Very nice situation for those who have no issues with UPS, as long as the shipments don’t go out over the weekend.
For me, my buying decisions will still be based upon how badly I want the wine versus the hassle of picking it up at the inconvenient UPS hub - a 90 minute round trip through rush hour traffic.
Two day, at no upcharge? And this is two day total transit, no interim shipper and then a drop at UPS correct?
Game changer my humble. I still won’t go traipsing to my hub but at least for now with sticking around home and UPS still just dropping packages off no signature required, what’s not to like. And for those that are happy with UPS anyway I’d be way more comfortable in pulling the trigger over the summer.
Still shipping via UPS? I hope! I have had dozens of fedex packages delivered to the wrong address plus they almost always sit on their trucks over a weekend.
Had a package (from another place) out for delivery. Never showed, but driver said receiver refused package!
Called their Customer Support, and talked to rep, said someone would call me (I said I would even go to center to pick it up). No callback. Called back again. Rescheduled for delivery … after a week of that status, it was returned!
Driver was a moron and had to go to wrong address. Still trying to cool down from wanting to tar and feather the driver!
That is great news. Although to be honest, the last boxes I got before they were in styro were fine and didn’t feel warm when I got them. Wine was fine. I am in south texas and its already been really hot in the upper 90’s on and off. We are getting 105 on Tueday.
I think I am a bit lucky as the UPS hub were they load the trucks is just down the road from me and so they aren’t on the road that long.
But we are now entering the bowels of hell temps for the next few months so this is appreciated. So I can take advantage of the wine deals in summer also.
I had a case delivered today. Thankfully it was a refreshingly cool (low 70s) day here in mid-Missouri after a 90 degree streak just ended. Internal temperature of the case upon receipt was 75 degrees.
@Mark_L
But what was the temperature along its route while it was in transit? Appears to have been somewhere around 100 at its point of origin based upon lost’s post above.
@chipgreen I got a “shipped” notice on Monday, and it was delivered here in central Missouri on Wednesday (the UPS info says it was shipped 2nd day air, so at some point of its route the outside temperature was around -50F ). According to Weather.com the high in Sonoma on Monday was 80 (89 on Tuesday, but I doubt it was still in Sonoma at that point).
Stolpman delivered in styro today at 14:12. 33C/91F outside. Bottle temp, compared to another bottle in my office, slightly warmer. Not hot to the point of worry, but clearly not cool. About what I would expect and fine reasonable for the expense of these.
If this were to be a library wine I cellar for years, I would have had it shipped differently.
@losthighwayz@rjquillin Yeah, two shipments coming here today as well, at least theoretically, if the truck gets here. It wasn’t a good idea for @WineDavid49 to ship to the LA area during a 4 day Santa Ana wind event.
@losthighwayz@rjquillin@Winedavid49
And they just arrived. All warm (but not hot) to the touch, one leaky bottle out of 6 of Stolpman and one potentially leaky bottle of Vigo. (molarchae ordered the Stolpman, fwiw)
@klezman@losthighwayz@rjquillin@Winedavid49 Mine were warm as well when they arrived, above ambient temp here in Tacoma. I do like the 2 day shipping and tracking shows that my hold in Lathrop was only from 1am to 8am, so much better than the 48+ hours last time but just think this week was a really warm one in CA/OR.
No leakage or any other signs for concern, but I’m thinking these are for rather short term consumption
My latest UPS app update says it now supports “adult signature” package redirection to “eligible UPS Access Point locations”. In the past you could only redirect adult signature packages to a hub. Has anyone tried this with wine and UPS packages?
@TimW
I’ve not been successful with a redirect, but have when shipped initially to an Access Point.
Failed deliveries happen later, next day, at a hub.
My latest shipment (Washington Cabernet Sauvignon Trio) didn’t fare quite as well. Still shipped Monday (2nd Day Air), received Wednesday (an 85 degree high) at 6pm, and internal temperature of the box was at 85. Hopefully not too long at that temperature.
@rjquillin I push a digital thermometer through the box (without opening, I aim for the break between the layers of styro) and feel it come in contact with the bottles – that’s where I measure the temp.
Received my yak palate box of Bergevin cab yesterday
Was hoping to test the shipping path to south South Carolina but as I was ready to push the submit button my lovely bride reminded me we’d be in central Wisconsin for a bit. Good catch on her part.
So the path, 2 day air:
petamula 6/16 low 53 high 76
oakland 6/17 low 58 high 72
louisville 6/17 low 70 high 89
minneapolis 6/17 low 63 high 79
eagan mn 6/17 6/18 low 64 high 89
stevens point 6/18 low 54 high 84
delivery, just west of Oshkosh 6/18 low 55 high 86
spent about 5 hours on the delivery truck, styro. Didn’t stick a thermometer in the box was a little busy but did open it up immediately. Thank the good lordy no pushed corks! Oh, yeah, screwtop. Not cool to the touch but not warm. So no problems. Wouldn’t do this with anything I’m going to age but for drinkers process worked well. And UPS here just dropping boxes and waving. No signature.
Just received the Hoi Polloi Mixed Reds (3 bottles) in NE Ohio, and all was fine. Packed in styro, slightly warm to the touch, but fine, and received in just a little over 1.5 days from when it was shipped; excellent.
UPS not requiring sig here, either, but do require someone (of age?) to be present. Seamless experience.
Just got an email from UPS with this text. Is this new or consistent with the existing policies that have been already discussed here?
