Premier Cru warning

[Andy Velebil]

Sorry to hear but I am in your camp. I ordered prior to anyone else and was supposed to get a case of the 1968. When I called the next day they told me they only had 9 now available, yet Glenn got all his and he ordered after mine. Obviously someone screwed up similar to your case. Oh well.

And IIRC that price seems right for the 1976. I'll try and look later when I get home, unless someone else finds it first.

[Glenn E.]

The only problematic thing is that they said they were issuing me a refund for $64.99. I don't recall the Krohn's '76 ever being that cheap when I purchased it this summer during the 40 yr Tawny tasting weekend. Does anyone remember what the sale price of that Krohn was during that weekend?

According to my email receipt, I paid $60 when I ordered 6 on 7/22. I also paid $70 when I ordered 3 more on 8/7. It may have been $65 at some other time, as they were changing prices frequently during that month.

[Tom Archer]

Just had a quick glance at their website..

Such a high percentage of 'pre-arrival' wines that are not recent vintages..

..doesn't feel kosher - if they haven't arrived, then where are they??

[Andy Velebil]

Just had a quick glance at their website..

Such a high percentage of 'pre-arrival' wines that are not recent vintages..

..doesn't feel kosher - if they haven't arrived, then where are they??

With PC they can arrive anytime between tomorrow and 5 years from now or not at all. Most of the time they eventually deliver, sometimes they don't.

[Lindsay E.]

The only problematic thing is that they said they were issuing me a refund for $64.99. I don't recall the Krohn's '76 ever being that cheap when I purchased it this summer during the 40 yr Tawny tasting weekend. Does anyone remember what the sale price of that Krohn was during that weekend?

According to my email receipt, I paid $60 when I ordered 6 on 7/22. I also paid $70 when I ordered 3 more on 8/7. It may have been $65 at some other time, as they were changing prices frequently during that month.

Well I picked up my Premier Cru delivery at wine storage yesterday and it contained 2 bottles of Krohn '76 (2015 bottling) and 3 bottles of white '64 (2007 bottling). I guess my refund "check is in the mail." Hahahahahah. But, I give PC the benefit of the doubt for the next two weeks and let you guys know if a check arrives...and if it clears into the bank.

-Lindsay

[terrance creighton]

It'll be a Festivus miracle!

[Russ K]

Most of my 2011 ports are all there and shipping, including the 4 Dow I ordered. they are supposed to ship next week. (ten bottles in all)

Mine are still not available. Let me know if you actually get those, please.

Eric I did get my shipment of 10 bottles they said were in including the Dow. Interestingly, these are UK bottlings...

[Lindsay E.]

An update on my PC situation: I received my refund check from PC at the beginning of December and deposited it. The check bounced, and I was just notified by my bank that I've been fined $12.00 for depositing a check with non-sufficient funds.

What would you guys advise me to do at this point? Take the hit of my "lost bottle" and just walk away being out the 64.99 and the $12 fine, or bug PC for another check which might also bounce and cost me another $12?

-Lindsay

[Andy Velebil]

An update on my PC situation: I received my refund check from PC at the beginning of December and deposited it. The check bounced, and I was just notified by my bank that I've been fined $12.00 for depositing a check with non-sufficient funds.

What would you guys advise me to do at this point? Take the hit of my "lost bottle" and just walk away being out the 64.99 and the $12 fine, or bug PC for another check which might also bounce and cost me another $12?

-Lindsay

From what I've read elsewhere. They have money in the account form time to time. If you are on a good relationship with your bank, you could ask them to rerun it and hope for the best. Can you dispute it with your CC company? As the wine was never delivered, you should be able to. You will probably will need to speak to a CC supervisor depending on how long ago you charged it. The key is it was "pre-arrival" and they didn't ship and won't return calls or emails. Don't take the initial no for an answer, keep on the CC company.

If anyone has an outstanding Madeira order the odds you'll get it are looking slim to none. Most likely none.

[Glenn E.]

An update on my PC situation: I received my refund check from PC at the beginning of December and deposited it. The check bounced, and I was just notified by my bank that I've been fined $12.00 for depositing a check with non-sufficient funds.

What would you guys advise me to do at this point? Take the hit of my "lost bottle" and just walk away being out the 64.99 and the $12 fine, or bug PC for another check which might also bounce and cost me another $12?

-Lindsay

From what I've read elsewhere. They have money in the account form time to time. If you are on a good relationship with your bank, you could ask them to rerun it and hope for the best. Can you dispute it with your CC company? As the wine was never delivered, you should be able to. You will probably will need to speak to a CC supervisor depending on how long ago you charged it. The key is it was "pre-arrival" and they didn't ship and won't return calls or emails. Don't take the initial no for an answer, keep on the CC company.

