This complaint with Laithwaites started as just a mild niggle, and one that I thought had been cleared up quickly and effectively by the Laithwaites customer services department… alas I was wrong.

I ordered a case of Spanish red wines before Christmas, and it arrived (via HDNL would you believe) in good time. I was impressed, and a little shocked. When I tried to open the fourth bottle, removing the foil cover, I found that the cork was damaged. There was only half a cork, it was on its side and the win in the bottle had been exposed to the elements since it had been bottled – it smelled very bad.

I phoned Laithwaites customer services team and was mildly surprised to find that they were willing to deal with it very quickly, offering to send me a £10 gift voucher for the bottle of wine. The chap on the phone said it would be with me by the end of the week.

A couple of weeks past, and several decent looking email offers from Laithwaites came and went while I was still waiting for my £10 voucher (which I would have used on one of the offers), to the point where I phoned them on January 5th to ask where my £10 voucher had gone.

Here is the phone call in full, together with the relevant section from the previous call in December where I WAS told that my voucher would be posted.

Laithwaites Customer Service

In this call I am told once again that my compensation voucher would be posted to me, and yet, 10 days later, still no voucher.

To be honest, with Laithwaites customer services being so lackadaisical I’m not that keen on ordering from them again, even if this £10 voucher that I was promised before Christmas does eventually show up.

I paid for 13 bottles in December and have only been able to drink 12 – I still have the damaged bottle as evidence, or for emergencies should the alcohol levels in the house become dangerously low ;).

Has anyone else had any problems with Laithwaites, or had to make Laithwaites complaints?

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