If unlabeled ground meat produces emotional impact, one might be well served contemplating the meaning of terms like entitled, first world problems and jackass. Just a tip from my own personal experience.
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Superb example of irony. Well done. I will contemplate on your feedback.
Andrew and Betty,
Jay is 100% right to be hyper critical of this. At these price points (up to $200 a steak) EVERYTHING better be goddamn labeled correctly and accurately. Having somebody say āsend me a pic for identificationā is complete and utter bullshit.
Now, CH is not a butcher and HG is not a butcher shop. Just as with his vine venture, he is a negociant and nothing more. You are not going to get personalized service and have a 3ā custom cut porterhouse. That is your local butcherās job. Conversely, I donāt expect Bryan/Katie to have Snow Beef Ribeyes.
The breakdown here, and rightfully so, is both the customer service issue(s) alone with the packaging.
If something come unlabeled from Flannery, a replacement AND something extra would be overnighted.
Last thing, calling Jay a jackass is completely uncalled for as he is one of the level headed players here.
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I donāt know Jay. His comments donāt make me think heās an a$$hole. I also donāt care what people do with their money. And at $200 per steak, I now know what the rich guys eat.
I hav not been a customer of HG nor of dN but following the dN thread, customer service (as opposed to CH marketing) seems not to be a primary focus or investment of these enterprises.
I think itās good to know in advance of purchase then you can decide if it matters to you. Personally, I love the careful and personal touch of dealing with Flannery. (If I ever considered buying $200 steaks, Iād want no less but such a purchase is very unlikely)
Iāve been thinking about how I lose sight of the real world. Eating pricey food and drinking $75 bottles of wine while others go to bed hungry. I donāt feel guilty. Iāve been working very hard ever since I was 14. Perhaps that has shaped my (unrealistic?) expectations of businesses I frequent. I expect them to be dedicated to excellence in every aspect of their business.
My wife just confirmed that at times I can be a jacka$$ and a$$hole but itās the exception not the rule. ![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif"){kind=small}
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I loved how Flannery would make a label with the blend description and my name on it. I love that attention to detail
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This
I happen to be enjoying an unlabeled bottle of Syrah purchased on Berserker Day. I informed the wine maker which immediately offered to replaced the bottle of which I declined and told him let me drink it and Iāll let you know. The wine is fantastic and I will not be requesting a replacement. Itās only one bottle and not multiple therefore a little different. Jay, I donāt blame you for expecting better!
Did you tell them that they should have labeled the ground beef?
If so, what did they say?
Based on lack of comment from CH in this thread, nothing.
I havenāt found their customer service to be particularly responsive, but Iāve rarely if ever had issues. Iāve bought dozens of things from them (yes including $200 steaks) and received them on time, well packaged, and with free shipping. The free shipping is a huge benefit and probably the reason I buy so much from them.
Iāve not bought any HG but, I have bought dN and I have to say, both Cam and Mickey have been very responsive to questions or concerns. Really surprised he hasnāt shown up here. I also agree that every single package, of anything you buy, should be clearly labeled regardless of price. Everything Iāve bought from Flannery and Morgan Ranch has been labeled very well.
Glad youāve had a good experience. In the early dN days, there seemed to be a lot of challenges. Itās really a matter of chosen business model - if you are pushing for lowest possible pricing, you likely hire fewer staff and expect the customer to roll with the issues.
I may not be in the $200 steak income group (who then consider free shipping important?) but I am fine with a fair shipping charge when it comes with careful packaging and the astonishing quality of service Iāve received even as a tiny customer from the Flanneryās. One order of mine for four small ribeyes for a family cookout were lost by Fedex - when I called Flannery to let them know, Katie spoke with me and then, even though the problem was in no way their fault, overnighted for Saturday delivery replacement steaks and added a few extra as a gift. That keeps me buying Flannery whenever I can. Itās the approach to running a business I respect and value.
I buy a lot of beef from Flannery, hundreds of pounds a year, but have to basically group it in relatively large purchases or the shipping becomes prohibitive compared to the cost of the steak. Theyāre my preferred vendor for hanger, tri tip, picahna, and strips/ribeyes, though.
As I mentioned earlier, although I do buy quite a bit of JDM A5 wagyu I generally donāt buy it from HG; I mostly use them for their outstanding selection of American wagyu butcher cuts at the $20-40 price point for weekday steaks. Free shipping over $200 and coupon brings cost delivered to less than USDA choice steaks from Whole Foods.
