As part of my ‘Buy Organic Wine’ regular reviews, I buy and taste wines from both supermarkets, big wine chains and independent stores. My WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) certification allows me to judge the wines according to the rating system and also provide you guys with the rather subjective experience how it is to shop at that and that place. I have had some really confusing experience before with my wine broken, and I should add I am still waiting for one package (out of two!) I have ordered in June, but this particular case needed to be published asap.
On the quest of exploring and evaluating organic wines, I could not miss an offering from Bottle Apostle, after all it is nice to shop at independent store that is probably more personal and attentive both to you as a customer, but also to the produce they source.
I have placed an order for: Goru Organic, Altaroses d’A, Syrah Les Vigneaux, Negre Seleccio, Membrillera Bobal, Sartene Rouge, Lo Petit Fantet d’Hippolyte – Corbieres and VN Vinel-lo Tinto, which is all I think a rather interesting mid-priced wines (£10-14) in need to be further explored.
What happened next is that I had no communication from the store within a week (!!!), and I mean no emails or notifications about my order, when it would be shipped and delivered and by which delivery company. All I had is just ‘processing’ status that did not change for a week. To my further surprise, after sending a very polite message through their contact form (which said that the response time can be long as they are busy tasting wines! – should anyone care really?), I had no response whatsoever! Horrific service.
So after waiting for another week, I’ve decided it was time to give them a call. Mind you, an assistant was very polite and tried to help, but after a few days of calls back and forth, she had informed me that the wines were probably stolen as the driver delivered it to my address (around the time I used the contact form).
The problem is that there was a call from a driver indeed, asking for directions, and I have allowed him to drop a package at my place. After getting back home, I did find a card (‘two packages near the flower pot’), and the two packages were there – yet not the wines, but plants that I have ordered.
So at the end I am left without wines, and the solution from Bottle Apostle was to offer me 10% on my next order! Do you think it can be remotely acceptable?
Bottle Apostle as a wine merchant has failed to inform me of anything with regards to the delivery, I had no communication prior to actually trying to sort things and get to know where my bottles are, and they now expect me to take this ‘offer’? No freaking way!
What I want to say to all of you is that I have expected more from Bottle Apostle, which is a chain of wine stores that has just opened a fifth place in London. If a merchant cannot deliver on a decent online service they should not offer it.
Do you agree?
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Cheers!
P.S. You can always check the recent additions in the top list of the Best Organic Wines. Buy wines with confidence and drink organic!