"Have you ever been frustrated with having to wait longer for a delivery just because you weren’t home to sign for it?
Now you can redirect packages that require an adult signature—such as beer, wine, spirits, and tobacco orders—to a UPS Access Point® location (including The UPS Store® and Michaels®) for easy and convenient pick up.
Look for this option on your delivery alerts or log in to your UPS My Choice® account to manage deliveries anytime."
@klezman@rjquillin@trifecta whoa. i know that i sent the chorus of comments to our UPS contacts about this. maybe it helped! i’ll follow up. it’s hard to move big brown.
I have been able to change delivery to local UPS store. I wasn’t sure if it had something to do with two day shipping but despite not being on the website they do seem to be allowing this now which is a game changer!
@kaolis@klezman@rjquillin@sammypedram@trifecta@Winedavid49
Got a text from UPS this morning that I had a package scheduled for delivery today. At first I assumed it was a recent Amazon order as they do still use UPS occasionally. Thought about it for a minute and decided to click the tracking link. Turns out it is a 4 lb. package shipped overnight from WCC. Good thing I looked!
Wasn’t expecting a rat bottle as I didn’t get an email but knowing that I wasn’t going to be home to get the shipment, I started to arrange pickup at the UPS hub. As per Trifecta’s post above, there appears to be the ability to redirect to access points! I chose the local CVS and thought to myself “I’ll believe it when I see it”.
This evening I get a call from a guy at UPS. He says they have my package and he wants to know where I want to pick it up. Told him I had set pickup for the CVS store and he checks with his supervisor who says “wine cannot be delivered to access points”. I told him that I heard some rumblings that this was changing and it might be a new policy. He said “let me call you back”. I thought to myself “I knew this was too good to be true”.
Calls me back 5 minutes later and says “You’re good to go, it will be delivered to the CVS tomorrow. We put it in the computer for CVS and it was accepted”. I told him it was nice of UPS to let their workers know about the change. He laughed and said “Now we know”.
@chipgreen@klezman@rjquillin@sammypedram@trifecta@Winedavid49 Got a notice that a UPS alcohol shipment on the way. Unfortunately bad timing, didn’t know about it but I’ll make it work. Anyway tried to redirect and no soup for you. Might be an address glitch, My Choice not real user friendly.
@chipgreen@kaolis@klezman@rjquillin@sammypedram@trifecta@Winedavid49 I have been experiencing the same with the Square Peg offer, it’s coming a lot earlier than the predicted date, so also having a timing issue. When I go to log on the My Choice the page shows all these options for diverting, but not once I’m actually logged in. At that point it wants the info number for the missed delivery.
I’ve been very lucky, as even though some deliveries have been warm to the touch, I’ve been receiving them quickly and without any problems.
The case of inZINerator that I ordered just arrived, not even a day and a half after shipment, and I’m in NE Ohio!
The character of a company comes out, just like with individuals, not when things are good, but when they are bad, and I’ve seen some evidence they may fall a little short there, at times, but from my experience, things have been accomplished in an exemplary manner.
Best of luck, to all, that they may experience the luck I’ve had, and get their orders as expected.
@bunnymasseuse
Yes, my last 2 shipments (2 cases Pedroncelli Chard and 2 cases Square Peg) came all staggered, 1 case taking 2 days, 2 cases taking 3 days (of different wines), and 1 case taking 4 days. I was trying to take advantage of a brief cool rainy spell - that certainly worked for the first case, but I’m afraid the other cases rode around in a truck for those missing days. Haven’t inspected the final one yet. My fault anyway for ordering in late July, I figure.
Hopefully the below announcement from UPS may help out a bit with delivery options…
Likely helps them even more, with fewer stops required.
The UPS Access Point® network is expanding again. We’re excited to welcome over 4,200 Advance Auto Parts stores to our network.
Advance Auto Parts joins other national retailers, including The UPS Store®, CVS, and Michaels locations, to provide you with even more options for package pickups and drop offs right around the corner.
@chipgreen@rjquillin@Winedavid49 It’s great to have these options at last. And yet I can still find something to complain about!
The predicted delivery dates for the last two cases I bought were -way- off from the actual arrival dates. Like, UPS just notified me to expect delivery tomorrow of the J. Dusi PG, while the sale page estimates it’ll be delivered after Labor Day. Now, for the low, low price of only $5, I can get them to hold onto it until I’ll be back in town. Kind of defeats the benefit of two-day shipping. If I’d known it was being delivered this week, I would have either skipped the sale entirely, or possibly made arrangements for someone else to order.
Same thing happened with the Square Peg Rose, I think there was a 10-day discrepancy with that one. In that instance I was still away when they tried to deliver the first time, but back at home the day of the second attempt, so it worked out.
I wish that whenever there’s a chance the wine will be shipped much earlier than the description predicts, that someone from WCC, or a nice mod, would give us a heads-up.
I think the J. Dusi delivery is going to come back to you unfortunately. UPS My Choice confirms that I changed the delivery date to 9/9, but despite that they’re about to make the second delivery attempt tomorrow.
@chipgreen@rjquillin@Winedavid49 My hunch turned out to be prophetic – this morning the tracking page says the package has been damaged and is being returned to the shipper.
@chipgreen@rjquillin@Winedavid49 Oops, spoke too soon. Maybe the UPS tracking bot hadn’t had its first cup of coffee at 7 o’clock. Now it’s telling me it’s out for delivery again.
