks for that, I'll be ordering soon!

Rowan.


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## sluggerdog (14/12/04)

sluggerdog said:


> Thanks for the overview mchitiea,
> 
> Am email has been sent to the above address regarding an order.


 For some reason the email has bounced twice, I will try sending you a message through PM's and Ebay about an order I would like to place. If you see this first please contact me via PM's or at: [email protected]


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## mchitiea (15/12/04)

To all;
Please do not PM us, for we don't get this way often.
You may contact us via email directly at [email protected] 
Thank you!


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## mchitiea (15/12/04)

Trough Lolly said:


> Hey Matt,
> Good to see you taking the time and effort to post some clarification to this forum - I'm sure there are many customers, including me, who feel a bit more confident about ordering from you. As you can imagine, it's a leap of faith to order something worth hundreds of dollars and then wait up to 3 months for it to be delivered...
> 
> Thanks for that, I'll be ordering soon!
> ...


 Your are quite welcome. Our biggest concern when this all started was the shipping time. The U.S.P.S. website states 4 week transit time but when shipments were taking 12 weeks we were receiving some "interesting" emails from the initial purchasers. We ourselves were questioning the logistics of getting kegs to Australia (home of some really good Olympic women's swim team members, b.t.w.!). 
All is now pretty much on auto-pilot when it comes to shipping; I think the original purchasers spread the word around that Yes, they did receive the kegs, Yes it took awhile but Yes, they are good kegs....so we too are happy!

On a side note:
We also liquidate and export all of Pepsi's used equipment from N. California and N. Nevada. We have some self contained tabletop electric soda dispensers that work great for beer. There are 4 to 5 taps. The product runs through an "ice bath" to the tap. The kegs can be many meters away from the dispenser and you still get cold beer (kegs in garage, dispenser in game room, etc). If there is any interest in any of these units, send me an email and I can post a pic and specs.

Thank you,
Matt Chitiea


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## Trough Lolly (15/12/04)

mchitiea said:


> On a side note:
> We also liquidate and export all of Pepsi's used equipment from N. California and N. Nevada. We have some self contained tabletop electric soda dispensers that work great for beer. There are 4 to 5 taps. The product runs through an "ice bath" to the tap. The kegs can be many meters away from the dispenser and you still get cold beer (kegs in garage, dispenser in game room, etc). If there is any interest in any of these units, send me an email and I can post a pic and specs.
> 
> Thank you,
> Matt Chitiea


 Oh my God!

There goes the Christmas budget! h34r:


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## Trough Lolly (15/12/04)

BTW Matt,
I sent you a PM from my canberrabrewers.org address for 4 kegs - hope you got it...

Cheers,
TL (Rowan)


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## sluggerdog (15/12/04)

Email resend to: [email protected]

Lets hope you get it this time.


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## Jase (15/12/04)

Placed an order with brewersdiscount, then heard about c&c distribution, so I emailed Terry, who was going to cancel the order and pass it onto Matt, being the same company. But it must of been too late. 

I have four kegs coming from brewersdiscount, which should be here in 4-6 weeks, refitted with new gaskets, seals and poppets, for only $20US more. So I can't complain.

It seems that whether you go with Matt @ C&C, or Terry @ BD, you can't go wrong.

Cheers,
Jase


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## Fammer (7/2/05)

matt,

how much are you roughly looking at for a table top dispensing unit?

is there a ice maker on top of the ice bin or do you need to fill it manually?

I presume its for premix and not bag in a box systems?


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## Plastic Man (11/3/05)

Just to hopefully close off this thread.

Do not buy product from C&C.

Both GMK and myself are owed product from C&C and cannot get emails answered.

I have sent 10 emails to 3 different addresses I had for Matt but have had no response on any - so this post is not posted without a fair bit of effort on my part to clarify the issue with Matt.

He is still trading on eBay so beware.

Hope this saves someone some money.

Cheers - Richard.


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## Fammer (11/3/05)

fark, hmm fingers crossed I get my gear


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## Wobbo (13/3/05)

Well heres my story...

I placed an order with Matt from C&C in Aug last year for 4 kegs. They finally arrived in mid December after many emails to Matt, he made some excuse about the first order being lost/damaged in the mail so he had to resend the order in October. I received the "supposed" 2nd order only to see on the customs declaration that it had only been posted 3 weeks before (late Nov). It came by sea freight (normal US post). 

When I told Mat I would recommend my fellow brewers not use him, he got very annoyed and said that it was a one off issue etc.

Result, I will never buy kegs from this guy again, I paid out $200 in August and waited 4 1/2 months to get goods. I will just buy from kegsystems in Sydney and pay the $70 per keg in future.

Wobbo


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## Mark Casey (13/3/05)

I'm another unfortunate that was fooled by the possibility of acquiring 'cheap' kegs.
Placed an order in early [edit] looking at records it was March 2004..12 months and still not received any sign of the 4, 5 gallon kegs.
Sent one email which recieved some lukewarm response but no action.
This bloke seems to treat Aussies with contempt, steer clear.
cheers, Mark
P.S. There was no abusive content in my e-mail whatsoever despite a lengthy wait.
NO sufficient response was ever given either...let alone a refund.


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## mchitiea (13/3/05)

To all.
RE: Email non responsiveness.
Whoever posted the Neutral feedback on ebay asking us to check this forum...THANK YOU. We read that several emails have been sent to us w/ no response. We have found out that our ISP's latest round of email spam filters was blocking out emails w/ .AU suffixes. SO.....
If you have emailed us in the last month or so, PLEASE email us again with your question.

RE: "Treaty Aussies w/ contempt"
No, to do so is not only bad business, it is bad "humanness". BUT...if we receive an email that was composed by a writer that was obviously intoxicated (spelling mistakes, verbage style, non cohearance of sentences, etc. - as has happened in the past,) we will let the writer know that their message may need to be "re-written", so to speak.
RE: Keg shipping
We have picked up THE LAST batch from Pepsi Pac Northwest (the Western U.S.) for 2005. We still have them @ $22.50/e w/ a new GSet included w/ each keg. Still can send 4 per box.


RE: Transit (shipping) time
Once again, even though the U.S. Postal website says under 45 days, it is our experience that transit time using U.S. Parcel Post Economy Surface shipping is eight to twelve weeks.

Thank you!

Let's try these emails again..... c&[email protected] or [email protected] 
(Note: As of 06/07, new email address is [email protected])


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## Mark Casey (13/3/05)

Having been ripped off to the tune of app $200 aus. do you think I'm gonna give it another shot?


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## big d (13/3/05)

mmmm and im still wondering wether to send over some hard earnt cash for 4 kegs.some say good dealings some say bad dealings.
think i will have a few more beers and think it over for some time.

cheers
big d


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## Plastic Man (13/3/05)

Big d

From teh posts above I think it woudl be better to deal with the sister company Brewers Discount. Only 3 kegs a box, but it might be safer.


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## sluggerdog (14/3/05)

Plastic Man said:


> Big d
> 
> From teh posts above I think it woudl be better to deal with the sister company Brewers Discount. Only 3 kegs a box, but it might be safer.
> [post="48991"][/post]​




My last order was only allowed 2 kegs per box however I was still happier to go with BD then via ebay because of the above comments.

I think it worked out about $60 a keg, still not bad and one of my ordered arrived in 6 weeks, the other in 9 weeks. (this one was over xmas)


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## big d (14/3/05)

thanks for the info guys.reckon i will go with bd once ive the available folding stuff ready.may just go with 3 kegs on this order to avert any sizing issues.

cheers
big d


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## scott70 (14/3/05)

i'd rather pay the extra $80 dollars for 4 kegs i can check out the condition of and get straight away from the local hbs. risking $200 and waiting 3 months to save $80 isn't a real good bet. The USA guy has got some good excuses............


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## normell (14/3/05)

Any way back to the topic I can get 19 L coca cola kegs here in wagga for $45inc gst.

There are loads of them here. The have a 50mm round opening and Pin Locks.

I have converted some over to ball lock and they work fine.

Easy to clean.... Steelo soap pad on the end of a bit of old Broomstick.

I find that they seal really well, maybe even a better seal than the oval lids IMO. 


By Die Sudhausanlage from Wagga.

Yeah the kegs are at Gil Mathews steel supplies wagga wagga number is on white pages.

