I ordered their introductory offer. Most of the wines are okay- not even close to quality wine though- that in itself was a scam. And I was just going to write this off as a lousy purchase- however, the Chianti in the shipment was actually bad- it fizzed upon opening! It was obvious that the lot had re-fermented because of a bad process.
If this was my business, I would be embarrassed by the poor quality and would resolve the situation. They decided to give me $4 instead of sending a different wine as I requested. I spoke to their customer service, and all the supervisor gave me was attitude- when this was THEIR MISTAKE! Have not yet received the pitiful $4, but I guess that shows the wines themselves are not even worth $4/bottle. I will forever warn everyone to stay away from this scam.
I joined the club using the package that came with National Geographic Magazine. I thought I was smart by using a check instead of a credit card, but this did not give my experience any better. They cashed the check but never sent me the wine. Each time I called the CS would promise my case "will be escalated to the manager immediately", but for 4 months I still did not receive any wine.
Please stay away, save your troubles...
This company is not to be be trusted. I bought a box of wine and they claim that automatically signs me up for their "wine club" where they routinely send what they think I want and charge much higher prices. This is such a dodgy scam I am surprised they haven't been shut down. The scary part is that they still have my credit card number.
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.
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
After receiving specific delivery instructions, which specified that someone over the age of 20 would have to be home to sign for the wine, and waiting at home all day, the wine was not delivered. The next day, it was left on the porch (box on its side, no less), no signature requested. None of the bottles I received were the ones listed in the brochure. Very poor customer service!
I've been a member since the start of the pandemic. I love that the reds and whites come from different countries. I found it easier to call and order rather than do it online. Customer service is good. Shipping has always been timely even with the pandemic. There was only one wine that I really didn't like and they gave me credit for the bottle. I like the 'special offers'. Good value!
Their customer service is lacking in almost every way I can think of. I had to jump through many hoops to cancel my subscription and when I did that it caused a ripple effect of issues with an order that was supposed to be on the way to me that I already paid for. Then they said the order was on hold due to a shortage of packing materials. Not impressed with this company at all.
Am I the only person that could not make a connection on Laithwaites.com/nine? It took 8 minutes fr a really nice lady from to answer the phone. She was quite courteous, took a
while to find my selection in her system, but she is worth the wait.
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
We have used Laithwaites for many years now, certainly for two decades. In recent years our Laithwaites advisor Daniel Earl has proven to be a star. He knows our likes and dislikes, is prompt to draw attention to what is available among those but doesn't hesitate to draw our attention to grape varieties, wine regions, vineyards and countries we've not experienced. We've learned to be adventurous but clearly do not hesitate to say if we are disappointed and immediately Daniel finds a way to solve any problem and compensate if necessary. He is truthfully matchless.
5 of 6 of the wines I received are blends. When i called about this, the rep wasn't even sure which ones I got or what kinds they were.
Their policy says 100% money back guarantee - simple as that. Well, it was not simple as that. I was told I would be emailed a label to return them, which I have not received. Then I was told I have to be the one to schedule a pick up with fedex. And that I have to be home again when they come. Not simple to me. So I am now stuck with cheap wines and cannot get a refund. They send emails and call often. I asked to be removed from any lists that they have. We'll see if that actually happens. Move on. There are several other good wine delivery services.
Hi Julie, thank you for reaching out to us. To take care of this, we’ll need a few personal details (such as the email address associated with your account). For data security reasons, we’re unable to discuss on this page but please chat, call or email us, so we can help you with this issue.
https://www.laithwaites.com/jsp/customerservice/common/contactus.jsp
This company charged my card for a case of wine I didn't order and didn't receive. Several weeks and several phone calls later, I am still waiting on my refund. The worst part is that Laithwaites Wines SAYS they refunded my money to my PayPal account, but PayPal says it was never received. So I'm stuck in the middle of a he-said she-said type of situation that has yet to be resolved. Laithwaites Wines has cost me a lot of time and money for nothing. I cancelled my membership after only two cases of wine.
In about 40 years of buying from Tony Laithwaite I have had maybe 2 very minor problems. With so many wines to chose from perhaps the complainers should do some "Wine home work".
Cheers,
Brian.
Sundaytimes Wine Club.
I used to be a member of laithwaites via BA wine club. Got an introductory offer courtesy of English Heritage - supposedly 50% off. Haven't tasted the reds yet, so may turn out ok, but astonished to find a Cimarosa (lidl own brand) amongst the whites! Not too bad, but buy it in Lidl for £4 or less - what are you playing at Laithwaites?
Wow; glad I checked here b4 ordering. Natgeo, stuff like this hurts your name. Although Fox News owner bought natgeo so that name is probably crap forever. First thing they did was fire the magazines entire staff!
Would've given zero or half stars if that's an option.
1. Shipping without advance notification despite their claim they send an advance notice. False.
2. Poor customer service. Reversing charges wasn't done correctly so had to call multiple times to correct them.
3. Wine quality deteriorated significantly after the first shipment.
Ordered a case of wine on 3rd December - money deducted 3/12. Now 18/12 - NO WINE! Tracking number states item was 'Your parcel has been picked up by one of our couriers' - that was on 11/12 - no one now knows where the wine is, when it will be delivered - if in fact it ever will! Called Laithwaites - no help! Called Aramex - don't leave a message as there's no one there - sent an email - no response!
Do beware if you deal with this very disreputable company - they will take your money & give you absolutely nothing! Pity I didn't read their poor reviews before I parted with my money!
Laithwaites & Aramex totally suit themselves - they are both useful & don't offer any customer service whatsoever!.
I thought I would try a case of twelve wines, the offer appearing to be a decent one. Twelve bottles for about £54 seemed worth a punt. I wish I hadn't bothered. Most of it was undrinkable muck and I can only assume that they wanted to get rid of some rubbish on the cheap. I cancelled my account soon after, but that didn't stop Laithwaites from bombarding me with letters, emails and even telephone calls. I have requested removal from their mailing list so many times that I've lost count, but nothing seems to deter them.
This company steal your money! Fact.
I ordered one case for Xmas for my son
They've just delivered and charged me £107 for another box.
Taken money without authority from my account.
Vile business dealings and theives.
I cannot afford this I am just a pensioner.
No place on their website to cancel the so called WINE PLAN either. Disgusting ethics.
How do they get away with this?
Was a member for 3 years. The wine picks were average to very good, but despite customization options they often sent you the same wines over and over. Finally when they sent me two bottles of chenin blanc in my "All Teds" box, and when I emailed them they wouldn't correct their error, I cancelled. No regrets. Poor customer service.
Overview
Laithwaites has a rating of 1.4 stars from 185 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers dissatisfied with Laithwaites most frequently mention customer service, wine club and credit card. Laithwaites ranks 98th among Wine sites.
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Hi Alan
Sorry for any confusion. Our Club Membership does include shipments every 10-12 weeks, and our Members are always in COMPLETE control! You can pause shipments, delay delivery, make changes to your wines and cancel at any time. Follow the link below for more information or to contact us if we can be of any further assistance.
Thanks!
https://www.laithwaites.com/jsp/customerservice/common/contactus.jsp