@chipgreen@rjquillin@Winedavid49 Well, it did go out for delivery that day, per the tracking info. But today UPS CS tells me that in fact the package was damaged and can’t be delivered. I’ve already written to CM CS.
So i’m not blaming anyone but myself as I knew the risks So my order from whenever is out for delivery today yay! It’s been in the brown furnace since 9am this morning, it’s been in between 90 and 103 in my area and currently it’s 98, it’s 3:30 and no sign of the brown oven boo. So next week i’m giving classes on what cooked wine tastes like
@ScottW58 Yikes. It’s way hotter over the hill where you are than here. We had a relatively reasonable mid-80s here. @WineDavid49, I’ve noticed this issue myself as well. The two-day works well overall, but when the last mile is 8-12 hours in the big truck not much will survive. Deliveries I’ve gotten from UPS lately have not shown up until past 6pm most days.
@klezman@ScottW58@Winedavid49 That’s why of late I have taken advantage of the UPS relaxed ability to redirect a shipment for pickup at an access point. If you choose one that should be earlier on the route, it can reduce cooking time in the back of the truck.
@klezman@Mark_L@ScottW58@Winedavid49 Yes I love the fact that all my orders shipped to UPS Store now arrive around 10:30am and sets in the A/C And just within the last month no more $5 fee to receive/hold there. Not as convenient as home delivery but much more suitable for summer!
@kaolis@klezman@Mark_L@ScottW58@Winedavid49
My latest UPS wine shipment only allows me to redirect to a UPS store or a Michael’s store (or the UPS Hub). No more CVS or Auto Zone?
@kaolis@klezman@Mark_L@ScottW58@Winedavid49
…annnnd now the tracking says they cannot ship it to the selected access point (UPS store) and that they “will contact receiver for an alternate location” as of 9/11 which they have not done as of today 09/14. UPS chat rep says they are holding it at the hub downtown. Guess I will be making the long drive after work tomorrow and once again limiting my Casemates purchases due to UPS inconvenience.
@chipgreen@klezman@Mark_L@ScottW58@Winedavid49 ugh. Still not an option here to even try access points. And the ups store doesn’t like me because no account there. If I’m around home and we pretty much are these days ups still dropping no signature if we do step out
So, was home all day (Friday) for wine shipment. He never showed, but status on my shipment is:
“The receiver was not available for delivery. We’ll make a second attempt the next business day.”
Total BS. BTW, also no tag… the delivery person was a Lying POS… So tried to call UPS Customer NO Service and guess what, no customer service… UPS really does suck in this area, JS. So now wine will be sitting somewhere over the weekend… Will definitely be checking corks.
[The entire email exchange is reprinted below. Each email uses the sender as a header. I am not responsible for bolding, it happened when I copied and pasted]
Well, maybe I’m sensitized by my experience with another wine site documented over on the Deals thread, but our own Casemates has entered the competition. On the plus side, response time was very good and seemed friendly. On the other hand CS does not seem to have a handle on which Meh service generated the order, shipping policies, or which shipper is used. My ticket number was identified in the original inquiry but apparently the agent did not look at it. The agent also implies that cooked wine will be OK if you just let it come back to “normal” temperature. S/he (Sam could be either) then suggests I contact the postal service if I won’t be available to accept the wine. When I ask what USPS has to do with anything, I am told “if you want a delay in orders you would have to check with the shipping partner, i.e. USPS, FedEx etc. I did however confirm that wine to warmer areas should be cold packed.” So Sam does not know who the shipper will be and tells me the wine should be cold packed, which I agree with, but don’t believe is CM policy.
A polite version of “No can do” seems to have been the correct response to my original inquiry.
davirom
Sep 24, 2020, 8:42 PM CDT
The order confirmation says delivery will be on Monday or Tuesday. That means the wine will be in a warehouse or on a truck over the weekend. With 2 day delivery, can I get scheduled for Thursday or Friday delivery? Thanks.
Sam (Mercatalyst)
Sep 25, 2020, 10:07 AM CDT
Hey there!
Seems like we have yet to ship the wine. As far as estimated delivery would be around Monday, October 12th - Tuesday, October 13th. Did you pay for 2 day delivery?
Let me know!
davirom
Sep 25, 2020, 10:33 AM CDT
I have the impression that 2 days are factored into the price during hot weather. It’s still 90’s in Southern California. Yes, I saw the schedule, that’s why I am concerned, and that’s why I wrote to you. More time in shipping makes it worse.
Sam (Mercatalyst)
Sep 25, 2020, 10:58 AM CDT
Hey there!
I apologize for the misunderstanding, I thought you meant for this upcoming week aha! Typically we tell people to not open the bottles outright when received but to let them settle back to normal temperatures.
We do not offer delayed shipment at this time. If you will not be home when it is scheduled to arrive I suggest setting up hold USPS mail service: https://holdmail.usps.com/holdmail/
Sorry for the inconvenience!
davirom
Sep 25, 2020, 12:49 PM CDT
What does USPS have to do with it??
Sam (Mercatalyst)
Sep 25, 2020, 12:52 PM CDT
Hey there!
Typically if you want a delay in orders you would have to check with the shipping partner, i.e. USPS, FedEx etc. I did however confirm that wine to warmer areas should be cold packed.
@ChadP@davirom
Regardless of the less than satisfactory responses, there never have been and most likely never will be individualized shipping options/concessions from WCC.