If you guys want them you can ring him. I havent got time to do the leg work for free.

So I'd thought Id post them on the forum for you guys.

STEEL SUPPLIES PTY LTD 

There's No Flies On Steel Supplies


10 Say St Wagga Wagga 2650
(02) 6971 8255 

Seems like a better deal, or do we want to take the risk with the yank mob.
If Die Sudhausanlage thinks they are OK, maybe he could get a pic or two
Normell


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## Corey (14/3/05)

I'm in Wagga on Thursday and Friday this week (from Canberra). I'll try and get some pictures while I'm there.


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## pint of lager (14/3/05)

If they are like the old Coke kegs I have seen, these have a small screw opening port at the top, you will definitely need a no scrub cleaner to clean these babies out as there is no way you will clean them out with a brush.

Then there is the cost of either changing the posts over to ball lock which is expensive, or buying pin lock disconnects and setting your kegging system up to handle both ball and pinlock. Have never seen plastic disconnects for pinlock, only the more expensive ss disconnects.


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## Darren (14/3/05)

pint of lager said:


> If they are like the old Coke kegs I have seen, these have a small screw opening port at the top, you will definitely need a no scrub cleaner to clean these babies out as there is no way you will clean them out with a brush.
> 
> Then there is the cost of either changing the posts over to ball lock which is expensive, or buying pin lock disconnects and setting your kegging system up to handle both ball and pinlock. Have never seen plastic disconnects for pinlock, only the more expensive ss disconnects.
> [post="49021"][/post]​




I have all pin-lock coke kegs. They have the same lids as pepsi kegs. I bought plastic disconnects from Beer, beer and more beer


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## PostModern (14/3/05)

The US pinlocks are different to the Aust "Rheem" pinlocks. The US ones have cheap plastic disconnects available, the Rheem ones (like I have) need the $44 stainless disconnects. 

Anyway, we're diverting this thread away from C&C's original post, yes?


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## Plastic Man (15/3/05)

Credit where credits due.

I re-emailed Matt yesterday morn and got a response back this morning:



Richard,
MESSAGE RECEIVED..............It's a bloody miracle !
Parts get sent on 3/14/05. Will email completed customs form upon shipping.
Sorry about this, we chewed our ISP's ass off for this spam filter .au problem.
Matt Chitiea




Thanks Matt !!

Richard.


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## GMK (15/3/05)

Good News PM

Hope they turn up OK...

Will check my e-mail tonight to see if i have one as well.

Ken...


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## GMK (15/3/05)

Received this e-mail at home today...

Ken,
Boy did we chew out our ISP ! MESSAGE RECIEVED........It's a bloody
miracle.
Kegs ship out on 3/14/05 Will email Completed and USPS stamped customs form
upon shipping.
Matt

now waiting for the ups notice...

Ken...


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## FNQ Bunyip (15/3/05)

Well I Hope all this works out for every one concerned . 
I didn't like to see the way this post was going after Matt posted here himself ..
So he has had his chance to defend himself & his business...  

I'm sure we will all stay upto date on whats arived and what hasen't...
I try not to judge people on hearsay , every one deserves the right of reply ...  


So it's wait .......wait..... wait 

Keep your chins up  

cheers


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## Fammer (15/3/05)

well any reply on my postage from BD anyone since we seem to be getting responses, have sent 2 emails. Brewers Discount Order ID # 69692530-6158


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## GMK (17/3/05)

ok - received an e-mail with a JPG of the customs slip showing despatch - just as Matt said.

The clock has started - counting down until my 4 kegs get here and i will be a happy man again....

mmmmm...........kegs...........they hold beer.......mmm ...drink beer...


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## nonicman (17/3/05)

Just recieved my US Customs Declaration and Dispatch jpg. Much happier now


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## Doc (17/3/05)

Just checked my Amex statement and it was charged for my kegs on 3/2/05, and by judging on your guys feedback it seems my kegs should be on the same boat as other AHB orders.
Looking forward to the string of replies saying "My kegs have arrived"

Beers,
Doc


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## Plastic Man (17/3/05)

Ditto

Got the JPEG from Matt. He's certainly living up to his promise.

Richard.


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## mchitiea (19/3/05)

To All.
Sending out the U.S. Customs Form (s) / Send Receipt will now be standard practice. Why we did not think about doing so, before all this is beyond me...I should have.... MY FAULT ! It would have saved us ALL some grief ! OUCH !

I have the Customs forms for the following people (LAST Names). Email us if you want us to send your form:
Elliot, Scott, Kendrick, Oaten, Watson, Haim, Barbour, Westwood, Menzies, Bunyip, Martin, Francis, Cuzens.

If I tear this office apart, I may find more of them, if you have ordered in the last two months or so. Before this all started, we just threw them away (can you say "STUPID"?) You all permission to call me a dweeb for the next 30 seconds, afterwhich we return to the "No dweeb zone".
Thank you,
Matt Chitiea


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## Mark Casey (21/3/05)

O.K. I get it....so if your order was longer than 2 months you can kiss your money goodbye eh? 
The fact remains (and it aint here-say) I paid my money in good faith and recieved nothing in return.
Buyer beware.
cheers, Mark.


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## mchitiea (22/3/05)

Mark, I told you in my last email that 
1. Before a month or so ago we were throwing out the forms instead of keeping them.
2. That the *AVERAGE* TRANSIT TIME IS BETWEEN 8 AND 12 WEEKS!
3. That your form was not found but that I do remember the name, and that it went out

Now you are publically bitching that after ONLY 8 weeks weeks you got screwed..*basically stating that we ripped you off. *
Well Mark, there are others out there where their kegs took 18 WEEKS to arrive! So...to put it plainly, stop your bitching! *We have NO CONTROL over the shipping transit time!*NOW... I am getting tired of this ! Maybe it is not worth selling to you guys down there. I don't need these complaints concerning the transit time; once they leave here there is nothing I can do to speed things up!

BUT...just for you Mark, I am going to put two of my guys into our trash dumpster on Tuesday, go through all that muck to try to find YOUR Customs form! Now, when they arrive, will you be man enough to state here that you did indeed recieve the kegs? You better, because if we find that customs form, I won't be emailing it to you, I will be posting it here FOR ALL TO SEE.

BUT...not all of you are impatient: Latest ebay feedback
Took 8 weeks to Australia. All parts included. $20 versus $100 here. Thanks. A+
Buyer ray_c_yuen ( 206)


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## PeterS (22/3/05)

mchitiea said:


> Mark, I told you in my last email that
> 1. Before a month or so ago we were throwing out the forms instead of keeping them.
> 2. That the *AVERAGE* TRANSIT TIME IS BETWEEN 8 AND 12 WEEKS!
> 3. That your form was not found but that I do remember the name, and that it went out
> ...


 
Until I read this last reply I was prepared to overlook any mistakes that have been made re shipping receipts etc. I was going to order three kegs as I am tired of bottling. I can assure you however, that with the attitude to customers as demonstrated by this seller, I have changed my mind and will either seek alternative source of purchase or remain bottling.


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## mchitiea (22/3/05)

That's too bad. You are preventing yourself from getting a good product; for now you would receive via email a copy of the Customs send/reciept.

On a personal note: Just how much abuse would YOU take concerning something that you have NO CONTROL over....without responding?


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## ausdb (23/3/05)

mchitiea said:


> On a personal note: Just how much abuse would YOU take without responding, one way or another?
> [post="50256"][/post]​



I've got too agree with Matt here as I work in a service industry, Although my job is to provide technical assistance and support to front line service personnel a large part of my day is spent listening to consumers rant and rave at me about why does it take so long to do X, Y or Z or why won't you give me a new one (what I work with aren't toasters and you can't just take them back to the shop and swap the over). And YES there is only so much a person can take until you start to take offense and respond. 

I have an order under way for some kegs, when I placed the order I chose what option I wanted for shipping (the most cost effective). In doing this I understood the average shipping times involved. I have thought I might get lucky and they will come earlier but I am prepared to wait as I chose the cheapest option and it clearly stated there was no tracking available and what the average times were. 

The general public in Australia seems to have forgotten a lot about common courtesy and decency these days, treat people as you would like to be treated and the world is a nicer place

Cheers


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## dicko (23/3/05)

The old Aussie "fair go" seems to be fading into oblivion when I read some of these keg posts.

