Firstleaf Wine Club Reviews

Firstleaf Wine Club
( 76 reviews )

Firstleaf Wine Club Customer Reviews

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Bartender
August 2, 2018

This company is a complete scam. I took a chance on 3 bottles of Washington State merlot that was ok. I DIDNOT signup for a wine club or any further shipments. A month or so later a six-pack of wine was left at my door by UPS. The driver simply left the package without asking for my signature which is required in CA. When I called First Leaf to complain and ask them to pickup the wine I was told that since they "no means to retrieve" the shipment they could only refund me 30% of the purchase price of $90.00 which had been charged to a Master Card. I told them I would return it myself to their warehouse in Healdsburg since it was only a few miles from me and was then told that "wasn't possible" because of "policy." There is no policy because there is no warehouse. An email to UPS got the usual response an email to UPS gets - which was no response.

The "Wine Club" is a scam run by a "virtual winery" in New York and has no physical presence in any of the states it claims to secure it's "deals" from. I am currently talking to The Sonoma County Chamber of Commerce and the DA's Office to see if this phony company can be prosecuted for fraud. Legitimate wineries and clubs should go after these thieves as well.

Firstleaf Customer Service October 16, 2018

Hi Michael! Sorry about the confusion. However, when you place your introductory order it does enroll you in the club for future boxes of wine (this on our website and before you click ‘Place Order’). We send 2 reminder emails prior to all orders going out as well. I will be reaching out to our REPS at UPS and notifying them that the order was left and not signed for. We are a winery, located in Sonoma County (Healdsburg) but we only sell our wines online so there is no physical tasting room.

If you have any questions about this please give us a call at 1-800-461-7203 Mon - Fri 9 am - 8 pm EST or shoot us an email at [email protected], and a member from customer service will assist you as soon as possible!

Cheers!

Firstleaf Scam
July 10, 2018
Shameful! Shipped wine with no notification. When I wasn't home to receive it I was told that the package was being held at a UPS 25 miles away (even though there is a UPS less than a mile away. They then charged me a 20 dollar restocking fee for wine they shipped to me without my knowledge. Customer service was equally suspect.

Not Pleased
June 22, 2018
I drink Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet got nothing got nothing but questionable red wine.

Fraudulent Wine Dumping
June 1, 2018
After 6 months I have canceled my Firstleaf account. I have "googled" every wine I have received and, if I find any hits at all they all just point back to Firstleaf. All wines say "Bottled in Healdsburg, CA" - it's obvious to me they are dumping unwanted wines by creating lots of fake labels and slick marketing.

BarbaraMularski Atkinson June 22, 2018

I believe you are on to somethingy I noticed the labels on this last box of 6 very fishy ...I drink Merlot and Pinot Noir was sent Red Wine"

What?
May 8, 2018
Ordered the 3 bottle trial for 3.18. They said I was under no obligation to buy more. Today I received a case by UPS (I refused the package). They charged my credit card $94. I did not authorize this purchase. Buyer Beware!!

First Leaf Wine Club
April 9, 2018

I am very pleased with First Leaf Wine Club. Have been drinking wine for 25 years. I use to walk all around the liquor store looking for a wine that was on sale. I liked to spend between $9-12. I was very happy when I could snag a more ex[pensive wine in my price range. With First Leaf Wine Club I am getting a more expensive wine for a little more than what i usually spend. Having the wine delivered to my door monthly or bi-monthly makes up for the few dollars more. I am enjoying wine more than ever ." Life is too short for cheap wine" !

Michael Mccarthy August 02, 2018

This reviewer is either a shill or an idiot.

fraud
March 26, 2018
received mailer with offer for 3 bottles 3 bucks addressed to me in CT. went on with offer number and put in my credit card then they said the offer was not valid in CT. yet they mailed it to me in Ct. ?!!

Pleased so far
March 24, 2018

I tried the 3 bottle intro offer, with mixed results: one bottle I didn't like very much, another was pretty good, and another was outstanding. I liked my favorite so much that I ordered another 6 bottles.

Looking forward, price is an issue, as I don't normally buy wines in the $15 range. My next box, which will be my first full order, plus the other 6-bottle box is a splurge for me.

I love wine, drink almost every evening meal, but I'm by no means an expert or connoisseur. I typically buy wines from my local big-box warehouse club in the $10 range. I feel like wines at this price point can be pretty good, certainly enjoyable, but nothing extraordinary.

The one wine in the intro offer was truly extraordinary. If FirstLeaf can deliver on their promise finding wines that exceed my expectations, paying more than I normally do might be worth it for me.

I'm looking forward to my next box.

