I’m compelled to write this as we were the topic of a thread this morning that has since been deleted but was never resolved publicly and in my opinion was very misleading as to the customer service we offer at Limerick Lane.
In the thread, we were called out for shipping wine in July which turned out to be false. I was able to clarify within hours of the post that the wine in question actually shipped 6 weeks ago via cold chain and was signed for upon receipt. I also clarified that as the wine was being shipped an email notification was sent out with tracking number.
While I appreciate that the thread was taken down, as other berserkers were asking as to how we responded (Mark Rudner in particular) there was never a public resolution.
First off the order was refunded in full.
Second, at Limerick Lane we strive for the highest level of customer service and as a small business I think we do an excellent job. Especially in times like these, small businesses are getting stretched pretty thin and customer service is often the make or break point.
When shipping wine from CA to the extreme east coast (or anywhere else for that matter) our primary focus is always the quality of the wine with regard to heat.
In this case, the cost to ship the order in question which we incurred 100% was nearly half the cost of the entire purchase.
Regardless of destination, we monitor heat very closely and only ship when we feel the temps are safe. (I have no upside in shipping wine if the wine is damaged in the process)
In addition, separately from UPS we send notification with tracking number when we deem temps are safe for the order to be shipped and are more than happy to reschedule shipment if requested.
I’m very sorry the customer was unhappy with our service but upon review I also stand by our communication, our service, and the quality of the wine in the bottle when it was signed for.
Regardless, the experience was not to the satisfaction of the customer and for that I apologize hence the refund.
It isn’t my intent at all to call anyone out but I feel very strongly that as we were accused of something in a public forum, it was appropriate to share that we were in fact not only accused incorrectly, we took the situation a step further in our efforts to honor and respect the customer in question.
To accuse and then not clarify both the inaccuracy of the accusation as well as how we resolved the situation was unfair and potentially damaging to our reputation.
I hope the customer in question enjoys the wine and am in no way trying to call them out as that would do me no good.
Incidentally, 2018 is one of my favorite vintages that we’ve produced and I’m certain the specific bottles in question will taste great.
Respectfully,
Jake Bilbro
Limerick Lane