Wake up to yourselves you blokes, the guy has said he is trying to fix things and from all reports there is a lot more happy people about than there was a few weeks ago.

The saying that "the customer is always right" goes only to the point where they become unreasonable and virtually impossible to deal with.
Think about that when you are bitching and whining over delivery times.

I sincerely hope that Matt and other suppliers of HB products from the U.S. dont adopt the attitude that we are all a bunch of moaning dick - heads and dont want to deal with us any more purely because the inconsiderate comments of a few over freight which is something that is out of their control.

You blokes cant tell me honestly that you or someone you know has not had something go missing or take ages for delivery with Australia Post.

Cheers


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## Hoops (23/3/05)

I have ordered twice through Brewers Discount and my orders were both received no worries. There have been problems with emails but sounds like they were going into the junk email folder.
My order took about 11 weeks so I would give it at least 12 weeks before querying and abusing the suppliers.
The biggest problem is waiting so long for the kegs and having no way to track the goods and basically sitting back after spending a couple of hundred dollars and just waiting and hoping they will arrive.
It seems that now with the customs forms being sent out the whole process can be a bit more reassuring for the buyer.
Good to see you have improved your services to accommodate us Matt.


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## Jase (23/3/05)

Well said Dicko.

Let's not bite the hand that feeds us. I'm not going to carry on about it, but I ordered from BD, 3 kegs (got sent 4, but all good) a 3 way gas manifold, 6 1/4" mfl disconnects and a dozen clamps. 

This costs me approx $230-240 USD delivered. It took approx 6-8 weeks, I think. To buy this equipment from the LHBS would have costs me over $500. 

I know the waiting time can be frustrating, but not as frustrating as the seller stating that goods can not be delivered to Australia any more.

Cheers,
Jase


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## MAH (23/3/05)

mchitiea said:


> *We have NO CONTROL over the shipping transit time!*NOW... I am getting tired of this ! Maybe it is not worth selling to you guys down there.



I've got to agree with Matt here. When the goods leave C&C and are handed over to USPS, in reality, their obligation stops there. The contract for delivery is between you and USPS. You pay USPS for the delivery not C&C, so if you have a problem with how long it takes, bitch to them. If you want more assurance about how long it's going to take, pay more money for a higher level of service. Mike is perfectly entitled to be getting tired of this. C&C don't ship via USPS you do! C&C don't even choose USPS, you do! (you could arrange with C&C to use a private courier). As part of their customer service, they are prepared to arrange for USPS to pick up the goods, but they could just simply say, yeah we sell to Australia, but you have to organise your own shipping.

I can also see why Mike feels it's not worth selling to Australia. Wake up everyone, we are an economic blip on the radar. Australia's population is just over 20million. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the resident population of the United States, projected to 03/22/05 at 23:24 GMT (EST+5) is 295,716,282! Imagine how many homebrewers ther are in Australia compared to the US, imagine how great the demand is in the US compared to Australia. Couple this with a decreasing supply in used kegs and you will see that these guys don't need our money, so if it becomes too difficult to sell to us, why bother?

I'm afraid that a good source for cheap, quality, home brew gear could dry up, because a few squeaky wheels are not getting the oil they're crying out for.

MAH


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## Trough Lolly (23/3/05)

Good to see there's some movement on the keg front - I'll email Matt regarding my Dec 04 order...

Cheers,
TL


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## Wortgames (23/3/05)

FWIW, I ship items to customers overseas and I don't even offer surface mail, for this very reason - I don't need to be hassled over matters outside of my control, by tightwad customers who are trying to save a few bucks and lack the patience.

I have also tried to purchase certain items from the States and been told flatly 'sorry, we don't ship outside the US'. Even quite simple items. It is frustrating, but the seller with bargains holds the cards.

So it looks to me like Matt is doing Aussie brewers a perfectly decent service, and both sides have managed to annoy each other a bit - the email problems on their end and a lack of understanding on ours.

I'm considering buying a few kegs through them, and personally, Matt's comments haven't put me off in the slightest - it is actually good to know he stands by his business and will defend his honour.

Matt, I suspect most of the members here really appreciate the access to your keg supply, but regarding the "public whining crap" - it's only public on this forum (which is what brought you these customers in the first place), so don't get too upset over it. We're all smart enough to know who's being reasonable and who isn't, and we'll make our own decisions accordingly.


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## big d (23/3/05)

onya matt.i agree whole heartedly with the comments of support.in my region of australia all goods come via barge and some via air so im no stranger to the long wait.it just comes with the territory.
i for one will be ordering kegs through matt providing he still has any or wishes to sell/ship to australia in the near future.

cheers
dave g


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## Trough Lolly (23/3/05)

mchitiea said:


> To All.
> Sending out the U.S. Customs Form (s) / Send Receipt will now be standard practice. [snip]



To me, time is not the issue - I will always choose surface post simply due to costs etc. I can handle the wait. The "risk" in ordering from overseas, to me, is always that lingering doubt that the goods will actually be sent to me. My credit card always pays, but does the supplier always deliver?

Thanks to Matt, physical evidence of a dispatch certificate goes a long way to removing that lingering doubt. B) 

US Postal services are anything but consistent - my brother is currently working in Houston Texas and sometimes sends me stuff from St. Pats or B3... Estimating delivery dates is virtually impossible - I received an SS false bottom in 9 days and other smaller items have taken longer! Go figure!!

That isn't Matt's fault - and kudos to him for giving a $hit about us - think of what we'd be doing if these guys weren't making the effort to provide us this gear? Believe me, there are heaps of US suppliers who simply don't ship outside continental US...I've asked. :huh: 

No offence intended to local suppliers, but if the oz retailers stopped selling 10 gallon coolers for $300 when I can get my brother to buy one in the Houston mall for US$38 and send via parcel post for less than US$20, I'll maybe think about buying locally. We even joked about shipping a container load of rubbermaid coolers!! B) 

Cheers,
TL


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## Mark Casey (23/3/05)

> Now you are publically bitching that after ONLY 8 weeks weeks you got screwed


This is not correct. If you check your records you will see that it has been TWELVE MONTHS...quite an exceptional display of patience I would have thought.
Combined with the fact that you were not answering any e-mails only compounds the situation.
I was actually resigned to the fact that after such a long time I had basically been had.
Only a cursory re-scan of your feed-back to see how many other punters had been burned revealed this thread.
Sorry if I seem a tad harsh but I'm quite within my rights to be a tad narked with this particular transaction.
cheers, Mark.
BTW I noted you had to ask me my surname twice...I can probably understand when every other man-and-his-dog tends to hide their identity behind a veil.


----------



## dicko (23/3/05)

Mark Casey Today, 08:44 PM Post #57 

Amateur Brewer


Group: Members
Posts: 4
Joined: 13-March 05
Member No.: 923
This is not correct. If you check your records you will see that it has been TWELVE MONTHS...quite an exceptional display of patience I would have thought.

Sorry if I seem a tad harsh but I'm quite within my rights to be a tad narked with this particular transaction.
cheers, Mark.

................................................................................
....................................

Mark Casey,

First up, you must have some record of payment via paypal, credit card, etc.
Second, if you let this transaction go for over TWELVE MONTHS then one must ask why???

As the AHB records show as above you have made no contribution at all to the AHB site and discussion board, apart from using our facility to attack the suppliers of HB equipment from the U.S.

Personally mate, if it has taken you TWELVE MONTHS to think about complaining via our HB site or if you are using this facility as your last resort then I personally suggest that you *sort it out on your own *and dont involve the members on our forum.

In all honesty, if you have something to contribute to the AHB site and believe that your input will be usefull to home brewing of beer then we we would all like for you to participate, but if you are using our forum for your personal grievances or your vain attempt to discredit others then sign off and dont come back.

Cheers


----------



## mchitiea (23/3/05)

"....No offence intended to local suppliers, but if the oz retailers stopped selling 10 gallon coolers for $300 when I can get my brother to buy one in the Houston mall for US$38 and send via parcel post for less than US$20..."

Are you referring to Igloo Ice chests? Heck... If you need them, I can find them IN BULK ! For that matter, if there are any items, brewery related or not, that needs to be sent over in Large quantities, let us know...we run across all kinds of stuff!

