This is very good and the smell is delicious. The rum raisin aroma is the pervasive one. I was hoping, a bit, that this tea would be very similar to my beloved “Brioche” from the American Tea House, but it is more like rum raisin and Brioche is much more cake-y.
The NecessiTeas and I have a troubled relationship: we are in a repetition compulsion that goes like so: I make an order of $90 or $45 dollars and pay them promptly via Pay Pal. Three weeks later I call them and nobody answers. I then send a plaintive email and get a response that my package is in the mail. Package arrives shortly thereafter, always post-marked one day after my bewildered email. I honestly do not have a dysfunctional relationship with any other tea company.
So…anticipating that this would be a problem, I placed a reorder for this tea a week before my first order arrived. It’s nice that they offer sample packs for $2.00 but I really feel as if ordering from them is a huge imposition for them. I feel like some sort of tea mendicant who is as annoying to them as a panhandler. It’s too bad that their tea is so good.
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I have a similar problem w/ another company (who’s teas are also amazing). I haven’t had as good of luck w/ the NecessiTeas as you have. I’m only 1 for 2.
If you look up the NecissiTeas, you will find that they are hoping to be on the Ellen show and have sent gift teas to Oprah, so they seem to be enterprising ladies who know how to promote themselves. If they wrote on their web site that “Your order will take 3-4 weeks to be fulfilled” it would not bother me at all. I would know what to expect. So many tea companies have spoiled me with their accurate and swift customer service.
You shouldn’t be bribed w/ accurate and swift customer service, that should just be the way companies fuction.
Amen Cofftea! I think that this has killed any desire for me to go through this company for tea. And shame on them for trying to market and expand their product without getting the basics of customer service right in the first place.
Ditto Cofftea and Rabs!! Boo on NecessiTea’s c/s!
Cofftea, I understand that things happen with people and occasional delays occur. If I were running a one woman tea business, however, I would have a friend or two who would have access to my costumer information and who would be able to send out an email: “So sorry your order will be delayed—there has been a death or a birth or an illness in the family”. I would understand that completely. And I don’t want all companies to be so very big and ultra-efficient that the smaller companies are run out of business. But it strikes me that this company is looking for celebrity clients and not the everyday folks who are not on TV.
Thankfully I don’t have as good of luck w/ this company. It’s my own fault- but I frustrate myself by ordering from the company I mentioned because their teas are SO FLIPPIN AMAZING!
I have to agree with you about the customer service at NecessiTeas. I would never dream of making a customer wait SO LONG for their tea without so much as an emailed apology. I understand that the lady just had a baby… but you know what… if that’s the case, then maybe they should indicate it on the website that there will be a delay. I know it’s hard to be a new mom… it’s real hard. It’s also real hard to have a business… and the most important thing with any young business is to make customers happy. It would be one thing if it were just one person or even just two people who have experienced these kinds of issues with NecessiTeas, but, it’s not just one or two people…it seems to be their entire base of customers!
Things do come up, but there’s also conflict resolution. Actually, a company that has shown good conflict resoluton has higher marks than companies w/ me than those that never need it in some ways.
After tasting the cinnamon bear tea, and seeing their carrot cake tisane – I do think that they resell teas (rather than blend their own)… Now, I just need to find who makes this one, because I love it too.
Maybe send a copy of the discussion on tea merchants http://steepster.com/discuss/533-advice-for-tea-merchants including some of these remarks/suggestions with a nice cover letter to this company?
Lauren: that is a good idea. I really enjoy the couple of teas that I’ve tasted of theirs thus far (especially this one!) and it’s a shame that I am so jaded by the customer service. I realize that I only ordered samples… but that is certainly no way to start off a relationship with a customer. If an order is going to be delayed, it really isn’t that difficult or time consuming to sit down and compose an email to let the customer know.
Looks like the rootbeer and carrot cake are here (possibly an alternate source) – http://www.favatea.com/store/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=5&cat=Rooibos+Teas
I don’t see the bread pudding.
The carrot cake is also at Tea Guys. Tea Guys has spectacular customer service too, I might add. I get the orders within 3 days, and they always send a free sample.
