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#388594 - 05-09-2018 07:30:10 Some Wineries Get It...And Some Are Clueless/Rant #271
TomHill Online   content
Venerated Icon
Elvis Has Entered the Building!

Registered: 02-15-2004 17:42:19
Posts: 12126
Loc: LosAlamos
Customer relations, that is.

Last week, out of the blue, arrived this magnum of the
new Massican annia '17. Huh?? I didn't order this! Turns out it was a gift for my long-time support of Massican wines (followed 'em from the very start, I did). I very nice and thoughtful gesture. Dan Petroski gets it, clearly.

My two cases of Cedarville arrived last week. On the invoice was a hand-written note thanking me for my support over the yrs. Susan & Jonathan get it, clearly.

My case of Harrington arrived several weeks ago. On the invoice was a hand-written note thanking me for my order and asking me to let him know my take on the wines. Bryan gets it, clearly.

Tom

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#388595 - 05-09-2018 08:02:47 Re: Some Wineries Get It...And Some Are Clueless/Rant #271 [Re: TomHill]
Sean_Devaney Online   content
Member

Registered: 09-10-2005 19:46:35
Posts: 449
Loc: Silicon Valley
Can't speak about Dan But Susan & Jonathan and Bryan are some really great people. They are one of if not the best parts of this hobby.

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#388597 - 05-09-2018 09:45:42 Re: Some Wineries Get It...And Some Are Clueless/Rant #271 [Re: TomHill]
Bob Davis Offline
Obsessed

Registered: 12-13-2000 08:00:00
Posts: 4748
Loc: Steeler Nation
Nice post. We really like Cedarville wines and with we could buy more. But downsizing the cellar, for now, has its disadvantages.

Any that don't Tom? I've always had a special place in hell for those wineries that can't follow simple directions or requests.

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#388598 - 05-09-2018 10:48:57 Re: Some Wineries Get It...And Some Are Clueless/Rant #271 [Re: TomHill]
BEB Online   content
True Southern Exposure
Crazed Wino

Registered: 01-02-2001 08:00:00
Posts: 5444
Loc: Somewhere in the Great Valley ...
... and some don't: On a recent visit to Sonoma, I set an appointment a month in advance with [high flying, well known, multi-year wait to join mailing list] winery. On arrival the wine dog greets me and wife likes the roses near the parking area. We're off to a good start.
In the winery/tasting room our hostess advises that we are tasting one wine only; that the inventory is too low to taste anything else; that of course, we may just care to skip the tasting altogether b/c, well, only one wine will be poured.
Since I'm here, I say, we may as well taste the one wine.

As we're tasting the one wine, cellar hostess says the winery called several people to see if they really wanted to proceed with a tasting. "Oddly, I didn't get a call," I said. "We only called those on our mailing list" was the reply.

We changed the subject to the wines the winery makes/produces. "Just three wines; we make only 3 wines" says cellar hostess. "But what about [such and such] 100% Cab?" I ask. "No, we make only 3 wines", says she. But, I protest, "that's your top of the line wine. I'm pretty certain a friend shared one with me a few years back. Don't you still make[super-duper block-buster cab]?"

Cellar hostess (Again): "No, we don't."

Me (pointing to sign in tasting room): "But it's listed over there."

Cellar hostess: "oh, yeah, right. But it only goes to mailing list customers."

Me (again pointing to the sign): "But you were tasting it as recently as 2 days ago."

Cellar hostess: "Yes"
_________________________
BEB

"I've wrestled with reality for 35 years and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it." Elwood P. Dowd

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#388599 - 05-10-2018 09:58:20 Yup.... [Re: BEB]
TomHill Online   content
Venerated Icon
Elvis Has Entered the Building!

Registered: 02-15-2004 17:42:19
Posts: 12126
Loc: LosAlamos
Originally Posted By: BEB
... and some don't: On a recent visit to Sonoma, I set an appointment a month in advance with [high flying, well known, multi-year wait to join mailing list] winery. On arrival the wine dog greets me and wife likes the roses near the parking area. We're off to a good start.
In the winery/tasting room our hostess advises that we are tasting one wine only; that the inventory is too low to taste anything else; that of course, we may just care to skip the tasting altogether b/c, well, only one wine will be poured.
Since I'm here, I say, we may as well taste the one wine.

As we're tasting the one wine, cellar hostess says the winery called several people to see if they really wanted to proceed with a tasting. "Oddly, I didn't get a call," I said. "We only called those on our mailing list" was the reply.

We changed the subject to the wines the winery makes/produces. "Just three wines; we make only 3 wines" says cellar hostess. "But what about [such and such] 100% Cab?" I ask. "No, we make only 3 wines", says she. But, I protest, "that's your top of the line wine. I'm pretty certain a friend shared one with me a few years back. Don't you still make[super-duper block-buster cab]?"

Cellar hostess (Again): "No, we don't."

Me (pointing to sign in tasting room): "But it's listed over there."