AND........THANK YOU ALL for the kind comments. They ARE appreciated....I was getting burned out over all this. Pepsi is beating us to a pulp with their preparation for summer. We have been picking up load after load of Soda Vending machines, Display Coolers, Fountain units, etc. Days start at 7 and I usually don't get back until LATE (heck, it's 3am and I am just now finishing the day!)

THANK YOU,
Matt Chitiea
c&[email protected] AND [email protected]

PICS: 
LOTS of soda vending machines
The Ultimate home beer dispenser - tabletop, self refrigerating, 4 to 6 heads, run lines in from garage or....?


----------



## sluggerdog (23/3/05)

^ Looks good Matt, shame on the expencive costs to ship from US to AUS otherwise I could see myself having one of these next to my beer fridge.

Would if in very nicely!

Do you sell this kind of stuff on ebay at all? Would be interesting to have a closer look!


----------



## nonicman (23/3/05)

Hmmm, having paid $300+ for a Cooler mash tun, I would be keen to know what other goodies Matt maybe able to offer  Free trade, has to be good


----------



## dicko (23/3/05)

Yes,
I would be interested in what you have to offer Matt.
Cheers


----------



## Plastic Man (23/3/05)

Just a quick post from my end.

Got customs JPEG from Matt last week (17/3) re: parts that he was sending & they turned up in a nice jiffy bag on Monday with soem extra bits and pieces. (thanks Matt).

To his credit he had an issue, dealt with it and then lived up to his promise.

Hope this helps.

Richard.


----------



## Mark Casey (24/3/05)

> First up, you must have some record of payment via paypal, credit card, etc.


Well due to little use, my Paypal P.W. was forgotten (I often use the same one for various accounts yet Paypal insisted on so many letters)
I guess this is the reason that my attempts at settlement are being ignored.



> Second, if you let this transaction go for over TWELVE MONTHS then one must ask why???


I didn't...but as I said 'the e-mails were not being answered'


> In all honesty, if you have something to contribute to the AHB site and believe that your input will be usefull to home brewing of beer then we we would all like for you to participate,


But I am contributing...I am warning others that dealing large sums of money on e-bay can involve some risk.
As for your previous statement of that great Aussie myth 'Fair Go' don't you think it's a touch hypocritical? I'll also remind you of a more modern and relevant Aussie saying. 'F*** you, I'm alright Jack' which appears to be the underlying tone of your statement.
I have been a home-brewer for 15 years and I'm only here 5 minutes to have some narrow minded bloke called 'Dicko' having a pop at me.
Another tip: From now on, insist on paying for items on e-bay via POSTAL ORDER...that way it is TRACEABLE and if you are ripped off..you can sue for ROYAL MAIL FRAUD.
cheers, Mark.
over to you DICKO


----------



## Ross (24/3/05)

mchitiea said:


> PICS:
> LOTS of soda vending machines
> The Ultimate home beer dispenser - tabletop, self refrigerating, 4 to 6 heads, run lines in from garage or....?
> [post="50404"][/post]​



Matt,

Price delivered Brisbane 4130 please....


----------



## dicko (24/3/05)

Mark Casey



> Well due to little use, my Paypal P.W. was forgotten (I often use the same one for various accounts yet Paypal insisted on so many letters)
> I guess this is the reason that my attempts at settlement are being ignored.



I guess that is the reason - but hardly the fault of any supplier!!!



> I'm only here 5 minutes to have some narrow minded bloke called 'Dicko' having a pop at me.



Have you considered for one moment that your consignment just may have gone missing with the USPS or Australia Post?

You may call me "narrow minded" if you wish but when my goods went missing I didn't assume that there was a guy in the USA running a fraudulent operation trying to rip all Australians off, but instead, I looked for an explanation.

It has been stated before that the supplier is not responsible for the goods once the consignment leaves his possession.
This supplier has, on a previous post, supplied his Name Address and all contact details for any who may have a problem.
He has also explained the glitches he had in his system with regards to paperwork and despatch records.

This is hardly the effort of someone who is trying to rip anyone off.



> I have been a home-brewer for 15 years and I'm only here 5 minutes



Yes Mark, 5 posts now and each one of them has been to can this US supplier.

I do feel sorry that your goods have not turned up but I would be phoning or writing to the supplier concerned and in a civil manner explaining the situation and providing him with as many details as possible in the hope that this may be resolved.

This subject has gone on for too long on this forum in my opinion.
I think the Administrator should let you have your say in reply as I'm sure you will Mark, and then close it off for good.

There is enough information in the posts from C & C for anyone to resolve a problem without running a bitch session under this subject.

Cheers


----------



## MAH (24/3/05)

dicko said:


> As the AHB records show as above you have made no contribution at all to the AHB site and discussion board, apart from using our facility to attack the suppliers of HB equipment from the U.S.
> 
> Personally mate, if it has taken you TWELVE MONTHS to think about complaining via our HB site or if you are using this facility as your last resort then I personally suggest that you *sort it out on your own *and dont involve the members on our forum.
> 
> In all honesty, if you have something to contribute to the AHB site and believe that your input will be usefull to home brewing of beer then we we would all like for you to participate, but if you are using our forum for your personal grievances or your vain attempt to discredit others then sign off and dont come back.




Dicko 

I was thinking the exact same thing. It always make you wonder when an individual has nothing to say except to discredit a supplier. It makes you question their motivation and sinceretity. I don't think the AHB community needs members like this.

Maybe Mark would like to post some of his favourite recipes or experinces from his last 15 years of home brewing. I'm sure he should have more to contribute than just complaints.

Cheers
MAH


----------



## Wortgames (24/3/05)

Mark - I realise it may have all seemed a bit dodgy if you are new to online transactions, but PayPal is your friend in this situation. They are a large company, owned by eBay, and their job is to help you trace and follow up money that you paid via their service (and if necessary claim a refund).

It may be too long ago now, but go to www.paypal.com and follow the links for forgotten password. At least this way you can hopefully access your account details and the details of your payment.

If you can't remember which email address you used to join up, search your old emails - PayPal send out an electronic receipt after each transaction.

Once you can find the transaction in your account, you may see links to follow it up or file a dispute. If not, send an email to customer support and explain the situation, and ask for their advice.


----------



## mchitiea (24/3/05)

sluggerdog said:


> ^ Looks good Matt, shame on the expencive costs to ship from US to AUS otherwise I could see myself having one of these next to my beer fridge.
> 
> Would if in very nicely!
> 
> ...



Yes, we do. We usually post to ebay in batches of equipment. Once sold we ship out, batch by batch. We then clean, check, grade and catagorize the next "batch" of equipment to sell. The best thing to do would be to bookmark "pepsiequipment" in your ebay page...OR...if there is any Pepsi Beverage related equipment you are looking for, let me know directly at: [email protected]
Thank you,
Matt Chitiea


----------



## Backlane Brewery (24/3/05)

> Are you referring to Igloo Ice chests? Heck... If you need them, I can find them IN BULK ! For that matter, if there are any items, brewery related or not, that needs to be sent over in Large quantities, let us know...we run across all kinds of stuff!





> if there is any Pepsi Beverage related equipment you are looking for, let me know directly at: [email protected]



what a guy- after all the grief he has had from (some) members of this forum he is still willing to go the extra yards with us, offering even MORE goodies.


----------



## Mark Casey (24/3/05)

I think you Dicko and yer mate MAH should look up the word 'FORUM' in a dictionary. A member who happens to have an opposing viewpoint to you 2 is said to be having a 'bitch session' and should be ejected from the forum?
Gee, this seems like a fairly fascist approach.



> They are a large company, owned by eBay, and their job is to help you trace and follow up money that you paid via their service (and if necessary claim a refund).


Cheers Wortgames, in my quest for answers I stumbled across this site. http://paypalsucks.com/
Paypal may have 'fixed' their behaviour from their murky past, but not due to introspection off their own bat...rather a 'class action' brought about by many disgruntled customers banding together.
It's one thing to rip off the odd individual but once you establish a _pattern_....

I'd be quite happy to share any of my past experience regarding recipes etc. but I fear that if they aren't quite to the taste of 'Dicko' or 'MAH' I will be banished to purgatory.
cheers,Mark.
P.S. I note that Matt has gone rather quiet


----------



## Doc (24/3/05)

Time to close this topic.
Everyone has had their say and stated their opinion.
Any further dicussion can be between the relevant parties.

