Born to Hula Hot Sauce...

[Goanna]

This little hot sauce company opened up a couple towns over from me, and their products are really good. They won a few awards already for best hot sauce in a few different categories.

They aren't focused on selling online right now though, they are trying to build relationships with local shops and restaurants.

I told them I would try and increase their online awareness using my site

Anyway, they have 5 flavors, and the ones I have tried have all been really good. I haven't yet tried the Ghost Chile one, or the Chipotle Blues. I am bringing a couple bottles home tonight though

http://www.keyporthobbies.com/Hot-Sauce_c_203.html

The pricing is set by BTH so I really can't offer a huge discount on them, but I do have a 10% off coupon code right now you can use. 10offaug. Coupon valid for the month of August only.

[CybrSlydr]

Which ones have you tried? I don't like sauces that are purposely made to destroy my tongue and taste buds. Something that gives some flavor, great! But I shouldn't be on fire with a single drop...

[Goanna]

I've tried the Habanero Ancho, The Habanero Guajillo, and the Cayenne Pepper.

They are medium heat, not too intense. The taste is really good IMO. They aim the recipes at flavor rather then just going for extreme heat.

[hostage67]

Originally Posted by Goanna

This little hot sauce company opened up a couple towns over from me, and their products are really good. They won a few awards already for best hot sauce in a few different categories.

They aren't focused on selling online right now though, they are trying to build relationships with local shops and restaurants.

I told them I would try and increase their online awareness using my site

Anyway, they have 5 flavors, and the ones I have tried have all been really good. I haven't yet tried the Ghost Chile one, or the Chipotle Blues. I am bringing a couple bottles home tonight though

http://www.keyporthobbies.com/Hot-Sauce_c_203.html

The pricing is set by BTH so I really can't offer a huge discount on them, but I do have a 10% off coupon code right now you can use. 10offaug. Coupon valid for the month of August only.

You should talk them into doing little sampler packs. A set of tiny little bottles to try all the flavors (like a tablespoon in each bottle). I'd buy that in a heartbeat just to try em out.

Ugh... Well I was going to buy some until I put them into the cart and noticed that you are charging almost as much in shipping as the product its self costs. I hate when companies lie about shipping costs to pad their own pockets. I also checked the costs directly from BornToHula and even with your 10% discount it is cheaper to buy directly from them due to your insane shipping costs. No thanks I'll pass. I would rather you be up front about any markup than try to be sneaky and hide it in the shipping costs. That's just low down and dirty, people who do those kinds of things are not people I want having my CC info.

[Goanna]

Originally Posted by hostage67

You should talk them into doing little sampler packs. A set of tiny little bottles to try all the flavors (like a tablespoon in each bottle). I'd buy that in a heartbeat just to try em out.

Ugh... Well I was going to buy some until I put them into the cart and noticed that you are charging almost as much in shipping as the product its self costs. I hate when companies lie about shipping costs to pad their own pockets. I also checked the costs directly from BornToHula and even with your 10% discount it is cheaper to buy directly from them due to your insane shipping costs. No thanks I'll pass. I would rather you be up front about any markup than try to be sneaky and hide it in the shipping costs. That's just low down and dirty, people who do those kinds of things are not people I want having my CC info.

How much did it say for shipping? First class mail should be less then $2. My shipping is actual rate calculated by USPS and UPS. If it's not showing the shipping right it is definitely an error and I will correct it.

Before jumping to conclusions and assuming I am trying to scam you, you could have sent an email or PM to let me know the shipping was off.

[jbmcmillan]

No kidding a little over the top there.

[hostage67]

Originally Posted by Goanna

How much did it say for shipping? First class mail should be less then $2. My shipping is actual rate calculated by USPS and UPS. If it's not showing the shipping right it is definitely an error and I will correct it.

Before jumping to conclusions and assuming I am trying to scam you, you could have sent an email or PM to let me know the shipping was off.

3 - bottles calculated to roughly $12 shipping on an $18 order.

