Better bee

[Lively Bee's]

I got to say they will never get another order from me. I placed a order for 20 nucs and globe patties about $350 with free shipping. They email me to tell me that it is back ordered for 2 weeks ok no big deal. Then they send me another email to tell me that shipping will cost me $141.00 so I called them and "they" said oh the shipping is too much you will have to pay to have it shipped to you. After 5 mins of fighting over it I told her to cancel the order then after another 5 mins on hold they tell me that they will cancel the order this time but never again.

[Sundance]

They offered free shipping?? What it a
convention or magazine offer???

[BULLSEYE BILL]

They are a strange company to deal with. Once they called me and told me that the shipping would double the price of the two frame nucs that I was ordering and wanted to cancel the order for me. I thanked them and let them cancel but then the next year I sucked it up and ordered some anyway.

Another time I received a box that was short a tee shirt. They told me that it was in there and I was just trying to get a free shirt! :mad:

I find their prices to usually be higher than most other places, but they sometimes have things that others don't.

Being so far from me I generally look for a closer source because of shipping costs.

[SGebauer]

Hello All,

Lively Bee's email thread crossed my desk today. Shipping charges are problematic with large items, even more so with UPS and FedEx changing their methods for calculating shipping charges (dimensional weight versus actual weight). This is stated on our website and that if there is a discrepancy we will contact that customer. This is the case here. Lively Bee's if you have additional comments or questions please give me a call. I will be in the office tomorrow (8-12 EST) - 1-800-632-3379.

Bullseye, PM or call me with your zip code and approximate date of your order and I will look it this matter.

Regards,
Shane
Betterbee Manager

[BULLSEYE BILL]

>Bullseye, PM or call me with your zip code and approximate date of your order and I will look it this matter.

Shane, I need to make a clarification and apologize for an omission. When posting at work I get interrupted constantly. I was sent the shirt I was shorted although I was very upset that I was accused of receiving it and calling in to get another one for free.

That experience has not kept me from re-ordering from you, it is just an economic decision to shop around and order the things I can from closer suppliers to save on shipping costs.

Every company has employees that have a bad day occasionally, hers left a lasting impression.

[Lively Bee's]

"Shipping charges are problematic with large items, even more so with UPS and FedEx changing their methods for calculating shipping charges (dimensional weight versus actual weight"

Then you should have your site fixed I just order 20 hive bodys and 50 supers from another company and they had no issues with shipping charges from a internet order. When I CONFIM A ORDER with free shipping I expect to pay that amount and no more. If it was a ERROR on your behalf then better bee should have paid the shipping.

With that said I will never buy from better bee again.

[Michael Palmer]

I've been a BetterBee customer from the very beginning, and bought my first 100 hives from Bob, in 1980...whatever it was. I've found that they have had the kinds of problems that others are talking about, ever since then.

For instance, I ordered a hundred cases of jars and covers. Said I'd be down some day the following week to pick them up, as I thought the shipping was too high...twice the price of other vendors per pallet. They told me they had the jars in stock. and to call when I knew which day I'd be down. I called...they said oops...no longer have that many jars in stock, but have such and so many. Grrr! OK, I'll be down to pick up those, tomorrow. Drove 3 1/2 hours to pick up the jars and caps...only to be informed that they no longer had them, and only had 25 cases, and didn't have the caps. Grrr!!!

I sympathise with those who have had the same problems...seems that everyone has. With all the help they have in the place, and with computer systems now-a-days...It's beyond me why they still can't get it together.

While I don't order from BetterBee much anymore...I make most of my own equipment, and buy my foundation from Jones in Quebec which is just up the road...I will support them if I can. I think there is a need for a bee supply company in the area. Hopefully, with these posts, Shane will revamp the system, and be better able to serve the beekeeping community in the future. It doesn't seem to be too difficult a task, if they would sit down with the employees, put their heads together...and change what has to be changed. Shane?

