I wanted to share my recent experience with Spectrum, as I can’t really find much about them on the Board from the last year or two.
Over the last 9 months or so, I purchased about 8 cases of miscellaneous wines from them. They had been holding them at my request, and shipped them (also at my request) earlier this month.
I had never bought anything from them before, so I had a couple of questions about how their process works, for which I made a few phone calls to them. Each time, the person to whom I spoke was friendly, responsive, and answered all my questions.
They made a couple of errors. In one case, the stated wine vintage in the auction listing was different than the actual vintage. Though the correct vintage was, of course, shown in the bottle photo, they reached out to me preemptively, offering to refund the purchase. I kept the wine, but appreciated the attentiveness and communication.
In the second instance, I bought a full case of a wine, and upon opening it found that it was actually two different wines (same producer, same vintage, almost identical labels). I emailed them, and they offered to send me a mailing label on their dime and refund the unwanted bottles. Since these bottles were from a good producer and were also a good wine of comparable value, I elected to keep them, but again appreciated the response.
I would agree with the sentiment voiced by some on the Board about their web site. It’s a bit clunky, and almost maddening to use on a phone. The excellent bottle photos are a plus, however. While WineBid’s site is overall far more user-friendly, it wasn’t a deal breaker, and in some ways I benefitted from it, with my necessarily broader searches leading to some unexpected finds (and bargains).
All the other wines were as described, and shipping was seamless, with notifications and tracking provided for all boxes.
Bottom line, I would not hesitate to buy from them again.
Thanks
Very much my experience with Spectrum as well.
I had a great experience selling a couple of thousand bottles to them in my great wine purge of 2022. It may have helped that they were local (orange county versus LA county) but I have nothing but praise about their competitive pricing and handling of the process.
I have purchased several times with them and held the bottles until I had enough to ship. It went super smoothly and I had no issues at all. Prices were very good and I also would not hesitate to use them again.
I’ve bought a few cases from them in the last 5 years or so. Agreed on quality of service, and I too have found some deals. Their web site is horrific, but I figure if it was as good as K&L or Winebid then there’d be a lot more competition.
I have been purchasing wines from them for several years. Great service every time. Price was fair and bottles were in very good condition. I think I have had over twenty different purchases and only one wrong bottle shipped to me. Full refund and return shipping on the one out of a hundred bottles was on them.
Regarding their website, I agree it’s not much to look at but I have to say I actually really like it. Most items have pictures, and the damn thing just works. I’ve always found it very reliable.
BTW, if you email them, you will be shocked at their responsiveness and thoroughness. Save yourself the call, and email them. Their customer service is tremendous.
I’ve done both, with good results. If I needed a prompt reply during business hours, easy to call and get a live human on the phone in a minute or less.
Agree with everything said here. Have had nothing but good experiences with them the last couple years, especially with customer service via email.
hopping on the favorable bandwagon for Spectrum!
With such a long OP and a vague thread title, I was sure I was walking into a juicy rant. Wasted my time reading a bunch of love notes!
Now there’s a Spectrum app as well. This is new to me, at least…heard about it from an email this past weekend.
Pros:
Much easier to browse on a phone. Can see the wines more clearly, and easier to select and get info. Bidding is easy once you’re logged in.
Cons:
They have added exactly zero search function enhancements, as far as I can tell.
They have had an app for some time, but clearly the formatting is different and including the photos helps a ton. you’re only able to see that on the website, and I’ve gotten burned on a small handful of bottles that were labeled one thing (say, Domaine Dujac) when the photo showed something else (Pere et Fils). To Spectrum’s credit, they have been excellent with regard to customer service at all times.
I’ve been purchasing from them for 5+ years now (mostly auction, but some retail as well) and concur that the customer service is very good and that the app and website are pretty bad (search options are frustrating). Trish is very friendly and the others I’ve dealt with are also good (there are a few new faces in recent months). I had only one bottle where the wine that I won at auction was not what was described, but they offered to allow me to return it (I kept it). I’m local, so I pick up orders in person to save shipping costs and have never had a problem.
First time poster, first time auction winner with Spectrum. Their “Congratulations You Won” email looks like a scam email with its dated design and pixelated image of wines I didn’t buy.
Good to know that many of you received good customer services though.
It’s part of the charm.
The wines I bought have been great. I think their retail add ons are a wider selection and better quality than Winebid, but the technology on the website especially the search is pretty bad. Once you get used to it, it’s usable, but Winebid’s site is more advanced.
I will continue to buy from both because they both offer wines that are hard to find.