French Wine Exchange Ltd: 'Experienced brokers will help you to select,.....'!!

Screen grab from Companies House's fine Beta Service

'Experienced brokers will help you to select, source and arrange bonded storage of investment wines'

Claim on website of The French Wine Exchange 

Message from Terry Campbell – disgruntled client of Joe Williams and The French Wine Exchange:

'Hi Joe

I would like to complain about a company that sells wine and does not provide it (The French Wine Exchange).

I purchased 2x cases of Eglise Clinet 2011 12x75cl En primeur wines from The French Wine Exchange in March 2014. Since that purchase I have never been contacted by one of your brokers, I have always had to contact them. The majority of the time I have done this I have found out that they have left the company. It would have been nice for clients to be informed of these changes. So much for this statement (The French Wine Exchange is a fine wine investment company providing excellent customer service to its clients.)

In May 2015 I contacted The French Wine Exchange to find out why the wines I purchased were not submitted to my LCB account, I was told it would be done in a couple of weeks. At the end of June 2015 a stock transfer request was submitted to LCB for 2x EGLISE CLINET 2011 6x75. After requesting and receiving a valuation of my wines in August 2015 I discovered that the volume of wine transferred into my LCB account were incorrect.

I have been trying to get this problem resolved through one of your brokers up until I had to contact you directly for answers. You informed me that there was a mistake on the invoice and The EGLISE CLINET 2011 12x75 cases didn't exist and you were having problems getting 2x EGLISE CLINET 2011 6x75 to cover my purchase.

We agreed that you would refund me the total amount of my purchase including the 15% management fee within 4 weeks because The French Wine Exchange has cash flow issues. You also said The French Wine Exchange as a company were going nowhere and you would provide me with a letter of the details of our discussion over the phone.

I have been trying to contact you via email and phone calls since then but have not been able to get hold on anyone at your company all your numbers go straight to voicemail. I have not received my letter or my refund. If anyone reading this posting can help to provide me with Joe Williams home address I would provide you with my email address it would be much appreciated. 

(The address supplied by Williams to UK's Companies House is: 25 Woodville Gardens, Barkingside, Essex, United Kingdom, IG61LF.)

•••

I emailed Joe Williams asking for a response – when Terry Campbell could expect to receive his refund and how it was that Joe was having problems sourcing additional supplies of 2011 Eglise Clinet when a quick look at wine-searcher showed that it is quite widely available and in 12 bottle cases. Curiously The French Wine Exchange Ltd claims 'expertise' and 'experience' – clearly there are limits ......

To date I have received no response from Joe Williams – I trust this means he is busy arranging the refund for Mr Campbell.

Unfortunately this is not the first dissatisfied customer of The French Wine Exchange Ltd. Me – I'll steer clear of Joe Williams and The French Wine Exchange.