Poor Experience with BLM

[Bucko]

I have purchased wine from Brookline Liquor Mart on several occasions with no problems. Recently I heard from another WA wine friend that he had a poor shipping experience with them. I ordered two cases of Baumard wines from them via two-day air express. After three days the wine did not arrive. I e-mailed them and they said that they would get right back with me. They never did. One week later the wine showed up. The boxes were battered, the corks were up on a few bottles, but no obvious leakers. The wine had to see some excessive heat with the corks up. I e-mailed them, explained the situation, and after several days they have still not given me the courtesy of a reply. Based on this experience and my friend's experience, I find it hard to give them any further business. It is a shame, because they have good Loire and German selections. Am I overreacting?

Bucko

[Thomas]

Bucko,

You aren't overeacting if what you got is both poor service and messed up bottles/corks in shipping.

Of course, the shipper has little control over the shipping company that handles the package, and if it is a shipping company like UPS, there is no guarantee the package will not be subject to a hot warehouse or two, since UPS isn't licensed to ship alcohol anyway.

Your situation points to one of the many drawbacks to having no clear shipping freedoms, without which, the customer has no clear remedy when things go awry -- only the good will of the merchant-customer relationship, which obviously does not apply to BLM.

[Jason]

BLM are usually very good guys. I have never dealt with them on a delivery level, but always on a reatil/ restaurant level as they own a distributor in Boston. They are the importers for Guigal and others and take there wine very seriously. Contact Jim Ellston and he can help or atleast give you to someone who can.

[Bucko]

I contacted one person by phone who said they would get back to me, and two via e-mail with no answer at all. I will never do business with them again, and several of my friends have backed off as well. With today's communications, it does not take long to expose people who do not care. I'm really aggravated at their G.A.S. attitude.

Bucko