disgraceful customer service a well known retailer - Chambers Street Wines

[jcoley3]

From a retailer’s perspective, super high-demand allocated items and rarities are very complicated. I deal with wine, and help deal with craft beer and Bourbon/Whiskys as well. Some may just go to the best long-term customers first, and will never be publicly offered. With beer, we’ll often try a customer limit for a couple of days to give regulars time to rotate in through the store and get a little. Sometimes we’ll surprise someone who has turned into a good regular with access to an unexpected bottle(s). Sometimes if we know we have to disappoint a good regular, we will put them at the top of a list of their choice.

Even though the rules of the game are fluid, I’ve always found being as up front as possible about how we’re operating and why gets the best feedback. We seem to have pretty good retention. If there’s a foolproof system to make everyone happy with these kind of products, I haven’t found it yet. At the end of the day, good retailers hate being in the disappointment business, and even though our OP was clearly disappointed, I very much doubt CSW wanted to end up there.

[Craig_G]

@Thomas Keim

@L. Wang

on the bright side, apparently I just made all these friends here, if anyone wants to talk about food or wine as actual content, I am game.

Don’t let this initial orientation turn you off on the board. Half the people who post here are snarky bastards (me included).

Here’s to snarky bastards!

[Pau1_M3nk3s]

@c fu

who knows mark, what if he was privately emailing the rest of his coworkers and ridiculing you behind your back?

There are also plenty of very legitimate businesses that have had major customer service errors even though 99% of the other customer interactions have been awesome.

This. In the only transaction I have been involved with Chambers, it went extremely well. Seems like they screwed the pooch here though.

[Rick.T]

Welcome to the board Le, hope you hang around. I didn’t know that Chartreuse was a drink, just read up about it on google. BTW, I’ve seen rants on this board and yours was mild compared to most…

[L_Wang]

@Rick.T

Welcome to the board Le, hope you hang around. I didn’t know that Chartreuse was a drink, just read up about it on google. BTW, I’ve seen rants on this board and yours was mild compared to most…

Thanks for the post, I feel the party that had the most gain is Chartreuse company itself! Now everyone knows its a valuable commodity.

[Daniel_Kim]

I would have been annoyed had my CC been charged and they had reduced my allotments twice.

I think we’d all feel differently if this had been in person and they had stopped you in the parking lot loading them into your car and said “Sorry, we have a better customer than you who wants these, I’ll be taking half of them back now”. I’m pretty sure the wine retailer would feel like a dick doing that.

Unfortunately the Internet makes it easier to be a dick.

And it IS unprofessional to bad mouth customers behind their backs. I’ve seen a co-worker chewed out by their manager for ridiculing customers at the office. We all know that many of our customers or clients are idiots. Those thoughts don’t need to be broadcast for this very reason.

I’d still buy from Chambers though hehehe.

[Randy_Bowman]

Wow. I’m worn out reading all this and here is my impression:

1. Very kind of Neal to warn Le.
2. Embarrassed at some of the attacks. (I know we are protective, but more info/interaction needed)
3. Surprised how well Le is handling it.
4. Wondering if Le was a current member posting under another name to initiate and watch the flaming.
5. Stunned at the turn around of comments.
6. Can’t believe I read the whole thing.

Le,

The larger the business, the more mistakes are possible. If you have a client base for Chartreuse, send the sale to them, not everybody. Who the hell buys vintage Chartreuse in such numbers? I can’t fathom that happening, so that’s why I wondered if the thread is a set up for a BS bashing to lighten a Tuesday, especially since you are being so cordial about it.

[John_Morris]

@Michael S. Monie

One would have to be a moron to want to receive an offer on something which there was no chance of obtaining.

That’s kind of a moronic statement. I and lots of others here are very happy to receive offers of old wines, particularly old Italians, even when there is often only a bottle or two of any one wine. I’m sure I’m not even in the top half of Chambers’ customers by dollar volume, but I get the same offers as everyone else, and if I move fast, I often get what I want.

If you find the risk of frustration is too high for your tolerance, so be it. But for the rest of us, they offer wines that can’t be found anyplace else in the US so far as I know.

[L_Wang]

@Randy Bowman

Wow. I’m worn out reading all this and here is my impression:

1. Very kind of Neal to warn Le.
2. Embarrassed at some of the attacks. (I know we are protective, but more info/interaction needed)
3. Surprised how well Le is handling it.
4. Wondering if Le was a current member posting under another name to initiate and watch the flaming.
5. Stunned at the turn around of comments.
6. Can’t believe I read the whole thing.

Le,

The larger the business, the more mistakes are possible. If you have a client base for Chartreuse, send the sale to them, not everybody. Who the hell buys vintage Chartreuse in such numbers? I can’t fathom that happening, so that’s why I wondered if the thread is a set up for a BS bashing to lighten a Tuesday, especially since you are being so cordial about it.

thanks for posting. It does feel like binge watching netflix a bit. I wish this whole thing was a setup like an April fools joke, maybe I am Jamie Wolff the gentlemen himself from CSW to see who are my supporters? (mind blown*) But in reality, it wasn’t a joke, and I am still left with 0 Chartreuse …

[Mike_Cohen]

@L. Wang

@Scott Brunson

I prefer the Jaune to the Vert.
And I hope Le sticks around here.
Fun thread.