Doulton, I went looking for this thread again because I just have to say I think I’m pretty much done with The NecessiTeas for exactly the reasons you mentioned. The last 3 orders I placed I had to inquire about a couple of weeks after placing them when there was no indication anything had shipped. Each time, they were out of something I’d ordered and had to credit me back for that product (which was obviously available for purchase on the web site or I wouldn’t have clicked it in the first place). So among other things their inventory management seems off as well. I don’t love their teas in general, though I liked a few of them enough to order full sized tins. But to me it’s just not worth the trouble anymore to order from them. Three strikes and all.
I have a similar problem w/ another company (who’s teas are also amazing). I haven’t had as good of luck w/ the NecessiTeas as you have. I’m only 1 for 2.
If you look up the NecissiTeas, you will find that they are hoping to be on the Ellen show and have sent gift teas to Oprah, so they seem to be enterprising ladies who know how to promote themselves. If they wrote on their web site that “Your order will take 3-4 weeks to be fulfilled” it would not bother me at all. I would know what to expect. So many tea companies have spoiled me with their accurate and swift customer service.
You shouldn’t be bribed w/ accurate and swift customer service, that should just be the way companies fuction.
Amen Cofftea! I think that this has killed any desire for me to go through this company for tea. And shame on them for trying to market and expand their product without getting the basics of customer service right in the first place.
Ditto Cofftea and Rabs!! Boo on NecessiTea’s c/s!
Cofftea, I understand that things happen with people and occasional delays occur. If I were running a one woman tea business, however, I would have a friend or two who would have access to my costumer information and who would be able to send out an email: “So sorry your order will be delayed—there has been a death or a birth or an illness in the family”. I would understand that completely. And I don’t want all companies to be so very big and ultra-efficient that the smaller companies are run out of business. But it strikes me that this company is looking for celebrity clients and not the everyday folks who are not on TV.
Thankfully I don’t have as good of luck w/ this company. It’s my own fault- but I frustrate myself by ordering from the company I mentioned because their teas are SO FLIPPIN AMAZING!
I have to agree with you about the customer service at NecessiTeas. I would never dream of making a customer wait SO LONG for their tea without so much as an emailed apology. I understand that the lady just had a baby… but you know what… if that’s the case, then maybe they should indicate it on the website that there will be a delay. I know it’s hard to be a new mom… it’s real hard. It’s also real hard to have a business… and the most important thing with any young business is to make customers happy. It would be one thing if it were just one person or even just two people who have experienced these kinds of issues with NecessiTeas, but, it’s not just one or two people…it seems to be their entire base of customers!
Things do come up, but there’s also conflict resolution. Actually, a company that has shown good conflict resoluton has higher marks than companies w/ me than those that never need it in some ways.
After tasting the cinnamon bear tea, and seeing their carrot cake tisane – I do think that they resell teas (rather than blend their own)… Now, I just need to find who makes this one, because I love it too.
Maybe send a copy of the discussion on tea merchants http://steepster.com/discuss/533-advice-for-tea-merchants including some of these remarks/suggestions with a nice cover letter to this company?
Lauren: that is a good idea. I really enjoy the couple of teas that I’ve tasted of theirs thus far (especially this one!) and it’s a shame that I am so jaded by the customer service. I realize that I only ordered samples… but that is certainly no way to start off a relationship with a customer. If an order is going to be delayed, it really isn’t that difficult or time consuming to sit down and compose an email to let the customer know.
Looks like the rootbeer and carrot cake are here (possibly an alternate source) – http://www.favatea.com/store/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=5&cat=Rooibos+Teas
I don’t see the bread pudding.
The carrot cake is also at Tea Guys. Tea Guys has spectacular customer service too, I might add. I get the orders within 3 days, and they always send a free sample.
Doulton, I went looking for this thread again because I just have to say I think I’m pretty much done with The NecessiTeas for exactly the reasons you mentioned. The last 3 orders I placed I had to inquire about a couple of weeks after placing them when there was no indication anything had shipped. Each time, they were out of something I’d ordered and had to credit me back for that product (which was obviously available for purchase on the web site or I wouldn’t have clicked it in the first place). So among other things their inventory management seems off as well. I don’t love their teas in general, though I liked a few of them enough to order full sized tins. But to me it’s just not worth the trouble anymore to order from them. Three strikes and all.