Laithwaites has a rating of 1.7 stars from 183 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about Laithwaites most frequently mention customer service, wine club, and credit card problems. Laithwaites ranks 107th among Wine sites.
This company does not typically respond to reviews
I have very pleased with Laithwaites including their customer service. I get email notifications is pending shipments with plenty of time to defer. I don't like the auto holiday shipments where you have to call or send back card to opt out of shipment. But customer service has been excellent and happily cancelled the special shipments. If your ignore email or snail mail then this club is not for you.
I made one purchase on their website, I took a gift package. What I received was not as advertised and when they offered to give me free delivery (8 pounds) if I subscribed to an unlimited membership and saved my card details on their website, they said I could cancel at any time. That's obviously not true, it's literally impossible to cancel the subscription from your profile, I've sent an email and if they give me any more headaches for the 8 pounds that I "saved", I will report their business to authorities. Good thing I used a card that will expire soon before they steal from me.
I have been a LW wine club member for several years and have developed a stable of good value wines with some outstanding selections and good sales. However I have always had some difficult to navigate aspects of ordering, clubs and especially delivery issues that are at least frustrating and worsening. Forget about customer service, the service is offshore, hard to speak with and unresponsive, functioning as an answering service that rarely connects you to anyone that can resolve your issues. Their quality of their introductory offers far exceeds the wines included in the quarterly club issues. Most recently I have written 4 emails and placed a call to get the proper state sales tax calculated and corrected on 2 orders, no response in three days. They had wine shipped this weekend in WI in the face of sub-zero temperatures, it is sitting in a trailer outside three hours away for three days, so far. Their website and record keeping are cumbersome, I still receive emails titled with a wine club that I quit 2-3 years ago and that no longer exists. There seems to be a loss of direction and focus on service during the transition of leadership from the founder to his three sons. I am awaiting contact from a company representative following the multiple emails and call to customer service, I am very close to quitting altogether, leading to their loss of a $1000+/year customer.
I made one purchase on their website, I took a gift package. What I received was not as advertised and when they offered to give me free delivery (8 pounds) if I subscribed to an unlimited membership and saved my card details on their website, they said I could cancel at any time. That's obviously not true, it's literally impossible to cancel the subscription from your profile, I've sent an email and if they give me any more headaches for the 8 pounds that I "saved", I will report their business to authorities. Good thing I used a card that will expire soon before they steal from me.
Tip for consumers:
they should be criminally charged for lying the way they do. Scammy development and business practices need to be abolished.
Products used:
wine
December 16,2023
1st. Mandatory "Holiday" case (unless you mail, log-on or phone to decline) ordered 10/29/2023...has NOT arrived.
2nd. Quarterly case ordered 11/29/2023...has not arrived.
Its time to CANCEL!
Products used:
Still waiting on orders
Laithwaites refused to cancel order a year later I see a deduction for a case of wine i didn't order deducted from my card I tried to ring day 1 hour they hung up day 2 hour and half finally got through told the little $#*! my problem. He finally said he would cancel case and send me a re fund an email would follow. No email went on line to chat to busy server was down last week. Today the case arrived I talked to the driver he said that was 2 today that hadn't ordered the case it was a common complaint from this mob. I am a pensioner doing it tough this mob really don't give a $#*! about us beware
Tip for consumers:
I didn’t have an order number I didn’t order anything
Products used:
None yet
I've been dealing with this crowd for a couple of years, and they were ok at the beginning, but I have finally had enough. I made a one-off order of a case of wine from them before Christmas for office party giving them my cc details etc and all went well product delivered and so on. On 11 January I noticed a strange transaction on my cc account Laithwaites debited 200plus dollars for wine I never ordered nor didn't want. They had done this previously also and I complained to them then but they don't care. So be warned!
I ordered a good value start off dozen but was unaware that the fine print meant I was going to be debited direct from my account 8 weeks later for another case (over $200) without confirmation. Have had major difficulties getting a refund.