Cellar hostess: "oh, yeah, right. But it only goes to mailing list customers."

Me (again pointing to the sign): "But you were tasting it as recently as 2 days ago."

Cellar hostess: "Yes"




Yup, Boyce....clearly she just doesn't get it.
It will eventually catch up w/ them.
Tom

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#388600 - 05-10-2018 10:13:21 Yup..... [Re: Bob Davis]
TomHill Online   content
Venerated Icon
Elvis Has Entered the Building!

Registered: 02-15-2004 17:42:19
Posts: 12126
Loc: LosAlamos
Originally Posted By: Bob Davis
Nice post. We really like Cedarville wines and with we could buy more. But downsizing the cellar, for now, has its disadvantages.

Any that don't Tom? I've always had a special place in hell for those wineries that can't follow simple directions or requests.


Yup, Bob. There are plenty who don't get it. Won't name any names, though.
You can walk into any tasting room and immediately tell if they get it or not. They should welcome you when you walk in the door and let you know that they're glad you're here to taste there wine. Oftentimes, you can see the attitude.."$hit...now I gotta pour these freeloader some wine.
Tom

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#389312 - 10-23-2018 16:15:49 Re: Some Wineries Get It...#271 [Re: TomHill]
BEB Online   content
True Southern Exposure
Crazed Wino

Registered: 01-02-2001 08:00:00
Posts: 5444
Loc: Somewhere in the Great Valley ...
Not one but two good examples of excellent customer service this week (and it's only Tuesday!)

Shipper 1 - UPS sticker on my door last Friday shows they tried to make a delivery to my house. Say what?! Ain't no deliveries to be made to my house. I check the (long ago set up) online account info and find the shipper has the correct information in my account. Apparently, the 3rd party shipping agent messed up something.

On Monday, I receive an email thanking me (again) for my order and noting that the wine will be arriving at (designated shipping address). I respond with an email advising that contrary to the information on the invoice, the wine is being shipped to (wrong address), but that I contacted UPS and asked them to hold the package and I would drive to the distribution hub and take delivery there. Customer rep. immediately responds with apology and offers to pay to have the shipping address changed. I demur b/c I don't want the wine sitting in a warehouse another day. Customer rep. then says they will comp the shipping and send me a free bottle of wine.

Shipper 2 - Box of wine arrives and I tear in to it likes it's Christmas, pull off the top of the shipper box and pull out ... not one, not 2 but 6 incorrect bottles. I email the shipper to thank them for the 6 correct bottles but let them know I also had 6 incorrect bottles. "Sorry about that! Just keep the 6 mistaken bottles and we'll send the correct bottles out to you right away."

Yeah, I'm a happy camper. Two excellent examples of good customer service and good business sense.
_________________________
BEB

"I've wrestled with reality for 35 years and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it." Elwood P. Dowd

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#389316 - 10-24-2018 07:05:29 Another One with a Name [Re: TomHill]
James Cross Offline
Regular

Registered: 04-09-2004 20:17:37
Posts: 729
Loc: Vega$
I'll give kudos to Loring Wine Co. Of course I've followed Brian "from before the very start" when he worked weekends at Cottonwood Canyon.

Anyway, I order a six pack of chards(various SLH vineyards)and I receive the pinots from those vineyards. I contact them and they tell me they will send the chards and just keep the pinots.

He's also still offering to replace bad bottles from the early days of the winery when he used some bad closures.

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#389317 - 10-24-2018 09:13:45 Re: Loring understands customer service [Re: James Cross]
BEB Online   content
True Southern Exposure
Crazed Wino

Registered: 01-02-2001 08:00:00
Posts: 5444
Loc: Somewhere in the Great Valley ...
Kim and Brian are awesome to deal with. They truly get customer service.
_________________________
BEB

"I've wrestled with reality for 35 years and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it." Elwood P. Dowd

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#389318 - 10-24-2018 09:16:57 Reason for no names mentioned [Re: BEB]
BEB Online   content
True Southern Exposure
Crazed Wino

Registered: 01-02-2001 08:00:00
Posts: 5444
Loc: Somewhere in the Great Valley ...
One of the shippers involved is a store making for some dicey issues for where I live, hence no name as much as I would like to help promote the business. And since I couldn't broadcast one of the names, for the sake of equity, I'm not naming the other business either, but both are worthy of any wine lover's attention.



Edited by BEB (10-24-2018 09:17:22)
_________________________
BEB

"I've wrestled with reality for 35 years and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it." Elwood P. Dowd

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#389320 - 10-24-2018 12:09:15 Cedarville [Re: Sean_Devaney]
James Cross Offline
Regular

Registered: 04-09-2004 20:17:37
Posts: 729
Loc: Vega$
As long as I'm handing out kudos today, let me echo the one on Jonathan and Susan. Susan just helped me with a shipping issue.

I looked back at my files and I've been with them since 1998; met them at Hospice du Rhone that year.

Their viognier is a total no brainer buy in quantity every year and I like the Grenache and syrah as well.

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