I *USED TO* be a fan of Wicked Good charcoal...

yzzi

I have to say that while this was a poor response on her part, it wasn't sent to me and I will keep buying it. More for me I guess. No offense everybody, but I wouldn't expect my bad customer service experiences to drive everyone else's. 

Little Steven

With bleach

caliking

For the record, I  liked WG charcoal , and have said so on the forum.

In the spirit of fairness here is the thread with the post that incited the response from WG. My post is somewhere in the middle of the first page (thanks for the reminder CT): http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1152295/wicked-good-sold-out#latest

The email was most definitely real and copied verbatim except for the deletion of surnames and personal email adddresses.

My intent was not to make others change their charcoal preference. Please continue to shop at places like Ace since they carry alot of other products besides WG. Ace stores have a family/neighborhood hardware store feel which I do appreciate. There are many folks who conduct business civilly on the forum (@stlcharcoal would be a good example), and I guess it was worth noting that there are some who don't.

@henapple: I have been called hash before (as in h-ashish), but I've been called worse If you would ever come down to Houston with some OO, I would be done with such uselessness

As far as a$$-kissing is concerned, I'm not the type to entertain it. I'm not trying to scam a few bags of free charcoal from the company. If I do get any, it will be returned to sender, or left outside for anyone who wants it if the shipper won't take it back.

Having said that, if Wicked Good was the last/only charcoal available...

... I would make my own. I'm sure I can figure out how to.

caliking

@lewisj82: I heard that the Ace BGE dealer in The Woddlands carries Ozark Oak, but not at the "henapple special" price. henapple is special in that he has to be lubricated with a few PBR's for you to get your charcoal.

r270ba

caliking said:

... I would make my own. I'm sure I can figure out how to.

And you would probably make a rolling cart to put it in )

Mickey

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

show previous quotes

Mickey said:

@Travisstrick did you wash your hands good?

I'd hose him down outside just to make sure.

Good thinking. Here at bob's used toyotas we do have a hose.

cazzy

caliking said:

For the record, I  liked WG charcoal , and have said so on the forum.

In the spirit of fairness here is the thread with the post that incited the response from WG. My post is somewhere in the middle of the first page (thanks for the reminder CT): http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1152295/wicked-good-sold-out#latest

The email was most definitely real and copied verbatim except for the deletion of surnames and personal email adddresses.

My intent was not to make others change their charcoal preference. Please continue to shop at places like Ace since they carry alot of other products besides WG. Ace stores have a family/neighborhood hardware store feel which I do appreciate. There are many folks who conduct business civilly on the forum (@stlcharcoal would be a good example), and I guess it was worth noting that there are some who don't.

@henapple: I have been called hash before (as in h-ashish), but I've been called worse If you would ever come down to Houston with some OO, I would be done with such uselessness

As far as a$$-kissing is concerned, I'm not the type to entertain it. I'm not trying to scam a few bags of free charcoal from the company. If I do get any, it will be returned to sender, or left outside for anyone who wants it if the shipper won't take it back.

Having said that, if Wicked Good was the last/only charcoal available...

... I would make my own. I'm sure I can figure out how to.

OH HELL NO!  NO HE DIDN'T!  WHAT A JERKSTORE!   :P

Chubbs

I bet Lee Ann's husband is this color right now :-&

Little Steven

I thought you and @caliking were the same guy. @caliking being the nice one

The Naked Whiz

Lee Ann and Larry are the nicest people imagineable, having known them for probably 8 years or so.  No, Lee Ann won't post here as she doesn't have an ID and neither she nor Larry have ever posted on any forum.  Her words may have been ill-chosen, but I can imagine her frustration since I DO know how hard they have worked, and it probably is a bit galling to hear someone who doesn't know just flip off a comment like they don't care about their charcoal business any more. 

r270ba

The Naked Whiz said:

Lee Ann and Larry are the nicest people imagineable, having known them for probably 8 years or so.  No, Lee Ann won't post here as she doesn't have an ID and neither she nor Larry have ever posted on any forum.  Her words may have been ill-chosen, but I can imagine her frustration since I DO know how hard they have worked, and it probably is a bit galling to hear someone who doesn't know just flip off a comment like they don't care about their charcoal business any more.  