We’re sorry to hear that you had such a negative experience, Phil, and we'd like to make it right. Please reach out to us by phone, email or chat.
https://www.laithwaites.com/jsp/customerservice/common/contactus.jsp
I received a shipment of wines without getting a email,which was requested, refused the shipment at the door as instructed and haven't received the credit back on my card! They say 3-5 business days, its been more and their customer service is horrendous. It's offshore and they won't transfer to the states! Those agents ask for all types of information but can't resolve squat! Called three or four times with a bevy of incompetence. Cancelled my sub and waiting for my credit. THANK YOU DENNIS
Firstly the wines are awful, Tate & Lyle must do great business with Laithwaites wine partners as one of their recommended reds is so ridiculously sweet it gives neat Ribena a run for it's money. Then, when you're putting the whole thing down to a bad day at Rip off Ville you get endlessly pestered by a Gloucester number trying to sell you more crap wines.
Oh, and they use Yodel, who are the worst courier company since Titanic Shipping Inc.
This company sucks you in and then will not let you go - you can not easily cancel your wine plans - to cancel involves actually making phone contact with them. That process requires you to hold on the phone for 30 minutes or more (but it is worth holding). Then! Even if you cancel your wine plans, you haven't actually canceled your "unlimited" membership! You have to phone them all over again. Otherwise, they will continue to suck money out of your credit card until it expires.
Hi Martin, we're sorry for any confusion!
We’re always sorry to see a fellow wine lover go. With complete control of your membership, you can pause shipments, delay deliveries, make changes to your wines, and, of course, cancel at any time - and you can cancel online!
https://www.laithwaites.com/jsp/customerservice/common/customerservicequestion.jsp?question=cancel-club
The Unlimited shipping membership is separate from the wine club, as some customers choose not to have a wine club, but continue to place enough one-time orders to benefit from the yearly shipping membership. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. We understand how alarming it is to see a charge you didn’t expect. Please reach out to us by phone, email or chat, so we can take care of any remaining issues for you.
https://www.laithwaites.com/jsp/customerservice/common/contactus.jsp
I have very pleased with Laithwaites including their customer service. I get email notifications is pending shipments with plenty of time to defer. I don't like the auto holiday shipments where you have to call or send back card to opt out of shipment. But customer service has been excellent and happily cancelled the special shipments. If your ignore email or snail mail then this club is not for you.
This is a very ugly organization to deal with. They have a complexity of layers and obfuscation to hide and divert reasonable accountability. They have No credibility.
And I really could not suffer the wine; some of which was at the 7-11 gas station wine quality level.
We’re sorry to hear that you had such a negative experience, John. We’re always looking for ways to improve and would love your feedback. Please reach out to us by phone, email or chat.
https://www.laithwaites.com/jsp/customerservice/common/contactus.jsp
Beware of Mastercard Fraud on this site. I am French, I live in France and I have never heard of this site, until I discovered that this morning that this site took 500€ from my professional mastercard? A complaint has been filed with my bank for fraudulent transactions. I wonder how this is possible?
Yikes! I’m sorry to hear about the issue you’re experiencing, Frederic, and I can imagine your frustration. We never want to send you or bill you for anything you don't want or haven't ordered, and would like to help. Can you please email or chat with us, so we can address this for you?
https://www.laithwaites.com/jsp/customerservice/common/contactus.jsp
Ordered our wine 6 weeks ago and were told we would have it in 10 days. We have called the customer line and get lied to. If I contact the online person they cut me off. The tracking number Laithwaites gave me does not exist! DO NOT ORDER from them!
Oh, no! We’re sorry to hear about the delay, Diane. We know how frustrating it can be to wait for wines. Let’s connect you with someone who can help while we work on getting your order to you. Please call, email or chat with us, so we can take care of things.
https://www.laithwaites.com/jsp/customerservice/common/contactus.jsp
Ordered on 24 May. Got email stating they had run out. Emailed 4 June asking where my order was they replied 6 June saying it was ready to go. Today still no wine! Not even a track n trace so obviously it still hasn't left. Very very poor!