Bait & Switch
March 20, 2018
Received an offer from Firstleaf for 3 bottles for $1 each. 2 reds and 1 white. I checked the wines online and got good reviews. Then I went to the specified link. The first, Harmonic Bridge was offered, but the other two were changed and no trace of them on the internet. I suspect the same issue as mentioned in another post, off label bottling of less desirable wine. I trashed the offer.

Lakewood
January 31, 2018
The next shipment was displayed as 4 chardonnays, a white blend, and a chenin blanc. We usually get 3 whites and 3 reds. We do not like chenin blanc so I clicked it off and I said I was getting a cab. Since my wife likes chardonnays best I said ok to the shipment. What I got was 2 french whites a sparkling, and 3 cabs. This the second time that the shipment was a surprise or included a surprise. They seem to have an arrangement with Joe Otos since they send his wines under numerous labels. Thinking of cancelling.

Scam
January 6, 2018

While visiting mother a UPS guy dropped off a 3-bottle offering. She asked, "Which one would you like to drink.?" I said, I don't know, let me look up some tasting notes." It's when I had to tell her, " I think you've been scammed." Here's why.

Bottle #1 was called "Cien por Centro" Cabernet Sauvignon from Spain. No winery listed on the bottle. Weird. Next, the back label says "bottled by 94558 Wine Napa CA". Huh? Why are you bottling a Spanish wine in California? And I can't even find that a company "94558 Wine" even exists.

Bottle #2 "Busby's Treaty" Shiraz S.E. Australia. Same as above. No winery listed and "bottled in Healdsburg CA by Vintage Terrior". Again, why are you bottling an Australian wine in the US? Couldn't find a company by the name of "Vintage Terrior" in Healdsburg either.

Bottle #3 "Paul Horn Winery Cabernet Sauvignon". Go ahead. Look up Paul Horn Winery and "vinted and bottled by Western Slope, Healdsburg CA" while you're at it.

Tom January 07, 2018

Sorry, that's "Post Horn Winery". See if you can go pay them a visit while wine tasting through Alexander Valley.

john April 25, 2018

Agree completely. If Firstleaf explained that all the wines are made in the same facility in Healdsburg but under the direction of the different winemakers, that would be one thing. But to intentionally and aggressively mislead about the existence of these "wineries" blows all credibility. Sad part is I don't think it is necessary. the 3 reds I drank were pretty good, for the price, but I don't like doing business with untrustworthy merchants.

The Jury's Still Out, But . . .
December 16, 2017

I've gotten two shipments and the results have been mixed. Some wines I've liked, others less so. At an average price of about $15 a bottle, I'm not sure that I couldn't do better at a wine store. I'm going to give it some more time.

However, I'm more than a little suspicious that the "discount" I'm supposed to be getting may be bogus. Each wine has a "retail price" listed, which is, of course, significant'tly higher than the price I'm paying. That's the whole thrust of their marketing campaign--that I'm getting great wines at a significant't mark-down. But I can't find almost any prices for their wines on the web. Some wine sites warn that this is a sign that wineries are dumping undesirable wines that they won't sell retail. When I called the customer service number to ask the representative where the retail prices listed by the club are coming from and if I could verify them, she said that she didn't have that information and would need to check. After talking with her supervisor, she said that the prices were given to them by the wine producer but that they were not able to give out of verify the information.

That sounds very suspicious to me. Of course, if I like the wines enough to drink them at the club price, then this shouldn't matter. (As I said, the jury's still out on that.) But if a company is not dealing honestly with me, it makes me very hesitant to do business with them. I wonder what else they might be lying about.

SherwinTonty December 16, 2017

I can buy great Washington state wines for way less than $15 per bottle.

ChristopherWeaver December 17, 2017

Great. I guess taste is subjective. Personally, I've found that at $20, I'm in pretty safe territory, but $10-$20 is hit and miss. That's why I've been willing to give Firstleaf a chance.

I like it
December 13, 2017
Don't know a lot about wine and usually just pick bottles that look pretty at the liquor store. This method had me pouring a lot of $ down the drain buying wine I really didn't like. I actually stopped drinking wine for awhile because I couldn't figure out what I liked. I actually got my first box from a friend as a gift and I loved all 3 wines in the box. Been a member for almost a year now, besides a few too many emails, I am really glad I joined this club. I wish it had an app so it would be easier to rate and look up the wine I am drinking instead of having to keep the cards that sometimes come with the wine.

Excellent Packing & Marketing - Lackluster Wines
November 30, 2017
While the premise and packing were great, most of the wines were humdrum. At an average of about $15 per bottle, I would do better using BevMo or Total Wines coupons and deals. Many of the wines had good potential but I wanted wines to drink now... not gambling on a well constructed and mature wine 2-3 years from now. Actually, disappointed that this wine club was not as good as I though it would be.

