Great Coffee, Great Mission
Dan Bongino turned me on to Blackout. Though the Influencers advertise lots of things, I thought, "Why not? I love coffee. I trust Dan. Now I'm on a subscription plan. This is great coffee! The company has a great story and mission, and supports our vets. I love the small batch approach. I'm in!! They also have really good practices for shipping and are very kind in customer service interactions. Try this coffee!!
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Holiday coffee
I love the winter Wonderland. A friend ordered it for me last year and I absolutely loved it. I’m trying to peppermint mocha this year to keep from buying The one with forever chemicals.
Patriotic & Quality
It’s a nice combination to have both Patriatism, & a Quality Product go hand in hand. 🙌🦅🇺🇸🙏😇
Morning Reaper
Great company. Morning reaper is my favorite.
Poor Customer Service
Dear John,
I wanted to write to you personally—not simply as a dissatisfied customer, but as someone who genuinely appreciated what I believed Blackout Coffee represented.
First, let me say this clearly: you make great coffee. I have enjoyed your product, and I have particularly appreciated Blackout Coffee’s very visible support of law enforcement, first responders, veterans, and our military. After spending 28 years in law enforcement and many years in the fire and emergency services, that commitment means something to me.
Unfortunately, my recent customer service experience left me extremely disappointed.
I recently moved and updated the shipping address shown on my Blackout Coffee account. However, I later discovered that the address attached to my coffee subscription apparently existed separately and had not been updated. Consequently, my order was shipped to my previous address.
I understand the explanation that was eventually provided to me. What troubles me considerably more is how difficult it was to reach a human being while there was still an opportunity to resolve the problem.
I attempted to use your LIVE chat several times, believing that “live” meant there would be someone available to respond. I received no meaningful response.
I also made telephone calls and left voice messages, trying to resolve the problem before the shipment went too far into the delivery process. Those messages went unanswered as well.
Eventually, I received an email explaining why the order went to the wrong location—but by then the answer was essentially that nothing could be done.
John, that’s the part I hope you will personally consider.
A company can have an exceptional product, outstanding marketing, and a tremendous mission, but customer service is where the customer discovers whether the relationship is real.
Blackout Coffee proudly talks about standing behind law enforcement, first responders, veterans, and the military. I respect that greatly. But the loyalty of those communities—and really, the loyalty of any customer—is earned not only through a company’s message, but through how that customer is treated when something goes wrong.
Ironically, I live right here in Florida. I could practically drive to Blackout Coffee and knock on the door, yet I couldn’t get a response through the very systems designed to communicate with your customers.
I am not writing this seeking free coffee, a replacement order, a refund, or anything else.
Please keep the coffee.
What I wanted was simply customer service.
I am writing because I believe sometimes the founder of a company needs to hear about the experience occurring several levels below him. As companies grow, it becomes increasingly difficult for leadership to see those moments firsthand.
Bigger does not automatically mean better.
Sometimes growth creates distance between the company that was originally built and the customers who helped build it.
I sincerely hope Blackout Coffee never allows that to happen.
For now, I will search for another coffee company—one where I know that if something goes wrong, I can actually reach someone who can help.
There is no hatred or ill will behind this letter. Quite the opposite. I cared enough about what Blackout Coffee represented that I felt you deserved to hear directly why you lost a loyal customer.
I sincerely wish you, your family, your employees, and Blackout Coffee continued success.
From one Floridian and longtime member of the law-enforcement and emergency-services family to another supporter of those communities, I hope you will receive this letter in the spirit in which it was written.
Much success, John.
Respectfully,
Kevin
P.S. If this letter reaches someone other than John first, please don’t be afraid to put it directly on his desk. That’s exactly where I intended it to go.
I wanted to write to you personally—not simply as a dissatisfied customer, but as someone who genuinely appreciated what I believed Blackout Coffee represented.
First, let me say this clearly: you make great coffee. I have enjoyed your product, and I have particularly appreciated Blackout Coffee’s very visible support of law enforcement, first responders, veterans, and our military. After spending 28 years in law enforcement and many years in the fire and emergency services, that commitment means something to me.
Unfortunately, my recent customer service experience left me extremely disappointed.
I recently moved and updated the shipping address shown on my Blackout Coffee account. However, I later discovered that the address attached to my coffee subscription apparently existed separately and had not been updated. Consequently, my order was shipped to my previous address.
I understand the explanation that was eventually provided to me. What troubles me considerably more is how difficult it was to reach a human being while there was still an opportunity to resolve the problem.
I attempted to use your LIVE chat several times, believing that “live” meant there would be someone available to respond. I received no meaningful response.
I also made telephone calls and left voice messages, trying to resolve the problem before the shipment went too far into the delivery process. Those messages went unanswered as well.
Eventually, I received an email explaining why the order went to the wrong location—but by then the answer was essentially that nothing could be done.
John, that’s the part I hope you will personally consider.
A company can have an exceptional product, outstanding marketing, and a tremendous mission, but customer service is where the customer discovers whether the relationship is real.
Blackout Coffee proudly talks about standing behind law enforcement, first responders, veterans, and the military. I respect that greatly. But the loyalty of those communities—and really, the loyalty of any customer—is earned not only through a company’s message, but through how that customer is treated when something goes wrong.
Ironically, I live right here in Florida. I could practically drive to Blackout Coffee and knock on the door, yet I couldn’t get a response through the very systems designed to communicate with your customers.
I am not writing this seeking free coffee, a replacement order, a refund, or anything else.
Please keep the coffee.
What I wanted was simply customer service.
I am writing because I believe sometimes the founder of a company needs to hear about the experience occurring several levels below him. As companies grow, it becomes increasingly difficult for leadership to see those moments firsthand.
Bigger does not automatically mean better.
Sometimes growth creates distance between the company that was originally built and the customers who helped build it.
I sincerely hope Blackout Coffee never allows that to happen.
For now, I will search for another coffee company—one where I know that if something goes wrong, I can actually reach someone who can help.
There is no hatred or ill will behind this letter. Quite the opposite. I cared enough about what Blackout Coffee represented that I felt you deserved to hear directly why you lost a loyal customer.
I sincerely wish you, your family, your employees, and Blackout Coffee continued success.
From one Floridian and longtime member of the law-enforcement and emergency-services family to another supporter of those communities, I hope you will receive this letter in the spirit in which it was written.
Much success, John.
Respectfully,
Kevin
P.S. If this letter reaches someone other than John first, please don’t be afraid to put it directly on his desk. That’s exactly where I intended it to go.
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