FAQs Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Nick Dobson Wines?Are You Licensed?Do you have a shop?How do I place an order?Legal Ordering AgeWhat do your prices include?How do I know if the wine I want is in stock?What are the payment options?What if I want to pay by credit/debit card but don't want to enter my card details online?What is the minimum order size?What does delivery cost?I need my wine quickly. Can I collect it?When will the wine be delivered?What happens if no one is home to meet the courier?/a>
What happens if the wine is damaged in transit?Can I order from overseas? What about the USA?Do you offer Refunds?Do you offer a Gift Service for sending wine to someone else?Who are Nick Dobson Wines?
We are an independent mail-order Wine Merchants based in Yorkshire. We specialise in Swiss, Austrian, French, and other wines and we pride ourselves on our wide range of wines from these countries and on our high level of personal service.
Are you licensed? Yes, all the licences necessary to sell alcohol by retail as required by the Licensing Act 2003 are in place.
Do you have a shop? We don't have a shop, we are a mail-order business. We do events and tastings at times, if you want to meet us - join our mailing list for information
How do I place an order? The easiest way is just to order online via the website. Alternatively you can phone (0800 8493078), FAX (0870 4602358), or email (sales@nickdobsonwines.co.uk).
Legal Ordering Age We will not sell to anyone under the legal drinking age of 18 years. We ask you to confirm that you are at least 18 years of age when you order. We ask you to confirm that you are at least 18 years of age when you order, and we operate an age verification policy under which we may carry out independent verification of your age using public domain information or third party database checks. A higher minimum age requirement may apply if you are ordering for delivery outside the UK.
What do your prices include? All prices quoted are in Pounds Sterling and include VAT and duty but exclude carriage. All prices are subject to change.
How do I know if the wine I want is in stock? The website maintains real-time stock information and will indicate whether each product listed is in stock or not, although not the exact stock level (other than for bin-ends). The website will not permit you to order a greater quantity of a given wine than is in stock. We aim to keep stock of all the wines listed on our website, although some of them are stocked in only small quantities. Many of our wines are quite rare and made in only tiny quantities, and when a wine goes out of stock it may not be possible to replace it. When we receive your order we will check the stock level and let you know of any shortages, and in most cases we will be able to suggest an alternative. For this reason, we do not charge your credit/debit card until your order has been checked and product allocated to you (except for Paypal payments, which are charged automatically
What are the payment options? We accept major credit/debit cards (but not AMEX/Diners Club), cheque, or bank transfer (bank account details available on request).
What if I want to pay by credit/debit card but don't want to enter my card details online? Please be assured that our website provides a fully secure link for credit card payments, and your card details will be safe; we recommend ordering via the website as the easiest method. However we fully recognise that not everyone is comfortable using their card online, and this is not a problem - when ordering online, just select the "Invoice and Pay " option, and we will call you for the details.
Is there a minimum order size? For deliveries to UK addresses, there is a minimum order size of £50 exclusive of carriage. For deliveries to foreign addresses, a minimum order quantity may still apply; for the USA and Canada this is 12 bottles - for other destinations please contact us for more details.
What does delivery cost? Delivery charges apply to most orders - see charge matrix in the checkout.
I need my wine quickly. Can I collect it? Our stocks are stored in a bonded warehouse in east London. It is possible to collect from this warehouse but this
MUST be by prior arrangement and if you want same day collection then we
MUST receive your order, and make the necessary arrangements, by around 11am. Same day collection is
NOT guaranteed and depends on availability of resource at the warehouse, over which we have no control, but where possible we will try to assist in making this possible - each request is dealt with on a case by case basis. If you would like to collect, you should telephone us at the time of order placement and ideally you should give us 2 working days notice. We no longer offer collection from Wokingham, or free local delivery in the Wokingham area.
When will the wine be delivered? Your wines will usually be despatched within 2 working days, and frequently the same day the order is placed provided the order is received by around 11am and the goods are in stock, although this may not be possible during busy periods or occasional holidays/office closures. You will be sent an email confirming despatch has taken place. For UK mainland delivery addreses, delivery is often the next working day after despatch although this is not guaranteed, and during busy periods, or for destinations in the Scottish highlands or not on the UK mainland it may take longer. Standard UK delivery options are untimed and may take place at any time between approximately 9am and 6pm Monday to Friday. It is not possible to specify a delivery time with these options. We advise customers not to select a standard untimed delivery option if it is important to you that delivery takes place by a certain time - waiting in all day for a courier can be frustrating, and the courier will not normally give any prior indication of likely time of delivery.