While @WineDavid49 ships to certain zones on certain days, you will never get anyone to pull your order and ship it early, late or on any specific day.
You’d have about as much luck asking them to hold your shipment for cooler weather.
@ChadP It’s true, I called the response incompetent. If it was taken as a personal smear, then mea culpa.
But to a customer, especially a long time loyal one, we do expect a certain level of knowledge about the intricacies of wine transport that just don’t apply to most other articles. Putting a totally unprepared new CS rep into Casemates issues doesn’t help anybody. As always, I have faith that it’ll get done properly eventually, and my experiences back it up.
@Winedavid49@rjquillin@klezman I’ve been going to ask. Is shipping two day or back to standard here? Took a couple of risks early on but honestly was never comfy even with two day so halted any CM purchases. Haven’t purchased anything here since middle of June. But more than a few cases coming from places that hold ship.
@klezman@rjquillin@Winedavid49 Thanks. Things will cool down and then back to ordering a few things. The change to two day was indeed a very good thing and had to cost a buck or two. Hopefully you can do it again, or add an ice pack for another dollar or so on top of that? Was that offered here before and I forget?
But that’s a pretty minor thing in the big picture, have been following the fires. Hope you and everyone are safe.
Just got shipping notice on my case of Winesmith Grenache. Should I be concerned that temps look to be around 100 from the origin (petaluma area) and mid 90s is socal over the coming days?
I’m in the los angeles area. Only was concerned as the bay area to LA has been in 90 to 100 degree temps monday through today. Wine came today- bottles were definitely warm to the touch but haven’t inspected further yet. crossing fingers.
As a long time complainer about the switch from FedEx to UPS, I must confess that my last shipment reminded me of the good old days. I live all the way on the the right coast, and we were not going to be home for the shipment. Redirect to the local UPS store and to my surprise no additional charge. I always check the bottle temp. upon immediate unboxing and the two day shipping has never resulted in temps greater than the high 70* F. If I was getting greedy, I’d like to select the delivery day, but I’m a happy camper!
@foxrunner I’m hoping for similar luck with the upcoming Halcon. I’ll be away during the predicted delivery dates, so I asked CM CS if I could change the delivery address, since it’s still showing as “processing”. Unfortunately I was told it can’t be changed at this point, so I’ll have it held at a UPS location near my house, and hope for the best.
@ekwartler first off thanks for joining the fun! starting in June, we’ll move everything via 2 day transit. we have found this to be effective. but yes, it’s your call.
@ekwartler@kaolis@rjquillin@Winedavid49 cool, so orders right now that don’t ship until mid June should be using this 2 day shipping? I see everyone talking above about using the UPS pickup feature. Do I need to wait for a shipping notification before I can select such things? Thanks for your time and help. Super excited to join the fun at CM.
Say what?
yea. all in. let’s give it a whirl.
Very nice situation for those who have no issues with UPS, as long as the shipments don’t go out over the weekend.
For me, my buying decisions will still be based upon how badly I want the wine versus the hassle of picking it up at the inconvenient UPS hub - a 90 minute round trip through rush hour traffic.
@chipgreen yea, i’m not suggesting it’s a cure all.
Very nice!
Yay!
@winedavid49
Will the new 2-day shipping policy affect when you choose to ship in pulp vs. styro?
In what ways?
@rjquillin I expect us SoCal folk will get the standard year-round treatment given that standard shipping is 2 days…
@klezman @rjquillin styro is better for cases in two day environment. Small lots likely pulp.
@klezman @Winedavid49
Thanks. Despite being a bit larger, the styro sure stacks and protects better for cases not stored under optimum conditions.
Two day, at no upcharge? And this is two day total transit, no interim shipper and then a drop at UPS correct?
Game changer my humble. I still won’t go traipsing to my hub but at least for now with sticking around home and UPS still just dropping packages off no signature required, what’s not to like. And for those that are happy with UPS anyway I’d be way more comfortable in pulling the trigger over the summer.
@kaolis
UPS isn’t asking for signatures here but they are still requiring an adult to be home which is virtually the same thing for me.
@kaolis yes
@kaolis @Winedavid49 Same here in the Commonwealth.
Still shipping via UPS? I hope! I have had dozens of fedex packages delivered to the wrong address plus they almost always sit on their trucks over a weekend.
And my UPS driver is great.
@mschauber yes. it is a very hard time for carriers. regardless of company.
@mschauber @Winedavid49 I water my UPS folks, they tend to make sure my bottles don’t bake
@mschauber. It does depend a lot on the driver!
Had a package (from another place) out for delivery. Never showed, but driver said receiver refused package!
Called their Customer Support, and talked to rep, said someone would call me (I said I would even go to center to pick it up). No callback. Called back again. Rescheduled for delivery … after a week of that status, it was returned!
Driver was a moron and had to go to wrong address. Still trying to cool down from wanting to tar and feather the driver!
That is great news. Although to be honest, the last boxes I got before they were in styro were fine and didn’t feel warm when I got them. Wine was fine. I am in south texas and its already been really hot in the upper 90’s on and off. We are getting 105 on Tueday.
I think I am a bit lucky as the UPS hub were they load the trucks is just down the road from me and so they aren’t on the road that long.
But we are now entering the bowels of hell temps for the next few months so this is appreciated. So I can take advantage of the wine deals in summer also.
Two cases shipped Monday. 100 degrees in LA and been sitting in back of UPS truck all day.
