I posted in another thread but curious to know if I’m being unreasonable. I ordered 2kg of beans from a prominent roaster I’ve ordered from frequently. I didn’t plan to use it immediately as I still have a load of other coffee to get through first. One bag arrived improperly sealed, it looks like the machine had sealed at an angle meaning half the top portion was missing a seal, therefore open. This happened before with NewGround who were quickly apologetic and sent a replacement bag without and suggested I keep the unsealed one. However, I emailed the roaster about this and they simply said ‘sorry about that’. I’m happy to send the unsealed one back as I don’t expect a freebie but with no replacement offered it looks like I’ll be using this coffee inmediately!

A discount on next purchase would be a nice gesture. Not sure I'd expect a full refund if a recent roast date.

If it had only been roasted recently then I don't think I'd be expecting a whole new bag

Coffee arrived open, would you expect a replacement?

Ernie1

Will it not affect freshness?

It’s been about a week since roasting.

Cuprajake

Put pics up of how it arrived?

Before I say what I think

wilburpan

I’d expect a replacement. Putting the freshness issue aside, this is a food product, and as such, it’s a reasonable expectation that the product should arrive to you sealed.

Going back to the freshness issue, I think you, along with most of the folks who drink coffee, would say that keeping your beans in a sealed container isn’t out of the ordinary. And I bet that they sell coffee beans in sealed bags as a matter of course. Again, that supports an expectation that the coffee you purchased should arrive in a sealed bag.

I’d ask them directly for a replacement, giving them the benefit of the doubt that they just hit “send” too quickly because of the busy holiday season. If they refuse a direct request, then you can make a decision as to whether they deserve your business going forward.

Rob1

Should really be fine but if it’s been sitting there for a week in the roastery open that’s not great. If it doesn’t taste off I wouldn’t worry. Being open for a week by itself isn’t long enough for it to go stale or rancid.

CoyoteOldMan

I don’t think you are being unreasonable at all. Legally, you have a 14 days ‘right to return’ (and refund) for anything you buy online for any reason or no reason at all… and at least an acknowledgement of this would have been the minimum I’d have expected. A discount on a future purchase or an immediate replacement (with or without you returning the faulty bag and contents) would have been a plus.

Whether the beans are fine or not is - I think - a separate matter.

DavecUK

Ernie1 However, I emailed the roaster about this and they simply said ‘sorry about that’.

No, the roaster really said, “I don’t care about the experience you have with our coffee”.

Unacceptable IMO, you should have been offered another bag of coffee. If coffee was ok not be sealed, then all roasters would send it folded over and taped in a cheaper bag…I try and pack my coffee ASAP after roasting for a good reason..

InfamousTuba

I would like to see the pictures that you sent them, or the email. Did you ask for a replacement? It shouldn’t really matter because the product arrived damaged and a replacement should be offered. I do think especially with the royal mail strikes, at the busiest days of the year before the postage cutoff people might be getting some less courteous responses

Ernie1

Thanks all. Glad I’m not being unreasonable.

I’ll attach a photo below.

It’s not exactly the entire bag gaping open but it’s plenty big enough for air to get out.

I’m not worried about it being unfit for consumption but it’s a single origin from a ‘premium’ roaster so I’d have preferred it to arrive airtight.

What surprised me is that the customer service rep didn’t even consider that freshness is likely to be a factor for someone buying a kilo of whole beans. I’m wondering if they contract out their customer service out to someone else to handle rush periods.

I’ve asked for a replacement and said I’m happy to return the other. No reply as of yet.

Gagaryn

The cynic in me reckons that was a (shortsighted) attempt not to have to eat the loss from a kilo of beans. If you had asked for a refund directly rather than just telling them it arrived open I expect they would have immediately obliged.

It was the wrong thing for the roaster to do because it has the potential to discourage potential customers from privileging that roaster with their business. They could potentially lose more than the wasted kilo which he should have immediately recognised as just the “cost of doing business.”

The “artisan roasting” market is pretty saturated; there are more beardy hipsters wanting to roast coffee for a living than there are customers willing to pay £40 per kg of beans. And their customer base is pretty well connected what with fora like this - bad news travels fast. A good reputation is valuable, and equally the opposite applies. In a saturated market service and reputation is all you’ve got.

Del_UK

I’d be asking for a refund/replacement. I/you pay for coffee that should be sealed so I/you can decide when to open it. That bag has had at least 2 days of air degrading the quality (albeit minor effects but still).

