Laithwaites

Like so many other reviews Laithwaites scammed me last year by sending me a case of wine I didn't order. So I cancelled my account.
BUT they illegally retained my credit card details and last week debited my accouunt $39.99. Nothing I ordered, nothing delivered, just plain theft.

Beware of this organisation, once they have your personal and card details they automatically charge your card and send wine every 3 months. I had to dispute the unauthorised transaction with my bank and cancel the card to prevent this re-occurring every 3 months. Clear contravention of Australian Consumer Law s. 18(1), deceptive and misleading conduct. I have referred them to the ACCC.

I was really hoping for more but the wines are ok except for the Altos de la Guardia Rioja, Crianza 2013. I don't know what happened to this wine, whether it's the wine, the cork, the shipping but it was undrinkable. Too sour, too dry, too inky. Really didn't even smell right.

I have been a member of this wine club over for over 12yrs. And not had any problems. If you are trying different wines over a period of time you are not going to love them all. I can honestly say I have not had one I did not drink. Customer service, delivery and wine available have all been excellent and I would recommend this company without hesitation.

I signed up for the 'regular' club, figured if it was affiliated with National Geo, I would give it a try. The wine was not great, so I tried the upgraded 'reserve' club. They actually sent me some of the same wine bottles I received from the 'regular' membership under the 'reserve' membership. Both levels of membership delivered wine that was subpar at best.

I am in the middle of trying to return the remaining bottles of one order (that was three months late BTW), and then send me another case within a couple of weeks. I ended up canceling my membership and will be looking to get refunded for the past two cases. Customer service has been a nightmare and I suspect I will have to file a claim with my credit card company to reverse the charges. I think this is a very shady business and my recommendation would be to get your wine somewhere else.

I was on their wine club, first order was the trial one, no problem with the delivery, my second order was on July 10th and I never got it! They charged my credit card, I called them several time, they said that they were going to send me another case and I never got it either. Several calls and emails and nothing! Requested my money back, cancelled my membership and until today, August 18th haven't received my money, whoever answers the phone or my emails says that they gonna escalate The issue to management and nothing! One of their team member even hung up the phone on me! Wow!

I received in the National Geographic magazine an invitation around Christmas to order some wine at a discount price, I ordered without knowing that I will become a member of their club and every 3 months I will receive a case of wine at much higher price, without ordering that. They charge your payment option without you authorizing the charge.

Be careful it is a SCAM tactic to catch customers.

For $180 Laithwaites sent me a case of a dozen grade B-/C+ wines selling for $10-12 / bottle - several of which I had previously purchased in a supermarket. I was expecting interesting good wines I had not seen or tried before. What a ripoff.

I am writing this for my mother, somehow saw this promotion and ordered a case of wine a year and half ago and paid for it,Then many months later got another case and called them several times stating she did not order it and to return it. NO response. Then months later another case was received, called again stating the same discussion. Now being billed for those two cases. Then Laithwaites took over. I called them myself to have this stopped and to pick up both cases of wine or send me shipping labels that I can send them back. (those 2 cases are unopened and waiting for pickup} That was early November. The rep. Asked to speak to my Mother, which I explained she was 93 years old and very hard of hearing and would not understand the conversatiion. Was told she could not help.
I'm done, the cases are here for pickup.Please reply to this email, she has no idea how to use a computer. Customer #B*******
John Kilpper

Wines are fabulous.
Service on phones is exceptional and most helpful.
My concerns are that as soon as order was placed the money is deducted from the credit card provided.
NB I specifically asked if the stock was available and the response was yes, however the stock wasn't available and it will be at least two weeks since the order was placed before I receive it

I thought Laithwaite's service was good when I joined in 2011. I upgraded to their Reserve Club membership and recommended them to friends. I left Laithwaite's in 2018 due to the apathy I began to experience in their customer service. I tried three other wine distribution companies after leaving Laithwaite's in 2018. All three offer faster delivery and better service than Laithwaite's (and now I alternate between the two best of them). Tried Laithwaite's again in 2020, however their problems persist. I miss a few of the wines I used to get from Laithwaite's, but I prefer to buy from companies that provide good service.

After taking up their offer through the post they couldn't let me know when the delivery was to be made. Fortunately I was home when the delivery arrived but it was just put in front of my door, didn't even attempt to ring the bell. I then received another offer through the post and decide to accept again as even though the communication was bad the wines were good. I then got a call from a representative of Laithewaite's saying that they could not accept my order as the offer had been sent by mistake. Laithwaite's site said that it was easy to unsubscribe but I couldn't find anywhere to do this so I cleared down all my details re payment and delivery instructions. Laithwaites still managed to take money from my account! I am still waiting for a refund of these monies 15 days later! Not good enough!

I placed an order a month ago, and I was excited to see that my wine will be shipping shortly and it would be there on 5 July. Although I received a notification saying that there was an attempt to deliver on 5 July, soon FedEx was disavowing any knowledge of the package and that was the last tracking on the package. Repeated attempts to contact customer service at Laithewaires have left me frustrated and aggravated. Twice I've called and I've been told someone will get back to me in just a few minutes— and they have not. I want my wine, or I want a refund. Either way, I canceled my membership.

