frame
Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Sign In RegisterHowdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Categories
- 3.7K All Categories
- 1.5K Forum Discussions
- 73 New Here? Drop in and Say Hi.
- 687 Have your say
- 657 Off-topic
- 12 Getting to know some Members - Interviews
- 14 Good Food - Photos & Recipes
- 1K Coffee Making and Equipment
- 548 Espresso Machines
- 64 Other Brewing Methods
- 103 How to improve your coffee
- 147 Grinders
- 72 Projects & Rebuilds
- 79 Accessories
- 599 The Coffee Lounge - cafe culture
- 32 Cafe reviews
- 226 Coffee Roasting and More
- 63 Home roasting - All about the culture
- 62 Roasting - How To do it
- 99 Roasters - Different Roasting Equipment
- 138 Brown & Green Beans
- 58 Green Beans
- 80 Roasted Beans or Blends
- 264 Sponsors & Marketplace
- 49 Site Sponsors
- 8 K_Bean_Coffee
- 2 Bezzera Australia
- 8 Cosmorex Coffee
- 6 Ministry Grounds
- 2 Coffeeparts
- 17 www.beangreen.com.au
- 4 Coffee Curators
- 158 Classified - Members WTB, For Sale or Free to a Good Home.
In this Discussion
After the old forum software breaking in a way that we were unable to fix, we've migrated the site to a new platform.
Some elements aren't working as we'd hoped - some avatars didn't survive the transition, and we're still having issues with attachments that weren't added as inline images, but we're hoping to have that all sorted out soon.
Some elements aren't working as we'd hoped - some avatars didn't survive the transition, and we're still having issues with attachments that weren't added as inline images, but we're hoping to have that all sorted out soon.
Delivery difficulties by courier
This is a review of my dealings with Amanti Coffee / Bernard Goston / GostonAVend Pty Ltd.
Before Christmas, I was bidding on a NIB grinder sold by amanti. I missed out on winning by $60 and thought 'oh well, that's that' (this is the grinder that sold for $560). I then PM'd Bernard to see if he had any others in stock that he'd be willing to sell for a similar price. After a little back and forth, I agree to buy a 2nd hand grinder (same model number) and he would install brand new burrs for me. This was the sum cost of $560 +$25 freight. I paid on the 24/12 via direct transfer.
Bernard shipped the grinder that same day according to tracking. All was well in the world. I kept tabs on the Toll Ipec tracking, it showed due delivery on 30/12/13. I was away camping at the time, so I called Toll to let them know that I wouldn't be home and if delivery could be delayed.
They said they had to be passed to an 'investigator' to find out where the package is so they could do that. I never heard back a few days later (it was NYE/NYD so I cut them some slack) and figured I'd have a missed delivery when I got home the next day. Nope. Nothing.
Called on the Thursday and that is when I started posting. They couldn't find the package and declared it 'in Brisbane' but lost. I called Bernard who said they would push it from their side and if needed he had another grinder he could ship. After many broken promises from Toll and a good 3 hrs on the phone, on Friday it was found and they said it'd be direct delivered. Again, nothing turned up, and they shut over the weekend. (Top tip, use Toll Priority, they answered the phone in about 30seconds on Saturday).
Finally, come Monday, I called again, and they said it was mis delivered (driver couldn't find our place, fair point as the street/house is very very very hard to find) and it would be re-delivered on Monday.
Finally...3:30pm rolls round and it arrives on my doorstep. I open it up to see that the 1kg bag of coffee had burst and was everywhere...no big deal. I was impressed by the amount of bubble wrap, you could do some serious damage with it! I pull the grinder out to see the unimaginable...the power cord was severed right at the base.
