Has anyone experienced a problem with a delivery from LB and had issues getting them to properly address it?
Bottles were shipped, but not delivered because the driver noted breakage and evidently the instructions from LB are for FedEx to return the package. After 3 days and not hearing from them, I initiated an email inquiry (they do not accept phone calls) asking what was up, and the next day I was able to confirm from the FedEx site they received the damaged bottles the following day.
A week after that I had still not received a reply so I reached out again and 3 days later got a response stating they had previously replied (I checked and there was nothing in my junk or spam folders) and told me they could reship, fully credit my card or give me a store credit. I replied that same day that I would prefer the card credit.
Two days later I receive a reply from another individual, not addressing/confirming my request for a refund but informing me I need to email them during their normal working hours (M-F 8-5 PST). My thought was this is possibly a canned email that is sent when an email arrives after hours.
So yesterday during their normal working hours, I sent them a fifth email with the other 4 emails as attachments noting I still have not seen the card credit. I informed them if I didn’t receive a reply to my email or a credit to my card today I would have to initiate a dispute on my end, which I just completed. The dispute can take 2-4 weeks to be resolved as opposed to them issuing a credit which would have resolved this immediately.
I don’t order tons of wine from them, but occasionally find a “deal” or something I would like a few bottles of to try. Of course they aren’t responsible for the breakage, but the email only communication requirement is both time consuming and frustrating leaving me totally underwhelmed by their customer service.
I emailed them about holding wine to add to another order and they replied within 30 minutes. I have the feeling this is a an operation run by just a couple folks who do everything. Not an excuse, but at least a reason for the delays. Worth noting I just placed my second order and my first was flawless, ordered, shipped, and delivered within 5 days.
I have always found their customer service to be exemplary, including a return or two over the years. Could be any number of things that caused the hiccup you are experiencing, which is unfortunate, but based on my dealings with them I cannot imagine you wouldn’t be made whole in the end. Of course since you have already issued the dispute it’s a moot issue and you now just have to wait for that to run its course.
Of course this happened during the holidays which I acknowledged in one of my emails, but I also noted they were still able to get new offers out so somebody had to be working.
Up to now I had no issues with them whatsoever. I have had some shipping issues with other retailers and always have received an immediate (same or next day reply/resolution) so maybe my expectations were too high.
Yes. Same BS. Package was damaged and returned by UPS in Oct. and I’m still waiting for a refund. First they said “I’m very sorry to hear this was damaged in transit. Unfortunately, it does take UPS some time to send us reports of damaged orders in transit, so I fully agree you shouldn’t have to reach out to us to ask about this, but I appreciate you doing so so that we can get this taken care of. We did sell out of this offer, so we unfortunately cannot send you replacement bottles. I can issue a full refund to your credit card or I can add a store credit to your Last Bottle account for this purchase. Let me know what works best!” I asked for a refund and then they said “Apologies, our system will not allow a direct refund to your card. Would you be okay with store credit, or would you rather we get a refund check processed and mailed to you”
As an update, I received an email today promising to credit my card which will be quicker than the dispute path as long as they follow through. I did respond I had initiated a dispute but asked they proceed with the credit as it will be much quicker. If I see a credit is issued and post an update.
They did note they had an excessive amount of backlogged emails to get to due to the holidays. I’m OK with that, but they should really have some mechanism so when they are alerted a package is being returned by the shipper, they reach out and at least acknowledge the problem and they will be in contact. The radio silence was a large part of the problem. I missed a delivery recently and was emailed by the winery that same day that a delivery had been attempted so it seems they get notified real time by the shipper.
Thanks for the feedback Joe, sorry you got the run around. That’s why I posted to see if this was common or if I just have unrealistic expectations.
Not being able to credit your card sounds pretty sketchy, never heard of anything like that. If that’s my choice (a check) I think I’ll just continue the dispute route assuming my CC company agrees or offers me a choice. Still hoping they come through with the credit.
I’ve been dealing with an issue (still ongoing) since the August marathon when I placed an order for a bottle that they did not have stock on. I had to be the one to reach out in November asking why I never received my order. At that time, I elected to swap for a different bottle which they offered to me and since then it has still yet to ship. I’ve been back and forth with them every week asking for tracking because they keep telling me it has shipped and it’s just excuse after excuse why they can’t provide tracking. I’m a very patient person but the service I’ve received has been some of the worst I’ve dealt with in my life. Of course, this is my own anecdotal opinion, but the level of incompetence and carelessness has been simply stunning.
I like the concept of Last Bottle. If you know what you want then there are many deals to be had. I have had a large majority of happy purchases. I have also had issues with wines from them as I have with other retailers. The usual corked bottle, rarer oxidized bottle, even rarer flawed bottle. I even had a wine though technically not flawed that was unpleasant tasting and nothing like their description. Every time they have taken care of me either with a store credit and one time a paper check refund. It is frustrating that many companies, that you faithfully give money to and support, will not answer a phone. I guess one could justify it “We can’t possibly field phone calls, there are too many and we are a small staffed operation”. Or “Eliminating a phone line keeps our costs lower for you, our customer”. Bottom line is that their business model hasn’t changed and likely won’t. I choose to stay with them because their track record (with me) has been solid. But I understand in the situations above how you folks could be frustrated. Let’s see if they handle everything for everyone.
As a quick update, they have gone complete radio silence. Disappointing as up to now I have never had an issue with them and have enjoyed the occasion purchase.
I ran a business and learned that it’s how you respond to problems that earns and retains your clients trust. They failed in that respect, so I’m moving on and won’t be a customer going forward.
