Hic! NZ Wine Society... thoughts?

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kiwipeter

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#170905 30-Mar-2015 16:30

Hi all - I got a NZ Wine Society flier included with my ANZ credit card statement and the introductory offers look pretty good (don't they always!). But before I hit the go button on the deal, I wonder if anyone here is/was a customer. Any thoughts or reviews of their service would be good. To be honest it does sound too good to be true and even though this is a standalone offer how do the prices stack up for regular, non-offer, purchases? Thanks.

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#1273541 30-Mar-2015 17:06

I've bought two lots of their 'deals' ... 12 bottles for $99 delivered to the door. Mostly Australian reds and NZ whites, but certainly of very good quality.

ilovemusic

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#1273582 30-Mar-2015 17:50

Convenient but mediocre selections.

With some homework you can probably find better deals at your local supermarket.

Jase2985

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#1273605 30-Mar-2015 18:09

Rickles: I've bought two lots of their 'deals' ... 12 bottles for $99 delivered to the door. Mostly Australian reds and NZ whites, but certainly of very good quality.

my wife gets a mixed 12 pack every 3 months and hasnt had an issue with them. Reasonable selection and, for the price you are not going get good quality bottles of wine, but they are good enough for her.

you can pay a little more an get better bottles, and you could get better deals but its the convenience that appeals

Sidestep

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#1273618 30-Mar-2015 18:15

living in a very rural location we find it a convenient way to purchase.

Delivery is fast, sometimes next day.

The selection available is OK for us. Anything really special we'll make the effort to purchase when we're out anyway - or visit the winery!

They do have regular 'specials' and promotions which are well priced. My wife usually manages to bargain down prices on non-specials at the same time..

They mail flyers, send out emails & their sales people do call regularly to check up on us, tell us about specials, check if we need more etc..
I personally find any sort of sales call annoying, but put up with these ones as it's my wifes thing & she's happy to take their calls..

frankv

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#1273815 30-Mar-2015 21:48

They're very aggressive... once you're on their mailing list they'll keep chasing you.

Not what I would have expected from a "Society".

Rickles

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#1273849 30-Mar-2015 22:53

>They're very aggressive... once you're on their mailing list they'll keep chasing you. Not what I would have expected from a "Society".<

I simply asked them to stop calling or sending emails, but happy to get their hard copy mail .... so far (3 years) they have acquiesced.

dclegg

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#1273944 31-Mar-2015 08:59

frankv: They're very aggressive... once you're on their mailing list they'll keep chasing you.

Not what I would have expected from a "Society".

ACK to that.

We've been customers for years, but I am starting to tire of their overly aggressive phone calls. I haven't told them to cut it out completely yet, as we still find them to be a convenient and relatively cheap source of wine, and sometimes take them up on some of the specials they are phoning about.

But when they do call (and they do once a month), you have to tell them you're not interested multiple times before they get the hint and end the conversation.

So if that's not your thing, they may not be the organisation for you. I'd also not recommend their entry level packs. We initially subscribed to one of those, but found we hated more wines than we like. We moved up to the next tier, and are finding the wines to be much more to our liking.

Also, if you are after quality wine at decent prices, I'd check out Advintage Wines. They often have pretty mean specials, and have a great range of quality wines, excellent service, and next day delivery from Hawkes Bay to Auckland. We're yet to get a bottle from them that we haven't liked.

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JimmyC

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#1273950 31-Mar-2015 09:08

My wife and I are wine lovers (call us snobs, sure) and always found their selection very meh so we haven't bought anything off them in a couple of years. They will always tell you you can arrange to have anything you don't like sent back but that's just too much hassle. Their tele sales were also pushy, and I can't stand that.

Buying wine you've never tried before by the case lot can either be good for your wine education or just bad for your wallet (and your education!). If you're not sure what you like, random wines can be good to experiment with. If you know what you like they're usually not so good, unless you recognise something specific on offer, but I rarely did.

Edit: +1 for Advintage Wines. Fantastic staff and great rolling stock.

dclegg

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#1273955 31-Mar-2015 09:17

JimmyC:
Buying wine you've never tried before by the case lot can either be good for your wine education or just bad for your wallet (and your education!). If you're not sure what you like, random wines can be good to experiment with. If you know what you like they're usually not so good, unless you recognise something specific on offer, but I rarely did.

We get a Sauvignon Blanc mixed case (as that's our preferred drop). Their entry level case had a lot of shockers, but the one we're on now has a pretty decent hit rate. We rarely find one we don't like.

JimmyC:
Edit: +1 for Advintage Wines. Fantastic staff and great rolling stock.

Yep, you can't beat their service. Bought my wife a nice bottle of champagne one Christmas, and tweeted about it. Got a DM asking for my order number. They intercepted the order and put it in nicer packaging with fancy gift wrapping at no extra cost.

Sideface

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#1273986 31-Mar-2015 09:53

The following are both much better value than the "Wine Society":

The Fine Wine Delivery Company

Blackmarket

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JimmyC

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#1274048 31-Mar-2015 10:16

dclegg:
We get a Sauvignon Blanc mixed case (as that's our preferred drop). Their entry level case had a lot of shockers, but the one we're on now has a pretty decent hit rate. We rarely find one we don't like.

I've just been too disappointed before I guess, so I refuse to buy an entire case of wine I've never tried before. I will add one or two new bottles to a case of otherwise known entities, and I'll happily buy random singles, but yeah, by the case lot that's too much risk for me.

Great Advintage story too

andrew027

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#1274059 31-Mar-2015 10:18

I was a member a number of years ago. I liked that I would get a couple of bottles of something in a mixed case that I might not have bought otherwise, which sometimes turned out to be quite nice and "expanded my horizons".

Then I moved to Adelaide which is surrounded by wine producing regions (Adelaide Hills, Barossa and Eden Valleys, Claire Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, etc.) and I decided to visit wineries and sample things instead of buying via online/mail order. After that I lived in Blenheim for a couple of years and adopted the same philosophy there. Now I'm in Wellington but just can't be bothered - there are cheaper places to buy wine, e.g. most supermarkets.

dclegg

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#1274069 31-Mar-2015 10:29

andrew027: Now I'm in Wellington but just can't be bothered - there are cheaper places to buy wine, e.g. most supermarkets.

We don't get the option of cheap wine at supermarkets here (West Auckland) and our local liquor store isn't that cheap for wine. This is why we find the NZ Wine Society useful (if a little naggy).

Sideface

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#1274072 31-Mar-2015 10:31

JimmyC: I've just been too disappointed before I guess, so I refuse to buy an entire case of wine I've never tried before.

Fine Wine Delivery Company

"Return Policy: If the wine you've bought isn't to your liking, please let us know, we'll be happy to replace it with something more suitable or give you your money back."

I bought a case of wine from them (blind) that I didn't like. I returned the remaining 11 bottles (at their expense) and got another case (12 bottles!) of my preferred wine at no additional cost.
This takes much of the risk out of a "blind" purchase.

Disclaimer: I have no vested interest in any wine company or distributor.

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kiwipeter

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#1274080 31-Mar-2015 10:36

Thanks to you all for your advice and comments. I hate pushy sales people and this alone is probably enough to put me off. I will certainly check out some of the other suggestions posted here though.

Cheers!

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