I had a case delivered today. Thankfully it was a refreshingly cool (low 70s) day here in mid-Missouri after a 90 degree streak just ended. Internal temperature of the case upon receipt was 75 degrees.
@Mark_L
But what was the temperature along its route while it was in transit? Appears to have been somewhere around 100 at its point of origin based upon lost’s post above.
@chipgreen I got a “shipped” notice on Monday, and it was delivered here in central Missouri on Wednesday (the UPS info says it was shipped 2nd day air, so at some point of its route the outside temperature was around -50F
). According to Weather.com the high in Sonoma on Monday was 80 (89 on Tuesday, but I doubt it was still in Sonoma at that point).
@Mark_L
2-day air? Nice!
@chipgreen @Winedavid49 I was pleasantly surprised to see that. I consider it a bargain.
Stolpman delivered in styro today at 14:12. 33C/91F outside. Bottle temp, compared to another bottle in my office, slightly warmer. Not hot to the point of worry, but clearly not cool. About what I would expect and fine reasonable for the expense of these.
If this were to be a library wine I cellar for years, I would have had it shipped differently.
@rjquillin lucky. My two cases still in the truck. Unbelievably frustrating
@losthighwayz @rjquillin Yeah, two shipments coming here today as well, at least theoretically, if the truck gets here. It wasn’t a good idea for @WineDavid49 to ship to the LA area during a 4 day Santa Ana wind event.
@losthighwayz @rjquillin @Winedavid49
And they just arrived. All warm (but not hot) to the touch, one leaky bottle out of 6 of Stolpman and one potentially leaky bottle of Vigo. (molarchae ordered the Stolpman, fwiw)
@klezman @losthighwayz @rjquillin @Winedavid49 Mine were warm as well when they arrived, above ambient temp here in Tacoma. I do like the 2 day shipping and tracking shows that my hold in Lathrop was only from 1am to 8am, so much better than the 48+ hours last time but just think this week was a really warm one in CA/OR.
No leakage or any other signs for concern, but I’m thinking these are for rather short term consumption
@losthighwayz @rjquillin @trifecta @Winedavid49 We hadn’t planned on touching these for at least 3-5 years.
@klezman @losthighwayz @rjquillin @trifecta @Winedavid49 we got our stolpman 6pack Wednesday also, opened it up today and also had 1 leaky bottle
@Winedavid49 Two day shipping is now delayed to three day shipping. Hopefully it won’t be six day shipping.
My latest UPS app update says it now supports “adult signature” package redirection to “eligible UPS Access Point locations”. In the past you could only redirect adult signature packages to a hub. Has anyone tried this with wine and UPS packages?
@TimW
I’ve not been successful with a redirect, but have when shipped initially to an Access Point.
Failed deliveries happen later, next day, at a hub.
@rjquillin have you tried recently? I’m wondering if this is new system-wide functionality since it’s just now making it to the app.
@TimW I don’t use the app, so can’t comment if it allows additional flexibility over pre Wuhan procedures or not.
My latest shipment (Washington Cabernet Sauvignon Trio) didn’t fare quite as well. Still shipped Monday (2nd Day Air), received Wednesday (an 85 degree high) at 6pm, and internal temperature of the box was at 85. Hopefully not too long at that temperature.
@Mark_L Actual bottle temp was 85? Styro?
@rjquillin I push a digital thermometer through the box (without opening, I aim for the break between the layers of styro) and feel it come in contact with the bottles – that’s where I measure the temp.
Received my yak palate box of Bergevin cab yesterday
Was hoping to test the shipping path to south South Carolina but as I was ready to push the submit button my lovely bride reminded me we’d be in central Wisconsin for a bit. Good catch on her part.
So the path, 2 day air:
petamula 6/16 low 53 high 76
oakland 6/17 low 58 high 72
louisville 6/17 low 70 high 89
minneapolis 6/17 low 63 high 79
eagan mn 6/17 6/18 low 64 high 89
stevens point 6/18 low 54 high 84
delivery, just west of Oshkosh 6/18 low 55 high 86
spent about 5 hours on the delivery truck, styro. Didn’t stick a thermometer in the box was a little busy but did open it up immediately. Thank the good lordy no pushed corks! Oh, yeah, screwtop. Not cool to the touch but not warm. So no problems. Wouldn’t do this with anything I’m going to age but for drinkers process worked well. And UPS here just dropping boxes and waving. No signature.
Just received the Hoi Polloi Mixed Reds (3 bottles) in NE Ohio, and all was fine. Packed in styro, slightly warm to the touch, but fine, and received in just a little over 1.5 days from when it was shipped; excellent.
UPS not requiring sig here, either, but do require someone (of age?) to be present. Seamless experience.
Is it possible to delay shipment by a month? August is looking pretty ugly.
Just got an email from UPS with this text. Is this new or consistent with the existing policies that have been already discussed here?
"Have you ever been frustrated with having to wait longer for a delivery just because you weren’t home to sign for it?
Now you can redirect packages that require an adult signature—such as beer, wine, spirits, and tobacco orders—to a UPS Access Point® location (including The UPS Store® and Michaels®) for easy and convenient pick up.
Look for this option on your delivery alerts or log in to your UPS My Choice® account to manage deliveries anytime."
@trifecta Could be good news. Are they actually listening to complaints and reacting?
@rjquillin @trifecta That would be what a business should do…
@WineDavid49 any insights?
