Is anyone else here a member or am I the only one? Just curious. If so, have you received your Spring 2024 shipment yet, assuming you have it shipped? I received an email about being charged on 5/24, then an email saying it's been "shipped" on 5/29, but UPS still doesn't have the box. Deschutes taking a week or more to actually turn over the boxes after sending out shipping notifications isn't new, but I'm starting to wonder if mine was forgotten in the warehouse somewhere! And side question - did you also get charged $200 this time around instead of the normal $100? I assume this means we won't be charged again for the Fall 2024 release, but you know what they say about assumptions. There wasn't anything in any of the emails about the change in billing and I haven't gotten a reply from an inquiry about it.
Were you previously getting charged twice a year (for each shipment)? The website indicates that members get two shipments a year, for which they are charged once a year. The website also indicates that the Society is currently sold out, so sounds like you likely aren't the only member. I'm not personally a society member, but I belong to several wine clubs. If two weeks after my CC was charged I still hadn't received a tracking number from the winery, I would be on the phone asking for an explanation. Typically I get an email notification from the winery of the date they're going to run cards and the time frame during which shipments will go out. Once the wine ships, I receive an email with a tracking number. Granted, sometimes it can be a day or two before UPS indicates they're in receipt of my shipment, but more than a week would be very unusual and would have me concerned.
Yeah, $100 twice a year, once for each shipment. It’s a little weird they change the billing process without telling us. I mean, I’m a member, so why would I go to the webpage where you can become a member to learn about the membership I already have? (Rhetorical.)
You shouldn't have to, and I agree it seems very odd they wouldn't have given you advance notice about this (a lot of advance notice). I'm sure if you contacted them, they'd say it was just an unfortunate oversight. That being said... The clubs I belong to are very communicative with their members. We're on a first name basis and if I have a question or concern they get back in touch with me right away. Club members are the backbone of any winery. It's guaranteed income for them, and allows them to make plans and growth decisions. You're doing them a favor by being a member, and they repay members accordingly (special pricing, special complimentary events, and special limited release bottles). I'm sure you're aware of all this, but it seems weird to me that they're not treating you better. IMHO, they should be bending over backwards to treat you well and keep you happy. Doesn't sound like they're making much of an effort to do either of those things.
You know, thinking about the four beer memberships I've had (Deschutes, de Garde, pFriem, and Fort George - Deschutes is the only current one), I don't know that any of them have quite measured up to your winery membership descriptions. Deschutes has been the least communicative of the four, de Garde and pFriem I would put in the moderate category, and Fort George by far the most communicative. I suppose anyone that subscribes to the FG brewery emails shouldn't be surprised by that, since they obviously take great pride in writing to their customers and try to educate AND entertain. I don't need to be taken care of at every step, but it would be nice to know that the brewery CARES about your contribution. Now, none of those clubs are hurting for members - pFriem may be the only one open to new members at the moment, not sure - so maybe they have never been forced to meet a higher standard? Maybe since brewery clubs are a newer thing they are less experienced in how to do them well? Maybe those are excuses, since winery clubs are the obvious comparable and there are PLENTY of good examples to use as reference? I was borderline on keeping my membership beyond this year, but if they don't fix this in a satisfactory way I have my answer. And yes, still waiting for an answer. Tried another line of communication earlier today and awaiting reply. I like how their Contact Us page is a dead link, but they do have the moderately annoying support popup modal on most of their pages. And phone numbers for the pubs only.
To be fair: I don't see any link to a dedicated "Contact Us" page anywhere on the site. So it's not like the "Contact Us" page is dead, it's more that there isn't a "Contact Us" page to begin with. Hence the 404 page you're talking about. The "Support" button in the lower left corner of the page is evidently the main way to contact Deschutes. I look forward to the FG newsletter every week. It's always full of information way beyond the brewery (and sometimes way beyond beer), and written with great personality.
100% agree on the FG newsletter! Heck, sometimes I even learn something. The Deschutes website is weird. This is the link I have to see My Account and to order beer online and it does have the Contact Us page (where I found the dead link), but it seems to not really fit in with the rest of the site. Maybe a relic that didn't get upgraded like the rest of the site at some point? Then again, I can't seem to get to that same place from the main website. Sigh.
WHOOPS. Yeah, that's a problem. The link you posted has different navigation options up top and in the footer. Not a good user experience.
Received a reply to the email I sent last Friday saying there was a delay and shipments are being handed to UPS this afternoon. I get that things happen, but a little communication would have been nice. I gently suggested that.
This morning there was finally an email communication to all Society members. At least they finally sent something, but it would have been nice to have the annual billing update note BEFORE it happened and some updates along the way about shipments being delayed, since they knew those notifications went out. I had no idea about the new site.
Hi Jason! I think we emailed a couple times too, but saw this and wanted to make sure I responded here. We sincerely apologize for the confusion around our billing updates. It was an oversight on our part during some staffing transitions and I hope it's clear now that the communication has gone out. We also did have a shipping delay, but all boxes should have been delivered now. I appreciate you flagging this for us and providing feedback. It really helps as we strive to provide an awesome experience to our club members, who are our most loyal fans! We have also launched a new website, so it looks like you still had an old link while we were in transition. Everything that links from our current site at www.deschutesbrewery.com should be consistent but, again, feedback is always appreciated. I hope you'll stick around and please contact me with any further concerns, feedback, or suggestions. Thank you again! - Cassie Fish, Director of Customer Experience, [email protected]
Hey Jason, I just saw that Deschutes seems to selling Cellar Door spots again and found this thread. I'm in Pfriem's club - can I ask why you've stuck with Deschutes vs. that & the others you mentioned above? Beer quality/value, pickup events, other? Thanks!
Sure, I don’t mind. Part of why I’ve stuck with Deschutes is nostalgia - Black Butte has been a favorite of mine for years. $200/year is also a pretty decent value and almost all of the Cellar Door releases are very well done. I like the addition of older bottles they mix in, too. To be honest, I think both pFriem and Fort George do fantastic clubs. I stopped them mostly because everything was north of 10%. Deschutes does it too, but only about half or so. I love those beers, but I’m trying to drink them less often and my “cellar” was getting out of control. de Garde’s I enjoyed, but that was a brewery my wife and I enjoyed together (the only one she liked). She stopped drinking and de Garde’s flavor has changed a bit from the early days. By the end of the year I had that club I had 50+ 750ml bottles because I kept buying extras. Not sure any of this is helpful, other than to say my not continuing any of those memberships was more about me than any negatives in any of those clubs.