[SGebauer]

Hi All,

I will be the first to admit that there have been problems in the past and certainly there is a lot to be learned from those issues. I think what is important, is how we move forward and how those issues are addressed. I can tell you that there have been tremendous improvements over the past few years. Our back orders and turn around time have been cut in half. Our error rates are 50 times lower now than 3 years ago. Despite the issue here with the nuc boxes our system is calculating shipping cost more accurately (the nucs are now fixed). The data out is only as good as the data going in, and cleansing the data has been a major priority. All of this has occurred by working closely with the staff and setting the expectations. I am very pleased with the staff I have now.

Of course, this will always be a work in progress. There will always be areas which need improvement. No one person or business is perfect, and when a mistake is made we do our best to make it right. In the past we have faltered, but in the future will do better.

Regards to particular issues raised in this thread.
Lively Bee's, there was no free shipping associated with that order, it was an issue with the database, which is now fixed. I apologize for the inconvenience/confusion, and I regret losing you as a customer. In the future, I hope you will reconsider.

Bullseye, I would still like to know the approximate time of order. Also, if you could provide either your zip code or customer number (anything so I can look up your account). I would like to follow up on the matter internally.

Mike, I looked at what I believe to be the order in question (Aug 05). If I understand you and the order history correctly, you called in an order for glass, you were told we had it, but when you got here we didn't have your complete order. Is this correct? Whether you are a walk in customer or a phone in customer, if you are told we have something stock, but when we go to pick your order we don't, we will ship it to you free of charge. Of course, you will still need to pay for the merchandise, but there will be no shipping charge.

Cheers,
Shane

[Sundance]

I have to commend Shane for stepping up
to the plate here and addressing the issues
directly. Says a lot about the direction the
company is heading.

As a small business owner I know the headaches
that occur and the lasting effect even one
miss step an errant employees mistake can
make.

I have not ordered from BetterBee, and after
the personal attention Shane has shown
I will not hesitate to order down the road.

This thread is a great example of how important
a section like this is. Thanks Bill and Barry.

[Mitch]

All well and good the probloems are being worked on at bb but they are still there.A few things why i will likely not order from them again.Not answering and ignoring my emails.Being told to call back the next day when one call is all it should take.And this is not an old order very recent.I admit one thing part of this was my fault but it should have not taken 2 emails and 2 phone call to clear things up.Shane maybe your time would be better spent looking at your office and not here.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

Sundance; Well Said!

Shane, I too am a business owner, although not a mail-order business, I know the trials and tribulations of running a business. Personally, I would like to sell it and do bees full-time. That way I would only have to be responsible for one employee, me. smile.gif

I know your employees rudeness was not of your doing and I am sure that you wish it did not happen. I am ok with it now and hold no ill feelings. I had an employee that caused me much grief also, I had three irate customers either come to me or call me and complain, demanding that he be fired. When I got that third complaint, (his third chance) he was gone. I don't want you to fire your employee, but am illustrating that I know how hard it is to manage otherwise good and like-able help. I felt bad having to let him go, but his red headed temperament could not be controlled.

I am glad that you are aware of your problems and are on course to addressing them. Best of luck to you!

[SGebauer]

Hi Mitch,

I never claimed we were not going to make a mistake every now and then. Of course, we strive to minimize errors, but it would be foolish to make such a claim as no one is perfect. What I did say and what I think is important are the actions which follow the mistake.

Can you please tell me which email address you used? I just looked in every email account and I could not any recent messages. I do have an email from back in May, which I thought was resolved satisfactorily. If not please let me know.

Cheers,
Shane

[MichelleB]

Just thought I'd go ahead and add to this, for a bit of balance:

I've placed several orders with BetterBee this past year (my first year as an apiholic), for everything from foundation to framing jigs to medications, and I've been very satisfied with the service. I really like the interface of their website and the detailed descriptions.

Things take a little while to get shipped out, but that's not a big issue for me.

Between my local bee supply, which I really like to support, and BetterBee, I can find pretty much anything I'm looking for. (But I could use a bunch of 8-frame plastic queen excluders--hint hint!)

Shane, thanks for stopping in. Best of luck to you in improving fulfillment and management practices.

