Buyer Beware: Very poor customer service.
This issue is not with the tea, it’s with the service. Chapters Tea and Coffee does a GREAT job making pretty social media advertisements, but not so great regarding filling orders or communicating.
I placed an order on February 20, 2024 for my daughter’s March 2nd birthday. The website states “We are seeing 3-4 business days processing due to high holiday volume.” Not sure what holiday they’re referring to on February 20 but I thought, “OK”. They processed the order and took my money as soon as I pressed the purchase button, sent a confirmation of order, then … nothing.
I asked multiple times in multiple ways (email, Facebook messenger, Instagram) for my tracking number. While they weren’t responsive to email or messenger, they are prolific posters of marketing adverts so I asked about my order on one of their Instagram posts and received a response there on February 26, 2024. They said they would “check on it first thing in the morning.” I thanked them and mentioned it was a birthday gift. They replied they would “do their best to get it there on time”. That same day I received an email in which “Andy” apologized for the delay (no explanation, though) and stated, “your teas should be shipped out tomorrow” … but they STILL weren’t shipped.
I received a USPS tracking number the next day, February 27, 2024 (the “5th business day”). As of February 29, tracking info indicated that my tea STILL had not been received by the post office. I emailed again and asked why the delay. No response. I checked USPS delay alerts to see if weather was impacting the mail but, nope, the company was not located in a weather delay area.
Tracking indicates my package was finally received by the post office on March 1, 10 days after my order. As of March 5, 14 days later, the tea had not been delivered. The package finally arrived March 6.
I could have ordered from a dozen of reputable tea companies but I chose Chapters specifically based on their FAQs and promised shipping times. I paid almost $35 for two packages of tea. That’s a lot of money for tea! They took my money the moment I paid, but this customer service / shipping speed is poor at best.
Chapters refunded for the delay and stated the following: “Just so you’re aware, we are a one person owned small company that works out of a community kitchen, who hires real humans who have things happen outside of work that may cause staffing issues, so unfortunately mistakes and delays are going to happen. If you’re looking for a perfect experience we would suggest going elsewhere.”
I thanked them for the refund and replied that most companies hire “real humans”, that I’m a “one-man” seller online and I manage two day shipping, and that they should be upfront and transparent about their shipping speeds (either update their website if this is the norm OR communicate with their customer if this is not the norm and there is a delay). Bottom line, accept responsibility for their service. Chapters response was, once again, not to respond but to block me from their social media. They have since removed my review (this same review) from the glowing “Junip” reviews posted on their site. If they deleted mine, they probably deleted others, and are thus falsifying their image to the potential customer.
This company posts on Instagram multiple times per week, sometimes daily. If they have time to be posting on social media, they should have time for responding to customers or filling orders. Pretty advertising, for certain, but Chapters fails in transparency in the availability of product, shipping speed, and communication. When I pay a premium for a product, I expect premium customer service as well. This isn’t it. Based on their overall behavior, I just can’t recommend this company.