Regardless of what @caliking said, as a business owner, you simply cannot talk to customers that way and expect any other outcome.  Nice or not, work hard or not, the email is unacceptable.  I am also the one who said that the truth lies somewhere in between.  Maybe she was having a bad day, maybe she was frustrated with his post...either way she can't send an email like that and expect anything different that what is happening.

CigarSmokinEgger

I just know it's hard to obtain as I would have to make a 100 mile round trip from Tampa just to get a bag, doesn't make sense and doesn't make sense it's not available in such a big market.

SaturdayFatterday

... I would make my own. I'm sure I can figure out how to.

Here's a way:  http://www.nakedwhiz.com/makinglump.htm

I have no horse in this race, but I gotta say that WG's email strategy, generally, seems prickly and ill-considered.  The email Lee Anne sent to Old North State BBQ Co. might have been honest, but the first thing any customer service rep worth their salt would notice about it is that when a customer emails you about a problem, the very first thing you type should be something like:  

"Dear [Customer]; 

I'm so sorry that you had a negative experience with [product].  Here at [company], we strive for the best quality, and apologize for falling short in this instance."

THEN you explain.  When there's an explanation, but no apology, it's the company tacitly saying that they refuse to take any responsibility for their customers' bad experiences.

Just my two cents.  I'm an Egg and forum newbie, but I was a customer service professional for a long time, and I still work in a field where client relationships are key.  Lee Anne and Larry might be nice, but they need a customer service adviser.  

chris123stock

Chubbs said:

I bet Lee Ann's husband is this color right now :-&

Oh ya. )

Eggcelsior

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

show previous quotes

Mickey said:

@Travisstrick did you wash your hands good?

I'd hose him down outside just to make sure.

Have him go to the VA first. They should have a decontamination trailer out front.

Otherwise, get some lye. Better safe than sorry, @Mickey. You don't know where he has been.

Aviator

@Caliking, sorry brother. It is good charcoal but we are more than a bunch of eggers over here. I will exercise my solidarity with you and the rest of the gang.

No more WG. And that was the only one I used.

Off to wally to get some RO. And if @henapple would hurry up and travel east.... 

henapple

Aviator said:

@Caliking, sorry brother. It is good charcoal but we are more than a bunch of eggers over here. I will exercise my solidarity with you and the rest of the gang.

No more WG. And that was the only one I used.

Off to wally to get some RO. And if @henapple would hurry up and travel east.... 

I'll try to bring quantities back... Maybe a few of us could meet for a drink. Oh, who am I kidding... Drinks. Maybe @SmokeyPit will join us.

Aviator

 

henapple said:

show previous quotes

@Caliking, sorry brother. It is good charcoal but we are more than a bunch of eggers over here. I will exercise my solidarity with you and the rest of the gang.

No more WG. And that was the only one I used.

Off to wally to get some RO. And if @henapple would hurry up and travel east.... 

I'll try to bring quantities back... Maybe a few of us could meet for a drink. Oh, who am I kidding... Drinks. Maybe @SmokeyPit will join us.

Yes! and burn a stick. Will be in Smyrna all weekend for Military if you are in the area stop by. Ill wine and dine you for some Oo.

joe@bge

Wow...glad I am happy with Royal Oak in my area.  Wicked Good is dead to me.   8-X

SmokeyPitt

henapple said:

show previous quotes

@Caliking, sorry brother. It is good charcoal but we are more than a bunch of eggers over here. I will exercise my solidarity with you and the rest of the gang.

No more WG. And that was the only one I used.

Off to wally to get some RO. And if @henapple would hurry up and travel east.... 

I'll try to bring quantities back... Maybe a few of us could meet for a drink. Oh, who am I kidding... Drinks. Maybe @SmokeyPit will join us.