The amount of rage was unquenchable! I hopped on the phone to Bernard straight away. He was very confused and had no idea of the transaction. He thought I had bought two grinders. I told him what the invoice was and he was still confused but we carried on. I sent pictures of the cut cord and he claimed that it was cut during transit. Sorry, but I fail to see how a dull edge could cut through the outer insulation, and the insulation and copper of three separate cores. No possible. He said to send it back and he'd "re-attach" the cable and send it back. Not good enough. By this time I was well and truly fed up with the whole thing and wanted my money back. Bernard agreed and said he would direct transfer the money back before he sends the courier to pick it up.
So that was that, no grinder, no nothing. Bernard then sent me a long text apologising for the situation. He then said he wouldn't be able to refund the money into my account. He wanted to do a 'personal loan' that then would be converted to real money when he got the grinder back. I said this was unacceptable, as I don't do that sort of dodgy business to cover his paperwork. He then said that he couldn't offer anything else. After a little more pushing from my side, he agreed to courier up a cheque to me and the driver, in theory would hand me the cheque and then pick up the grinder at the same time. I un happilly forced into this situation that I had to accept (the grinder was useless to me). I agreed and he said he'd call me once it was sorted out. He refused to issue a bank cheque and would only issue a personal cheque.
After cooling down, I thought I'd investigate the idea of reparing the cable and using the grinder. Calling Bernard he said that he preffered that as it saved shipping, he would credit $50 for a sparky. (has anyone ever seen how much they charge? It'd be $150+ just for the call out).
Lucky for me, I have a friend who is a sparky and I am an electrical engineer. So he (the sparky) came round, we pulled the base apart and refitted a new cable. Lucky for us, Fiorenzato make is super crazy easy to service the machine. I was impressed by the Siemens motor starter they use inside.
Grinder powered on and all was well in the world. The sparky however agreed with me that there was no-way the cord was cut during transit and it was done in the factory/shop. Probably with some sort of blunt instrument (as you can see from the photos). The grinder is on feet, on a bed of bubble wrap, wrapped in bubble wrap! I even took photos into work to consult other sparkies and engineers, all agreed.
After playing with the grinder for a few days I was still feeling uneasy about the cut cord. Why would someone cut a cord? Normally it means the device is unsafe! (even though the grinder has a solid earthing system) I wasn't happy to have an appliance that could potentially cause damage or be unsafe.
I was also unhappy with the performance of the grinder. It was extremely messy, grinds everywhere. After some emailing with lukemc, we came to the conclusion that this was an older model (cira 2011) and the exit spot was a different design. Compare the photo below to the photos of the NIB grinder on ebay and that lukemc has uploaded. The new design is more angled and pronounced.
I called Bernard and said that I would still like to return the grinder and that the sparky said the cord was cut. He still refused to admit any dodgy stuff on his part, but was happy enough to do the cheque/grinder exchange. At this point, Bernard was becoming hostile in his tone on the phone and wasn't returning my calls, I was having to do everything and initiate it all via text. I find this sort of behaviour unprofessional.
I (with my sparky friend) restored the original cut loom and returned everything to the way it arrived in the box.
Bernard then passed me onto someone else, a "Chris" in their warehouse. He was very helpful and sympathetic. He said that a cheque was already in the courier and to have the grinder waiting. I said I needed 1 day notice to bring it and register it with my workplace mailroom. Lucky for me, the cheque arrived that day.
BUT, again, Bernard was playing silly games with me, only refunding $560 and not the $25 freight charge. I have a text record saying he would do both. I decided to cut my losses and bank the cheque. Bernard still refused my calls, Chris offered to direct deposit the remainder $25 into my account which was acceptable. This never came through. The next day the grinder was picked up (after an issue with the destination address) and my cheque finally cleared on Saturday. I texted Bernard about the $25 why it wasn't done. He said I didn't understand properly and Chris meant that it would be transfered after they received it. Why refund 95% but not the $25? Makes no sense to me.
Chris sent me a text and insisted to send me some beans as an apology. He was very reasonable. Bernard not so much. I accepted the beans and they arrived the next day.
