Hobby Homebrew - Carbondale, Illinois

Michael P.

Finally was able to find and purchase my childhood BBQ Sauce. Had to order through Amazon, but now I can order directly from the company! If you're tired of all the sweet BBQ sauces, then I recommend trying this and I'm not saying it because it's named after my hometown, I review and give feedback according to my tastes, likes, etc!

Cory P.

Highly recommend. I needed to bottle some sparkling wine and found both the best prices and product quality on corks, muselets, cages and foils from Hobby Homebrew. Fast shipping to the west coast and knowledgable service. Thanks!

Ben

Accidentally was sent the wrong item. No worries! They were highly responsive and quick to resolve. Thank you so much. It's hard to find businesses like yours. Keep up the great customer service and quality parts. I'm hoping to swing by the shop sometime. Prost!

kevin S.

Bought a Sansone water container (not sure why it says cooler, it's got no cooling properties per se) through Amazon from this seller to hold my RO water at home for consumption. Has never been exposed to anything but air and water and kept inside the house, yet, developed some serious rust issues at several areas on the barrel and was quickly getting worse. Contacted the manufacturer, who claims lifetime warranty, and exchanged numerous emails regarding this issue, with the result being that the water container offered here by Hobby Homebrew is NOT made to hold water!, despite the name.The Sansone containers made to hold water have additional treatments made to the drum/barrel, and have h2O logo imprinted on it. So I contacted the seller, who misrepresented the item, but then denied everything and passed on the blame to others. My last option was of course AMZ, and as you can imagine it was an arduous process, with the main issue being that 30 days have passed since the purchase. I explained that it does take some time for rust to develop and item is clearly misrepresented here, so seller, in my opinion, should be held accountable. I provided all the email documentation from the manufacturer, however, it felt like every time I talked to a rep, I was starting from the beginning. On top of that, I was unable to talk to the actual people making a decision about my claim, so while the phone reps were understanding and sympathetic to my situation (I guess they're trained that way), my claim was getting denied again and again. So here I am, having spent around $250 for a water container, that's unusable within few months, and nobody's owning up to it and I'm still without a usable product nor the money. At the very last attempt, I was able to obtain some courtesy credit that's nowhere near what I have paid for the product, and that has to be used for items sold by AMZ. This whole experience has been very frustrating and I'm actually surprised Hobby Homebrew continues to sell this misrepresented product with impunity. At the end of the day, no matter what the response from this company is, the fact remains that they're selling an item NOT suitable to hold water under pretense it is, and when contacted about it, they refused to take responsibility. I would avoid buying anything from this company.

Your response further proves that you guys completely inept to listen and relate to a simple situation from a customer point of view. Let me address your pathetic answer in sections
1)"the remedy is simple. Return the item through Amazon" - Amazon won't accept return after 30 days!
2)"Beyond the Amazon return period the manufacturer's warranty applies" - The manufacturer has NO reason to warranty a rusty metal drum that was NOT manufactured to hold water. (Despite how you decided to name the product)
3)"These descriptions are the property of Amazon and we can only suggest changes. This we have done." - Oh, I'm sure sure you have some influence over how the product you're selling on Amazon is called. After all you're the seller, Amazon is just a platform you're using to sell a product, so the responsibility falls on you if an item is grossly misrepresented. Oh, and you have suggested a name change? So you admit to misnaming the item, correct? So stop passing the buck. Bottom line is, you're selling a container that's NOT made to hold water under a name that clearly implies IT IS.
Let that fact, as well as your inability to own up to it, and correct the situation serve as a cautionary tale to anyone considering purchasing from Hobby Homebrew. Buyer Beware!

Dana G.

BUYER BEWARE!!! From prima-facie, it appears that Hobby Homebrew is engaging in illegal deceptive business practices with some customers. On Aug. 10th, 2024, I ordered their "Still Spirits =Large= 13" Distilling Parrot Solid Copper and Silver Solder for use with Proof & Tralle Hydrometer Alcometer" from their Amazon store.

Interestingly enough, Hobby Homebrew charged my credit card for $107.20 and then created a "shipping label" with UPS to satisfy Amazon. As an Amazon Prime member, the item was to be delivered in 2 days. The rest of my order was delivered on Aug. 11th with no issues. Amazon shows that the item was shipped and it was even "Out For Delivery" within 5 days. That came and went.

The Amazon status then changed to running late. However, this is when I began to investigate Hobby Homebrew much closer! In discovery, it quickly became obvious from other reviews here, on Amazon and on their other web stored that I was not the only one who has ordered items and never received them, despite the fact that Hobby Homebrew charged them for the item(s) as they done me.

I find it very interesting that another consumer here, who experienced the same issue, Hobby Homebrew was quick to review the Subject's Google Reviews and noted that most all of the Subject's reviews were negative. This is very telling that far more businesses lack integrity. I am no exception and while I would much rather give positive reviews, far too many engage in deceptive business practices. However, most consumers do not understand business and/or consumer laws that are their to protect them.

Attached to this review is 10 Exhibits that evidence that I in fact did order an item from Hobby Homebrew, and moreover, while Hobby Homebrew may attempt to explain this away, the evidence is beyond a reasonable doubt of their actions. Hobby Homebrew has made no attempt to contact me regarding the issue, when in fact at the time of ordering, their Amazon store evidenced that they had many of this item in stock.

Moveover, the evidence is clear and going to the UPS Tracking website, and entering the tracking number, evidences Hobby Homebrew's deceptive business practice and that UPS has not yet receive the item from Hobby Homebrew.

Importantly, understand that treble damages are not discretionary when a party satisfies the prerequisites: "When a plaintiff has made its election for damages and has met the prerequisites for treble damages under the kaw here. The statute does not make it discretionary for a trial court to award either actual damages or treble damages[.] Put differently, "after a plaintiff satisfies the predicate requirements, the law mandates that a trial court award treble damages.

Further, it matters not whether a court believes that a company acted in good faith, or believes that an award of treble damages would be unjust. If a consumer satisfies the requirements, then denying treble damages because of perceived unfairness or good faith on the part of the company "is in direct contravention of the statute." In other words, "[g]ood faith and substantial compliance do not provide a defense to an award of treble damages. The trial court here is not free to exercise its sound discretion in fashioning a remedy appropriate to the fact[s]." Appellate courts routinely reverse trial court decisions denying treble damages, despite the trial court's belief that the business's conduct was not sufficiently egregious to warrant treble damages, because the consumer satisfied the requirements of law.

With that being said, you have until Aug. 27, 2024 to have the item I ordered and paid for at my door by the end of the day, or I will seek legal remedies. A mere full refund will not be sufficient when there are also statutory violations.

I strongly recommend responding to my email and resolving this matter in a timely fashion!

Derik W.

Very disappointed with customer service. Two attempts to contact through Hobby Homebrew's Customer Service instructions have gone unanswered. Business billed for GF Counterflow Chiller as purchased online, but sent Kegland CF Chiller. No response on how to refund or correct the mistake.

W A.

I ordered a beer kit from their website: shipping was quick, communication was great, price beat Amazon pricing. Will deal with again in the future.

Front R.

Ordered items from website. The took my money but never sent items. Despite numerous email inquiries, they did not respond. I had to contact credit card company to get refund. I will update review if service improves.