If anyone has an outstanding Madeira order the odds you'll get it are looking slim to none. Most likely none.

This is one of the reasons I love my AmEx. American Express will basically always take your side. They'll just reverse the charge and then deal with the store themselves, provided you have sufficient detail about the transaction. (And for AmEx you really don't need much detail at all... for me it's typically been sufficient to read the information from my CC bill back to them.)

If you do go back to PC and complain, tell them you need a new check that also covers the $12 insufficient funds fee. That is their problem, not yours. If you go the CC reversal route then you'll have to eat the insufficient funds fee.

[Moses Botbol]

What would you guys advise me to do at this point? Take the hit of my "lost bottle" and just walk away being out the 64.99 and the $12 fine, or bug PC for another check which might also bounce and cost me another $12?

I'd bug the sh** out of them and make their life a hell... Find out who their accounts people are and start calling them direct. Squeaky wheel gets the grease. They have the money.

[Lindsay E.]

Andy, Glenn and Moses, thank you for your advice. Andy, the charge was not on a "pre-arrival" but actual wine that was listed as "in-stock" when I placed the order. I let them hold the wine to wait for an appropriate weather shipping window as we had a very hot summer all over the West Coast.

I like the option of disputing part of the charge with the credit card company. I'm okay being out the $12 at this point if I get my 64.99 refunded. I'd love to call and be a jerk to the guys at PC but I suspect that the people I'd be yelling at, are not the people who put PC in its current situation. Now, if Andy could watch my back while I performed some "small joint manipulation" on the owner of PC then I'd be all in. : )

-Lindsay

[Andy Velebil]

Andy, Glenn and Moses, thank you for your advice. Andy, the charge was not on a "pre-arrival" but actual wine that was listed as "in-stock" when I placed the order. I let them hold the wine to wait for an appropriate weather shipping window as we had a very hot summer all over the West Coast.

I like the option of disputing part of the charge with the credit card company. I'm okay being out the $12 at this point if I get my 64.99 refunded. I'd love to call and be a jerk to the guys at PC but I suspect that the people I'd be yelling at, are not the people who put PC in its current situation. Now, if Andy could watch my back while I performed some "small joint manipulation" on the owner of PC then I'd be all in. : )

-Lindsay

Lindsay
Some other have reported it to the Alameda County DA's office. I suggest you also do the same. The more complaints they get the faster they will start to allocate resources to investigate PC.

http://www.alcoda.org/cewpd/complaint_forms

[Roy Hersh]

And you thought the news couldn't be worse?

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts ... ing-online

[Roy Hersh]

Not good:

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts ... ing-online

[Lindsay E.]

I think Dante had it right in The Inferno when he placed those who committed fraud and treachery on a lower level of hell than even those who were violent and murderous toward another human. I think Daihachiro Ishida and his investors need to fly to Berkeley, find John Fox out on the street and "do him."

[Roy Hersh]

I think they'd just need to make a phone call and not even bother with scheduling a flight.

[Lindsay E.]

I think they'd just need to make a phone call and not even bother with scheduling a flight.

You're absolutely right, Roy. I think that was my overactive imagination talking and having been influenced by watching too many movies. It's not worth going to jail over your discretionary income...and I think that's why PC has been able to carry on for as long as they have. I mean I lost 64.99...but even if I'd lost my whole order of 6 bottles, it wouldn't be worth going to jail over. I'll bet if this guy was taking people's life savings instead of their discretionary income, that someone or the law would have put an end to his business several years ago.

Again, for me its a lesson learned about looking at the whole picture the next time I purchase wine, instead of just looking at the bottom dollar.

[Moses Botbol]

Start playing the Chopin funeral music...

[Eric Menchen]

Really I didn't find much new information in that article. When the lawsuits were first announced a while back it was reported that they were going to sell their retail location and shift business to internet sales. Given their dire straights and the value of the building, that makes some sense. I doubt the building is worth what they are listing it for, but it obviously is worth a bit given the amount of the back taxes. So they sell the building, pay off the back taxes, and try to use remaining funds to catch up on their pyramid building. Now whether they can survive the lawsuits is another story.

I'm certainly frustrated by them, coming up on two years waiting for some wine. I may be out some $ or wine, but luckily not anything like $45k or more. I understand the anger out there against them. At the same time, I find it interesting that the article sometimes refers to "customers," but also uses the term "investors." And these investors bought "futures." These are terms I associate with risk taking. (Yes, I understand some also bought wine which was supposedly in stock.)