OUR SERVICES

No. 1 for Customer Service

Enjoy the UK's best customer service ... and don't just take our word for it!

Did you know only one UK wine specialist has won the top award from the independent Institute of Customer Service?

In fact, the experience you will enjoy from Laithwaites is rated No.1 of anyone in the UK who sells wine - ahead of the supermarkets, the high street and other online retailers.

What is your customer service promise?

We are passionate about wine and take customer service just as seriously. Our promise to you is make sure we personalise your wine buying experience, offer a range of flexible delivery options, answer your calls within 20 seconds and respond to all other enquiries within 24 hours.

What is your data protection and privacy policy?

You can view our data protection and privacy policy online.

How do you look after my details?

Your details are in safe hands you can view how by reading through our Privacy Policy

How do I contact customer service?

We love hearing from our customers - view the different ways you can contact us.

How can I make a complaint?

We hope that you're pleased with any purchase you've made. However, if there's something you're not happy with make sure you contact us so we can try to put matters right. Escalating a complaint If after contacting us you feel we still haven't resolved your complaint satisfactorily, please email or write to our Head of Customer Service:

Email: escalations@directwines.com

Head of Customer Service
7100 Hurricane Road
Brockworth Business Park
Brockworth
Gloucester

Alternative complaint resolution If, after following our internal complaints procedure, you still feel that we have not satisfactorily resolved your complaint, you can forward your complaint to the Retail Ombudsman.

Wine Subscriptions

If you love our wines and would like a regular case conveniently delivered every 8 weeks (or more, or less as you prefer), subscriptions are a great way to discover new wines and enjoy your favourites.

These are some great cases to choose from, starting from £89.99 for 12 bottles plus delivery – and each case will come with a miminum 20% discount on the bottle prices that make up your case.

Every wine will come with digital tasting notes so you can keep a record of the wines you particularly enjoy and learn a bit about them. We'll show you the wines in advance and if you like the look of the wines, do nothing and the case will be delivered. If you want to make any changes to your subscription you can:

• Change the whole case to something different.
• Swap individual wines for your favourites or a wine you’d particularly like to try – and still receive the same discount on those too!
• Change the delivery date.

We have a wide variety of subscriptions showcasing wines from around the world - Heroes, Big Reds, Spain, Australia, Italy, Bordeaux, Rioja... and more!

HOW WINE SUBSCRIPTIONS WORK >

Unlimited membership

Unlimited is a delivery pass that gives you fast and unlimited delivery on any order, even just one bottle, for an annual membership fee of just £29.99.

Benefits Include:

• No delivery charges on any order (including gifts and subscription cases) no matter how many you place during the year
• Optional next working day or named day delivery too (including Saturdays), for no extra charge
• Available for multiple UK addresses - fantastic for gifts
• Exclusive offers and events for Unlimited members only

UNLIMITED TERMS & CONDITIONS >

We have a team of Wine Guides who like nothing more than talking to our customers about wine. One of our enthusiastic experts will happily make personal recommendations based on your own tastes, just give us a call on 03330 148 168. Alternatively, contact us and one of our qualified Wine Guides will contact you.

PERSONAL WINE GUIDES >

At our wine tasting events, you'll explore wines from all over the world table by table, all under one roof. Meet our family of winemakers and hear the stories behind the labels from the people that know them best. Our tastings are fun, engaging, unique and interactive. Try before you buy and benefit from exclusive offers and discounts, including FREE delivery!

If you'd like to join us, browse our list of tasting events to find one near you. We look forward to seeing you.

When will my event tickets arrive?

Tickets to our events will be an email unless you are attending a festival where a ticket will be posted to you at least a couple of weeks before the event takes place. In the unlikely event that a ticket does not arrive in time, we will ensure your name is on our guest list. Please bring ID with you and you will be granted entry.

EVENTS FAQ's

FIND YOUR NEXT EVENT >

We have been supplying wedding wines since 1969, so we know a thing or two about offering quality, crowd-pleasing wines at competitive prices.

Let us help you pick wines for your special day with our team of experienced wine advisors, stores and family wineries.

WEDDING WINE SERVICE >

With more than 20 years experience working with organisations big and small, you can rely on the corporate team at Laithwaites to provide those special wines – along with outstanding service.

If you would like more information about any of our Corporate Schemes or would like to order with us, please contact us on 03330 142 762 or email us and we’ll get back to you to discuss your requirements.

CORPORATE SERVICES >

If you're enjoying Laithwaites then why not tell your friends so they can enjoy it too. If you send them to us, your friends will get a special first purchase offer and you'll get a reward for each friend who buys. The more friends you send the more rewards you get.

Fine wines are often set aside for long-term storage and are one of the few commodities that can improve with age, but it can also rapidly deteriorate if kept in inadequate conditions. The three factors that have the most impact on a wine's condition are light, humidity, and temperature.

Our Storage facility covers all of these elements, due to its climate control and constant supervision, your wine is in safe hands. Our storage facility is located within our Gloucester site just on the edge of the famous Cotswolds. You can easily arrange for your En Primeur or Pre Sell wines to be placed into our storage facility just by talking to one of our friendly advisors please call for further advice. A £15 charge is applied to each case placed into our storage facility, whether it is a 6 bottle or a 12 bottle case, please contact us if you have any further questions about the charges we apply.

How do I withdraw or transfer my wines from storage?

Withdrawing wines from storage will be subject to our normal delivery charges (£7.99 for a standard delivery), unless you have Unlimited membership which covers the delivery charges for transferring wines from our storage facility to a maximum of 20 UK private addresses. However transfers of wines to another bonded warehouse are subject to an additional charge of £55 per order.

Please contact us on 03330 148 168 or at customerservices@laithwaites.co.uk to arrange transfer and for current charges.

What is En Primeur and Pre-sell?

En Primeur and Pre-Sell are all a pre-order service. You are able to reserve a number of bottles of wine either while it is still in the barrel (En Primeur) or in the bottles but not yet available to be sold (Pre-Sell).

You pay a deposit for a number of bottles and the second payment is due to be paid at or around the time of the wine being dispatched. All of these cases are offered as multiples of 12, unless otherwise stated on the website.

You can reserve wine online or over the phone, please contact us for further assistance. Once we receive your order we will send you a Reservation Certificate to your billing address. If the wines you have chosen are sold out we'll contact you to advise which are still available.

Our 100% Guarantee

Due to the unique nature of en primeur sales our 100% guarantee applies only to an en primeur wine where it is corked or faulty. Please see our full en primeur terms and conditions here.

How does En Primeur work?

En Primeur wines are purchased before they are bottled and released onto the market. En Primeur wines are bought at In Bond prices - ie exclusive of Duty & Vat. On arrival to the UK the wines will be stored, under bond. You will be notified of their arrival and asked for any further delivery instructions (should you wish for the wines to be delivered). All En Primeur purchases are Ex-Vat and Ex-Duty. When you choose to have the wines delivered these taxes become payable. En Primeur price is almost always considerably cheaper than the future price of the wine on the open market. En Primeur can also be the only way to secure wines that are available in very limited quantities.