Tl;dr: Winery spoiled our wine, couldn’t keep in communication, gave bizarrely unprofessional conduct, issued 50% refund.
We started the wine-making process June 2017. At first they were helpful and guided us through choosing a red and a white. The total came to $350.00 for a batch of each. They told us they would contact us when the wine was ready, then we would bottle it and be on our way. This is where things take a turn for the worse. In November 2017 I realize it’s been quite some time and I have yet to hear from the winery. I contact them and Stan informs me that unfortunately, our wine was ready in August and since it wasn’t bottled, it had oxidized and gone bad. When questioned why they didn’t contact me, Stan responded that it was someone’s job to check the wine monthly, and somehow for 4 MONTHS my wine had been overlooked. He claimed that 1 email was sent out in August but I scoured through my emails and I have no such record (nor did they try to call me). I was rightfully disappointed, however Stan assured me that they would remake the wine and bottle it themselves to save time. I expressed concern that the wine will not have matured enough in time for my May wedding, and Stan seemed hesitant to ease my worries (meaning I am probably right - I have yet to find out). He also told me the white we initially chose is no longer available and he would substitute another white in its place. There was no discussion of a price difference.
January 2018 we get an email saying that our new is ready to be labeled with help from Lindsey. 2 days prior, I confirm the date we will arrive. On the way there (we live in James Bay and they are located in Sidney) my fiance and I discuss that depending on their customer service, we may make another batch (I add this to say that we are normal people and accept that mistakes do occur).
Upon arrival, Maureen greets me and tells me that unfortunately Lindsey did not come in that day and that no one present knew how to work the label machine. I ask them why no one contacted me considering they knew I was coming in for this task specifically. She claimed she never got the email, but then later pulled it up. I calmly express my disappointment in this entire experience to both Stan and Maureen (managers or owners, not sure). I ask them if there is anything else they can do, and this is where it gets WEIRD.
Stan had a full blown meltdown. He started getting red, raising his voice, and asked me (very aggressively) what I could possibly want. I stayed calm and said that I didn’t have anything in mind, but considering our wine will be 50% less good (due to the 50% less time to mature), there were 4 months of missed opportunities to contact us, we weren’t getting our original choice of wine, AND we wasted an afternoon driving out to Sidney and back, that my request wasn’t too absurd. I suggested a discount of 10-20%. He states quite abruptly that it isn’t possible while continuing to argue and make excuses. Maureen suggests that it technically wasn’t their fault, it was the fault of the staff in the back. I ask her if she's in charge of that staff? She says yes. Meanwhile, Stan is getting increasingly angry.
I turned to Stan and asked him calmly if this is how he conducts all of his customer service, when he shakes his head, gets in my face, points his finger at me, and SHOUTS that it is my fault because I should have known that my wine would have been ready by then. At this point, Maureen finally gets him out of the room. It was honestly quite the scene that I cannot portray clearly enough because I felt threatened and my anxiety was through the roof.
Maureen apologizes and ends up refunding us 50% of the cost. All in all, I am satisfied with this restitution. Maureen herself, although quick to side step the blame, was pleasant to interact with and saved my fiance from going scorched earth on the business after Stan behaved in such a threatening way towards me.
it was a shockingly bad experience and I of course would not recommend them.
Gerry Mendria
Rhianna B
Grant Cornwell