[iddee]

I do not know shane, nor have I ever dealt with Betterbee, but I will be looking at their site now with the hopes of buying from them. I have been in business most of my life, and the way Shane is working here, I think he can supply me well. If I had a customer who thought one call should get all answers, without giving me a chance to talk to employees, check records, or anything else, I would say "thank you" when he said he would not be back.
I have resolved problems and kept good customers after weeks of communications. Several days being common. One call is unusual.

Shane, if your prices and shipping are tolerable, you will be hearing from me. Thanks for the replies, it shows very good PR.

[BjornBee]

Shane, since your so open to answer and reply, I'll add an experience I had....

In ordering some labels, I noticed that the hieght and width are sometimes reversed from one item to another on the pages of the catalog. (three years back) Some had the width printed first, and some had the heigth printed first. And in both instances, they were not properly shown with "w" or a "h". So I made this be known when ordering. I asked very specifically if the label being ordered was in fact so high, and so wide. After three different people were involved, I was told that it was as I wanted. It was supposed to be something like 1-1/2 high and 3 inches wide.

Upon recieving the order, I was sent a label 3 inches high, and 1-1/2 inches wide. I called to get the proper ones printed and sent. I again stated that I had brought the question of whether the magazine was correct and that I had made every effort to point out the confusing printed material. And that I was assured that it was correct when I placed the order.

I was then told they would bill me for the new labels. Labels that I needed to fill a now overdue order. I said I already payed for them. I was told that when I mailed back the printed labels, I would recieve a credit. I asked what they would do with printed labels, as they would not be able to be resold. They said they would throw them away.

So to get a credit, I had to repackage, make a trip to the post office, pay for the new labels, and pay up front to resend the old labels back. And Better was willing to pay for the return postage so they could take the pleasure of throwing them away, instead of letting me have them, as compensation for thier error, and having me make excuses for honey orders not being filled. I did not even know how I would use them, as I did not use this size. I don't think I was benefiting from keeping the labels, but I was certainly being inconvenienced in being asked to ship them back. And made to feel that Betterbee was more interested in paying shipping rather than letting me have them. An odd business model at best.

I have had this happen in the past with printed material for past jobs I held. And if something was wrong, a replacement was sent, and never did I feel I needed to send something back so the company could throw it away, somehow thinking that if I kept it I would be "making out" as it was said to me on the phone. They said (Other company) "keep it", it was our mistake, and apoligized for the error. Something I never recieved from your office.

I still do order my labels from BetterBee (and a few other items). I never got around to changing out the label line to another. But all my other business has gone to other companies. To date, never less than 20,000 dollars per year in supplies for the past 5 years. And to think this was over a $7.95 roll of labels.

[ January 20, 2007, 01:05 PM: Message edited by: BjornBee ]

[SGebauer]

Hi BjornBee,

Again, I appreciate the comments/feedback. Things Every single customer is an important customer. Whether they are a hobbyist that spends a few hundred dollars a year or a commercial account the spends thousands of dollars a year, our goal is provide quality products with quality service at a quality price. Do we fall short occasionally? Yes, but there isn't a company out there that doesn't. The true test, in my opinion, is in the actions that follow.

BjornBee, give me a call sometime. I would love the opportunity to demonstrate Betterbee's commitment to customer service. That goes for anyone.

Cheers,
Shane

[Focus on Bees]

I have really enjoyed this thread. Shane, you are a good example of BetterBee trying to handle things in an adult profession way. I do admire you in that you do not stoop to accusations, and you are making an effort to make things better. I like to hear that other beeks are still interested in ordering from you again. That is nice to see. I respect everyone on this post who can act profession in their postings. Its a good read when you don't have to go through all the finger pointing and slandering. Keep up the good work everyone !!!

[Lively Bee's]

Iddee just so you now it was more then 1 email and more then one phone call on this matter.

