Moses Botbol wrote:There was nothing to say this was an En Premier or "Premier Cru" style offer; pay for the wine now and hopefully they'll show up at whenever the importer get it (if they ever get it). There was no wording in the offer that they were not labelled and ready for export, nor were they in the US.
You are correct. In fact the offer said specifically that all of the wines were already in the US, though since the 60Y White is brand new that wasn't possible at the time the newsletter went out, so Roy just got a little over zealous with the announcement. However, I do think that should be assumed with this type of offer. Roy's doing this for us through back channels, and that has always been apparent.
All I'm getting at here is that FTLOP buying opportunities aren't like ordering from an internet store or buying from your local B&M. Roy's not making any money off of these, and the importers and often the producers are shaving their margins extra-thin in order to give us the best prices possible. Many of the importers and producers Roy works with on these offers are small... and things happen. We've been extremely lucky over the years that they've basically all gone off without a hitch, and I think that gave people unreasonable expectations for what these really are. Now we've had 2 in a row that have encountered difficulty. C'est la vie. The average over the years is still impressive for the shoe string nature of how these work.
Also Moses, no one else can get the prices you get in Boston. You just happen to live in possibly the only place in the US where the Portuguese population is high enough that stores actually carry good selections of Portuguese wines and Ports. So while
you might be able to walk into your local B&M and match these prices on some of these wines, none of the rest of us can.
jeff t. wrote:I completely agree with you.I inquired when I ordered and was expecting a March shipment.
Everyone was expecting a March shipment, including Miguel, Roy, and Ayesha. There was an accident on the freeway and now you're going to be a hour late for work. Things happen.
Al B. wrote:I think you were a bit harsh Glenn. Moses is not being unreasonable.
Perhaps you are right, but given that even you admit that it isn't unusual when shipping out of Portugal I don't think I was. Many of Roy's deals include shipping from Portugal, though not all. So even if I was perhaps a bit blunt about it to Moses, if you can't handle some unpredictability with these orders then you probably shouldn't participate in the offers. Roy does his best to ensure that everything goes smoothly, but things happen. If you want the fantastic prices he negotiates, then that's your tradeoff.
And in all seriousness, do we
really need another legal disclaimer? *sigh*