Is my leaking wine kit ok?

OK, heres the deal.

I ordered two kits from Northern and both had problems.

They were both Cellar Craft, one was the Red Mountain version and the other was the regular Cab with the grape pack.

I called Northern and they promptly resent me the grape pack from the Red Mountain and the entire kit from the other one.

I didnt think the juice from the Red Mountain kit was leaking, I just thought the grape pack had leaked all over it. I went to clean off the juice pack and now realize that it is leaking too!!!

I already got a shipping confirmation from Northern (called this morning) so they are one it, and I feel bad to call them back again since its not really thier fault, looks like UPS abused it and repacked it since they claim they pack with bubble wrap and peanuts. I had no peanuts.

It looks like its just a pin whole leak, should I just make them replace it?

Shipping isnt really a concern, they would have had to ship in two separate packages anyway, and they are going to file a claim with UPS.

Not to knock Northern, I mean I really like their selection and the customer service seems good. But I ordered some honey from them awhile back and it came with very little protective packing materials. In fact the larger containers lid was cracked and had leaked slightly. I didn't complain as Honey is fairly safe and just used it. But I think it would be a good idea to rethink they way they back liquids.

As far as your question I would just have them replace it to be sure, and I know the feeling, mine was cracked my mishandling by UPS also. However if it would of been well protected it wouldn't of happened even if they drop kicked it to your door.

They are sending me a new one. Customer service rocks, but I fear they may think I am being dishonest. I spoke to the person who will handle UPS and he said 1 in 1000 get a hole, and I got 2 kits in one order with holes. He said they are fine and I could make wine with them, but he said I should have a brand new and complete kit thats not leaking.

Says a lot bout their ethical approach to doing business. When its all said and done Northern is taking the loss on this. It gives confidence in them to hear about experiences such as yours, and to see the way they responded.

I hate that they are taking a loss. I know they charge extra on products to make up for the $8 shipping, but for me it still always works out in my favor vs having to pay for shipping. If I could guarantee my wine would be fine, I would not even have asked them to replace it. I would hate to see them raise the rates or do away with the free shipping. I remember complaining to all my friends returning their TV's to Costco every 6 months for a newer, better, cheaper model saying they were going to ruin it for everyone. Sure enough, the return policy is now 6 months because everyone had to take advantage. My LHBS has alot of beer stuff, but barely any wine supplies, and I would hate to lose my ability to purchase more at an affordable shipping rate.

Most kit manufacturers will stand 100% behind their products. If you receive a bad kit no matter what the reason, I believe you will receive complete satisfaction from them.

They also guarentee the final results to be quality wines if all the instructions have been followed as laid out in their paperwork. I have never been unhappy with any kits I have purchased or made. I have had a kit or two with defects and actually my LHBS made good on the items which I experienced difficulty with.

Good luck with your wine.

Salute!

Its fair to expect the supply store your dealing with to stand behind their products-you should get what you have paid for. I can also understand your sorrow for their loss-its speaks well of you. But the best thing you can do is remember how they treated you right and give them more of your business in the future.

If we didn't have those guys bringing those kits to us we would be pretty much limited to country wines made with whatever was available locally. So their pretty important. Tell your friends how they treated you right and in the long run they'll probably come out ahead.

arcsum68 said:

I hate that they are taking a loss.

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Don't sweat it, by replacing the stuff for you, they're giving you the chance to do business with them again.

Thanks all, hopefully someone in doubt on this forum will now feel comfortable enough to order from them.
This is my 4th order from them, and I only had one other issue where the shipment was sent during a heat wave and the yeast (liquid beer) died. They sent a replacement promptly then also.

So, I got my new kits.

1 of them was leaking again, worse than the first time.

They said they have been having problems with the Cellar Craft kits, and they wont send me another one if this next one breaks. They were trying to get me to buy Wine Expert kit, but there isn't really a comparable kit. They have a Cellar Craft kit for $80 with a crushed grape pack. The nearest WE kit with a grape pack is $165, and I keep hearing that the grape packs make a big difference. Hopefully the 3rd kit makes it OK.

UPS is requesting the broken kits back from me, so now I have to pack all the leaking boxes up and ship them out with some labels they dropped off. This is getting to be a PITA.

Tell UPS to come and collect them, it's not your responsibility.
Tell them they come and collect them or they can sing for them, at least that's what I'd do.

Im not doing anything until I get my last kit, so I can hopefully put a complete kit together.
I dont want to make things difficult for northernbrewer