I run a small bis I do 100% mobile Fire truck repair and I can tell you if I do not quote shipping on some thing then I will not back up and make that person pay for the shipping. If I mis-price some thing I eat the loss. Its all about keeping your customers happy. I dont think if better bee would have had to pay for the shipping that it would have forced them in to go out of business.

just like bjornbee said they should have gave him the lables just for the error. I can give you a nice exp of this I was sent one case small supers in a order of 10 case of med. When I called the supplier back they gave me option to keep them at 1/2 price so they would not have to pay the shipping back so I did and give them to the local 4-h camp.

Its all about keeping some one happy.

The End

[ January 20, 2007, 08:39 PM: Message edited by: Lively Bee's ]

[iddee]

lively,
back up and read the other posts. It wasn't aimed at you.

[Joel]

I started ordering from Betterbee after meeting Bob Stevens at the 1994 ABF Convention in Norfolk. Still have the can of candle spray I bought that day!

I too have experianced many of the problems mentioned here. We were on track to order a great deal of supplies from BB but were often getting back ordered or sometimes when back ordered forced to pay higher prices for the same thing in smaller amounts (glycerine for example). The repetitive phone calls were a common thread for us. It took forever to get things shipped. In those early days we spent a couple hundred a year on supplies, currently we spend around $15,000 - $20,000/yr but with Bee Supply Houses other than Better Bee. Much of of it had to do with the attitude we got over the phone. A customer problem is usually minor until the person on the phone gives my wife an attitude. After that you can stick a fork in it because it's all done!

Having said that, I am a member of their websiteand online ordering and have ordered some items from them over the last couple of years including queen excluders, hive tools, a case of lip balm containers here and there. A couple of years ago we bought 2 drums of HFCS which was picked up there. The online ordering does seem to have streamlined things. You can bet though the next bad attitude on the phone will be the last for us.

My sense with Better Bee was never one that they did not care but one of a company which could not outrun growing pains. I think their stock, especially for items relating to value added products, is great, possibly the best around. I always thought Bob's input into equipment in his catalog was well researched and very honest. I found it heartening to hear him say something in the catalog was not his favorite. He was just as straight forward to speak with on the phone and really on top of things before his unfortunate illness.

Good Luck Shane, I expect you'll get the opportunity to get more business from us. I hope you use this thread as an opportunity to improve on a less than 5 star customer relations reputation.

[ January 20, 2007, 11:30 PM: Message edited by: Joel ]

[ikeepbees]

Hello everyone,

I have ordered regularly from betterbee for about 6 years now, and my overall experience has been a positive one.

I have experienced a few of the problems mentioned above, but not often enough to cause concern. If I were to make a recommendation for improvement, it would be to have more inventory on hand as I have had problems, at times, getting product when I needed and having to backorder or go somwhere else.

Edited 1/20/07 for spelling.

[ January 20, 2007, 09:03 PM: Message edited by: ikeepbees ]

[JohnK and Sheri]

I use Betterbee on a regular basis, and have for years. I get my labels from them and can find things in their catalog that just isn't offered elsewhere, they have a great selection.

My experience with them has been mostly positive. There have been a few backorders, with at times an entire order held up waiting for one particular piece, unbeknownst to me until I call asking about the delayed delivery. This can be a problem when waiting for an important item. I now make sure shipping is NOT held under those conditions. Telephone contact has been a very few times overly abrupt, with the operator not willing to take the extra step to facilitate customer satisfaction, but never outright rude. Mostly it has been friendly and helpful. I am a patient person and the few issues were resolved in a timely satisfactory manner. When a time or two an item was not shipped it was sent along no questions asked.

My one complaint, and it is a big one, often influencing my decision to buy elsewhere if I can, is the often slow fullfillment/shipping. It is not uncommon to wait 2 weeks+ for an order, and I always assume a week-10 days. I do lots of purchasing country wide (just ask my husband, ha!) and their shipping is amongst the worst of any I have dealt with. They are loosing lots of business, I see from this thread, much of it due to fullfillment issues. I too would be ordering a much larger percentage of our needs if this problem could be assuaged.
Their policy does allow for expidited shipping but at extremely exhorbitant prices. I do a mail order biz also so I know the costs involved and the options available, it would behoove them to take a serious look at these fullfillment/shipping issues.

