RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine

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RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/2/2018 12:21:14 PM

lockestep

Posts: 1964
Joined: 2/12/2012
From: Unionville, PA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: hankj

And I could be wrong here, but I think I learned in a wine marketing course that retailers send bottles back to distributor very regularly, and it is standard practice for the distributor to refund them. So returning flawd wines to retailer is usually pleasant because in most cases they lose no skin.

That is the case, or at least it was when I was in the business. Sales guys would do pickup runs and collect all the returns.

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My Wine of the Month (2/24)
2016 Vincent Pinot Noir Bjornson Vineyard

(in reply to hankj)

Post #: 31

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/2/2018 12:29:27 PM

Scott W

Posts: 957
Joined: 11/20/2012
From: Sherman Oaks Ca
Status: offline

Interestingly enough just the other day I received a notice on CT from a winemaker who noticed I had listed a bottle of his as corked, it was about a year ago and I had no intention of returning it as I bought it from a discount site. He insisted that he wanted to replace, great customer service!

He also mentioned that he had fired his distributor and he had dumped all of his bottles on them for next to nothing that is why they were so cheap, man that stinks...for the winemaker anyway!

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(in reply to lockestep)

Post #: 32

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/2/2018 1:18:00 PM

CranBurgundy

Posts: 8272
Joined: 1/5/2016
From: Philly / South Joizey
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Wine Gopher

Coincidentally I had a corked bottle on NYE. The bottle was a 2009 purchased directly from the winery (they only sell by list/allocation). I sent an email that night and received a response today requesting that I send the bottle back to them for testing to determine if they will replace the bottle. Is this standard practice?

I can only recall returning 4 corked bottles in my life (2 were returned to the local retailer for in-store credit and the other 2 were replaced directly by the winery upon being notified of the flawed wine) so I'm not highly experienced in this but requesting shipment seemed odd to me considering I'm not licensed to ship wine across state lines.

They should supply you with a shipping label at the very least. It's not unheard of for a retailer or winery to ask for the unconsumed (large) portion of the bottle back. Jam the cork back in, wrap it with Saran Wrap if necessary to keep it from leaking, and pack it in a single bottle shipper for the journey. Cross your fingers and take it to UPS or FedEx.

_____________________________

Purple Drankin' Cretin.

Vote NO on Proposition S1ct1516 "BAN the CRAN!" this Election Day.

“Let it be recorded: henceforth, December 15 shall be known as 'The Day of Dennis'.” - Prof. Ken "KPB" Birman, 12/17/23

(in reply to Wine Gopher)

Post #: 33

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/2/2018 3:24:44 PM

Wine Gopher

Posts: 821
Joined: 3/12/2012
From: MN
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: CranBurgundy

quote:

ORIGINAL: Wine Gopher

Coincidentally I had a corked bottle on NYE. The bottle was a 2009 purchased directly from the winery (they only sell by list/allocation). I sent an email that night and received a response today requesting that I send the bottle back to them for testing to determine if they will replace the bottle. Is this standard practice?

I can only recall returning 4 corked bottles in my life (2 were returned to the local retailer for in-store credit and the other 2 were replaced directly by the winery upon being notified of the flawed wine) so I'm not highly experienced in this but requesting shipment seemed odd to me considering I'm not licensed to ship wine across state lines.

They should supply you with a shipping label at the very least. It's not unheard of for a retailer or winery to ask for the unconsumed (large) portion of the bottle back. Jam the cork back in, wrap it with Saran Wrap if necessary to keep it from leaking, and pack it in a single bottle shipper for the journey. Cross your fingers and take it to UPS or FedEx.

They responded that they would not provide a shipping label. I also don't seem to have any single bottle (or 2 bottle) shippers at the moment so I guess I'll be buying that too. I'm kind of put off by this whole interaction.

Update: I called a local wine store to see if I could buy a bottle of wine to get a single bottle shipper with it and they told me they could do that and ship on my behalf. Kudos to the retailer for understanding great customer service.