Tip for consumers:
Don't go there
Products used:
Wine
Hi Alan,
We're sorry to hear your order has been delayed and would like to help. To take care of this, we’ll need a few personal details (such as the email address associated with your account). Please call or email us, so we can help you with this issue.
https://www.laithwaites.com/jsp/customerservice/common/contactus.jsp
This is the second time I have had my ASB visa card listed as pending for a wine delivery I did not order and don't want.As a company they are hopeless to deal with in order to get a satisfactory resolution to my problem.
I strongly advise people to never deal with Laithwaites wine as they are just hopelessly inefficient and in competent.
Klondke1
Products used:
Nothing as not sent
Hi Stuart
We're sorry to hear about the issue you’re experiencing, and I can imagine your frustration. We never want to send you anything you don't want, and would like to help. It sounds like perhaps you enrolled in to our Wine Club - this is something we can easily take care of for you! Can you please email or chat with us, so we can assist right away?
https://www.laithwaites.com/jsp/customerservice/common/contactus.jsp
Kind regards,
Customer Service
Ordered on the 22nd never got I think this site is a fraud they are stealing from people and this site needs to be shut down
Tip for consumers:
Fraud
Products used:
One calling the cops
My elderly mother, who recently passed, had an account with this wine club that she cancelled. In spite of cancelling and receiving written notice of that, this company continued to try to send her shipments and charge her credit card account. She refused the last shipment, telling FedEx to send it back. This is not what FedEx did, and now this company is trying to charge my deceased mother for this shipment. I have called their "customer service" department and when I should have heard, "So sorry for your loss, we'll clear this account." I got an inane amount of run around. BEWARE!
Hi Susanne,
Our sincerest condolences for your loss.
We would like to assure you that the Wine Club membership in question was canceled by us on January 3rd, 2022 after the orders in question were delivered, and no further shipments will be sent.
Please note that no prior cancellation request had been received for this account, and thus said orders were shipped. However, given the circumstances, we would very much like to help and will be in touch with you.
Kind regards,
Customer Service
Only got 8 bottles when it should have been 11 and one was broken. No response was made to my email I sent.
Tip for consumers:
Don't.
Products used:
All
Oh, no! We’re sorry to hear about the missing items, Jennifer. We know how frustrating it can be to wait for wines. Let’s connect you with someone who can help while we work on getting your order to you. Please call or chat with us, so we can take care of things.
https://www.laithwaites.com/jsp/customerservice/common/contactus.jsp
I ordered several boxes of wine from Laithwaites and my initial experience was good. However, without any of the promotional discounts they offer, I realized I can get the same quality of wine for much cheaper at Costco. Laithwaites wine is average at best. Once I cancelled my subscription, they sent me another box of wine that I did not order. I attempted several times to reach customer service to return the wine, but no one answered the phone or returned my emails. After I started receiving mail from Laithwaites telling me my account was overdue, I reached out again to explain the situation. They let me know that they would get back to me within 3-5 days with a resolution, but I never heard back. This happened on at least 3 different occasions, wasting hours of my time. Now, over two years later, Laithwaites has sent me to collections over something that I didn't even order. A reputable company would never send one of their customers to collections over something they did not order. Amazon does not send me packages that I do not order and then refuse to answer the phone when I try to return the product. I would highly recommend that you stay away from this company at all costs. Absolute scam!
Tip for consumers:
Do not use this site.
Products used:
Wine
Hi Bill
Thanks for reaching out, since this experience concerns us.
It should be very easy to reach our Customer Service team by phone, email or chat to organize a return for any unwanted product.
We can confirm that your account was cancelled by email in November 2020 and as a gesture of good will the due balance for the order in question was cleared.
A Senior member of our Customer Service Team will be reaching out to you to take care of any outstanding issues.
