Good Customer Service?

[Murray]

Grain and Grape in Melbourne sell all that kind of thing.

 

[Snow]

My local HBS guy (Mal West at Western Suburbs HB in Chapel Hill, Brisbane) started off as mainly a K&K guy with a big love of distilling spirits. When a few of his more advanced beer brewing customers (me included) started asking for liquid yeasts, imported grains, more varieties of hops, etc, he started listening and soon was getting in all this, as well as fresh worts, mash tuns, false bottoms, etc. Now he puts out a "brewsletter" full of advice, hosted a customer "share the brews" party, sponsors competition entries for his customers, and has recently done his first full mash and is fully hooked! Because he listens to his customers, he has developed his own skills and now can provide expert advise to newcomers. He even asked me the other day for advice on a design for a simple, affordable partial mash system so he can get beginners off the K&K and start getting into grain brewing! Thus, his business is growing quickly and he has a lot of happy brewers in the Western suburbs, among others.

Definitely a recipe for success.

On the other hand, his direct competitor, also in the western suburbs, was surly, didn't want to listen (or even talk) to his customers, did no research into his industry and failed to grow. He lasted 1 year before going bust.

A recipe for failure?

 

[johnno]

My hydrometer got accidently broken the other day by my lovely missus so I had to get another one. I decided to go to the shop that employs "Mr Cutomer Service" himself in Heidelberg as it is a bit closer that the G&G in Maribynong.
Well it was lovely to see his always smiling (not) mug when I got there. It turns out they didnt have the hydrometer I wanted anyway. I wanted the one like I got with the Coopers kit. Theirs was $18 as well. I got in the car and drove from one side of town to the other :angry:
Turns out it was well worth it in the end. They had the one I wanted for $5.35 less. They also wee giving away free POR hop rhizomes.
Now thats good service.

cheers

 

[bonk]

sounds like a good place to shop. i was all gee'd up for my first brew, but we only have one hbs. he is great for k+k and he is now starting into unhopped extracts. however i still remember asking about fresh hops and was told that no one uses them only the little hop tea bag things. :huh:

so i do a lot of mail order for my yeast, hops and grain and see them for when i'm to lazy to mash . think i need a bigger credit card or get a monthly account going