No reason for me to assume this was an accident, you came to advertise the new product, which I assume means you at least tested that it was up and functioning correctly. And frankly this appears to be common practice on the internet these days (the very reason I always check it). Also no reason for me even at this point to really assume it was an accident, someone who did it on purpose would also likely claim it was an accident once caught. I don't know you, I don't know your company, I have no reason to assume you are an honest and trustworthy person (no offense, but I don't know you at all).

If it was an accident fix it and move on. If it wasn't, fix it anyways cause no one's gonna buy from you with shipping costs like that.

Like I said before I don't know you, I don't know that you were trying to cheat your customers. But I do know that many websites do these kinds of things in order to make a little extra money. I don't approve of those tactics and I will call anyone out that I see using them. In my opinion calling you out on it is important regardless if it was on purpose or accidental. It gives you notice of the issue so if it is a mistake you can correct it, and it prevents anyone from being taken advantage of (accident or not) in the mean time. Perhaps I was a little zealous in my approach which I will try to tone down a little for the next time I just felt quite upset that someone on these forums would try to do something like that.

[jbmcmillan]

Originally Posted by hostage67

3 - bottles calculated to roughly $12 shipping on an $18 order.

No reason for me to assume this was an accident, you came to advertise the new product, which I assume means you at least tested that it was up and functioning correctly. And frankly this appears to be common practice on the internet these days (the very reason I always check it). Also no reason for me even at this point to really assume it was an accident, someone who did it on purpose would also likely claim it was an accident once caught. I don't know you, I don't know your company, I have no reason to assume you are an honest and trustworthy person (no offense, but I don't know you at all).

If it was an accident fix it and move on. If it wasn't, fix it anyways cause no one's gonna buy from you with shipping costs like that.

Like I said before I don't know you, I don't know that you were trying to cheat your customers. But I do know that many websites do these kinds of things in order to make a little extra money. I don't approve of those tactics and I will call anyone out that I see using them. In my opinion calling you out on it is important regardless if it was on purpose or accidental. It gives you notice of the issue so if it is a mistake you can correct it, and it prevents anyone from being taken advantage of (accident or not) in the mean time. Perhaps I was a little zealous in my approach which I will try to tone down a little for the next time I just felt quite upset that someone on these forums would try to do something like that.

He's been around longer than you and if you look at the trader rating from this site should have told you something.You still haven't toned it down what's with being a twat?Just asking a question instead of going off half cocked with accusations would have been appropriate.Fix it and move on?You pretty much called him a cheat and an ******* with no idea what you are talking about.

[Mindwarp]

Goanna is a very well trusted member here, slamming him just won't fly with the rest of us 'elders'.

EDIT: I just noticed you've been a member here since 05, this is not how you are supposed to treat a fellow senior member IMO.

[Goanna]

Originally Posted by hostage67

3 - bottles calculated to roughly $12 shipping on an $18 order.

No reason for me to assume this was an accident, you came to advertise the new product, which I assume means you at least tested that it was up and functioning correctly. And frankly this appears to be common practice on the internet these days (the very reason I always check it). Also no reason for me even at this point to really assume it was an accident, someone who did it on purpose would also likely claim it was an accident once caught. I don't know you, I don't know your company, I have no reason to assume you are an honest and trustworthy person (no offense, but I don't know you at all).

If it was an accident fix it and move on. If it wasn't, fix it anyways cause no one's gonna buy from you with shipping costs like that.

Like I said before I don't know you, I don't know that you were trying to cheat your customers. But I do know that many websites do these kinds of things in order to make a little extra money. I don't approve of those tactics and I will call anyone out that I see using them. In my opinion calling you out on it is important regardless if it was on purpose or accidental. It gives you notice of the issue so if it is a mistake you can correct it, and it prevents anyone from being taken advantage of (accident or not) in the mean time. Perhaps I was a little zealous in my approach which I will try to tone down a little for the next time I just felt quite upset that someone on these forums would try to do something like that.

Actually, the shipping cost is correct. These are glass bottles. A full bottle weighs 10.4oz, so 3 bottles is 31.2oz. Say plus another 4 oz for the weight of the box and packaging, so 35.4oz. That's 2.2lbs, which means first class mail is out of the question, you have to use Priority. The shipping cost for a priority package cross country is $13.85!