@klezman @rjquillin @trifecta whoa. i know that i sent the chorus of comments to our UPS contacts about this. maybe it helped! i’ll follow up. it’s hard to move big brown.
@klezman @rjquillin @trifecta @Winedavid49 Any updates? I haven’t researched very hard, but this is the UPS website at present:
What UPS My Choice features are available for my wine shipment?
There are limited change delivery options available for wine deliveries.
Due to current legal restrictions for wine shipments, UPS My Choice® Members cannot request:
Deliver to a UPS Access Point™ location
Deliver my Package to Another Address
Leave With Neighbor
Authorize Shipment Release
https://www.ups.com/us/en/help-center/sri/umc-features-wine-deliveries.page
@kaolis @klezman @rjquillin @trifecta @Winedavid49
I have been able to change delivery to local UPS store. I wasn’t sure if it had something to do with two day shipping but despite not being on the website they do seem to be allowing this now which is a game changer!
@kaolis @klezman @rjquillin @sammypedram @trifecta @Winedavid49
Got a text from UPS this morning that I had a package scheduled for delivery today. At first I assumed it was a recent Amazon order as they do still use UPS occasionally. Thought about it for a minute and decided to click the tracking link. Turns out it is a 4 lb. package shipped overnight from WCC. Good thing I looked!
Wasn’t expecting a rat bottle as I didn’t get an email but knowing that I wasn’t going to be home to get the shipment, I started to arrange pickup at the UPS hub. As per Trifecta’s post above, there appears to be the ability to redirect to access points! I chose the local CVS and thought to myself “I’ll believe it when I see it”.
This evening I get a call from a guy at UPS. He says they have my package and he wants to know where I want to pick it up. Told him I had set pickup for the CVS store and he checks with his supervisor who says “wine cannot be delivered to access points”. I told him that I heard some rumblings that this was changing and it might be a new policy. He said “let me call you back”. I thought to myself “I knew this was too good to be true”.
Calls me back 5 minutes later and says “You’re good to go, it will be delivered to the CVS tomorrow. We put it in the computer for CVS and it was accepted”. I told him it was nice of UPS to let their workers know about the change.
He laughed and said “Now we know”.
@chipgreen @klezman @rjquillin @sammypedram @trifecta @Winedavid49 Got a notice that a UPS alcohol shipment on the way. Unfortunately bad timing, didn’t know about it but I’ll make it work. Anyway tried to redirect and no soup for you. Might be an address glitch, My Choice not real user friendly.
@chipgreen @kaolis @klezman @sammypedram @trifecta @Winedavid49 One may even consider it hostile.
@chipgreen @kaolis @klezman @rjquillin @sammypedram @trifecta @Winedavid49 I have been experiencing the same with the Square Peg offer, it’s coming a lot earlier than the predicted date, so also having a timing issue. When I go to log on the My Choice the page shows all these options for diverting, but not once I’m actually logged in. At that point it wants the info number for the missed delivery.
@chipgreen @InFrom @kaolis @klezman @rjquillin @sammypedram @trifecta @Winedavid49 I hate the My Choice feature, it is very difficult to use.
I’ve been very lucky, as even though some deliveries have been warm to the touch, I’ve been receiving them quickly and without any problems.
The case of inZINerator that I ordered just arrived, not even a day and a half after shipment, and I’m in NE Ohio!
The character of a company comes out, just like with individuals, not when things are good, but when they are bad, and I’ve seen some evidence they may fall a little short there, at times, but from my experience, things have been accomplished in an exemplary manner.
Best of luck, to all, that they may experience the luck I’ve had, and get their orders as expected.
Sadly it looks like my latest Winesmith case got bumped to not making 2Day ship, a bit disappointing. Anyone else experience that lately?
@bunnymasseuse
Yes, my last 2 shipments (2 cases Pedroncelli Chard and 2 cases Square Peg) came all staggered, 1 case taking 2 days, 2 cases taking 3 days (of different wines), and 1 case taking 4 days. I was trying to take advantage of a brief cool rainy spell - that certainly worked for the first case, but I’m afraid the other cases rode around in a truck for those missing days. Haven’t inspected the final one yet. My fault anyway for ordering in late July, I figure.
Hopefully the below announcement from UPS may help out a bit with delivery options…
Likely helps them even more, with fewer stops required.
@rjquillin
Picked up my Jana SB at Advance Auto Parts last weekend. They were… intrigued… that I was picking up a box of wine.
@chipgreen I can only imagine what they’d think of some of the woot/CM labeled bottles; the label that is, not the contents.
@chipgreen @rjquillin @Winedavid49 It’s great to have these options at last. And yet I can still find something to complain about!
The predicted delivery dates for the last two cases I bought were -way- off from the actual arrival dates. Like, UPS just notified me to expect delivery tomorrow of the J. Dusi PG, while the sale page estimates it’ll be delivered after Labor Day. Now, for the low, low price of only $5, I can get them to hold onto it until I’ll be back in town. Kind of defeats the benefit of two-day shipping. If I’d known it was being delivered this week, I would have either skipped the sale entirely, or possibly made arrangements for someone else to order.
Same thing happened with the Square Peg Rose, I think there was a 10-day discrepancy with that one. In that instance I was still away when they tried to deliver the first time, but back at home the day of the second attempt, so it worked out.
I wish that whenever there’s a chance the wine will be shipped much earlier than the description predicts, that someone from WCC, or a nice mod, would give us a heads-up.