Doc


----------



## Doc (23/10/06)

I've been informed today of the following from an AHB member who has ordered from C&C.
Treat this as a headsup if you have ordered from UsedEquip/C&C/????



> I received several emails from eBay this morning notifying me that his eBay account had been suspended.



Beers,
Doc


----------



## bugwan (23/10/06)

I have some further news from Matt Chitiea himself (from C&C/Usedequip).

It seems that eBay has screwed him for getting some negative responses recently (when he was away in China).

He wrote the following to me (expletives starred out for the youngsters...!)

EDIT: On second thoughts, I might leave out his email, it was intended for me, not the world! Anyway, Matt hopes future orders won't be hurt by this experience and orders can be placed via his email address instead: [email protected]

My dealings with Matt have been very positive and this seems a real stuff up situation. I hope he's not too badly affected.

PS. No affiliation and all that, just thought I'd post my experiences.
Cheers


----------



## devo (23/10/06)

I got all my kegs via Matt, always got replies to my emails and never had any other problems.


----------



## altstart (24/10/06)

Gooday 
I ordered 8 kegs from Matt in early July. All 8 have now arrived one has a small dent the rest are fine. I am very pleased with the quality and service I recieved. I would definitely order from him again.
Cheers Altstart


----------



## Phrak (24/10/06)

FYI, from the man himself:
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=12431


----------



## hewy (31/10/06)

altstart said:


> Gooday
> I ordered 8 kegs from Matt in early July. All 8 have now arrived one has a small dent the rest are fine. I am very pleased with the quality and service I recieved. I would definitely order from him again.
> Cheers Altstart




Hi altstart,

Just wondering what method you used to order from them? BD web site or Ebay?

Thanks


----------



## mchitiea (1/11/06)

View attachment CUSTOMER_ORDER_FORM.pdf


hewy said:


> altstart said:
> 
> 
> > Gooday
> ...


================
Hi,
-Our new ebay store is up and running: Our seller IDs on ebay are: pepsiequipment (old one) and our new one is: thechicompany.
-Do to some concerns posted about offline payment information security, we have designed a PDF file for transfer of payment information. I will try to attach the file to this response.
Thank you,'
Matt Chitiea


----------



## pokolbinguy (1/11/06)

Above:

-Do to some concerns posted about offline payment information security, we have designed a PDF file for transfer of payment information. I will try to attach the file to this response.
Thank you,'
Matt Chitiea





This serves as no protection to the buyer anyway.

Just my 2 cents

Pok


----------



## Phrak (1/11/06)

Matt, thanks for having a go at improved order security. Every little bit helps. But Pok's right, this doesn't offer any improved security.

The reason why it doesn't offer the buyer any extra protection is because the CC information is still being transmitted by normal, unsecured email.

There's not really an easy solution for you, apart from either calling the buyer and receiving the CC details over the phone (still insecure though), or setting up your own online shop with secure certificates.

Good luck, and don't give up on us! 
Tim.


----------



## mchitiea (1/11/06)

Phrak said:


> Matt, thanks for having a go at improved order security. Every little bit helps. But Pok's right, this doesn't offer any improved security.
> 
> The reason why it doesn't offer the buyer any extra protection is because the CC information is still being transmitted by normal, unsecured email.
> 
> ...


================================
-If I did that form right, the data is encrypted upon send. I know I needed to enter my "key" code to open the data when I sent myself a test order. 
-Yes.... we are working on a website with 128b encryption.
Matt.


----------



## pokolbinguy (1/11/06)

Matt,

"pdf" forms can not be changed and then re-sent. The form will need to be in some other form.


----------



## Sammus (1/11/06)

pokolbinguy said:


> Matt,
> 
> "pdf" forms can not be changed and then re-sent. The form will need to be in some other form.



Have you tried opening the form? It's not a regular PDF, you can type into it and email it to send.


----------



## pokolbinguy (1/11/06)

i downloaded it, it didn't let me type in it... maybe its just my computer ??? mac??


----------



## MVZOOM (1/11/06)

PDF's have come a long way folks, the security features are quite phenomonal if used corrrectly....

Cheers - Mike


----------



## Sammus (1/11/06)

yeah maybe it is mac? then again...adobe and mac should work well together...hmmm well it works for me anyway *Shrugs*


----------



## Phrak (1/11/06)

mchitiea said:


> -If I did that form right, the data is encrypted upon send. I know I needed to enter my "key" code to open the data when I sent myself a test order.
> -Yes.... we are working on a website with 128b encryption.
> Matt.


Ah cool, I stand corrected  Well done 
Tim.


----------



## goatherder (1/11/06)

The pdf solution is definitely a step in the right direction but it only solves one of the problems - that of securing the data in transit.

There is still the issue of how the CC details are managed at the vendor end and what happens to them once the transaction is completed.

Using a trusted 3rd party CC service solves this and most other security concerns. I'd still recommend sticking with paypal until the website is up and running.


----------



## hewy (2/11/06)

pokolbinguy said:


> i downloaded it, it didn't let me type in it... maybe its just my computer ??? mac??




I'm on a mac and it works for me.

Are you using preview to view it or adobe? It seems to work in adobe but not preview.


----------



## pokolbinguy (2/11/06)

hewy,

Cheers, I did'nt even think to open it with adobe. It works now. Cheers.

As said above "Good luck, and don't give up on us! smile.gif"

Pok


----------



## pbrosnan (2/11/06)

goatherder said:


> The pdf solution is definitely a step in the right direction but it only solves one of the problems - that of securing the data in transit.
> 
> There is still the issue of how the CC details are managed at the vendor end and what happens to them once the transaction is completed.
> 
> Using a trusted 3rd party CC service solves this and most other security concerns. I'd still recommend sticking with paypal until the website is up and running.



Hi there,

I had a PayPal account, had my CC and bank details in there. Then I had a $150 transaction that involved buying some credits for some online game. Problem is I'd never heard of the game and I've never played online anything. I though, "hell someone has managed to get to use my account, they don't need my CC or bank details once they can fake a PayPal transaction". I did get most of the money back although PP initially denied that there had been unauthorised access. I still canceled though, the experience of having money deducted from my bank account by an unknown person was very unsettling.

cheers

Patrick,


----------



## mchitiea (2/11/06)

> Hi there,
> 
> I had a PayPal account, had my CC and bank details in there. Then I had a $150 transaction that involved buying some credits for some online game. Problem is I'd never heard of the game and I've never played online anything. I though, "hell someone has managed to get to use my account, they don't need my CC or bank details once they can fake a PayPal transaction". I did get most of the money back although PP initially denied that there had been unauthorised access. I still canceled though, the experience of having money deducted from my bank account by an unknown person was very unsettling.
> 
> ...


============
Hi all,
-This is -just one more- example of the abuses by FEEpal. Remember, when you sign up with FEEpal you waive ALL rights to securing your bank or CC access. I strongly reccomend to everyone to review www.nopaypal.com Remember, FEEpal is not a registered bank; therefore they do not have to abide by U.S. Consumer protection laws nor the Federal Banking rules/regs/statutes, etc.

-RE: What we do with CC numbers; We use Cardservice Int'l for CC processing. All CC data in our computer is deleted - and triple overwritten - by a overwrite program at the end of every day. If our computer gets stolen, there are -no- backups of CC info orother data. 

-Dear Grand Holliness Moderator; maybe we could move these CC/security related entries into a new thread of CC Security, so that this thread can remain keg related.....?

Thank you,
Matt Chitiea

Brew-On!


----------



## lucas (2/11/06)

hewy said:


> pokolbinguy said:
> 
> 
> > i downloaded it, it didn't let me type in it... maybe its just my computer ??? mac??
> ...


I'm on a mac (10.4.8) and it works in preview for me. perhaps it's unsupported in older version or something?


----------



## shotduck (2/11/06)

Matt... it seems anti-paypal-ism is growing at an exponential rate. You didn't happen to be anywhere near San Jose for Halloween, did you???


----------



## QldKev (10/1/07)

Thanks Matt, order received today; all 4 kegs are in exteremly good condition, all holding pressure, and spare parts all accounted for. Thanks.


----------



## bugwan (10/1/07)

My kegs are awaiting collection from the local post office as of Monday... Very excited now!

Also picked up a chest freezer today for $11(!), so they should go together nicely!!

Thanks Matt, it's a long wait for an excited lad, but now they're here....it's all worth it.
Cheers.