So really, there was no error in the cart. The error was in your assumption. Not everyone is out to get you. Sometimes things in life just don't make sense. Unfortunately on this product, the weight is high in comparison to the items cost.

Now, although the cart is accurately calculating the weight correctly, I do agree with you that it's a bit extreme if someone where to order 3 or 4 bottles. I may be better off using flat rate boxes on these so I can ship 3 or 4 bottles for 5-6 dollars. I will look into that tomorrow.

Thank you for bringing it to my attention, albeit in a very discourteous way. I've been burned online in past myself, and I still manage to show some level of civility while dealing with people, even if I question their motives.

Originally Posted by jbmcmillan

He's been around longer than you and if you look at the trader rating from this site should have told you something.You still haven't toned it down what's with being a twat?Just asking a question instead of going off half cocked with accusations would have been appropriate.Fix it and move on?You pretty much called him a cheat and an ******* with no idea what you are talking about.

Originally Posted by Mindwarp

Goanna is a very well trusted member here, slamming him just won't fly with the rest of us 'elders'.

EDIT: I just noticed you've been a member here since 05, this is not how you are supposed to treat a fellow senior member IMO.

Thanks guys.

[The Dude]

It's hotsauce hostage, not an enema. I'd be ****ed too if I had tabasco in my kiester.

[Goanna]

So back to the actual Hot Sauce, I cracked open a "Ghost of Ancho" tonight and **** it's good. The taste is very similar to the Habanero Ancho sauce but the extra heat from the Ghost Pepper is quite nice IMO. I really can't pinpoint the exact flavor notes, but it's not just heat, smoke and vinegar like many others. Also the heat is noticeable on your tongue and roof of your mouth, but really not noticeable at all in your throat. Some hot sauces have bad throat burn.

As for the website issue, all should be working now . Shipping for 3 bottles should run right around 6 bucks, which will allow for USPS flat rate. Sorry for the inconvenience the shipping issue may have caused anyone who attempted to order.

[hostage67]

I had a nice long drawn up response but deleted it. The short answer is that I do not apologize for bringing this up. I certainly could have responded better as could all of you. It was a legitimate issue that he is now addressing but still something that everyone should be aware of regardless if it was intentional or not.

My response telling him to address the issue and move on was for his benefit not mine. The longer this drags out the worse it is for him, it has no effect on me as I am not the one trying to do business here. It may sound cold and callused but had that been the only response before he provided the information on what really happened, this would be a dead and buried issue.

[Goanna]

Just an FYI for everyone, the sample pack combo is now available on the site.

Use the code "HOTSAUCE10" for 10% off the combo price.

[Mindwarp]

Got my sauces today! The Ghost of Ancho is awesome! Great heat with nice flavour, nice slow burn! I tried the cayenne pepper one on my spaghetti for dinner and very nice, mild but very flavourful.

[Goanna]

Glad you liked them Mindwarp . I am hooked on Ghost of Ancho myself, I have been putting it on everything lol.

[Mindwarp]

I just opened the Habanero Ancho Chili and put it on pizza...it's simply amazing!

Seriously folks, that is some tasty hot sauce, I bought the 5 pack and they are all great, well worth it!

[Goanna]

Thanks again Mindwarp. Glad you like them!

I've given the Ghost of Ancho a break myself and I've been using "Chipotle Blues" alot now! Love the smoked chipotle flavor, and since it's pretty mild you can just smother stuff with it lol.

[hostage67]

Ok, now I really do feel like an ***, as perhaps I should . I walked out to get my mail today and found that Goanna had shipped me all 5 flavors out of the blue to try free of charge with no expectations from me.

Needless to say I very much appreciate what you did and how you handled the situation. I apologize for jumping to conclusions and not handling it better, but I am glad you were able to identify and resolve the issue.

I have not had a chance to try them yet but rest assured I will.

[Mr.Scott]

Great PR move Goanna.