Latest WTSO Ratings BS - "Member Average"

Okay, so we all know that we’ve got to deal with Jonathan H. Newman’s bullshit ratings already. (He’s responsible for WTSO rejecting 96% of the wines featured on the site). Now, they’ve got “WTSO Member Average” for a rating system. Will someone please tell me what the hell that’s supposed to mean? Do they really think we’re that stupid?

And as long as I’m on a WTSO rant, what’s up with their BS “best web price.”? As I type this, they have a 2006 Consentino Cab up for $18.99. They say the “best web price” is $41.68. Complete and utter bullshit. I spent maybe three minutes with Google and found it in a New Jersey wine shop for $17.99.

How can they have a member average for a wine they haven’t yet sold? Do they sell a wine, have members rate it, then sell it again? Seems quite spurious…

explain? I know about ratings deal.

Despite their name, I believe that the term “Sold Out” is a temporary state of being. Wines will re-appear on the site, sometimes multiple times. I may be wrong, but I believe it is these wines that get the Members rating.

The re-appearance of wines is not a bad thing, as sometimes it provides opportunities to stock up on something that you had and liked, or may have missed the first time offered. As far as I know, the prices on the re-offers are never higher than the original offer and sometimes are even a little lower

Do they actually request, and, moreover, RECEIVE ratings from those who buy it? I’m skeptical to say the least.

Well after you purchase from them
you can go to your “my cellar” and rate a product.
Now it could be one or more (like CT but without the details)
How can “members” rate it if they haven’t bought it(good question,
I assume they have sold it before)
As far as Johanathan Newman- oh come on!

Cheers
Rip

I do not know what volume of ratings they get, but basically, when you log into your account there is a tab that shows “My Cellar”, in this tab they have a list of all wines that you purchased from them.Starting with wines purchased post August 2009, the wine names are clickable, and the next screen gives you an opportunity to put in a comment and a rating for the wine. It also shows the description that was up when you bought it, lists the expert ratings, and shows the community rating for the wine.

I don’t think they solicit comments or ratings very aggressively, but I will say the system is pretty slick (I had never really looked at it before this thread here). I have no idea how many people use this feature. I just use CT

I think the only important stat is the price with shipping. I look at that, then go to Cellar Tracker, WB, EBob and if still interested, then Wine-Searcher to see if the price is really a buy. I could go to WS first, but I like to learn about the wine.

I have no idea exactly what this means – I’m only quoting from their website. If you look at the bottom of their page, you’ll see the following “disclaimer” about the Jonathan Newman

*Jonathan Newman served for years as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (“PLCB”), the largest buyer of wine and spirits in the U.S., and the largest purchaser of California wines in the world. He was awarded the Guild of Sommeliers highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award in 2005. Mr. Newman’s reviews have been published and quoted extensively online and in print. He travels extensively to all the major wine growing regions and evaluates many of the wines we source from smaller and boutique wineries. > We interact closely with him and the result is a rejection rate of over 96% of the wines submitted.

I’ve never seen a Jonathan Newman rating under 92 points. Has anyone? I for one would love to see the stats on these 96%. I get the feeling that they’ll sell anything that they think they can sell, and it has nothing to do with the implied high standards. I get the sense that they’d sell Gallo or Charles Shaw if they thought they could turn a profit doing so.

I like the idea of the website, and I’ve bought from the a dozen times. I’ve never disliked the wines that I’ve bought from them, but I attribute that to my pre-purchase research – not the good Jonathan Newman.

Thy all do it now… got an email from vitis.com today for:

Larmandier-Bernier “Vieilles Vignes de Cramant” Grand Cru Champagne 2004
93 Points – Wine Advocate – 50% Off


RETAIL PRICE
$109.99
OUR PRICE DELIVERED
$55.00
1+ Bottle Orders Include Shipping.
BEST ONLINE
$67.81


So I went on W-S and found for $47:

http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/larmandier-bernier+vieilles+vignes+de+cramant/2004/usa

How much does it cost to deliver that bottle? They usually include shipping at the quantities most favorable to the price comparison.

Michael

We were offered that Cosentino Cab at a deep closeout just last week.

I purchase some wines from them and they have always been good to me. They have bulk of each wine,(so they rarely sell out) hence the low price, granted not always the least expensive The few red burgs I have purchased have exceeded my expectations and mr. Newmans score though somewhat high were not off the mark from were I scored them. I do think it’s funny he rates every burg between 91-94 points with the majority weighing in at 93. I never understood the member scores, albeit its bit of a sales gimmick to which I feel adds no value. Again, I am very happy with their service and appreciate the free shipping upon meeting the proper allocation. Some of the wines I have completely fell in love with and have reordered up to 3x’s.

I have no problem with WTSO. When you get the deal from them, just quick check CT and W-S, if it’s a deal, it is…and if it isn’t, it isn’t. I agree that JN score is useless…as is the “member avd”, but I go to bevmo on occasion and I’m not into the WW score either…but I still get deals there too. And WTSO is first class on customer service…they’ve never let me down, quick response, and they’ve made good on every deal we’ve made…and a couple haven’t worked out and they’ve been awesome. And the 2-day air to the west coast is an amazing price…amazing. free shipping in the spring and fall is the way to go on the cheap stuff, cheap 2-day the rest of time for the good bottles. Some deals better than others, of course, but early in 2011 I got 06 Cos and Barton from them for amazing prices.

I don’t have a problem with them, I just think their use of Jonathan Newman ratings and their inflated “best web price” is a little sleazy. Just because I know it is a scam doesn’t make the scam okay.

agree. I think we all know a good deal and don’t we all have CT with WS integration for TNs and pricing info? I now have a contact at WTSO who is incredibly helpful if I need to change a shipping date, etc. So all good for this wino.