Allen Evanko

Review of Kauai Coffee Company

I hate to say it, but this place has changed. We ...

I hate to say it, but this place has changed. We used to come to this place every time that we came to Kauai. We loved the coffee so much that we ordered a subscription of one bag per month for several years.

This year, when we were in Kauai, we stopped by the shop, and the staff was extremely harried and even a bit rude. When we asked questions about what coffees would be in our next subscription, they basically told us that they didn't know anything and to check the website. We decided to buy a few souvenirs and coffee that we couldn't get via subscription anyway and asked about an in-store discount that goes with our subscription. The cashier didn't know anything about this; had to call someone; and then we went through a game a telephone trying to figure out how exactly they had our name in their records. With that finally sorted, they told us that a) our subscription would end in one month and we'd have to renew it online ourselves, b) and the discount that used to be store-wide was now only on certain items, but c) if we signed up for e-mail updates, which we already get, they'd give us a larger discount on everything.

We signed up again e-mail alerts and thought that we'd renew our subscription online. Once we got home and tried to do that, we found out that the subscription program has changed DRASTICALLY. The old subscription program was great for trying and rotating through different coffees; you received one a month with all shipping charges included. Under the new program, while you have more options to choose from, you have to order the same exact coffee in 1-, 2-, or 3- month increments (i.e. less variety) and then pay up to $8 ON TOP OFF the coffee price for the pleasure. So, we could buy coffee direct for something like $26 a bag ($18 bag + $8 shipping) or go to our grocery store and find the freeze-dried bags or pods for $6. Hmm...

Not only is the new subscription program not an attractive deal anymore, the whole attitude and experience of both the subscription and the shop have changed.

Where's the aloha? This place has changed...