I Do Not Like Being Mislead - Firstleaf's Offer is Misleading
November 29, 2017

A direct mail package offered "3 bottles, 3 bucks." It went on to say "No obligation to buy anything more." Like Tobi noted above the offer was too good to be true. I tiptoed through the registration until a final screen admitted the ongoing price was near $100 + shipping for six bottles. That is more than twice what these club style wines bring on other sites. Some promotions at wineinsiders.com offer 15 bottles of fair wine for under $100 with shipping included, and there is no commitment of any kind.

I noted that the Card with invitation number was a gimmick. The site address triggers the "offer." I was outright concerned that my e-mail address populated the rest of the form. Some other wine site sold my information.

Firstleaf reminds a bit of Enzyte - remember the garden hose ads on television? Stopping a subscription there was impossible and over-billing was rampant. FTC finally got them but not until a lot of people were hurt.

i think these wines are cheap wines that they write bogus reviews for
November 28, 2017

BUYER BEWARE!!!

I fell for the 3 bottles for a low price - they shipped & charged for the next delivery before i cancelled any membership - couldn't get through to customer service so i had to cancel my credit card

Terrible customer service, automatic re-ups at $98 per shipment, DON'T FALL FOR IT
November 17, 2017
Decent wine, but definitely a bait and switch service designed to lure you in with cheap wine and then hit you for MUCH larger automated payments with no notification emails in advance. Save yourself the money, you can do better at the local store and have far better control of your choices and expenditures.

Aaron November 28, 2017

Hi Michael, we make sure to send at least two emails to notify you before your order ships, plus several other once you sign up.

We price our wines cheaper at the start because it's an introductory offer to let customers try our wines for as little commitment as possible. Subsequent shipments are at the club price of $13/bottle which even then is up to 60% off wines you get at the store.

If you'd like, we will be more than happy to process a refund for your wines.

Aaron November 28, 2017

Hi, Michael! We make sure to send at least two emails to let you know before an order ships out to you, as well as sending you several once you sign up for our club.

We price our introductory orders cheaper to let customers try our wines with as little commitment as possible (you are able to cancel your subscription with us at any time). Our subsequent orders are priced at $13/bottle but even then are up to 60% off what you would find at a store.

I would be more than happy to process a refund for your order if you would like, and do contact us over at [email protected] if you need any more help with this.

BUYER BEWARE
November 8, 2017
This review is of the club, not the wine - which is certainly overpriced for what you get. That being said, after my first order, I cancelled my membership. Several months later I received an e-mail giving me a $40 credit to resume my membership. All I did was open my email. Next thing, I received an e-mail telling me my wine was on the way. I e-mailed back advising that I had cancelled my membership, but was told it was too late and there was no way to return the wine, but they would give me a $40 credit. So, ok. you can imagine how surprised I was to receive notice the following month that another shipment was on the way. So, when I e-mailed customer service, I was told that just logging onto their web site would reactivate my membership. What a rip off!

3 or 3?????
October 31, 2017
I ordered my three bottles for three dollars on Thursday and they were delivered to me on Saturday free. And I noticed it’s almost $100 to continue the club and you get only six bottles per month. There are other clubs you get twice as many for less. So today I’m canceling it because it did say no questions asked cancellation. If it’s a hassle I’ll just order a new credit card. I would like to think I’m happy because three for three is a pretty damn good deal and the rest of the rip off. Good luck

DanDiCioccio Jr. November 11, 2017

it sure seems like you want to leave a negative review but why leave 5 stars???

Not worth it, unless you don't live by a wine/liquor store
October 20, 2017

The intro price is great! $20 for 3 bottles of wine. But after that, you're looking at $95+ for 6 bottles. Maybe $15-$16 a bottle of wine that you can normally get for $10-$13.

I checked a few of the bottles on their site, and my own searches yielded that I could in fact buy those wines cheaper. The Counter Cut, the Lost Dog... both examples of wines I found well under that $15 mark.

In conclusion, if you only have 1 wine/liquor store in your town and they gouge you, then maybe use this service, but if you have a reasonably priced wine store, you can get these cheaper.. much cheaper.

Much of what is quoted on their site really feels like restaurant prices. Yes, you will pay $50 for a $12 bottle at a restaurant, and substantially more if you're doing wine-by-the-glass. But in my local wine stores (and I have a few by me), I can find a good bottle for $10-$15... and not have to worry about subscriptions, plus I get to pick my own, and don't get stuck with their recommendation. In addition, my local spot usually discounts 6 or more bottles by 10-15% on top of that. So for me to buy 6 bottles, I could easily come in around $50 or $60... much cheaper than $95.

The business model must make money, so don't be fooled into thinking you're saving money through this service.

I want to emphasize that they are not deceptive. Their stats are just applicable in a very unique situation that most customers would not face. For the vast majority of people, you are not saving money through this service.