----------



## therook (23/1/07)

Has anyone ordered these kegs lately using the PDF form?

Rook


----------



## Norsman (23/1/07)

bugwan said:


> Also picked up a chest freezer today for $11(!), so they should go together nicely!!



Nice Bugwan, wish I could score a deal like that, although it might be worth $11 for a reason, anyways I hope it works well for you.


----------



## therook (23/1/07)

I guess no one has ordered via the PDF form


----------



## Doogiechap (23/1/07)

therook said:


> I guess no one has ordered via the PDF form



I have tried to order 4 kegs and some odds and sods. (I emailed the PDF form through on the 8th of Dec) I have since sent 3 emails asking if the original order has been recieved but no reply.... (My Credit Card has not yet been debited) 
Matt I know this is OT but I am yet to hear from you !  
I have also found the PDF form is not secure (after I sent it I found I could extract the confidential info easily with another application  ). I am still optimistic as many others have had good service. Can't wait to start kegging.
Cheers
Doug


----------



## therook (23/1/07)

Thats what i was afraid of Doogie, I sent Matt 3 emails last week and he responded to my first 2 emails within hours, but the last one has not been replied to .

Rook


----------



## cj in j (15/2/07)

Just a heads up to everyone -- Matt seems to have disappeared from eBay. The two user IDs he posted a page or two back (thechicompany, or something like that, and pepsiequipment) are both unregistered now -- it happened sometime near the end of January. It doesn't seem like he's actively selling anything anymore, at least not on eBay, which was his only outlet before. He also seems to have disappeared from here.


----------



## Batz (15/2/07)

Use brewers discount
I've used them heaps without a problem,I found the one time I did order from Matt the kegs were not as good.

Brewers discount

Batz


----------



## hockadays (15/2/07)

Batz,
At $32 for two how much have you found it costs to deliver 4 to brisbane?

hockers


----------



## barneyhanway (15/2/07)

Batz, when was the last time you used them (brewers discount)?
I emailed them about a month ago regarding postage to NZ and never heard a thing.


----------



## therook (15/2/07)

Thats $32:00 yankee dollors, does their website convert it to Aussie dollors or do you just order them at the given price.

I might send them an email

rook


----------



## barneyhanway (15/2/07)

rook,
paying through Paypal means your transaction is converted at the current rate at time of transaction. Not sure who Paypal uses for currency conversion, there might be some info on their website about that.


----------



## Adamt (15/2/07)

just-cj said:


> Just a heads up to everyone -- Matt seems to have disappeared from eBay. The two user IDs he posted a page or two back (thechicompany, or something like that, and pepsiequipment) are both unregistered now -- it happened sometime near the end of January. It doesn't seem like he's actively selling anything anymore, at least not on eBay, which was his only outlet before. He also seems to have disappeared from here.




I wonder if he'll be back, with more promises than ever? Well, they did make another Rocky movie.


Regards to the currency conversion, paypal charge to convert money, not sure how much though.


----------



## Doogiechap (15/2/07)

I rang Matt a couple of weeks ago as my Dec placed order had not been processed (no money taken from me  ). He is out of Kegs at the moment and is apparently waiting on Pepsi Corporate to make a decision on whether to continue premix operations in an Asian country (I can't remember which one). They are expected to make their decision at the end of Feb. If they discontinue he will have stock to sell.  
Here's hoping !
Cheers
Doug


----------



## mchitiea (16/2/07)

TO ALL:
-We hate ebay! Back in Ausgust/September when I was in China we had some shipping problems and received some negative feedback. In January Ebay arbitrarily suspends our accounts. This is AFTER they approve all the remidies we took and proved shipment of goods in September! We are currently fighting with the all-too-powerful ASSHOLES at ebay to reinstate our accounts. A web page is coming soon.

-If you need kegs email us DIRECTLY at: [email protected]

-Keg availability: In spring of '06 Pepsi was supposed to shut down their PreMix soda lines, discontinuing premix soda; they did not. Now the supply of kegs is so low that Pepsi PacNorthwest (Western U.S. Division) is holding what they have until Pepsi Corporate makes a decision an whether to close down the premix production lines this time.

-Brewer's Discount: Late last year Terry and his wife gave me 24 hour notice that they had bought a house on the East Coast and was leaving....THE NEXT DAY! That just about killed ops here. It took us a while to revover. As far as I know, Terry is no longer doing anything with brewing related items.

-Will post here again when we get more kegs.
-If you have placed an order and not received the U.S. Customs send receipt, your CC has NOT been charged and will NOT be charged until goods are sent.

-I hope this clears things up.
Thank you,
Matt Chitiea

The CHI Company, LLC
6070 Enterprise Dr.
Suite K
Diamond Springs, Ca. 95619-9442
(530) 622-8265
[email protected]


----------



## pokolbinguy (12/4/07)

Any idea on the website for C&C Distrubuting??


----------



## Fingerlickin_B (12/4/07)

Still haven't got my parts ordered and paid for over a year ago...thanks Matt :angry:


----------



## eric8 (12/4/07)

They don't have a website any more! The only contact details are as follows,
The CHI Company, LLC.
Matthew Chitiea
6070 Enterprise Dr.
Suite K
Diamond Springs, Ca. 95619
[email protected]
(530) 622-8265
Finger i would be asking for my money back if I was you, and if he says he will deliver the goods then ask for free delivery.
Eric


----------



## pokolbinguy (12/4/07)

I tried that email address and it bounced back. I think I will stick to buying in Australia. $120 for two kegs from Craftbrewer is pretty good.... and atleast I know where my money is going and I will get what I paid for.


----------



## eric8 (12/4/07)

Thats was from October last year so.......
Maybe he has gone.


----------



## eric8 (12/4/07)

pokolbinguy said:


> I tried that email address and it bounced back.



I just replied to the email he sent me and it didn't bounce back, so will let you know if I get a reply.


----------



## Back Yard Brewer (12/4/07)

:super:


Fingerlickin_B said:


> Still haven't got my parts ordered and paid for over a year ago...thanks Matt :angry:




I must have been one of the lucky ones. I would have to say, I purchased around 30 or so kegs and I recieved every one of them. :super: 

BYB


----------



## bugwan (12/4/07)

Norsman said:


> Nice Bugwan, wish I could score a deal like that, although it might be worth $11 for a reason, anyways I hope it works well for you.



Sorry Norsman, I missed your reply to my post. As it turns out, my $11 freezer was DOA, so it wasn't the greatest investment....or was it??
I listed it a week later on eBay as a dead/broken/not working freezer and it sold for $87!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The bloke who bought it thought he had a fool proof plan to fix it. Either way, I made an 800% profit! All funds were churned straight back into the brewery of course.

Now I'm in the situation where I'm out of fridge space and looking for a freezer again  

Back on topic, as I posted earlier in this thread, my kegs all arrived spic and span (after a few dramas). Matt emailed me ages ago to say he was abandoning eBay as a selling medium and relying on email etc. Don't be too worried about the eBay status, I'm sure he'll honour any orders that are current.

The alternative (cue the broken record) is Craftbrewer at $120 for two....that's my only option for future expansion.


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## mchitiea (13/4/07)

STILL fighting it out with the idiots at ebay for all the problems we had during my August/06 China trip!
When they FINALLY realize that we have taken care of the now old problems (we supplied all docs to them) we will be back on ebay.........UNFORTUNATELY.

Pepsi still has not released any kegs. We have been waiting since December/06 for a release....they are that low on supply!

Contact info is:

The CHI Company, LLC.
Matthew Chitiea
6070-K Enterprise Dr.
Diamond Springs, Ca. 95619-9442
530-622-8265
[email protected]


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## peas_and_corn (13/4/07)

mchitiea said:


> TO ALL:
> -We hate ebay! Back in Ausgust/September when I was in China we had some shipping problems and received some negative feedback. In January Ebay arbitrarily suspends our accounts. This is AFTER they approve all the remidies we took and proved shipment of goods in September! We are currently fighting with the all-too-powerful ASSHOLES at ebay to reinstate our accounts. A web page is coming soon.
> 
> -If you need kegs email us DIRECTLY at: [email protected]
> ...