I signed up through the AAdvantage shopping site. I was promised 1500 bonus miles. After about a month and not receiving the miles, I contacted Laithwaites customer service. At first, they were very responsive and said they would be providing a date when I would receive the miles. Not receiving the miles, I again contacted them with pretty much the same response. Still not receiving the miles, I again contacted them. They have not provided the miles and furthermore refuse to respond to my emails. I do not know what is behind their refusal to honor their commitment but what is most disturbing is their customer service department to at least have the decency to let me know that they are not going to do so.

As far as the wine goes, the introductory shipment is fairly priced as my opinion the wine is worth the $7 price range. It certainly is not worth their full price.

I ordered and paid for a case of wine on 20th March to have in time for Easter (3 weeks away). 10 days later (30th March) I emailed Laithwaites to see what was happening with my order as I had not received any shipping confirmation. I was told it was in transit, here is the shipping number. Upon searching with the shipping number, all the web site would give me was 'in transit'. Meanwhile I have ordered various other orders using the same shipper and had them with 3 days.
In a further email to them I asked that they follow up with the shipper as I feared the goods had been lost in transit, they failed to directly follow up with the shipper, only telling me the order 'should arrive soon'.
Now on 7th April I have called them only to be told 'we're busy,' 'it can't be helped', 'that's not my job (to follow up with the shipper)'. Well, never again will I order with this firm, totally unprofessional.

Bad service with no answers to their mistake in billing. I Canceled my wine club that I inadvertently signed up for and never received a bill for what I owed. 8 months later I receive a notice from a collection agency that I owe money. I check with Lathwaites and find out they have sent bills to an address that I lived at 5 years ago. The collection agency sent their bill to the correct address. They found the correct address Very frustrating and upsetting. Never, never going to order from them again

Ok. Bought a case, joined the club. Got a case got another in four months. Then I bought another case. Everything was fine.
Recently 10/20. I bought two cases 24 bottles (not part of the club) I got only fifteen bottles and they hit me up for another membership $90. But didn't charge me for shipping. None of the bottles were part of the order I made. So I called. They do not answer the phone or respond to emails. I believe I have been hoodwinked.
I have canceled membership and called MasterCard.
Forget these guys. I just support my local liquor store instead.
The photo was what I received of their Mature European Rarities and Holiday Pino selection. Only 2 Pinos.
Booooooooooo

I have filed a report with the Better Business Bureau concerning this company. From the reviews I see on this web site, I am not alone.
My order # is Order #: o*******533 Order Date: 11/07/201. Their website says "Once your wine is on its way, you will receive another email with a link allowing you to track your shipment and view the scheduled delivery date" However I have not received a tracking number. Nor have I received the wine. I contacted the company by email but get the response, "Our Customer Service Team will get back to you within 8 hours." But I never have received a response. I called the company's 800 number and was told the wine would be delivered in 3 days, but it still has not been received. A charge of $80.98 was made to my account on the same day as the order.
NOV 8 2019
Withdrawal Debit Card/WNE*LAITHWAITES WINE *******050 CT Date 11/07/19 *******071
- $89.98. Please let me know if other complaints have been filed against this company.

Yesterday i opened a bottle of"ContraPosto" an Italian called "Italia", a "wonderful blend of four Italian red wines". That was the Vintner's description of his wine. It was a watery wine with no redeeming characteristics, To add insult to injury, I was blessed with a quarter cup of lees in my finishing glass, I got a mouthful. Therefore I rate this wine as dishwater!
G Lassiter, Murrieta, CA

Bought a Wowcher deal for 12 bottles of wine for £45 from Laithwaite's.
Little did I know that they had automatically conned me into a 'Wine Plan?'
Today, 12 bottles of wine arrive with no emails or info from Laithwaites and a hefty £108 bill!
WTF. Outrageius!
Straight on the phone in the morning.

I ordered several boxes of wine from Laithwaites and my initial experience was good. However, without any of the promotional discounts they offer, I realized I can get the same quality of wine for much cheaper at Costco. Laithwaites wine is average at best. Once I cancelled my subscription, they sent me another box of wine that I did not order. I attempted several times to reach customer service to return the wine, but no one answered the phone or returned my emails. After I started receiving mail from Laithwaites telling me my account was overdue, I reached out again to explain the situation. They let me know that they would get back to me within 3-5 days with a resolution, but I never heard back. This happened on at least 3 different occasions, wasting hours of my time. Now, over two years later, Laithwaites has sent me to collections over something that I didn't even order. A reputable company would never send one of their customers to collections over something they did not order. Amazon does not send me packages that I do not order and then refuse to answer the phone when I try to return the product. I would highly recommend that you stay away from this company at all costs. Absolute scam!

I ordered a Mystery Case of red Wine on Sept 12th 2021. It's now October 22nd and after several calls to customer service over the last 3 weeks and speaking with a supervisor I still haven't received my order. No one can tell me where it is or why I haven't received it. Was told they would call me back after my last conversation with a supervisor on Tuesday Oct. 19th after speaking with them on Oct 18 giving them another chance and no call. I have been a member for over 8 years and have never been so disappointed with Laithwaites Wine Club. I cancelled my wine club and will never order from them again... will see how long it takes to receive my refund!

RSJ New York

Ordered a couple of cases of wine at Christmas for guests through Groupon and now Laithwaotes keeping sending me cases of wine that I don't want even though I have told them that I don't drink. Don't order from them as they wont stop sending you wine and charge nearly £100 per case.