I am so glad to see the attention to this thread that Shane is giving, and I commend him and his company. I hope this attention results in positive changes and improvement in the areas of concern. I as a customer would surely welcome them, spring buying season is coming up fast. 8-)
Sheri

[Barry Digman]

I looked at the first post and noted that Shane, the manager of Betterbee, responded to the complaint in about 3 hours. This on a public forum, to a message that wasn't even addressed to him. That says a lot about paying attention to customers in my opinion. Good for him.

I don't order much from anyone east of the Mississippi. Shipping costs are just too high. For example, an assembled nuc from Betterbee that sells for $23.95 costs an additional $13 dollars to ship to me in the middle of nowhere. That's not Betterbee's fault of course, everyone has the same problem.

What's intriguing about this thread is that a company goes to the effort to come on a public forum and is willing to suffer the slings and arrows for some reason. It suggests to me that not only are they interested in the customer who had a problem, but also that they recognize that there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of existing and potential customers who are reading this. Which leads me to the purchasing power of the members here.

A couple of years back we discussed a buying club or co-op of some sort to pool orders and solicit bids from either supply houses or directly from manufacturers. It seems that with over 5,000 registered members it might be time to take a look at that again. I know of co-ops that serve the building materials industry and the retail furniture industry. For the most part they can provide a method to lower costs to the buyer without compromising the profits of the manufacturer or supplier. I believe there are other suppliers on this board who might be interested.

I volunteer Bjorn to explore this avenue since he's already buying a considerable volume. I would expect that if it came to fruition that the person in charge would be compensated by commissions or really, really deep discounts.

[ January 21, 2007, 03:41 PM: Message edited by: coyote ]

[amymcg]

In defense of Betterbee customer service. . .

Anytime I have ordered and items are on backorder, I have received an email stating that some of the items are on back order and to email them if I want the instock items to ship immediately, or to do nothing if I want to wait and have everything shipped together.

Whever I have had them on the phone, customer service has been polite and helpful.

The only time things I have tried to get were backordered were when I was trying to buy something that was "in season" like trying to buy hive bodies in April or May, the same time everyone else was trying to buy them.

I have found that it is sometimes easier to just pick up the phone and call them and place the order if it is something I think might be backorderd and I need it right away. That way, I know if it's in stock and will ship, and if it's not then I will have to go with someone else.

Thank you Shane for taking the time to reply on here, regardless of the criticism.

[Garry Forsythe]

I order from several suppliers, picking and choosing items from each, and I will say that Betterbee generally has the best service of any of them! Much better than Mann Lake.

[Grant]

I have nothing but GOOD things to say about Betterbee. I buy almost all of my plastic bottles/containers from them.

Here is a tip: when you order a "free shipping" bulk order of plastic containers, make that one order.

If you order anything else, have it shipped separately. Mixing bulk "free shipping" and regular paid shipping items messes up the order. But this is an observation based on experience, not a complaint.

Other than that, I'll order from them again and again.

Grant
Jackson, MO

[D. Murrell]

Hi Guys,

I've ordered bee equipment from all of the major suppliers, Betterbee among them, and most of the manufactures. And I can't complain about any of them. No kidding. I've certainly got better, more honest service from the bee side than I have from some other segments I've dealt with.

I haven't found the bee side quite up to the speed found in say the jit based high tech industries. But I haven't really approached it from that angle either. I guess I'm just an old bee farmer :>)

Regards
Dennis

[paintingpreacher]

The only problem I have had with Betterbee is like Grant says. Ordering Bulk (Free Shipping) along with other items. It seems the shipping charges get complicated. Only had problems on one small order, but after contacting them everything was worked out. I wish they were not so for away. They have some items that I cannot find elsewhere.

[ikeepbees]

I'm sure price increases are going to be across the board with all the suppliers. I did, however, place an order with Betterbee today while looking at the 2006 catalog (haven't received the 2007 model yet) and the price of one of the items I ordered has gone up over 19% for 2007. Might want to check the new catalogs closely as they come in this year.