Thanks for the welcome! one of the best drink I had with Jaune is the naked & famous

equal parts:

• Jaune Chartreuse
• Aperol
• Mezcal
• Lime

Shaken and served up. (also no simple is added, which is kind of cool)

Love me a good Naked and Famous!

[vincentz]

You have 40 posts now. Newbe no more. I may poke the bear and get my post total way up to bend the curve. Nice strategy

[jcoley3]

@Mike Cohen

@L. Wang

@Scott Brunson

I prefer the Jaune to the Vert.
And I hope Le sticks around here.
Fun thread.

Thanks for the welcome! one of the best drink I had with Jaune is the naked & famous

equal parts:

• Jaune Chartreuse
• Aperol
• Mezcal
• Lime

Shaken and served up. (also no simple is added, which is kind of cool)

Love me a good Naked and Famous!

+2. I love Yellow for cocktails and sauces (it made a passable sub for Vin Jaune - sweeter for sure). Green on its own.

[Drew_Goin]

I am not interested in the vitriol, just the Chartreuse!

I can’t remember where one goes for the little, “original” medicine bottles of the 140+ herb liqueur, but I fell in love with Chartreuse many years ago. I don’t really drink it anymore, but it never gave me a hangover, even when I consumed an entire bottle of the yellow back in my early twenties. The green is better: yellow tastes almost identical to Strega.

Here is my VEP Yellow bottle. My VEP Green was stolen at a house party over a decade ago.

[Ed_Kurtzman]

Two of the best digestifs I ever had were the 1970 VEP Jaune and the 1971 VEP Verte. The '70 gets the nod for elegance, the '71 for being so interesting. Once in a while I’ll order a regular green after dinner, or yellow if a restaurant has it. It’s so hard to find a VEP. I think Chartreuse helps prevent hangovers. The Pères Chartreux know their craft well.

[Matt_Mauldin]

Sorry, four pages in and now stuck in my head.

[video]ZZ Top - Chartreuse (Bonnaroo 2013) - YouTube

[larry_schaffer]

I gotta say - this is quite an interesting thread indeed. So here’s what I’ve learned thus far:

Those who have not had any ‘issues’ with a specific retailer (or winery) find it appalling that anyone else might . . .

Everyone should understand how certain retailers work, even if they have not worked with them in the past (at least I am assuming as such).

It’s okay for retailers to talk behind customers’ back - as long as it isn’t you.

I agree that the OP came across a bit too strong with the original post - but obviously he was not happy. A couple of questions for the OP:

1. Was this the first time you had ever tried to order from Chambers?
2. Do you order from other retailers like Chambers that offer very limited offerings?
3. If the answer to 2) was yes, have you run into similar issues like this?

Customer service should not be ‘selective’. Yes, I agree that customers who spend more may be given ‘preferential treatment’ from retailers (and I’m assuming wineries as well), but you never know when one of your newest customers will one day be one of your biggest . . . so why risk it by doing anything other than being as consistent as can be, at least with your messaging and your replying.

Cheers.

[Carlos_Delpin]

@Corey N.

@Robert Alfert

2. Something dumb that hipsters on the internet use to make their statements or usernames more scene.

From now on I’m calling you Le Gran Cubano.

Corey , I think “Le Faux Cubano” would be more apropos…

[Jorge_Henriquez]

@Carlos Delpin

@Corey N.

@Robert Alfert

2. Something dumb that hipsters on the internet use to make their statements or usernames more scene.

From now on I’m calling you Le Gran Cubano.

Corey , I think “Le Faux Cubano” would be more apropos…

Faux Yeah!

[Michael_S_Monie]

@Dennis Kanagie

@Michael S. Monie

One would have to be a moron to want to receive an offer on something which there was no chance of obtaining.

Interesting. I’ve gotten emails from HDH and CellaRaiders with VERY limited quantities of popular bottles, called them within minutes or even tried to order on-line, and most times struck out. That’s part of the game, and a retailer is trying to reach the largest audience possible. There is a small chance, not no chance of obtaining it.

What you say makes sense if a seller is operating on a legitimate first come first serve basis. But if good (translates high spending) customers are going to be given priority treatment with a minuscule inventory, it makes no sense to tease and disappoint hundreds of others.

[Dennis_Kanagie]

@Michael S. Monie

@Dennis Kanagie

@Michael S. Monie

One would have to be a moron to want to receive an offer on something which there was no chance of obtaining.

Interesting. I’ve gotten emails from HDH and CellaRaiders with VERY limited quantities of popular bottles, called them within minutes or even tried to order on-line, and most times struck out. That’s part of the game, and a retailer is trying to reach the largest audience possible. There is a small chance, not no chance of obtaining it.

What you say makes sense if a seller is operating on a legitimate first come first serve basis. But if good (translates high spending) customers are going to be given priority treatment with a minuscule inventory, it makes no sense to tease and disappoint hundreds of others.

It absolutely makes sense to tease them. That’s what advertising is all about. The disappointment is also part of that game. It’s called playing hard to get. When they do finally score, they feel awesome.