The reason we pay top dollar is to get a top product, right?

Ernie1

Brilliant, thanks for the further replies.

I must admit it’s put me off buying from them a bit, I haven’t had the best experience at their roastery the last couple of times I’ve visited either.

I’ll report back when I get a reply.

Dusk

Ernie1

Do you plan on using the unsealed beans?

CrownandCanvas

Ernie1 This is one of those stupid situations where a simple mistake develops into losing a customer.

We’ve had bags split in transit from sealing issues be it our side with the sealer or from the bag manufacturers sealing splitting, sometimes couriers just decide to yeet a parcel for no reason and they break/burst, but In almost all instances I just ship a replacement, or at least communicate with the customer to reach a happy solution for them.

The cost of a bag of coffee is far less than the cost of leaving a customer unhappy regardless of their size, and mistakes will always happen…it’s how you fix them that is the measure of your business’ service.

LMSC

I would ask for a replacement or a refund. It’s fair. I won’t consume it for health and safety reasons as it did not get delivered sealed. I will also not buy from such roaster, irrespective of how good their coffee is.

Ernie1

Dusk

As yet I’ve not had a reply, I’d rather not use them but if I don’t get a reply then I won’t have much choice as I’ll run out of espresso beans over Christmas.

Cuprajake

have they just not popped in transit, were they inside another wrapper?

while the company answer is pretty crap, id still use them,

Ernie1

Cuprajake

It’s not really visible in the photo I took but the sealing machine has hit it at an angle, so the seal goes off the bag leaving that one side open. They were in a shipping box also, so it’s hardly like the beans will be ‘off’. It’s more the principle I suppose.

Origin are a pretty huge operation at this point so I doubt the packers even noticed, given how many cafes they supply, and their own cafes, they probably ship enormous quantities each day. Probably another reason why one customer buying 2 £30 kilos of coffee doesn’t really matter to them.

LMSC

Ernie1 so it’s hardly like the beans will be ‘off’.

Hope you get your money worth.

Ernie1 Origin are a pretty huge operation

Ernie1 Probably another reason why one customer buying a £30 kilo of coffee doesn’t really matter to them.

Big customers may get dedicated support. The business we give is probably not even a fraction of their sales. So, we may be considered not worth a bother.

Being big doesn’t mean one shouldn’t care. A customer, irrespective of how much business one gives, deserves to be treated fairly. It’s always a good customer experience, which makes a business stick! No business is too big……

I hope they reply.

Ernie1

LMSC

Thanks yeah I totally agree.

Like in the coffee shop thread, I think the general level of customer service in this country is just in the toilet by this point. I guess the employee shortage of people not wanting to do ‘menial’ jobs means businesses have no choice but to hire employees even if they’re not great. If the employee catches on to this, they know they can do half a job and get away with it.

I personally don’t get it, if I’m being paid to do a job I do it properly, and I’d fully expect to get a b*llocking if I messed up.

I was at Origin last Summer and one of the founders was hanging around chatting with people. Lovely guy, enthusiastic about his business and obviously cared. But the chance of that enthusiasm trickling all the way down the chain of command seems unlikely.

Like you say, a company should care about their customers regardless of size. And exactly like you said, the exact experience with NewGround was handled brilliantly, a swift apology and replacement bag, no questions.

@CrownandCanvas

Thanks, yeah, sounds like I should be shopping with you!

CrownandCanvas

Ernie1

I think its sad that business’ can put an enormous amount of effort to build themselves into something special, and then only be brought down by poor staffing further down the line. I know its a very UK vs USA thing on service but I’ve always admired the Cat & Cloud staff training and ethos, its pretty inspiring. And nothings worse than working in a job knowing that neither you or even a manager cares, at that point just move on…rather than dragging everyone down with you.

Also for alot of business’ especially in a competitive market, its pretty apparant that bad news travels ALOT faster than good news, keeping customers happy and providing good service is part of what we do, its not a chore, it’s just part of the job and its actually enjoyable, and at times when things go wrong its actually benifitial to your business.

9 times out of 10 when we send a bag of coffee to a customer and it all goes smoothly…we never hear anything back, no review, no feedback, no posts on the forum, nothing. When something goes wrong, bag split, lost delivery etc..and we talk with the customer and resolve it as fast/best as we can, they actually often write about it, leave a review, give some positive feedback! Having that chance to work with a customer and understand where things went wrong is an enormous oppertunity for improvement, otherwise we just keep doing what we’re doing not knowing if its right/wrong.