I am down!  

Mickey

Eggcelsior said:

show previous quotes

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Mickey said:

@Travisstrick did you wash your hands good?

I'd hose him down outside just to make sure.

Have him go to the VA first. They should have a decontamination trailer out front.

Otherwise, get some lye. Better safe than sorry, @Mickey. You don't know where he has been.

That and all saw him NAKED :ar!

jaydub58

"It doesn't matter if you like our charcoal or not."  Unbelievable!

Folks, the customer is always right, because the customer is right about where he/she will spend their money.  Never wrong about that!  

CharlieTN

I am a newbie and have no dog at all in this fight.  But I am a salesman in the shooting sports industry, and as many of you are aware, we are still in the middle of the biggest rush this industry has ever seen. Sales have skyrocketed by 2-300% every month since December.  It has been insane, and as such the company I work for has had to make some hard decisions.  We have had to limit who we will sell to, offering the hottest and hardest to get items to those customers who have been there for us and supported us.  It has made many people angry.

I'm saying all of this because I have had so many different individuals who have told me how we should be running our business or how the manufacturers should be "just making more" along with many not so nice remarks.  Each of these individuals have no clue how the industry really works and what is going on.  It would be very easy to get frustrated or angry at how these people conduct themselves toward us.

 However, in all of this we have tried to conduct ourselves with an eye to the future when our sales will drop off considerably and we will need those dealers who are smaller.  We have been respectful to our customers, even those we are not going to sell anything too.

It is never a good thing to blow off the handle with snappy and disrespectful comments.  Hard to continue in business that way.

Charlie

Mross

Remind me to never piss off you guys! Lol

Skiddymarker

@CharlieTN Right on. Customers hardly ever appreciate the details of your business, it is not their job to understand. Just like you said, you try and educate, explain your actions, but never tell the client they do not have a clue - even if it might be true. Again, its not what you say it's often how you say it.  

fletcherfam

I agree with @CharlieTN, my parents are small business owners of a small construction/remodeling company in Portland Oregon. They have owned their business for 35 years and the number one thing that kept them afloat during the roughest times in the recession is exactly what CharlieTN says, those loyal customers that because of how they were treated, talked to, and dealt with came back specifically to them. My parents stayed afloat (barely) when others went under. There have been many times where my dad would call me frustrated with a customer, but he always treated the customer with respect because he never knew when a referral would come for a huge kitchen job.

All that to say, I am not going to boycott Wicked's product (Though I will start to look at other brands). I hope the gal is regretting her decision, butt kissing anyone who needs to (an apology goes a long way), and fixing her approach to business as it will burn you in the long run.

 

GQuiz

Why would a company turn its back on the 4th largest market in the country, in the center of the barbecue universe? @caliking, @travisstrick turned me on to HEB Central Market's brisket and I love it.

travisstrick

I think he ment lump. Central market lump from Heb is my fav at any price.

DIXIEDOG

hapster said:

I wonder if Lurker Ann / Co-Owner will even have the stones to address her mistake here on this thread?

How would this help their cause?   They could dispute what was said and it would be a he said she said....private emails to another person that they decided to post on an open forum don't make me boycott anything.  There are always 2 sides and the truth lands somewhere in the middle in most cases. 

I've dealt with WG customer service before and they were top shelf, I had a shipment of 3 bags arrive damaged from shipping and they quickly replaced the lump without me even asking.  I've been extremely happy with their lump and I think most others that use it are as well....I don't think they'll be changing their name to "wicked gone" as was posted in this thread.   Was the posted response great....no but I don't see anything abusive there either.   The "we don't care" portion was taken out of context...the whole sentence isn't giving the same message.

Kosko

WGWW was my go to fav. Lump! My attitude has totally changed now! I cannot believe that a business owner would e mail a customer what she did! I know that customers aren't always right , and attitudes can flare up but come on!!! That's un called for! No more for me!