Best regards, Customer Service
For years I had had wine delivered to my office address, until I sold the business and closed the office two years ago. I tried to cease the service. Customer support failed to allow cancellation. Whether they continued to deliver I don't know, but they continued to charge my AMEX card. The stop on my AMEX card only holds for 12 months. They must automatically continue billing, because now I get a letter from a collection agency for product I never received.
We’re sorry to hear that you had such a negative experience, Jim. We’re always looking for ways to improve and appreciate your feedback. Please reach out to us by phone, email or chat so that we can help you resolve this.
https://www.laithwaites.com/jsp/customerservice/common/contactus.jsp
After my previous review, Laithwaites had an excellent customer service representative get in touch and figure out what happened. She had to re-order the entire case, as our previous (May!) order was completely lost. Thank goodness they finally got someone to take our situation seriously and look at our order details! We received the (so far excellent) case of wine shortly after the representative assisted us. Hope Laithwaites works on training their customer service people to be as good as this one. Thir ratings would certainly improve.
Have not received wine shipment after a month and a half. Terrible customer service! No one in charge and no apologies!
Sent wine, expected to print out and take half off 2 more times for pick of wring and re-delivery of correct wine. Will not do business again.
Tip for consumers:
Yes, they suck, they have a 3rd party answering their phones and I have been on hold for 10 minutes with no resolution.
Products used:
I ordered red wine, received white wine
Had one box of wine which was OK but nothing special. They then took another payment without my consent and tried to deliver another box. I refused delivery and my bank reversed the charge.
Products used:
Wine
Hi David,
Please accept our apologies for any confusion regarding how our Wine Club works.
Our Wine Club includes delivery every 3 months, and you are always in complete control! Email notifications are sent prior to each Wine Club case being sent out and shipments can be declined any time they are unwanted.
You can also cancel your Wine Club at ANY time either by phone, email or online under 'My Club > Wine Club Settings'.
You are also welcome to return any unwanted shipments at no cost to you, and all of our wines are backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee.
We hope this information helps. Please don't hesitate to contact our Customer Service Team at 1-800-649-4637 from 8am - 8pm ET, or email us at customerservice@laithwaiteswine.com if we can assist with any outstanding issues or further questions - we're happy to assist!
Best regards,
Customer Service
We were customers of Virgin Wine Club for over 10 years. A couple years in, we upped to VIP Club. It made a difference in the quality of wines. Last year Laithwaites took over the Virgin label. My guess is that they already were the processor for some time before that. We recently cancelled Laithwaites. The wines were of less quality and they paid no attention to preferences we had registered. If our status was VIP, I feel sorry for those in the regular club, but actually I'm guessing there is no difference. Luckily, we live in a state were great wineries abound and we see no reason to stick with poor attention to our tastes.
Tip for consumers:
Try Virginia wines. Climate change has made them very competitive
Products used:
Wines
Hi Gary,
We’re sorry to hear our wines have missed the mark for you! We stand behind the entire range with a 100% money-back guarantee, so we’d like to sort out a refund if you haven’t already received one. And if you’re willing to give us another shot, we’d love to recommend wines better suited to your tastes.
Please reach out to us by phone or email to get started.
https://www.laithwaites.com/jsp/customerservice/common/contactus.jsp
I bought a one off dozen wines from Laithwaites a few months ago and have just had an unauthorised charge put on my credit card for $209 from The Wine People so I had to cancel my credit card as I'd never heard of them and hadn't orders any more wine. Now I discover that they are Laithwaites. So much hassle has been caused by this and I'll NEVER buy wines from Laithwaites again. I had to tick one star as it wouldn't accept no stars!
We’re sorry to hear that you had such a negative experience, Mary. We’re always looking for ways to improve and would love your feedback. Please reach out to us by phone, email or DM (direct message).
https://www.laithwaites.com/jsp/customerservice/common/contactus.jsp
Sorry for the confusion, Edward! We only want to send the wines you want. Please reach out to us by phone, email or chat, so we can take care of this for you.
https://www.laithwaites.com/jsp/customerservice/common/contactus.jsp