@chipgreen @InFrom @rjquillin yea, i think the dates are way too conservative. i’m working on this.
@chipgreen @rjquillin @Winedavid49
Way too conservative, for sure.
I think the J. Dusi delivery is going to come back to you unfortunately. UPS My Choice confirms that I changed the delivery date to 9/9, but despite that they’re about to make the second delivery attempt tomorrow.
@chipgreen @rjquillin @Winedavid49 My hunch turned out to be prophetic – this morning the tracking page says the package has been damaged and is being returned to the shipper.
@chipgreen @rjquillin @Winedavid49 Oops, spoke too soon. Maybe the UPS tracking bot hadn’t had its first cup of coffee at 7 o’clock. Now it’s telling me it’s out for delivery again.
@chipgreen @rjquillin @Winedavid49 Well, it did go out for delivery that day, per the tracking info. But today UPS CS tells me that in fact the package was damaged and can’t be delivered. I’ve already written to CM CS.
So i’m not blaming anyone but myself as I knew the risks
So my order from whenever is out for delivery today yay! It’s been in the brown furnace since 9am this morning, it’s been in between 90 and 103 in my area and currently it’s 98, it’s 3:30 and no sign of the brown oven boo. So next week i’m giving classes on what cooked wine tastes like 
@ScottW58
Fresh off the brown devil and, yeah 94.7
@ScottW58 Yikes. It’s way hotter over the hill where you are than here. We had a relatively reasonable mid-80s here.
@WineDavid49, I’ve noticed this issue myself as well. The two-day works well overall, but when the last mile is 8-12 hours in the big truck not much will survive. Deliveries I’ve gotten from UPS lately have not shown up until past 6pm most days.
@klezman @ScottW58 @Winedavid49 That’s why of late I have taken advantage of the UPS relaxed ability to redirect a shipment for pickup at an access point. If you choose one that should be earlier on the route, it can reduce cooking time in the back of the truck.
@Mark_L @Winedavid49
Sure. But that shouldn’t be on us.
@ScottW58 any producing corks , seepage?
Not saying that’s the only way, but it’s a sure sign.
@klezman @Mark_L @ScottW58 @Winedavid49 Yes I love the fact that all my orders shipped to UPS Store now arrive around 10:30am and sets in the A/C
And just within the last month no more $5 fee to receive/hold there. Not as convenient as home delivery but much more suitable for summer!
@klezman @Mark_L @ScottW58 @Winedavid49 still not being allowed to redirect to access points in SC
@kaolis @klezman @Mark_L @ScottW58 @Winedavid49
My latest UPS wine shipment only allows me to redirect to a UPS store or a Michael’s store (or the UPS Hub). No more CVS or Auto Zone?
@kaolis @klezman @Mark_L @ScottW58 @Winedavid49
…annnnd now the tracking says they cannot ship it to the selected access point (UPS store) and that they “will contact receiver for an alternate location” as of 9/11 which they have not done as of today 09/14. UPS chat rep says they are holding it at the hub downtown. Guess I will be making the long drive after work tomorrow and once again limiting my Casemates purchases due to UPS inconvenience.
@chipgreen @klezman @Mark_L @ScottW58 @Winedavid49 ugh. Still not an option here to even try access points. And the ups store doesn’t like me because no account there. If I’m around home and we pretty much are these days ups still dropping no signature if we do step out
So, was home all day (Friday) for wine shipment. He never showed, but status on my shipment is:
“The receiver was not available for delivery. We’ll make a second attempt the next business day.”
Total BS. BTW, also no tag… the delivery person was a Lying POS… So tried to call UPS Customer NO Service and guess what, no customer service… UPS really does suck in this area, JS. So now wine will be sitting somewhere over the weekend… Will definitely be checking corks.
@winedavid49 @rjquillin
[The entire email exchange is reprinted below. Each email uses the sender as a header. I am not responsible for bolding, it happened when I copied and pasted]
Well, maybe I’m sensitized by my experience with another wine site documented over on the Deals thread, but our own Casemates has entered the competition. On the plus side, response time was very good and seemed friendly. On the other hand CS does not seem to have a handle on which Meh service generated the order, shipping policies, or which shipper is used. My ticket number was identified in the original inquiry but apparently the agent did not look at it. The agent also implies that cooked wine will be OK if you just let it come back to “normal” temperature. S/he (Sam could be either) then suggests I contact the postal service if I won’t be available to accept the wine. When I ask what USPS has to do with anything, I am told “if you want a delay in orders you would have to check with the shipping partner, i.e. USPS, FedEx etc. I did however confirm that wine to warmer areas should be cold packed.” So Sam does not know who the shipper will be and tells me the wine should be cold packed, which I agree with, but don’t believe is CM policy.
A polite version of “No can do” seems to have been the correct response to my original inquiry.
davirom
Sep 24, 2020, 8:42 PM CDT
The order confirmation says delivery will be on Monday or Tuesday. That means the wine will be in a warehouse or on a truck over the weekend. With 2 day delivery, can I get scheduled for Thursday or Friday delivery? Thanks.
Sam (Mercatalyst)
Sep 25, 2020, 10:07 AM CDT
Hey there!
Seems like we have yet to ship the wine. As far as estimated delivery would be around Monday, October 12th - Tuesday, October 13th. Did you pay for 2 day delivery?
