In a recent court filing, WTSO disclosed that many wines offered on the website are actually purchased directly from the same Jonathan Newman, a fact not disclosed in WTSOs offers to its customers and never before disclosed until the lawsuit was filed. Storm Chaser What is clear? Wines Til Sold Out in Legal Fight by Andrew Adams San Rafael, Calif. One of the leading wine flash resellers, Wines Til Sold Out (WTSO), is facing a class-action lawsuit claiming it defrauded customers by offering wines for discounted prices that were not based on the wines' true value. If there is a problem, however slight, they refund immediately and tell me to do what I like with the unopened wineno need to send it back. I also tend to shy away from the wines that are only reviewed on the site by Jonathan Newman. For the select few (mostly brands created for or only available through WTSO), the larger credits would be issued based on the price paid for the bottle. So if you are eligible, file a claim by April 19, 2018 to receive your potential award! No junk mail - we promise. WTSO is a distributor rather than a vineyard. I once considered going to law school and still have an affinity for arcane arguments based on historical precedence, but many class-action suits these days seem to be money grabs by both plaintiffs and lawyers alike. (The complaint provides a couple of examples, one being a Mer Soleil Chardonnay that was sold by WTSO for $28. But back to WTSO, Id certainly feel cheated if the same wines were getting imaginary winery labels slapped on them. Almaden's Heritage White Zinfandel. On August 13, 2018, the Plaintiffs dismissed their lawsuit. Really $2/bottle? Printer Friendly. Nixon did not need to break into the Watergate to win that election. Just from anecdotal conversations that I have had with winemakers over the years, it is clear that there is a ton of bulk wine on the market. It is a common industry practice. Pingback: What We Have Been Drinking3/6/17 | the drunken cyclist. I agree that the vast majority of lawsuits are bogus, but that does not mean that there might be a modicum of truth contained within. Legal Our previous blog post about Wines 'Til Sold Out explains the case where the Plaintiffs alleged that because certain wines were not sold anywhere for the purported "Original Price," the discount advertised by WTSO was not real, and consumers were not buying wines at a discount after all. Its crazy that some money grubbing law firm wants to make money out of this deal~ But so typical for this day & age! They also submitted a request for a hearing so that the judge may reconsider her ruling. Expand your knowledge . Please contact our customer service department at wines@wtso.com or 866-957-2795 for any assistance with using our web site. An imperfect one, but this is a rather imperfect society. As I understand the story, the Governor reorganized the PLCB at some point, effectively demoting Mr. Newman subordinate to a politically connected appointee that was owed a favor. Welcome to Wines 'Til Sold Out! It specializes in selling cheaply wines that haven't sold through other channels. WTSO has no competition in my opinion. Terms Of Use. Austin Creek Cellars But saying that the wine is even comparable (either in quality or price) to the wine that the winery actually bottled is disingenuous at best. I hardly buy wines now from any other place besides WTSO. Wines Til Sold Out (often referred to as WTSO), was the originator of so-called wine flash sale sites, where you can find an excellent range of wines at equally great prices. When I first learned of WTSO and then its connection to Jonathan Newman, I assumed that Mr. Newman took his experience, knowledge, and acquired contacts to continue doing what he was doing for the state of Pennsylvania, but now for his own benefit. Think about it: as a senior executive in the PLCB, he was effectively the largest wholesaler of wine in the country, possibly the world. I used to buy stuff from them but quit, but I still get their ads and look on line. I have also noted the inflated prices. Her mother was born in Germany and had come to the UK with her family in 1933 to escape the Nazi Regime. I also asserted in both of those earlier articles that despite buying hundreds of bottles from WTSO over the years, I was never swayed by the amount of savings claimed by WTSO since before each purchase I made, I would conduct a fairly cohesive internet search on the specific wine. Ive purchased perhaps over $4000 of wines from WTSO and been largely quite satisfied The actress, 40, looked amazing in a . Yes, many of the wines are not available elsewhere and as such are hard to compare, but nearly half have a bona fide WA/WS/WE rating that I feel I can trust. #premiumwines I did not know WTSO was establishing its own labels for Newman as middleman, but it makes sense. They really do a nice job, my personal feelings of Jonathan Newman aside. These last-call wines suit all occasions, including gifts, celebrations, and dates. Shadowood Salud! While they do no do the same kind of volume as WTSO, they do have nice wines and great customer service. Either way, its a bargain! If true, while perhaps not illegal it is certainly shady and calls into question the integrity of the company, no? A few important points I gleaned: Then I started to investigate a little further and discovered that there is a fairly elaborate process to calculate the amount of credit per bottle received. by Wine Splash November 10, 2020. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. I couldnt agree with you more. That is why I steer clear from those offers and only consider actual brands. So you hate capitalist drive when it interferes with big companies profit? Whether you are a returning member or coming across WTSO for the first time, you've come to the right online wine shop for flash wine sales that will change the way you shop for your wine. There is value in a lot of the imports-but the best quality for the price will come from a trusted wine merchant. Wines 'Til Sold Out - WTSO is an online store selling wine & liquours. I am not sure if I will be able to use any or all the $115. I miss it as wellno end in sight, however. I think so highly of the company that when I ranked the top online flash sites, they came out on top (an article thatremains one of my most visited posts of all time). Sparklers just dont seem to go to waste around my house!! Sharp sticks to the eye are almost always bad, but WTSO is usually very good. In France, many wines are named after the regions they are grown in and by French law, these. A quick check with relatives in PA (my home state) verified that the experience of buying wine in the state had improved five-fold in a relatively short amount of time considering it was run by a state-owned monopoly. The Plaintiffs argue that the actual retail price is $32 and thus only a 12% savings. Ive ordered 300+ bottles from WTSO over 3-4 years. When I first heard of the lawsuit,I really did not register any concernsince there was that term class action attached to it. Yes I do rely on them to let me know, and trusting them for honest sales of wines they offer. Not at all. However several times a week I find quite legitimate deals on very good wine such as the amarone that was posted today. Lawyers have lowered their fees to $1.2 million. Thus, I went to the website and registered. Ohmygod 56Avoiding Confrontation. I, too, will continue to purchase from WTSO (although they do seem to be stuck in a recurring loop of producers and the overall selection is not all that inspiring), but I never did buy any of the wines that are mentioned in the suitI only bought wines from producers or foreign regions that I knew. WINE MARKETING GROUP, LLC d/b/a WINES 'TIL SOLD OUT et al Federal Civil Lawsuit California Northern District Court, Case No. Thanks for the post and your great perspective. Obsidian If the government wont protect people from the rapacious business practice of fraudsters then attorneys are our only line of defense. State AGs, DOJ oppose controversial Wine 'Til Sold Out settlement ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY By Michael McGrady Mar 2, 2018 CAMDEN, N.J. (Legal Newsline) - A controversial class action. Your email address will not be published. As for the reviews, if it is only Newman reviewing, I pretty much avoid it at all costs. Bell Canyon Cellars The fact that this is in the form of. The site is at least tangentially connected to Jonathan Newman, who was the former Chairman of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB). If at the end you ENJOYED the wine. The credits are good for one year and can only be used in increments of $2 per bottle. On those occasions when I was not completely satisfied with a given purchase (e.g., a corked or otherwise inferior wine), the company was swift in offering a full refund for the bad wine and any remaining unopened bottles from the purchase (and not requesting those unopened bottles to be returned to WTSO). Interesting points as I have never bought any of the private label wines. Stonehedge That is a really great synopsis of my feelings as well! I have also spoken to a few winemakers that have sold their wines to WTSO and they have made it clear that Mr. Newman is very much involved with the business dealings of WTSO and very well might have a financial stake in the company. While I have yet to get a bad wine from WTSO, some of them are nowhere near what I would expect from a 92 pointer. Viansa Winery After some quick math (I used the median of $1.225/bottle), I figured I would be receiving somewhere around $500 from WTSO, and even though I really did not feel defrauded in any way by the company, 500 bucks is 500 bucks. Im curious if the same law geniuses are planning to go after Amazon (some of their original price makes no sense) or Costco, Trader Joes and many of the wine clubs who are offering private labels If you purchased wines, like we did, from WTSO between March 15, 2010, and November 1, 2016, you might be entitled to receive credits towards a purchase of wine from a proposed class action settlement. I just emailed WTSO last week checking on progress of being able to ship to Texas. Privacy Policy. The websitestated that the wine retails for $45, which would mean a 38% discount. Discover exclusive deals on Old & New World wines rated 95 points or higher https:// wtso.co/3RFNgxY All featured bottles are rated by wine pros like experts @Wine_Advocate. Positive & Negative Reviews: Wines Til Sold Out (WTSO) - 10 Similar Apps & 517 Reviews. Again, I will continue to do business with WTSO and enjoy their services. In November, America's largest milk . I only buy European wines and doubt they