< Message edited by Wine Gopher -- 1/2/2018 4:02:41 PM >

(in reply to CranBurgundy)

Post #: 34

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/3/2018 9:13:42 PM

Wine Gopher

Posts: 821
Joined: 3/12/2012
From: MN
Status: offline

Shipping their flawed bottle back to them cost me $17. I asked for reimbursement when they conclude that it is corked (and it was definitely corked). They said they can not reimburse my shipping cost.

Is this subpar customer service for a purveyor of a luxury good or are my expectations too high?

(in reply to Wine Gopher)

Post #: 35

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/3/2018 9:56:44 PM

CranBurgundy

Posts: 8272
Joined: 1/5/2016
From: Philly / South Joizey
Status: offline

That's a winery that would be crossed off my list.

_____________________________

Purple Drankin' Cretin.

Vote NO on Proposition S1ct1516 "BAN the CRAN!" this Election Day.

“Let it be recorded: henceforth, December 15 shall be known as 'The Day of Dennis'.” - Prof. Ken "KPB" Birman, 12/17/23

(in reply to Wine Gopher)

Post #: 36

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/4/2018 8:37:12 AM

jmcmchi

Posts: 3216
Joined: 8/6/2013
Status: offline

Is there a small claims court in your state...or would interstate commerce be excluded? At this stage I get antsy

Oh and +1 with CB

(in reply to CranBurgundy)

Post #: 37

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/4/2018 11:35:04 AM

Wine Gopher

Posts: 821
Joined: 3/12/2012
From: MN
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: jmcmchi

Is there a small claims court in your state...or would interstate commerce be excluded? At this stage I get antsy

Oh and +1 with CB

I'm sure there is but the $17 doesn't seem worth my time. It is more the principle in the matter. In this case, I've been a list member for 6 vintages and spent $3480 on wine (excluding tax/shipping) from the winery. This is my first email to customer service. I feel like you should trust a frequent customer/first time emailer instead of inconveniencing them to find a shipper and pay to prove the wine is flawed and in need of replacement. In 1200+ consumed bottles, I've only had 2 other issues where I emailed a winery about a corked/flawed bottle and both were much more pleasant experiences. In the one instance, Gramercy Cellars customer service was so great (they couldn't replace my vintage so they gave me 2 of the current vintage) that I joined their wine club.

< Message edited by Wine Gopher -- 1/4/2018 12:18:43 PM >

(in reply to jmcmchi)

Post #: 38

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/5/2018 8:31:28 AM

Mike Evans

Posts: 287
Joined: 2/4/2006
From: Atlanta, GA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Wine Gopher

Shipping their flawed bottle back to them cost me $17. I asked for reimbursement when they conclude that it is corked (and it was definitely corked). They said they can not reimburse my shipping cost.

Is this subpar customer service for a purveyor of a luxury good or are my expectations too high?

It is subpar customer service. At a minimum they should reimburse your shipping cost if they verify that the wine was corked. Why should you bear the cost of returning a defective product when they are insisting that you return the product? I'd wait for the replacement to arrive before pressing it further or cutting ties with them, though, less they fail to make good on the replacement.

(in reply to Wine Gopher)

Post #: 39

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/6/2018 4:39:13 AM

Smaragd

Posts: 720
Joined: 2/3/2017
From: New York City
Status: offline

How do you all feel about returns/replacement of badly past-prime wines from second hand sellers? If something is really over the hill, and the seller doesn't know it, do they have any obligation to you if you pop that bottle in a reasonable time frame and discover that it's (not corked but) past showing well?

(in reply to Mike Evans)

Post #: 40

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/6/2018 9:06:49 AM

River Rat

Posts: 1338
Joined: 4/29/2010
From: Forestville, CA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Jenise

Last time I asked a winery for replacement was Bevan. The wine was not purchased at the winery but was purchased 300 miles away and going back to the retailer wasn't an option. For my trouble, I got a rude, skeptical third degree from one of the partners, to which I responded with copies of the glowing reviews I'd given their wines here and elsewhere to prove I wasn't a one-off customer, and was ultimately refused. Only bottles purchased as part of their club would be replaced. I could NOT believe it. I will never buy Bevan wines again.