What happens if no one is home to meet the courier? That depends on the delivery service option specified when you placed your order. If you selected a SIGNED FOR option, then if no one is home, the courier will leave a card to say delivery has been attempted and inviting you to contact them. If you specified a NO SIGNATURE option, the courier is authorised to leave the wine in a safe place. There is a textbox in the website checkout where delivery instructions can be specified, e.g. if you want the wine left in a certain place (e.g. by back door, or in shed, greenhouse etc). Please note that if a NO SIGNATURE option is selected, we cannot be held responsible if the wine goes missing after the courier has delivered it.
What happens if the wine is damaged in transit? Breakages are thankfully rare but do occasionally happen. When they occur, the courier will advise us and we will send a replacement. The courier should detect breakages and any package containing a broken bottle should never reach you. However it is possible that a breakage may not be detected prior to delivery so please check your wine for damage on receipt and let us know of any problems so we can investigate with the courier and get replacement wine to you.
Can I order from overseas? What about the USA? In most cases this is not a problem, although shipping cost will be much higher than standard UK domestic rates. Some countries have specific regulations relating to the import of alcohol, and special arrangements have to be made through licensed importers. We recommend that for EU countries, you order directly from the website, but for non-EU countries you contact us prior to placing an order.
In all cases any customs taxes / charges are the responsibility of the buyer.
US import laws stipulate that alcoholic drinks may only be imported through a licensed importer. We have contacts with a company able to offer this service and consequently we are able to ship to the USA although the costs can be significant. They are:-
Seabrooks Export Services Ltd.
101 Stephenson Street
London 16 4SA
Tel: 0207 511 2620
wyatt@seabrookexports.com
www.seabrookexports.com
For deliveries to USA addresses, we request USA customers arrange transportation with Seabrooks directly. We deliver to Seabrooks, and for this the appropriate domestic delivery charge will be added to your invoice. Seabrooks then arrange onward transportation to your ultimate delivery address, and you make this arrangement with Seabrooks and pay them directly. If you would like further information regarding deliveries to specific States within the USA, or costs, please contact Seabrooks directly. Our minumum order quantity for the USA and Canada is 12 bottles, and thereafter in multiples of 12. These can however be mixed.
Do You Offer Refunds?
We offer refunds or replacements if you are sent the wrong wine in error or if a bottle turns out to be corked or is otherwise defective. We will not refund a purchase simply because you didn't like the wine. If you are unsure of whether you will like a particular wine, our advice is to buy a single bottle to try before purchasing a larger quantity. Many customers order a mixed case with their own selection of different wines to try, and then come back later for more of their favourites. If there is bottle damage or your wine is corked, please contact us immediately and we will organise a refund/replacement. We may request the return of the damaged product before a refund is given so that we can make our own assessment. Please also refer to our returns policy in our terms and conditions on this website.
Do you offer a Gift Service for sending wine to someone else?
Yes. In the checkout you have the option to include a different delivery address - simply fill this in with the recipients details. There is also a facility to specify a message to be included with the wine - we will print this out in large text on an A4 sheet and enclose it with the wine. If you wish to include a particular greeting card with the wine, we are happy to enclose this if you send it to us, although this WILL delay despatch. If you wish to do this, please call at the time of placing your order to let us know.
Do you have a pricelist, and can you send me a printed copy?
We do have a price list but we don't as a rule send out printed copies. Our pricelist is available as a PDF file and this can be downloaded from the DOWNLOADS page on the website (link on homepage) or here for you to print yourself or view on the screen. We do not produce glossy printed brochures/pricelists because (a) they are expensive, and this would have to be reflected in the cost of the wines, and (b) they would be out of date almost as soon as they were printed, as our stock is dynamic and changes frequently. If you genuinely do not have access to the internet we can print out and post to you those pages which are relevant to your enquiry.