Ebay is bad, eh? I looked up your accounts- apparently pepsiequipment had 3 negatives over the past year. I have severe doubts that Ebay would do anything to prevent you from selling with that record. HOWEVER, your kegs take a long time to arrive. When I bought mine I found that I could no longer leave comments because it had expired- there was a time limit for some reason. While I had no problems, there would be many people who have grievances, and didn't have the opportunity to voice them. The more people on this forum who say they haven't received anything- and have had no replies from you- the more I realise I must have been lucky.

Your hate of paypal might be justified; I don't know- I'm not a retailer. However, you must provide a secure method of transferring money which people can be confident will be secure. Email is never secure, everyone knows that.

There is a certain probability that my standards have been raised by the great service that craftbrewer provides (I don't know enough about the other online sellers who sell here to comment). However, your business lacks the professionalism that is required. A quick look through the thread will show many posts from you which have been full of CAPS and harsh language. The post I quoted above is an improvement, but it was merely to tell us that you have no stock- no replies to the people over the past so many pages saying they have already paid (Fingerlickin_B has been waiting for a year- why aren't you responding to his concerns?) and haven't received anything. If you hope to continue selling to this homebrewing community, then you should start by showing more respect for your potential customers and ensure that the worries many people have are taken care of.

It's weird, I thought that retail was about serving customers.

Dave.


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## Wortgames (13/4/07)

Not sure I agree Dave - if you want prompt, professional service with speedy polite email replies, then buy from a local retailer. You get what you pay for, you can't expect rock-bottom, wholesale prices with Harrod's customer service.

I sell on eBay and I can support the assertion that eBay themselves ARE mongrels. Picture the nastiest kind of American, greedy, arrogant billion dollar company (with a Swiss bank account), run by a small team of conservative corporate mercenaries with no balls - they are paranoid about potential legal action, they shoot first on the flimsiest of complaints (your worst nightmare, on eBay, is a malicious competitor) and ask questions never. They exist in 'cyberspace' and answer to no-one. PayPal too is an expensive and highly risky method of receiving payment, they can freeze accounts and grab money with no appeals process or governing body to answer to. Sure, businesses should understand the peculiarities of eBay if they plan to use it as a marketing channel, but I don't think it's totally fair to judge a business by their opinion of eBay or PayPal.

I bought some 3gal kegs from BD, they took a while to arrive and they didn't appear to be as 'reconditioned' as I expected, but they were bloody cheap so I was prepared to accept that. I'm sure they would have sent me some new seals etc if I'd contacted them, but to be honest I was happy with the deal and couldn't be bothered. I paid my money and I made my choice.

If you want a higher level of service someone has to pay for it, that's why you have local retailers. You can't cut out all the middle men and then expect the wholesaler to do all the work the middle men would have done.


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## PostModern (13/4/07)

I think you're too quick to defend the guy, Wortgames. he seems like a total cod-piece to me.


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## Wortgames (13/4/07)

PostModern said:


> I think you're too quick to defend the guy, Wortgames. he seems like a total cod-piece to me.


Not especially defending him PoMo - I just happen to agree with his opinion on eBay/PayPal and disagree with P&C's expectation of 'retail professionalism' from a bargain basement supplier. I knew when I placed my order that I wasn't going to get gold class service from these guys - their eBay listing, website, email replies and forum posts told me everything I needed to know about how they operate, I weighed that up and took my chances nevertheless. I think it's a bit optimistic to buy under those circumstances and then expect perfect retail professionalism.

I haven't scanned this whole thread for details of who hasn't received their kegs (maybe it's time for a tally?), but I received mine and a large number of other AHB members have received theirs, so I would guess it's a small percentage. Hopefully they'll get their kegs or a refund soon enough - I suspect that (despite the use of capitals) Matt is an honest guy who wants to see everyone right, otherwise he presumably wouldn't keep sticking his head up here. He's also sent other people replacement seals etc, so I don't think he's a total cod-piece, just a bit rough round the edges IMO.



mchitiea said:


> If you have placed an order and not received the U.S. Customs send receipt, your CC has NOT been charged and will NOT be charged until goods are sent.
> 
> -I hope this clears things up.
> Thank you,
> ...


That sounds pretty reasonable to me.


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## peas_and_corn (13/4/07)

When I write I expect professionalism I merely expect a few simple things:

1- politeness. As I pointed out, there are too many posts here and on eBay by him and other sellers that are just written in too much caps- his posting in ebay about postage costs was incredibly condescending.

2- answering questions and problems. People have said they have paid for products they have not received with no real reply.

Whether or not ebay is annoying is not my concern- what is my concern is retailers who trade through ebay who for some bizarre reason talk down to their potential customer base and do little to make people feel rest assured that they won't be sold up the river.

this is a posting which is good. His listing was nowhere near as professional.



Fingerlickin_B said:


> Still haven't got my parts ordered and paid for over a year ago...thanks Matt :angry:


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## Stuster (13/4/07)

Wortgames, FingerlickinB has posted numerous times in this thread that he paid for his keg(s?) and didn't receive them. Unless he was completely blind, this guy must have seen those posts, but does not appear to want to respond to him. Personally, just seeing how he has not responded to FLB makes me sure I'd never buy any kegs from him. :angry: 

Hope you get your kegs/money, FLB.


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## Wortgames (13/4/07)

peas_and_corn said:


> When I write I expect professionalism I merely expect a few simple things:
> 
> 1- politeness. As I pointed out, there are too many posts here and on eBay by him and other sellers that are just written in too much caps- his posting in ebay about postage costs was incredibly condescending.
> 
> ...



What you need to remember with eBay is that you can be dealing with ANYONE. If you always apply your own expectations regarding correct courtesy, capitalisation etc then you may find yourself frequently disappointed. We don't know really anything about Matt - he could be an 80 year-old paraplegic who has never used a computer before and has to hit the buttons with a stick in his mouth for all we know. In that case I think whinging about correct capitalisation would be a bit petty. You only see something as rude or condescendng because you judge it against your own 'scale', when it may simply be a lack of experience, poor nettiquette or a slack grammar teacher in school.

Regarding the 'condescending' tone of his listing terms, you'll find that's pretty common - if you sell much on eBay you'll soon learn that eBay customers contain a very high proportion of complete and utter morons out there clicking on buttons. They don't read terms, or they bid / buy and then argue over postage costs. I agree that better sellers generally try to avoid sounding like angry schoolteachers, and a condescending tone probably isn't great for business, but sellers have the right to set their own tone however they like, and like I said, you'll find plenty of worse examples.

Complaining that his listing is not as professional as someone else's is completely pointless. So he's not a graphic designer or web programmer - who cares? We're buying kegs here not eBay listings.

The bottom line is if you don't feel comfortable dealing with that person, then don't - nobody's got a gun to your head.


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## Wortgames (13/4/07)

Stuster said:


> Wortgames, FingerlickinB has posted numerous times in this thread that he paid for his keg(s?) and didn't receive them. Unless he was completely blind, this guy must have seen those posts, but does not appear to want to respond to him. Personally, just seeing how he has not responded to FLB makes me sure I'd never buy any kegs from him. :angry:
> 
> Hope you get your kegs/money, FLB.




So do I. Have you actually called him FLB? Forum posts probably aren't the ideal channel for sorting out customer problems. Admittedly if he's ignored your email that's bad form, but I don't think we're dealing with an IT guru here. Try speaking to him.


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## devo (13/4/07)

Sounds like the good ole days/honeymoon period maybe over fellas cause I know when i purchased all my kegs back in 2004/05(i think) I never had any issues. 

I guess i was one of the fortunate ones who bought at the right time for the right price.

I can't diss Matt because I got nothing but great service and communication from him.


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## eric8 (13/4/07)

I posted last night that I had emailed Mat, and i got a response from hime today. So I think FLB should probably email him again, especially since he posted on here today. I don't have any major prob with him, but you do have to wait a while and keep emailing him to get a response. 
At $40 a keg I aint gunna complain to much.
Eric


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## Eukanuba (13/4/07)

I ordered 4 or 5 kegs off him back in 2005 - never arrived..

After waiting 5-6 months, I emailed him and told him that I understood there was a wait.. but it was unacceptable..

Nothing came back via email..

Then I emailed him again, he assured me that they'd been sent.. by this time, ebay had removed the listing - my money was gone.. I thought " Oh shit ! I've been had ! " ( as has happened many times with sellers in the usa.. I've been swindled ! )

Anyhow, eventually - I got in touch with him ( he was in china at the time ) and he agreed to refund the money..