I purchased some wine from a winemaker when he was liquidating some of his library after the winery changed hands (he’s still the winemaker”.)

One of the bottles was corked so I dropped by the tasting room to have it replaced. They didn’t have the exact wine there at the time and asked me to return when the tasting room manager was in. They later contacted me and said they didn’t have a record of ever selling me the wine in question. I told them that should not matter since it is flawed. They refused to replace the bottle and told me to talk to the winemaker. The winemaker left a replacement bottle at the tasting room but I never returned out of sheer digust in how I was treated and will never purchase another bottle from them directly. Will just source back vintages in secondary market. Well respected label, poor customer service.

(in reply to Jenise)

Post #: 41

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/6/2018 9:09:02 AM

River Rat

Posts: 1338
Joined: 4/29/2010
From: Forestville, CA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Wine Gopher

Coincidentally I had a corked bottle on NYE. The bottle was a 2009 purchased directly from the winery (they only sell by list/allocation). I sent an email that night and received a response today requesting that I send the bottle back to them for testing to determine if they will replace the bottle. Is this standard practice?

I can only recall returning 4 corked bottles in my life (2 were returned to the local retailer for in-store credit and the other 2 were replaced directly by the winery upon being notified of the flawed wine) so I'm not highly experienced in this but requesting shipment seemed odd to me considering I'm not licensed to ship wine across state lines.

Poor form on their part, especially when the customer is of known quantity.

(in reply to Wine Gopher)

Post #: 42

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/6/2018 9:12:20 AM

River Rat

Posts: 1338
Joined: 4/29/2010
From: Forestville, CA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: CranBurgundy

That's a winery that would be crossed off my list.

^^This^^

(in reply to CranBurgundy)

Post #: 43

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/6/2018 9:15:20 AM

River Rat

Posts: 1338
Joined: 4/29/2010
From: Forestville, CA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: smaragd

How do you all feel about returns/replacement of badly past-prime wines from second hand sellers? If something is really over the hill, and the seller doesn't know it, do they have any obligation to you if you pop that bottle in a reasonable time frame and discover that it's (not corked but) past showing well?

No. Know your drinking windows and if you want to take a chance caveat emptor.

(in reply to Smaragd)

Post #: 44

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/6/2018 9:42:49 AM

jmcmchi

Posts: 3216
Joined: 8/6/2013
Status: offline

quote:

River Rat

quote:

ORIGINAL: CranBurgundy

That's a winery that would be crossed off my list.

^^This^^

(in reply to River Rat)

Post #: 45

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/6/2018 12:57:19 PM

Wine Gopher

Posts: 821
Joined: 3/12/2012
From: MN
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: smaragd

How do you all feel about returns/replacement of badly past-prime wines from second hand sellers? If something is really over the hill, and the seller doesn't know it, do they have any obligation to you if you pop that bottle in a reasonable time frame and discover that it's (not corked but) past showing well?

I lean toward buying old wine on a secondary market is caveat emptor. The price paid should reflect that risk to begin with.

(in reply to Smaragd)

Post #: 46

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/6/2018 1:26:03 PM

Jenise

Posts: 1324
Joined: 3/20/2013
From: The Pacific Northest Westest
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Wine Gopher

I'm sure there is but the $17 doesn't seem worth my time. It is more the principle in the matter. In this case, I've been a list member for 6 vintages and spent $3480 on wine (excluding tax/shipping) from the winery. This is my first email to customer service. I feel like you should trust a frequent customer/first time emailer instead of inconveniencing them to find a shipper and pay to prove the wine is flawed and in need of replacement. In 1200+ consumed bottles, I've only had 2 other issues where I emailed a winery about a corked/flawed bottle and both were much more pleasant experiences. In the one instance, Gramercy Cellars customer service was so great (they couldn't replace my vintage so they gave me 2 of the current vintage) that I joined their wine club.