I bought some very nice a5 strips from HG when they first opened for ~200 a pop (I think a little less) for omi, Kobe, and hida-gyu and they were fantastic. They probably have the best selection of wagyu of any online vendor but pricing isnāt the best and the cuts are generally too big for what I need. I have mostly been sourcing small a5 Kagoshima sirloins or filet from crowd cow which is very nice at the ~$10 oz price point delivered.
Odd that CH hasnāt posted here as he has been active in the DN thread as of just now.
I did not want to make a whole āstinkā about this experience. In hindsight I guess I just wanted to vent my frustration (no anger). Iāve met CH and he seems like a decent guy so I do not have animosity towards CH or HG.
Jay, I feel your frustration. They obviously have not fixed this since I ordered. You have to read my customer service situation from the bottom to the top.
Hi Dave,
I am so sorry about that. I have checked with the warehouse just to be sure, and the Wagyu Brisket, Short-rib Burgers - Half Pound Patties are the same as the Tajima Brisket, Short Rib, Sirloin Burgers. The Wagyu is Tajima, and will be in the black packaging stacked on one another.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need any further assistance.
Thank you for choosing Holy Grail.
davegott
May 3, 2021, 14:04 GMT-5
āThe short rib will be stackedā
That does not help me!!! I have two different stacked burgers form HG. I sent you a picture as requested. Please tell me how to tell them apart.
On Monday, May 3, 2021, 02:47:23 PM EDT, Bethany (Holy Grail Steak Co.) <customercare@holygrailprovisions.com> wrote:
Bethany (Holy Grail Steak Co.)
May 3, 2021, 13:47 GMT-5
Hi Dave,
The short rib will be stacked. I will certainly give your message to the team regarding this, and thank you so much for your feedback.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need any further assistance.
Thank you for choosing Holy Grail.
davegott
Apr 30, 2021, 8:36 GMT-5
Bethany,
Please let me know which is the short rib burger?
Thanks,
Dave
On Thursday, April 29, 2021, 05:07:25 PM EDT, Bethany (Holy Grail Steak Co.) <customercare@holygrailprovisions.com> wrote:
Attachment(s)
Burgers.jpg
davegott
Apr 30, 2021, 8:08 GMT-5
In the future, If you ship two, similarly packaged unlabeled burgers, it would be nice for your client if you would differentiate them is some way. I find is a little silly that I need to take pictures of your products so I know what I am eating. Please put your self in my situation - how would you feel?
On Thursday, April 29, 2021, 05:07:25 PM EDT, Bethany (Holy Grail Steak Co.) <customercare@holygrailprovisions.com> wrote:
Bethany (Holy Grail Steak Co.)
Apr 29, 2021, 16:07 GMT-5
Hi Dave,
Are you able to send me pictures of the burgers so I may better assist you?
davegott
Apr 28, 2021, 12:02 GMT-5
Yes, so if the short rib burgers are stacked and not labeled, and the Tajima American Wagyu 1/2 lb Strip Loin Burgers are stacked and not labeled, How do I tell them apart?
Thanks,
Dave
On Wednesday, April 28, 2021, 12:58:41 PM EDT, Bethany (Holy Grail Steak Co.) <customercare@holygrailprovisions.com> wrote:
Bethany (Holy Grail Steak Co.)
Apr 28, 2021, 11:58 GMT-5
Hi Dave,
The Wagyu Brisket, Short-rib Burgers will be stacked in packaging.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need any further assistance.
Thank you for choosing Holy Grail.
davegott
Apr 28, 2021, 11:42 GMT-5
Great, thanks. How do I tell the Wagyu Brisket, Short-rib Burgers from the Tajima American Wagyu?
On Wednesday, April 28, 2021, 12:39:08 PM EDT, Bethany (Holy Grail Steak Co.) <customercare@holygrailprovisions.com> wrote:
Bethany (Holy Grail Steak Co.)
Apr 28, 2021, 11:39 GMT-5
Hi Dave,
The Tajima American Wagyu 1/2 lb Strip Loin Burgers will be in stacked packaging and the Tajima American Wagyu 1/2 lb Strip Loin Burgers will be in saddle/ side by side packaging.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need any further assistance.
Thank you for choosing Holy Grail.
davegott
Apr 28, 2021, 10:42 GMT-5
Out of the 4 types of burgers, only the upper prime are labeled. How do I know what the others are?
Thanks,
Dave
A tip of my hat to you. That kind of exchange would have infuriated me not just as a customer but also as a business owner. Easy to fix the operational issues, a bit harder to address the lack of customer oriented thinking.
Thanks. You can see from my dates, I was not planning on making this public. I even thought of not posting today, but hopefully someone with influence will read your post and mine and make some changes.