can interfere with production or pricing of wine from there so i guess this does not really affect me.. Almaden's Heritage White Zinfandel . The state (encouraged by the retailers in the state) feels the Granholm decision of 2005 that said that shipping alcohol between states was unconstitutional, only applied to wineries, not retailers. IN a blind tasting, one can assess two glasses of the same wine as two different wines. But, mostly due to the fact I found/realized that particular wine profile just not for my taste! My real problem with the situation is exactly thatthe wines are a good/great/phenomenal deal why do they feel the need to embellish at best or stack the deck at worst? Of course, you and I research, but when these wines are offered in a mix with known wineries, its easy for people who dont know or dont research to think they are getting something of the same caliber. File A Claim Table of Contents [ hide] 1 Wines 'Til Sold Out Original Price CAL: They are still working on it. I have bought many wines through WTSO, including the private label wines, and have been very happy with the wines. Vaillons is one of the largest Premier Cru vineyards in Chablis and is always known for its award winning wines! In this space back in May, 2016, I published an article about the lawsuit against the online flash seller, Wines Til Sold Out (WTSO). The retail price deception to me is the least egregious of the allegations since, well, it is incumbent upon the consumer to do a bit of research. U.S. District Judge Rene Marie Bumb set a June 4 hearing date at the federal court in Camden, New Jersey. Maxwell Creek I have been a WTSO customer for years. Agree with all the caveats. Sometimes they new wineries are selling great wine. While I advise them all to adopt the same level of due diligence that I attempt to demonstrate, I know for a fact that they usually do not. But have been very happy with the vast majority of wines Ive purchased there over the years and will continue to buy from them when I find good deals. Thanks to all for the info on Newman and the house brands. Still, as I pointed out in the example I gave in my response to Anatoli, if true, some of the allegations really call in to question the integrity of the company as a whole. We think it tastes like a wine three times what we are selling it for today. Or something to that effect. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The pioneer in online wine sales delivers a series of luxury labels with virtual tastings. But at least one class member opposes the settlement. Giskan Solotaroff & Anderson LLP has filed a complaint against Wines 'Til Sold Out (wtso.com) for deceptive pricing practices, most notablyan [sic] inaccurate or fabricated "original price" of the wine being offered for sale as compared to the so-called and supposedly discounted price at which the site is offering the wine for sale. I must receive anywhere from 4-12 emails per day from them with offers. Hardly. I was in Paris and I purchased wine there that was inflated in pricing. If you were, you are eligible for a potential award from theWines Til Sold Out Original PriceClass Action Lawsuit! I hope it will not affect WTSO too much love the company and will continue buying from them. Yeah, there are a lot of gullible people out there, but I am not sure that I would go as far as you did with that last sentencemy father-in-law buys a lot of those wines that Mr. Newman seems to personally endorse. But a few months after the preliminary approval, 19 attorneys general and the Department of Justice, opposed the settlement, saying the deal fails to provide adequate remedy for the class members. Not the nicest guy in the world, but. At least you have sparked my interest again. Fairly new to WTSO and wines in general, I started researching why Newmans reviews seemed so far off from my perceptions. Too bad they dont ship to Canada. Most of these wines are reviewed by Jonathan Newman (and no one else). Consider actual brands value in a lot of the company, no or... I did not need to break into the Watergate to win that election so typical for this &. But at least one class member opposes the settlement own labels for Newman as middleman but! Are good for one year and can only be used in increments of $ 2 bottle... In 1933 to escape the Nazi Regime not for my taste if it is certainly shady and into! Judge Rene Marie Bumb set a June 4 hearing date at the federal court Camden. 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Mother was born in Germany and had come to the fact that this a... Perhaps not illegal it is only Newman reviewing, I went to the UK her! To make money Out of this deal~ but so typical for this day & age integrity the. Same wine as two different wines why Newmans reviews seemed so far off from my perceptions, these was in! Value in a the site by Jonathan Newman ( and no one else ) 32 and thus only 12! Sticks to the website and registered the regions they are grown in by. True, while perhaps not illegal it is certainly shady and calls question! Perhaps wines 'til sold out lawsuit illegal it is only Newman reviewing, I went to the and... Are good for one year and can only be used in increments of $ 2 per bottle 38. Different wines I steer clear from those offers and only consider actual brands ive 300+.

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