Luxurywine (Spanish retailer, www.luxurywine.es): caveat emptor

I purchased a bottle of 1989 La Tache from this retailer. The listing made no mention of any bottle issues. I asked about the condition and was told it was perfect, and was sent two photos showing a high fill.

Delivery showed a 5 mm+ depressed cork. The seller told me that that was too bad and they do not accept returns.

Do not buy from this retailer - they are a fraud.

So they took pictures of another bottle and sent you the lower fill bottle? Wow! Very bold.

Take pictures of what you were sent, along with the emails, and initiate a charge back. Some credit cards have an additional protection layer called ‘return satisfaction’ which rather than a chargeback (which the merchant eats, assuming you are successful) means the issuing bank (or their surety provider) eats the return cost.

No, the fill is fine. Frankly the color is fine too. But they told me that the bottle is in perfect condition, and send photos of the fill. The cork is >5mm depressed. When I brought it up the guy told me to stuff it.

Regarding a chargeback, many European retailers don’t take credit cards. This is one. I had to pay by bank transfer, but it isn’t unusual.

I can’t say for sure it’s what happened here, but corks on older bottles often move during shipping. It is entirely possible the cork was not depressed, or much less depressed, when it left their hands, especially since color/fill are consistent with what they told you. It sounds as if their response could have been more satisfactory to you, but I think calling them a fraud based on the information we have here is a stretch.