Retailer Caution: Wine Up Wine Merchant

Normally I don’t mention bad experiences with wine retailers, but this one was significant enough that I felt I should post it. There was a port I recently tasted that I enjoyed, and I went on Winesearcher.com to find it. A Portland retailer, Wine Up, had it listed for a low price per six bottle case. I then emailed them to confirm (a) the wine was in stock, and (b) the listed price per six bottle case. They immediately responded that the wine was in stock and that was the price.

I then tried to order it on their website, but the website seemed to have difficulties processing the transaction. Finally, I gave up and just called them. I got “Wayne,” who confirmed the price and that it was in stock. So I placed the order on the phone.

The day before the wine was to ship, I got an email for the invoice price. Despite the listing and the email confirmation, the invoice price was clearly taking the stated price and applying that PER BOTTLE, not per six-bottle case. As soon as I got the email invoice, I immediately wrote back to cancel the order and to cancel the shipment. Even though this was before the wine was to ship, and even though the wine in fact was not shipped, they still charged my card the invoice price. I am, of course, disputing this charge with the credit card company.

If this had simply been a situation of mistaken pricing, then I would not be so concerned. But their email responses to my cancellation of the order were unusual, to say the least. Their first email response stated: “You must be smoking dope.” After I made it clear that I was cancelling the order, another response stated: “I am Jewish too, but don’t think that you deserve everything for next to nothing.” In case you were wondering, I had never said anything to the merchant about my religious affiliation.

I have had some difficult transactions with merchants over the years, but I can’t recall someone charging my card without shipping the in stock item, and I certainly can’t remember anyone ever sending me emails with this kind of language.

FYI, Bruce.

Wow, cross them off the list of places to buy from.

indeed

Wow is that inexcusable or what?

I was gonna say put your comments in a negative review on Snooth, but that aren’t profiled on Snooth. I guess I could see why given your experience.

What is a business owner or employee thinking when they send out mails like that? Have they no clue what they’re doing to their entire company?

Bruce,

I am sorry to hear of your experience. I am typically against these type of post, as I think it’s decidedly in favor of the consumer, and perhaps missing the side of the vendor, but in your case, I believe you have run upon at best an idiot, at worst, an outright crook.

As a serious port drinker, I will make sure I never consider them in the future. Thanks for sharing.

Sounds like a straight-up crook. Does anyone here have any positive experiences with this “retailer”? Sorry 'bout your bad luck, Bruce.

Oddly enough however, after two pages on a google search, these folks don’t even seem to have a website? Am I just missing it somehow? How do they show up on ws with no website?

Just, wow.

Linked from Wine-Searcher: http://www.wineupwinemerchants.com/
And a search on “oregon wineup” gets you to the same place via WineUP TV. Same people.
Same store at this link: http://www.wineuptv.com/winestore2/
It appears that this is Wayne: http://www.wineuptv.com/shows.php?id=68

Unbelievable, a “Dope Smoking Jew” Whaaat ?
Doesn’t make much sense to receive all that confirmation, plus talk to the guy and then get charged a different amount and make it sound like you were to blame… WTF, you didn’t invent the price or website listing.
Doesn’t sound very professional

Report them to WineSearcher with the e-mail copies and they will probably pull the store from the site.

Thanks for the heads up. I just went to Wine-Searcher and put them on my excluded list so they won’t show up on any of my searches.

Hey stop talking shit about me!

I get the dope smoking but you’re Jewish?

Paul,

I’ve been thinking we need to get together soon, I’ll remember to bring my bris certificate for your examination.

Basketball Related Income SHeets!?

While they at least appear to be working out of a commercial building and not out of a house, they also appear to be yet another retailer who is offering the entire OR wholesale catalog for sale. This is just a guess, but both the statement about some orders taking two days to confirm, and the many descriptions of ‘6 bottle cases’ in their wine descriptions are clues, since no retailer lists the price of 6 btl cases, just bottles. Wholesalers describe wine that way to their retailer clients, and the verbiage was simply used by the retailer without cleaning it up.

And while not defending their responses, I do think that Bruce probably knew that the price was too good to be for 6 btls, and was in fact per bottle.

I’ve seen plenty of retailers quote price by the case, rather than by the bottle.

And, Chuck, I think you should read Bruce’s OP more closely so you can see what he’s really taking issue with; CLUE: it’s not the price issue.

Brian, I read it, and understood it quite clearly, but thanks for the clue. I also believe that he was probably trying to get something that was simply too good to be true.

I believe, based on this statment, that you, in fact, did not understand Bruce’s OP clearly. Please show me where in his OP there is anything to suggest this is what was going on. Seriously, please do that.