Tavour

I was recently recommended this app by a friend. They have a great selection of beer that are hard to find. The flat fee is great too. Unfortunately I needed to change my shipping date to a Saturday. I didn’t care what date, even if it was 2 weeks away. The customer service didn’t respond to my first email. The second email I mentioned I got no response, so they responded then. After going back and forth they said I had a Wednesday delivery and they could only deliver on a Wednesday. (The app said a Friday delivery date) due to a signature needed I requested it be moved to Saturday so I can be home to sign for this. They refused my request. They said they could deliver to the nearest wine spirit store for me to pick up. Which isn’t what I requested. All I wanted was it to be bumped up one day or the following weekend. So for that simple request they couldn’t do, I would not recommend buying if you work 9-5 Monday to Friday and can’t be home for a delivery on a workday. Most places wouldn’t mind changing a simple request like that. And all couriers deliver on Saturday's. I also had part of my order canceled due to no stock available. Even though I already paid. So not sure if they benefit certain accounts and give a priority or not either. so now I have to change my shipping address to my job site and pray they don’t deliver to the wrong address. haha

As noted in previous reviews, this is a slick app and great interface that lets you sample unique beers unavailable most spots (especially the Midwest). It’s expensive, but also a way to support smaller breweries. Basically, you’re making a donation and buying beer. Worthy cause. That said, the delivery approach is bizarre and I’m baffled why Tavour doesn’t use Fed Ex or UPS or some normal service. My beer was supposed to arrive on a Thursday or Friday and I was aware I had to sign for it. Then on a Tuesday I get a call from the delivery service that the shipment is at my home right now and I need to sign for it. Fortunately, I was home at that time. The delivery vehicle was a rusted out green conversion fan that looked more likely to be casing my neighborhood for a break in than delivering goods/services. Bottom line, Tavour is a great idea with an expensive but smart front end operation. But the fulfillment part of this business is a complete mystery and doesn’t match up with the business model at all.

The app is easy to use and the selection and marketing are excellent. However it’s not worth the price for beer, the slow shipping, and the sneaky shipping charge. To give it a try I ordered 2 bombers of an award winning milk stout. $25 for the beer. The app didn’t even tell me shipping would be a separate charge and it would show up later (an additional $15). Had I known my credit card would get charged I wouldn’t risk a total of $20 per beer for a selection I’ve never tried. That is shady as hell. Then it took way too long to get the beer (a month). If I pay $40 for two bombers I’d better get that haul within 3 days. I’ve had so many incredible and/or rare beers in my life I’m at the point where no beer is worth these prices, and these were just above average. I’m fortunate to live in a densely populated area with more excellent craft selections than I can handle as well as friends across the country that can send me their local beers. So for me this app is not worth my time because it costs me twice as much than the products are worth. If I lived in the middle of nowhere with piles of money to burn and didn’t mind being misled on shipping charges I’d say this is an excellent app and service. But I’ll stick to supporting the local beer economy. My advice, fellas: charge a reasonable price and don’t be sneaky with those shipping charges. I know plenty of people in my Facebook beer groups who had the same experience and quit like I did after the 1st purchase. Cheers.