Wine Insiders
reviews and complaints

I ordered for the first time approximately two weeks ago. I got a coupon mailer and ordered the 6 bottle mixed case for a dinner party /wine bar. The wine was less than drinkable. When I contacted the customer service, they told me to send the wine back-I asked how could I do this, the bottles were open so my guests could sample them. I was given the run around put on hold for 10 minutes to be told no refund unless the wine was returned. The coupon in the mailer clearly states 100% NO RISK MONEY BACK GUARENTEE. I never had such a bad experience as this and embarrassing as my guests clearly didn't like the wine and I had to go out and purchase more to salvage the evening and my pride.

Just tell me what you think about this sequence regarding Order Number: [protected], Charge: $87.89

December 12, 2015 [After I claimed that my Groupon coupon didn't work]
Dear Arnaldo,
Thank you for contacting Wine Insiders.
I am so sorry we were not able to help you at this time – I have cancelled this with our warehouse and reversed the charges. Please allow 5-7 business days for the refund to post in your account.
If you should have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us by email or by calling [protected].
Best Regards,
Kim
Customer Service

December 16, 2015 [After I noticed that the charge had appeared in my bank account]
Dear Arnaldo,
Thank you for contacting Wine Insiders.
If the funds haven’t been released after the 22nd of December, please let us know. Depending on the bank, it is my understanding it can take up to 7 business days.
If you should have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us by email or by calling [protected].
Best Regards,
Kim
Customer Service

January 7. 2016 [After I asked to apply the charge to the offer of Fireside Reds Case at $87.01]
Dear Arnaldo,
Thank you for your inquiry.
Your charge was cancelled prior to fully processing. You may place a new order if you’d like either by phone or online using the current promo code for this offer and we will create a new transaction on your credit card.
If you should have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us by email or by calling us at [protected].
Best Regards,
Kim
Customer Service

Januaury 14, 2016 [After a month of dealing with the same issue]
Dear Arnaldo,
Thank you for contacting Wine Insiders.
I am so sorry, but this order was cancelled prior to completing in full, therefore the pending charge would have been void. If you’re seeing this on your statement as a charge, please fax a copy to us [protected] Attn: Yolanda and please include your order number on the page for her reference. Your order number is [protected].
If you should have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us by email or by calling [protected].
Best regards,
Kim
Customer Service

I got the reception confirmation of my fax to Yolanda on January 14, at 10:02 am. So, what's going on?

From the Groupon 5 year Anniversary offer I ordered 2 "Buy $75.00 worth of wine for $25.00. I purchased one for myself and one as a gift. When ordering I could not find any of these Wineries/Wines online. So I went by the few 'customer reviews' to order. Not being able to find any information about these wines should have been my first clue that something was wrong. When I received the box of 6 wines (I paid a little extra) all 6 'cork seals' had the exact, unmarked black coverings. None of the wine bottles had back labels. We tried 3 of the wines and all 3 were so bad--almost watery. Furthermore, all 3 tasted the same even though from 3 different kinds of wine. All 3 had 'blank' corks. All the bottles are the same green in one of two shapes. I really feel these wines are not legitimate. On the Wine Insiders website the bottles have a variety of colorful and marked 'cork covers'. The bottles have a variety of colors and shapes. I feel super cheated. I order from "Lot 18" normally and they are an example of legitimate wines and bottling.

I ordered wine on May 3rd & it's June 12th & still have not received shipment or any shipping info!

DO NOT buy wine from wineinsiders.com. Their wines are terrible and their claim of 'if you're not satisified, we'll refund you're money and pay return shipping' does NOT exist. 2-buck-chuck is 10 times more drinkable than the wines they sell, and I tried half a dozen before I gave up. All the reds taste the same - weak, old (not 'aged'), woody (not oaky), sour and dull. The whites are just as bad. I didn't expect much given the price points, but you can't even make sangria or punch out of it. Their customer service is inept and frustrating to deal with, so don't bother. Hopefully you got a groupon for them, because groupon will refund your money if you're not satisfied.

Wine Insiders = a very BAD idea.
I participated in a promotional offer to receive $75. in wine for only $25.
I paid the $25. then paid an additional $120. for the wine order, when I applied the coupon, only .01 cent was credited to the order.
The wine shipped, I received full billing for what tasted like bargain wine.
When I attempted to reconcile the purchase by calling the 800 number, My call was promptly disconnected three times (each time at the point where I indicated that I would like to resolve an issue).
I have a BAD TASTE in my mouth from "Wine Insiders" - Bad Deal, No Customer Service, Bad Wine, No way to reconcile the mis-representation.

Looks like another good place to buy wine. WRONG. they take a minimum of one month to send any order. and god help you if there is a problem with the order. they will substitute wine with wine not even close to the right stuff. Customer Care just runs interferience and will not help you with anything. I've been waiting two months on an order that was suppose to be resent after UPS destroyed the first shipment.

I purchased 2 Groupons...worth $75.00, used both on line to purchased 2 cases of wine but only 1 case was delivered.
I called them October and they state they only have 1 order in the system. But both certificates are invalid for use now. They could not find one of the orders which I have a email confirmation and states they would have a supervisor call me. No one has called and it's November now. Don't think I will use them again. Think it'll be cheaper just to go to Trader Joes or Bev Mo...less of a hassle. I won't waste my money on this again.

Bought their 12 bottle "Mystery Red" selection. Of the 12 bottles, half were unacceptable. I've written them three times to return the 6 bottles for a refund (as per their guarantee). So far, no response.

With this kind of bad service, why would anyone do business with this company? Bad products, worse service. I'm better off shopping at my local store.

Avoid www.wineinsiders.com

STAY AWAY!

The wines here are horrible! I can barely drink them and my wife refuses to because the bottles we opened were so bad. I purchased a case thinking I’d serve this wine at a upcoming BBQ we’re having at our place. I can’t do that because I’d be embarrassed to serve this to guests. I’d rate the quality of the wine I purchased below the level of boxed wine like Franzia. Seriously.

Now I can’t even return the 10 unopened bottles I have because UPS says only authorized people can ship alcohol (at least in Illinois). On top of it, even if UPS did allow me to ship this case back, it would cost around $24 to do so. And Wine Insiders is going to deduct a little over $10 a bottle for the 2 bottles that I opened.

Save yourselves some headaches and don’t from Wine Insiders, you're not getting a good deal at all.

I purchased a wine club membership for my wife for a Christmas present. Both of us were pretty excited about it. I received a confirmation email on my order. After 50+ days, we did not received anything, so I called them. They claimed that they didn't receive the order. Every person I spoken to had a different excuse. They were unapologetic. Furthermore, the primary person that was responsible for the order was pretty rude. I would not do business with them again. I looked over at bizrate.com and it appears that their service is going downhill. Unfortunately wineinsiders will not let me rate them on Bizrate!

Buyer beware! ... Better still, look somewhere else!

I purchased a case of twelve (Johns world tour) bottles of wine.The promo code #SM148 said two bottles each of the selected wines (all imported). When I recieved the case there were only two of the described wines. Then it gets worse. I returned the wine at a cost of $47.87. They said they had not recieved the wine although I had proof from ups including who signed for the returned product. If you go for their trial offers STOP THERE. These people are not to be trusted.

On May 18, 09 I recieved a case of wine from this company. The order was for 2 each of 6 different wines (all imported). Only two of the twelve bottles were as advertised. I returned the wine the same day by ups. It was recieved by the shipper on 5/22/09 and signed for by Nancy. They are telling my credit card company that they never recieved the wine. I did have authority to return the wine on 5/18/09 from Reba.