[IndianaHoney]

I recently placed an order for 25lbs of deep unwired brood foundation. They didn't wait until it was warm to send the foundation as other companys do. I don't remember the exact date, but they sent it in late Dec, or early Jan. About 60% of the foundation is broken and unusable, and all of it is brittle from being shipped in cold weather. Embedding will only break it. The best I can do with it is melt it down and use it to paint wax on foundationless frames.

That being said, I emailed them about the problem. I was called the next business day, and the lady said they made a mistake and that they usally hold that until warmer weather. She stated that they would send me new foundation when its warm enough to ship. I haven't received it yet, and the reason is that its still cold. Lets see how they ultimately solve this problem. When the weather turns warm, I should receive a replacement order free of any cost or inconvience to me. Lets see if they keep their promise to make this right.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

I got the new catalog the other day and it's got a lot of new items in it for this year. smile.gif

All of you people going to eight frame equipment should take a look, it's chock full of eight frame stuff.

[JC]

I ordered about $5,000 of equipment about 7 years ago, and my attitude was: Better Bee needs better employees! I am happy to see that Better Bee is giving better service that just lip service. I will try ordering from Better Bee again.

[Joel]

Got my catalog today, great assortment.

I have a hunch this post will be good for Betterbee and the customers. Shane apparrently has a great deal of pride in the company, has responded positively here and I'll bet has already had a staff meeting or 2 to make positive change.

I can hardly wait to place my order! Anyone in my area interested in splitting the fuel for a trip to Greewich?

[Craig W.]

As a grower I know what it is like to feel you have been messed with. I also know because of my occurrence with a customer how important it is to have fellow beeks step up to the plate in support of each other.
My deal was I picked, or had picked for me, several boxes of blackberries to a local store. Upon delivery the store canceled the order. This cost me a lot of money. Berries only last a few days. I had to freeze them thus losing money.
Not one grower in the farmers market stopped doing business with that store. I felt there just isn't any cohesion among similar businesses any more. I felt others should stop doing business with this store because of what he did to me thus making a lasting impression. If you mess on one of us, you do it to all of us.
I think we as beeks should have that attitude toward those who mess on us and don't make thing right. At least this type of action would only need to be done once or twice and the owners would make sure this does not happen again.
This would not be done to those who made a mistake and cleared things up.
We would agree not to give that business any of our business until the problem was properly resolved to the satisfaction of the one who was wronged.

It is this type of brotherly cohesion that farmers had years ago and got respect, this is the same purpose unions use. When a business feels they offend one but there are many more to do business with them, they have the attitude of what the heck. I am not saying this is the attitude of the business mentioned above, I have never done business with them, I did order my first catalog from them today though.

What say you?

[Lively Bee's]

Well I guess IÂ’m a lot different when I get poor service from a company I will not support that company again and I will spread the word about how poor the service was. Some people were impressed about how the fast responses were from Shane in a public forum. Now I would have been impressed if they would have called me and worked out the problems or just shipped the order for free.

But never less I bought my $8500 worth of supplies from Kelley, Dadant, and Brushy Mountain. Even a small time beekeeper should get great service out of a supplier.

Thank you
Keith

[sc-bee]

Great idea Coyote! Maybe a discount card issued by Beesource for a small dicount card fee, with the proceeds from the card going to help upkeep the site. Of course the member(s) would have an option not to purchase a card if he/she chooses.

[Jeffzhear]

I received a betterbee catalog last week and was impressed with the wide selection of items offered. When I first read this thread, I thought that I would probably stay away from ordering from betterbee, but after following all the posts, I have to say that I will absolutely become a customer shortly. You know, everyone and every company makes mistakes. When they sincerely try to make it right by me, I usually am pretty forgiving.

[Rob Mountain]

Congratulation Shane – You certainly handled this in the professional manner that you are becoming well known for. Betterbee can certainly be proud to have a man of your caliber in the position that you are in.

Rob Mountain
Dadant Branch Manager
Frankfort, Kentucky

[Dan Williamson]

My 2 cents.