That winery has their sense of privilege completely backwards. Drop them!

But hey, you mention Gramercy. They actually contacted me after reading a poor review of one of their wines and sent me another bottle to try. I now buy their wines regularly because of that. Customer service matters.

(in reply to Wine Gopher)

Post #: 47

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 1/6/2018 6:13:03 PM

CranBurgundy

Posts: 8272
Joined: 1/5/2016
From: Philly / South Joizey
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Jenise

But hey, you mention Gramercy. They actually contacted me after reading a poor review of one of their wines and sent me another bottle to try. I now buy their wines regularly because of that. Customer service matters.

Same thing happened to me with Big Basin. They were sure I had a defective bottle, and they were correct - the replacement, while not my style, was noticeably better. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to somebody looking for a biggish domestic Pinot Noir.

_____________________________

Purple Drankin' Cretin.

Vote NO on Proposition S1ct1516 "BAN the CRAN!" this Election Day.

“Let it be recorded: henceforth, December 15 shall be known as 'The Day of Dennis'.” - Prof. Ken "KPB" Birman, 12/17/23

(in reply to Jenise)

Post #: 48

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 2/13/2018 8:29:38 AM

Wine Gopher

Posts: 821
Joined: 3/12/2012
From: MN
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Jenise

quote:

ORIGINAL: Wine Gopher

I'm sure there is but the $17 doesn't seem worth my time. It is more the principle in the matter. In this case, I've been a list member for 6 vintages and spent $3480 on wine (excluding tax/shipping) from the winery. This is my first email to customer service. I feel like you should trust a frequent customer/first time emailer instead of inconveniencing them to find a shipper and pay to prove the wine is flawed and in need of replacement. In 1200+ consumed bottles, I've only had 2 other issues where I emailed a winery about a corked/flawed bottle and both were much more pleasant experiences. In the one instance, Gramercy Cellars customer service was so great (they couldn't replace my vintage so they gave me 2 of the current vintage) that I joined their wine club.

That winery has their sense of privilege completely backwards. Drop them!

After I emailed them for an update, Bryant Family finally confirmed for me that my bottle was corked. I'm still out the money for shipping but it was vindicating and I enjoyed writing the email to inform them I won't be buying their wines in the future.

(in reply to Jenise)

Post #: 49

RE: Replacement of Flawed Wine - 2/13/2018 9:10:58 AM

CranBurgundy

Posts: 8272
Joined: 1/5/2016
From: Philly / South Joizey
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Wine Gopher

quote:

ORIGINAL: Jenise

quote:

ORIGINAL: Wine Gopher

I'm sure there is but the $17 doesn't seem worth my time. It is more the principle in the matter. In this case, I've been a list member for 6 vintages and spent $3480 on wine (excluding tax/shipping) from the winery. This is my first email to customer service. I feel like you should trust a frequent customer/first time emailer instead of inconveniencing them to find a shipper and pay to prove the wine is flawed and in need of replacement. In 1200+ consumed bottles, I've only had 2 other issues where I emailed a winery about a corked/flawed bottle and both were much more pleasant experiences. In the one instance, Gramercy Cellars customer service was so great (they couldn't replace my vintage so they gave me 2 of the current vintage) that I joined their wine club.

That winery has their sense of privilege completely backwards. Drop them!

After I emailed them for an update, Bryant Family finally confirmed for me that my bottle was corked. I'm still out the money for shipping but it was vindicating and I enjoyed writing the email to inform them I won't be buying their wines in the future.

Hahaha! Were you thinking "TAKE THAT Bryant Family!" while typing? They just lost a customer, AND look at how much bad press $17 bought them.

_____________________________

Purple Drankin' Cretin.

Vote NO on Proposition S1ct1516 "BAN the CRAN!" this Election Day.

“Let it be recorded: henceforth, December 15 shall be known as 'The Day of Dennis'.” - Prof. Ken "KPB" Birman, 12/17/23

(in reply to Wine Gopher)

Post #: 50