Be aware, that although the Grotto website is up and functioning, including the cart and seemingly checkout, they have ceased to fulfill orders. I placed a sizeable order (1650 bottles worth) over 5 weeks ago. Today I finally received a reply to my various inquiries:
’ I apologize for being unavailable, but Grotto is currently undergoing a financial crisis. The racking is completed and was sent out only to be returned by the shipping company due to lack of funds.
Please feel free to contact credit card company to dispute charges, Again, I apologize for being unavailable.
Best Regards’
Major bummer. Any suggestions on where to find reasonable, high quality racking kits? Double depth for me.
Jim, TrustLink ( TrustLink | Trusted Reviews for Home, Personal and Professional Services" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) has a few posts from other clients who suggest that one of the sales reps are attempting to help get some of the racks in Mexico over the border for clients. I know there are fast passes that people have on their vehicles to get over the border but I don’t know how the customs procedure works. I used to work at Grotto as their Web Presence Marketing Manager and while they had very nice people within the company, it seems that their financial problems mounted up too quickly. As the problems were becoming more apparent in the last few weeks, I left to take a job working at Wine Cellar Innovations. I know several of the Grotto employees have also moved over in the sales department as well.
So for transparency purposes, I want to be sure you realize I am posting from a different manufacturer.
Wine Cellar Innovations has been in the wine storage systems for over two decades. I just spent last week at their 350,000 square foot manufacturing factory in Cincinnati, Ohio with sales reps around the country and they have some fantastic products. Our kit product lines ship within 1 week of order date. For those individuals that have not been able to receive their product with Grotto and would like to try a new manufacture we will offer you a 10% discount off your first order with our company by using the promotional code NEWCLIENT092010 when you place your order online.
Here is a link with details: Wine Rack Concepts" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Their phone number is 800-229-9813 and if you hit 1, you can speak with a Sales Specialist or dial 0 for the operator.
We too have been seeing a number of variations on that out of business email. I apologize for the self-promotion, but we know how tough it can be finding a reputable wine cellar company in good standing right now. There are still some great wine cellar brands out there like Vinotemp and Apex. Either of these two brands can help you fulfill all of your wine storage needs.
Having been leading in the industry for 25 years, Vinotemp is unmatched in quality and offers everything from custom wine cabinets and cellars, to wine racks and coolers at affordable prices. Another thing that sets them apart is Vinotemp manufactures in the US, unlike a lot of companies that are importing. Both companies offer free CAD design and do custom building to match whatever type of racks/cellars you’re looking for. Feel free to give Vinotemp a call 800-777-8466 or visit either website: http://www.vinotemp.com" onclick=“window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.apexwinecellars.com” onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. We hope we can help and most definitely that you get your money back!
I got an email from a former employee that they were filing for chapter 7 bankruptcy. This employee did suggest that she still might be able to source from the suppliers herself. It sounded like she was starting up her own business.
I really liked the grotto racks - they can handle any bottle, including Turley/Pax/Champagne. I was close to ordering some more, but now, obviously gun shy.
Are there other manufacturers that have racks similar to grotto’s?
Yes, I was attracted by the 3.75" racking, and reports about the quality. Also, they had an extensive selection of double depth kits. Was willing to wait the 6 weeks. But in hindsight I guess the low, low pricing and long lead time should have set off some red flags about cashflow.
I have not found any other companies selling 3.75" rack kits, and only a couple other vendors selling any double depth kits. Obviously all this could be custom built for a price. But while it is professionally constructed, I am building out a very utilitarian storage room, not at all a show place.
I ended up buying from Wine Racks America because they had double deep. They are 3.5" cubes which are fine for 90+% of what I own. I did buy some 4.5" Magnum racking as well - available single deep only. It was about 15% more expensive than Grotto and I had to pay the shipping. But then I got it in like 3 days. Quality seems fine, but certainly nothing fancy. A buddy is coming over and we’re putting it together this weekend.
Jim & James - Ahh, the things you learn about your own marketing efforts… Our site talks about how you can fit a wine bottle up to 3.5 inches but our actual cubicle size is 3.75 as well.
We obviously need to add our Double Deep wine rack kits on our website as well!
Jim - Glad you got your racks. Pictures when you get it installed? Or did you do it last weekend?
I guess that explains why they never reply to me about completing the last steps of my installation. From my now extensive dealings with them and the custom cabinets they created for me, let’s just say that I don’t have any trouble seeing why their business has failed.