I get most of my bottles from BB. I haven't had a problem with them. I continue ordering from them and frankly the turn around time for me seems to be fairly quick.

I only have ordered online and so haven't had the "pleasure" of talking to anyone on the phone.

I don't expect things to always go smoothly. I have had one issue or another with other bee supply places as well even the "bad attitude" or "condesceding tone" from others.

Betterbee will continue to get my business.... and all you 8-framers out there outta be happy that there is another 8-frame supplier now.... smile.gif

[indypartridge]

My two online orders from BetterBee last year were filled/shipped quickly without any problems. They were small orders, one being bottles, buckets & misc supplies, the other being labels. I'm a satisfied customer.

[Jeffzhear]

Joel! I'll split the gas with you! But, I'd prefer you wait till the weather warms up a bit! I believe you'd have to drive right past my house... I'll check on Mapquest tonight.
Jeff

[RonS]

I ordered a polystyrene hive and 30 pierco frames for the supers. They called me because they could not supply the special glue. I elected to wait until they received it. They called back a few weeks later advising that they only had the big bottle, but if I wanted, they would ship it at the small bottle price. I took it and the shipment arrived in short order, as advertised.

I am marking their new catalog for future extraction supplies.

[Matt NY]

I live about 20 minutes from BetterBee. I ordered nuc #1 last year and it was great. I took their beginners class that Shane taught and he was great. I have talked to him a couple times since then and he has always seemed happy to discuss anything bees. He seems like the genuine article to me. I'm getting ready for year #2, more nucs, more equipment, swarm traps maybe a split! I'm figuring this is my store, some items seem higher, but I will pick up so no big deal. I believe in customer loyalty and expect good customer service.
I'm begging you Shane clean up some of the loose ends you mentioned. It sounds like you are on the right track and what you said here fits with my first impression of you. (Poor guy was teaching the beginners class with his eye swollen shut!) I want to be your customer, I want to be treated like I'm your only customer. If so you will be my only supplier. One nuc last year, four this year that means sixteen next year, with all the things that go along. I hope it works this way.

[shorts]

BB does have a lot of good stuff and some reasonable prices, but the shipping department has very little flexability. I tried to get them to ship to Alaska Fedex Economy, but they would not. Only next day. The shipping was more than the order... Nearly everything flys up to here anyway, so why tripple the price. Thanks. Shorts

[cdraves]

I just hung up the phone with betterbee requesting an update on an order placed at the beginning of the month.(check cleared on the 8th). I was informed that bb needed an additional 24.00 before they would ship, which I promptly paid. My gripe is why did they not call or send an e-mail?? This is not the first time this has occured :confused

[spunky]

I placed an order on the 9th of feb. Called and left a message today for a follow up , and he (Shane )called me back within the hour smile.gif . Explained it was too cold to ship wax foundation, and it would be out when the weather broke. Thanks Betterbee

[Joel]

My last 2 shipping experiance (last 3 weeks) have been much improved. I called to check on Apistan I had ordered on Feb. 27 on tues the 6th, the shipping department rep was very friendly (thanks Brenda) and about an hour after the call the UPS truck pulled up.

Here's a story of good responsive action by Shane. I'm certain problems can still happen but the efrot and improvement is certainly noted.

[Brent Bean]

I have order form many beekeeping suppliers none of which I have had problems with I would have to say I order most from Mann Lake and Betterbee, with no problems I do wonder why Betterbee’s shipping cost are a little higher? But on the items I order there prices are lower so it balances out. I have placed orders on the internet and by phone and when I have had a problem with an order they made it right without any hassle. So Betterbee as far as I am concerned thumbs up.

[Jesse]

This is my second year of beekeeping and I have ordered from dadant, mann lake, bushy mountain, and better bee. I have done most of my business with betterbee, their prices tend to be cheaper than the others and they have more products that im interested in.

Even though Mann lake and Dadant are much closer, and charge less for shipping - betterbee usually beats them both. However, my last two orders needed additional shipping - one order going from $20 to $45 - also one of the plastic wingnuts on a honey gate was broken. Not really a big deal, but annoying.