The cherry on the cake for me is this; I went to bid on another item they sell (jug rinser) to be informed by eBay that the seller had blocked me from bidding on any items. I was utterly shocked. What had I done so wrong to deserve this treatment? I called Bernard (who promptly ignored my call, Chris asked him to call me back), when I asked him, he was quite hostile, claiming that he took his reputation and eBay feedback seriously and didn't want to jepordise that. I was a little taken aback as a) I couldn't leave feedback as it was out of eBay purchase and b) I was interested in repairing the professional relationship and potentially purchase some products from him. Bernard held his view that he simply wanted to walk away and not have to deal with this.
And that is where I am now...still $25 short (the grinder should be in their hands by now) and blocked on eBay, and dealt with in a hostile way.
Chris went a long way in repairing the damage, but I sadly can't say that Bernard dealt with the situation in an ethical and fair way. Sadly I can't recommend that people use/bid on his products.
Tim
Before Christmas, I was bidding on a NIB grinder sold by amanti. I missed out on winning by $60 and thought 'oh well, that's that' (this is the grinder that sold for $560). I then PM'd Bernard to see if he had any others in stock that he'd be willing to sell for a similar price. After a little back and forth, I agree to buy a 2nd hand grinder (same model number) and he would install brand new burrs for me. This was the sum cost of $560 +$25 freight. I paid on the 24/12 via direct transfer.
Bernard shipped the grinder that same day according to tracking. All was well in the world. I kept tabs on the Toll Ipec tracking, it showed due delivery on 30/12/13. I was away camping at the time, so I called Toll to let them know that I wouldn't be home and if delivery could be delayed.
They said they had to be passed to an 'investigator' to find out where the package is so they could do that. I never heard back a few days later (it was NYE/NYD so I cut them some slack) and figured I'd have a missed delivery when I got home the next day. Nope. Nothing.
Called on the Thursday and that is when I started posting. They couldn't find the package and declared it 'in Brisbane' but lost. I called Bernard who said they would push it from their side and if needed he had another grinder he could ship. After many broken promises from Toll and a good 3 hrs on the phone, on Friday it was found and they said it'd be direct delivered. Again, nothing turned up, and they shut over the weekend. (Top tip, use Toll Priority, they answered the phone in about 30seconds on Saturday).
Finally, come Monday, I called again, and they said it was mis delivered (driver couldn't find our place, fair point as the street/house is very very very hard to find) and it would be re-delivered on Monday.
Finally...3:30pm rolls round and it arrives on my doorstep. I open it up to see that the 1kg bag of coffee had burst and was everywhere...no big deal. I was impressed by the amount of bubble wrap, you could do some serious damage with it! I pull the grinder out to see the unimaginable...the power cord was severed right at the base.
The amount of rage was unquenchable! I hopped on the phone to Bernard straight away. He was very confused and had no idea of the transaction. He thought I had bought two grinders. I told him what the invoice was and he was still confused but we carried on. I sent pictures of the cut cord and he claimed that it was cut during transit. Sorry, but I fail to see how a dull edge could cut through the outer insulation, and the insulation and copper of three separate cores. No possible. He said to send it back and he'd "re-attach" the cable and send it back. Not good enough. By this time I was well and truly fed up with the whole thing and wanted my money back. Bernard agreed and said he would direct transfer the money back before he sends the courier to pick it up.
So that was that, no grinder, no nothing. Bernard then sent me a long text apologising for the situation. He then said he wouldn't be able to refund the money into my account. He wanted to do a 'personal loan' that then would be converted to real money when he got the grinder back. I said this was unacceptable, as I don't do that sort of dodgy business to cover his paperwork. He then said that he couldn't offer anything else. After a little more pushing from my side, he agreed to courier up a cheque to me and the driver, in theory would hand me the cheque and then pick up the grinder at the same time. I un happilly forced into this situation that I had to accept (the grinder was useless to me). I agreed and he said he'd call me once it was sorted out. He refused to issue a bank cheque and would only issue a personal cheque.