Let me know!
davirom
Sep 25, 2020, 10:33 AM CDT
I have the impression that 2 days are factored into the price during hot weather. It’s still 90’s in Southern California. Yes, I saw the schedule, that’s why I am concerned, and that’s why I wrote to you. More time in shipping makes it worse.
Sam (Mercatalyst)
Sep 25, 2020, 10:58 AM CDT
Hey there!
I apologize for the misunderstanding, I thought you meant for this upcoming week aha! Typically we tell people to not open the bottles outright when received but to let them settle back to normal temperatures.
We do not offer delayed shipment at this time. If you will not be home when it is scheduled to arrive I suggest setting up hold USPS mail service: https://holdmail.usps.com/holdmail/
Sorry for the inconvenience!
davirom
Sep 25, 2020, 12:49 PM CDT
What does USPS have to do with it??
Sam (Mercatalyst)
Sep 25, 2020, 12:52 PM CDT
Hey there!
Typically if you want a delay in orders you would have to check with the shipping partner, i.e. USPS, FedEx etc. I did however confirm that wine to warmer areas should be cold packed.
Hope this helps!
@davirom
@davirom @InFrom @winedavid49
Ouch.
@davirom @InFrom @rjquillin @Winedavid49 Amazing incompetence.
@davirom Just some confusion. We’ve had a few new people start. Sam’s on their game. No need to blast them and call them incompetent.
I’ve filled in the gaps for my team. You should be good going forward.
@ChadP For the record, I did not call anyone incompetent. I detailed our interactions and someone else labeled it.
@ChadP @davirom
Regardless of the less than satisfactory responses, there never have been and most likely never will be individualized shipping options/concessions from WCC.
While @WineDavid49 ships to certain zones on certain days, you will never get anyone to pull your order and ship it early, late or on any specific day.
You’d have about as much luck asking them to hold your shipment for cooler weather.
@ChadP @chipgreen @Winedavid49 Yes, lesson learned.
@ChadP It’s true, I called the response incompetent. If it was taken as a personal smear, then mea culpa.
But to a customer, especially a long time loyal one, we do expect a certain level of knowledge about the intricacies of wine transport that just don’t apply to most other articles. Putting a totally unprepared new CS rep into Casemates issues doesn’t help anybody. As always, I have faith that it’ll get done properly eventually, and my experiences back it up.
ugh. i’m on it.
@Winedavid49 @rjquillin @klezman I’ve been going to ask. Is shipping two day or back to standard here? Took a couple of risks early on but honestly was never comfy even with two day so halted any CM purchases. Haven’t purchased anything here since middle of June. But more than a few cases coming from places that hold ship.
@kaolis @klezman @rjquillin 2 day until 9/30 offer. then “specific day” ground.
@klezman @rjquillin @Winedavid49 Thanks. Things will cool down and then back to ordering a few things. The change to two day was indeed a very good thing and had to cost a buck or two. Hopefully you can do it again, or add an ice pack for another dollar or so on top of that? Was that offered here before and I forget?
But that’s a pretty minor thing in the big picture, have been following the fires. Hope you and everyone are safe.
Just got shipping notice on my case of Winesmith Grenache. Should I be concerned that temps look to be around 100 from the origin (petaluma area) and mid 90s is socal over the coming days?
I had a case cooked a year or so back.
@Scottrob30 quick answer, no. but save me a step and let me know where you live?
I’m in the los angeles area. Only was concerned as the bay area to LA has been in 90 to 100 degree temps monday through today. Wine came today- bottles were definitely warm to the touch but haven’t inspected further yet. crossing fingers.
As a long time complainer about the switch from FedEx to UPS, I must confess that my last shipment reminded me of the good old days. I live all the way on the the right coast, and we were not going to be home for the shipment. Redirect to the local UPS store and to my surprise no additional charge. I always check the bottle temp. upon immediate unboxing and the two day shipping has never resulted in temps greater than the high 70* F. If I was getting greedy, I’d like to select the delivery day, but I’m a happy camper!
@foxrunner I’m hoping for similar luck with the upcoming Halcon. I’ll be away during the predicted delivery dates, so I asked CM CS if I could change the delivery address, since it’s still showing as “processing”. Unfortunately I was told it can’t be changed at this point, so I’ll have it held at a UPS location near my house, and hope for the best.
/giphy fingers crossed
No problem here with shipment, She Devil Syrah got here a day early, even after the 2 day summer thing.
Markets vary, personnel vary, but a great job here, like always.
@winedavid49 @rjquillin So…any word on Summer Shipping 2021? My apologies if I missed the memo
@kaolis Something was mentioned within the past week, perhaps only a few days. If only I could remember what/where…
@kaolis Broken Earth offer thread:
@ekwartler @kaolis @rjquillin
Likely starting with the 5/31 offer, we’ll default upgrade to 2 day transit.
@ekwartler @kaolis @rjquillin @Winedavid49 cool, so orders right now that don’t ship until mid June should be using this 2 day shipping? I see everyone talking above about using the UPS pickup feature. Do I need to wait for a shipping notification before I can select such things? Thanks for your time and help. Super excited to join the fun at CM.
@ekwartler @kaolis @LJeAYsy4LoqxEC @rjquillin @Winedavid49
Starting with that offer, not starting with anything shipped after that date.
@ekwartler @rjquillin @Winedavid49 Thanks for the update
The UPS kept on saying 2 weeks for a month, it’s really frustrating. My order was supposed to arrive in 3 weeks, but it took 2 month to arrive.