I won't stop buying from them, in fact, I still recommend them. I just wish they could refine their shipping calculator.

[shepherd]

A few years ago when I was first interested in getting started I sent an email to 3 or 4 companies asking basic questions and Shane at Betterbee was the only one who took the time to respond and he has continued to every time I have a question. I get the usual pile of catalogs every year and find Betterbee's prices very competitive, quick to ship, plesant to deal with and accurate with shipping costs and packing the orders. They have even made things right when it was my stupidity not their error. 99% of my purchases have been through them since I started and plan to keep it that way. Every company has an occassional problem with back orders or an employee that is not up to snuff but it would have been better to deal with this over the phone to Shane when the problem occurred rather than using this forum. The problems could have been resolved sooner.

[IndianaHoney]

About the foundation that Betterbee said they would replace. I received the new foundation today with a invoice for 0.00. I went through half of the foundation and they seem to be in good shape. I didn't even have to remind them. Now that's the way customer service should be. Thank you Shane.

[Ravenseye]

Well, I just placed an order from Betterbee BECAUSE of this thread. If someone makes a mistake, explains it....apologizes for it......or corrects it, then everything is square. We, as customers, ALWAYS have choice and often exercise it. Holding a grudge, prolonging an incident or desiring retribution is best left to non-beekeepers. If Betterbee wants, earns and keeps my business, I'm happy to be a customer. My business is theirs to lose, just like anyone else's.

Thank you Shane.

[Focus on Bees]

Ravenseye, I also placed an order with them because of this thread. Good work Shane

[JBird]

I placed an order with BetterBee back in January or February that included foundation. It was explained to me that they'd hold the package until warmer weather lest the foundation crack. I said ok. The order arrived earlier this week, everything in fine condition.

[Tulipwood]

I have found it is the luck of the draw with Betterbee. Sometimes you get someone who is helpful and sometimes you get someone who has major attitude.

[hummingberd]

So, I originally wrote a post acussing better bee of offering free shipping, but then charging me for it. I am editing my post because after Shane contacted me directly, and asked for my order number so he could help, I realized that it was WESTERN BEE, not Better bee that messed up my order.

I AM SOOOOO SORRY for any negative publicity this may have caused better bee. And I figure I owe them one, so I'll be placing an order with them shortly for frames and hive bodies. Thanks to Shane for making the effort to contact me. I appreciate what you're doing here, and I think it shows strength of character!

Sorry again for the false nab!!!

-K-

[Tulipwood]

I asked them to take me off their mailing list about six months ago. It's a shame, because they are within driving distance for me. But I just didn't like their snippy attitude and I get such great service all my other suppliers, even if they are much farther away.

[Cyndi]

Tulipwood,

I too experienced the 'snippy' attitude last year with Betterbee. Then for some reason I decided not to give up on them and contacted them about another product, candlemaking supplies...they have a vast selection of items. I got great customer service that time..unfortunately, the only gripe I have now is that their tea lite and votive wicking for Beeswax are terrible. I had no luck whatsoever with these products. Soo, I ended up with Glory Bee Foods and Mid-Con for wicking supplies. These people gave me samples to work with first, instead of making me buy things I can't use. To me, that is "perfect" customer service!! Betterbee has definitely improved with the Customer Service though. I rate Glory Bee first - they have the BEST Candle Making Supply Selections (that I'm aware of) and they are soo friendly...must be that pacific coast country life, then Brushy Mountain second, then Mid-Con and Betterbee tied third, for various reasons. I haven't dealt with Mann Lake or Dadant yet so therefore I have no idea.

[Tulipwood]

Well, like I said. It seems to be the "luck of the draw" with Betterbee. The last time I got the "snippy" treatment I just cut them loose.

[Limey]

I've ordered a few items from BB but their shipping costs are not competitive.

Their assembled slatted rack with the racks going longways is the best around though and I will continue to order those until I finally get around to making them myself.

I also ordered their sample pack of 15 flavored honey sticks which the kids love :)