After cooling down, I thought I'd investigate the idea of reparing the cable and using the grinder. Calling Bernard he said that he preffered that as it saved shipping, he would credit $50 for a sparky. (has anyone ever seen how much they charge? It'd be $150+ just for the call out).
Lucky for me, I have a friend who is a sparky and I am an electrical engineer. So he (the sparky) came round, we pulled the base apart and refitted a new cable. Lucky for us, Fiorenzato make is super crazy easy to service the machine. I was impressed by the Siemens motor starter they use inside.
Grinder powered on and all was well in the world. The sparky however agreed with me that there was no-way the cord was cut during transit and it was done in the factory/shop. Probably with some sort of blunt instrument (as you can see from the photos). The grinder is on feet, on a bed of bubble wrap, wrapped in bubble wrap! I even took photos into work to consult other sparkies and engineers, all agreed.
After playing with the grinder for a few days I was still feeling uneasy about the cut cord. Why would someone cut a cord? Normally it means the device is unsafe! (even though the grinder has a solid earthing system) I wasn't happy to have an appliance that could potentially cause damage or be unsafe.
I was also unhappy with the performance of the grinder. It was extremely messy, grinds everywhere. After some emailing with lukemc, we came to the conclusion that this was an older model (cira 2011) and the exit spot was a different design. Compare the photo below to the photos of the NIB grinder on ebay and that lukemc has uploaded. The new design is more angled and pronounced.
I called Bernard and said that I would still like to return the grinder and that the sparky said the cord was cut. He still refused to admit any dodgy stuff on his part, but was happy enough to do the cheque/grinder exchange. At this point, Bernard was becoming hostile in his tone on the phone and wasn't returning my calls, I was having to do everything and initiate it all via text. I find this sort of behaviour unprofessional.
I (with my sparky friend) restored the original cut loom and returned everything to the way it arrived in the box.
Bernard then passed me onto someone else, a "Chris" in their warehouse. He was very helpful and sympathetic. He said that a cheque was already in the courier and to have the grinder waiting. I said I needed 1 day notice to bring it and register it with my workplace mailroom. Lucky for me, the cheque arrived that day.
BUT, again, Bernard was playing silly games with me, only refunding $560 and not the $25 freight charge. I have a text record saying he would do both. I decided to cut my losses and bank the cheque. Bernard still refused my calls, Chris offered to direct deposit the remainder $25 into my account which was acceptable. This never came through. The next day the grinder was picked up (after an issue with the destination address) and my cheque finally cleared on Saturday. I texted Bernard about the $25 why it wasn't done. He said I didn't understand properly and Chris meant that it would be transfered after they received it. Why refund 95% but not the $25? Makes no sense to me.
Chris sent me a text and insisted to send me some beans as an apology. He was very reasonable. Bernard not so much. I accepted the beans and they arrived the next day.
The cherry on the cake for me is this; I went to bid on another item they sell (jug rinser) to be informed by eBay that the seller had blocked me from bidding on any items. I was utterly shocked. What had I done so wrong to deserve this treatment? I called Bernard (who promptly ignored my call, Chris asked him to call me back), when I asked him, he was quite hostile, claiming that he took his reputation and eBay feedback seriously and didn't want to jepordise that. I was a little taken aback as a) I couldn't leave feedback as it was out of eBay purchase and b) I was interested in repairing the professional relationship and potentially purchase some products from him. Bernard held his view that he simply wanted to walk away and not have to deal with this.
And that is where I am now...still $25 short (the grinder should be in their hands by now) and blocked on eBay, and dealt with in a hostile way.
Chris went a long way in repairing the damage, but I sadly can't say that Bernard dealt with the situation in an ethical and fair way. Sadly I can't recommend that people use/bid on his products.
Tim
Comments