He came through with the refund, but I'd much rather of had the kegs - to be honest..

He was not too bad to deal with, a bit slow to reply - but then again, not everyone lives on or close to a computer to send emails.. ( and i know he probably has a life.. along with his business )..

If it's been 12 months - assume it's lost.. email him, ask for a refund.. maybe it didnt get out because of a shortage of kegs and you're on his waiting list ?

As they say " if you dont ask, you wont get "...

Best of luck mate, I hope it all comes out good for you !

- Chris


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## glenos (13/4/07)

peas_and_corn said:


> this is a posting which is good. His listing was nowhere near as professional.


There is a HUGE (deliberate caps) difference between kegs at US$32 a pop and a US$1645 bar. I would expect a lot more effort to go into listing a AU$2000 item.

When you go to Clints or Go=Lo go you expect top level customer service, the latest high quality shop fittings, high technology display stands and POS terminals - NO they just don't have the margins.

Matt seems to travel from the US to China on a regular basis and this causes an interruption to how he sells kegs out of the US, he has expressed that he has had problems with staff, sometimes orders do get "lost" in the system, this is unfortunate when it happens to you but it is a fact of online sales, especially when you are very busy.

I run an online business, not through eBay, and I have had orders that got lost, delayed and even duplicated. Funny story, the person who's order was duplicated freaked out, she thought it meat I was going to charge her twice, it took me 5 minutes in the phone to convince her I wouldn't ever do that, because it was my mistake.

As for the posting in CAPS, I have done it a few times, the PC I use at work has CAPS on most of the time, do you think I am going to retype a post like this if I realised now that it was in CAPS by mistake, no way. I had been using email and the internet for a few years before someone explained to me that CAPS meant I was shouting. When he told me I thought he was pulling my leg and being a pedantic tosser.

Bottom line is, if you don't like the way Matt operates shut up and go somewhere else.


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## RobW (16/4/07)

glenos said:


> Bottom line is, if you don't like the way Matt operates shut up and go somewhere else.



Go elsewhere? Absolutely.
Shut up? I don't think so. 

I had a similiar problem with kegs from Matt but fortunately didn't lose or need to recover any money. The problem seems to be getting a response when there are issues with orders. I emailed Matt several times and never got a response. In the end I gave up.

I know lots of people on this list are more than satisfied with Matt's service and that's great but let's not forget the ones that get screwed around as well.

People need to know these operations aren't all sunshine and flowers.

Oh, and if you can type a post that long & not realise you've left the caps lock on maybe you need to think about checking the screen every line or so...... or take a touchtyping course


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## benno1973 (16/4/07)

I don't think people would be questioning his grammer or tone if he'd delivered to all his cutomers. But the point is that he hasn't, and when a retailer (online or otherwise) doesn't deliver, this reflects badly and other smaller issues are then raised to further illustrate the lack of professionalism.

I can't talk about this retailer - I've never ordered from him and I don't plan on it. I have enough kegs bought locally, and I'm very happy with them. But speaking about online retailers, I'd never expect that paying less money might mean that I'd never see the end product. Retailers who offer products at a discount should do so if they have a way of passing on bulk purchasing power, rather than just not delivering to some cutomers.

Additionally, professionalism extends to replying to cutomers emails and queries about products. The sooner cowboy net retailers are forced to close up shop, the better for other reputable and professional online sellers. Until then, the bulk of purchasers will buy from physical retail stores or online at big name retailers (such as Amazon).


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## PostModern (16/4/07)

If he wants to sell on ebay, then he should learn how to deal in that market. Just from members here we've seen lots of complaints. I imagine there'd be a similar proportion of issues with the rest of his customers. 

He's flogging off Pepsi's excess stock of kegs retail, so he has to deal with retail customers. I personally think professionalism is overrated, but if he promised goods in a certain condition for a certain price within a certain timeframe he has to deliver once he takes your money. If he can't do that 100% of the time or make up for any shortfalls, he shouldn't be placing the ads on ebay or elsewhere.


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## Wortgames (16/4/07)

The problem with buying online is that everyone wants to get their goods for 'cost price', squeeze out all the middlemen, and then whinge and whine when the seller doesn't jump through hoops to take care of their precious order (for a couple of bucks profit).

I never suggested that paying less should mean that you may never see your goods, I am simply pointing out that buying from overseas from the cheapest guy on the net will likely mean more hassles when things don't go to plan. I would have thought that was blindingly obvious. If that bothers you, open your wallet a little wider and buy from a local retailer - don't buy cheap and then whine about the lack of service.

There seems to be a lot of people jumping on the bandwagon and dissing this guy. Perhaps we should stop carping on about the quality of his listings or grammar, and instead start posting up A RELIABLE LIST of the folks who are actually out of pocket and still haven't received their goods? Maybe including the actual date your CC was charged too? I have had a good look through a couple of the main threads on the subject (there have been many) and the only members I found who haven't received goods are FingerlickinB who ordered some parts (by his own words, low value) over a year ago (he received his kegs etc), and possibly Mark Casey who joined the forum specifically to diss Matt some 12 months after placing an order. Eukanuba waited 6 months for his order to arrive, then got a refund. There must be a few more judging by the amount of negative press the guy seems to be getting - I mean, surely we aren't all trashing the guy based on slack netiquette and one missing parts order?! In contrast, there must be DOZENS of us who are happily using Matt's kegs, including several who were sent extra parts by way of an apology.

So those folks that ARE missing stuff, have you actually CALLED the guy to try and sort it out? It seems obvious that his email answering sucks, and this forum isn't really achieving anything - especially if your AHB ID doesn't match your name in any way. The forum threads look like a nightmare of unidentifiable people wanting to change their order or ask about shipping. Hardly a constructive channel for a seller that struggles to deal with the email he receives. If you whinge to eBay about a bad seller the FIRST question they will ask you is 'have you called them'. It's the simplest way to cut through any technology barrier, and you'll be surprised what you can achieve in a 2 minute call. He has posted his number in this thread. YES it's an international call, YES it's a hassle, YES you shouldn't have to, YES he should answer his emails, but there comes a time when you just have to try and solve the problem instead of flinging mud and whining about how things should be.

Let's start seeing some names and dates of credit card debits and missing orders.


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## mchitiea (25/4/07)

I'll save everyone the hassle.
Here are unfulfilled orders as of 4/24/07 due to Pepsi not releasing kegs
# Initials City State Item
1. N.A Muchea WA 4 kegs
2. M.E. hayle Cornwall, England 3 kegs
3. J.P. Moruya NSW 2 kegs
4. D. H. Blackwater QLD 8 kegs


I hope this helps those that believe we are scammers, or those that have been screwed by others in the past and like to "stir things up" for others.

Thank you,
Matt Chitiea


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## Sammus (25/4/07)

For the record, I agree 100% with Wortgames.


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## Shunty (25/4/07)

I emailed matt yesterday asking about keg availability - had a reply within an hour. The previous order i placed with him arrived on time and in good nick. I have no problems buying from him again. Unfortunately he was out of stock - always happens when the kiwi peso is at an all time high


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## mchitiea (29/8/07)

To all,
-As many of you know C&C Distributing sent hundreds of kegs to AU.
-C&C is no more. The CHI Company, LLC. has taken its' place. 

-We now have a website located at: www.chicompany.net

-Please see current posts concerning usage and shipping updates.

Thank you,
Matt Chitiea
www.chicompany.net
[email protected]


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## peter.b (8/9/07)

ausdb said:


> I've got too agree with Matt here as I work in a service industry, Although my job is to provide technical assistance and support to front line service personnel a large part of my day is spent listening to consumers rant and rave at me about why does it take so long to do X, Y or Z or why won't you give me a new one (what I work with aren't toasters and you can't just take them back to the shop and swap the over). And YES there is only so much a person can take until you start to take offense and respond.
> 
> I have an order under way for some kegs, when I placed the order I chose what option I wanted for shipping (the most cost effective). In doing this I understood the average shipping times involved. I have thought I might get lucky and they will come earlier but I am prepared to wait as I chose the cheapest option and it clearly stated there was no tracking available and what the average times were.
> 
> ...


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## peter.b (8/9/07)

your dead right, about aussies and our expectations. Rome wasn't built in a day. Unfortunatly we are becoming a nation of winger's. Let relax a little and watch things happen in due course.


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