Question - Am I being unreasonable (winery mailing list related)?

[Berry_Crawford]

@Mike Cohen

I think you have to ask yourself, “Did I do this for altruistic purposes or did I do it for my own gain?” The answer to that question will tell you whether or not you should be upset.

I think there is a third option and that it is a crappy feeling to not be appreciated. Its no fun being dropped when you are no longer needed. I suspect that ultimately that’s what is at play here. My feelings would probably be a bit hurt in the same situation.

[Michael_S_Monie]

Can’t believe that someone hasn’t pointed out that “it’s only wine”.

[Steve_L_Gellman]

@mike pobega

There is always…Pinot?
10k buys a lot of Pinot.

Unless it’s Burgundy!

[mike_pobega]

The one I had last night was pretty sweet, and all for $62.50 —A Mike Smith recco.
2012 Hudelot-Baillet Les Charmes

[PaulMills]

@mike pobega

The one I had last night was pretty sweet, and all for $62.50 —A Mike Smith recco.
2012 Hudelot-Baillet Les Charmes

Where did you buy it for that price? It is a steal base on what I see. Like I need another suggestion on wine to buy.

[dsGriswold]

@Ken V

I know Ross doesn’t want me to tell, but you should all know that the winery is Maison Ilan.

Now that Rudy is in the Slammer, we need someone else to beat up on.

[Michael_Davidson]

@mike pobega

The one I had last night was pretty sweet, and all for $62.50 —A Mike Smith recco.
2012 Hudelot-Baillet Les Charmes

Mike Pobega drinking red burgundy recommended by Mike Smith. The world is a strange and wonderful place.

Michael

[M_Hudson]

Mike, I don’t think I have ever disagreed with a point you have made, but in this case we could not be further apart. I believe the op has every right to feel slighted.

Perhaps it’s perspective as his purchase with one winery is my total annual budget for all wines,mb it darn, that’s a significant level or support when the winery clearly needed it. For that, I believ he deserves ongoing respect and appreciation.

I can relate this to my business. We have a supplier who went out of their way to support me when we were way smaller than their average customer. I have never forgotten that and make sure they always know I haven’t forgotten.

[Randy_Bowman]

If Ross hadn’t mentioned that he communicated with them, I would have considered several other things, like they both grew and got popular requiring additional staff to handle mailing list and distribution. New staff might limit wines on the mailing list to both accommodate everybody AND have enough for distribution as well as a tasting room. I might have suggested hired staff made the decision to eliminate Ross’s status without the owners knowledge if not for the contact.

[AlexS]

@Michael Davidson

@mike pobega

The one I had last night was pretty sweet, and all for $62.50 —A Mike Smith recco.
2012 Hudelot-Baillet Les Charmes

Mike Pobega drinking red burgundy recommended by Mike Smith. The world is a strange and wonderful place.

Michael

Seriously!!!

[scott_davis]

There’s nothing in business but personal relationships.

[Chuck_Miller]

I don’t think you are being unreasonable. In the future, however, you may look back and think they did you a favor by allowing you to diversify your purchases. That’s a lot of wine from any single producer, and I’m guessing it also is a lot of bottles, even if they are mid- to high-level bottles. As they mature and hit their drinking windows, do you really want to drink 1-200 bottles of the same producer every year?

I also think they are wrong in their decision. About 10 years ago, when we were plowing most of our profits into an expansion, we were building a lot of fairly expensive racking lockers, and we offered clients the option to pay our costs to build them upfront, and in return get a discount every year that they continued to rent the locker. The break-even was about 4 years, so if they stayed in that or a similar style of locker for longer than that, they made money. Now, 10 years later, they’ve saved 2.5 times what they paid. Do I resent that or feel like I should change our deal? No way. I hope they stay as clients for many more years and continue to get their discount. A deal is a deal.

[Larry_P]

@Walt Hoehler

It seems like an example of mis-matched expectations and less than ideal communication.

Put another way… You thought you held equity, and they thought you held debt.

I wouldn’t take it too hard. Go find another producer. Explore the bigger wine world. With 10k per year at your disposal you could really drink well and find many other producers aroundd the globe to support.

It is not an end, but an opportunity at another beginning.

This reflects my feelings as well. IMO you’re simply not as important to them as you thought you were, and you learn they’re not worth any extra effort on your part.

Would I be upset? Yes. Would I feel like I was owed something? No.

Maybe we could get Stephane to weigh in.