Naked wines - watch your bank account
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Kurtis_Blue wrote: »It seems the Advertising standards agency agrees with everyone that has been caught out, and has recently found that Naked Wines used misleading advertising and has banned the shoddy practice that caught me out:
http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2012/01/naked-wines-ad-banned/
Interesting link. Thanks.
It's clear that this is an example of 'inertial' selling.
Whilst NW are quite prepared to refund people without fuss, they are hoping that a good proportion will decide to carry on with their 'angel' accounts as they have already been started.
It's taking things just a step (and a step too far) further than those "sign up and so long as you cancel before xxx you won't pay a penny" deals which are also predicated on simple inertia (and forgetfulness) meaning people stay signed up for at least one period.There are two types of people in the world: Those that can extrapolate information.0 -
Kurtis_Blue wrote: »It seems the Advertising standards agency agrees with everyone that has been caught out, and has recently found that Naked Wines used misleading advertising and has banned the shoddy practice that caught me out:
http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2012/01/naked-wines-ad-banned/
Stay well clear.
Good post - and only confirms the thoughts in my previous post.
50,000 'Angels' have signed up with a minimum payment of 20 quid - that's at least a hundred grand in their coffers for basically doing nothing!0 -
dickydonkin wrote: »Good post - and only confirms the thoughts in my previous post.
50,000 'Angels' have signed up with a minimum payment of 20 quid - that's at least a hundred grand in their coffers for basically doing nothing!
No, 50,000 x £20 = £1 million pounds, and that's PER MONTH, that will help cash flow some what...0 -
No, 50,000 x £20 = £1 million pounds, and that's PER MONTH, that will help cash flow some what...
Actually, I think it is nearer 100,000 people now. And this is exactly the point. If people bothered to read the detail, the whole point of Naked Wines is to use the up-front cash to fund smaller independent growers with advance payments to enable them to produce good wine that is sold directly back to the "Angels" who can then converse with the growers through the forum (if they wish).
There is no scam. The £20 isn't "lost". It ends up in the hands of producers. Do some research and you will find there are many new growers with really heart-warming stories about how Naked Wine has enabled them to realise their ambition to create their wines.
I am a relatively new (4-5 cases) customer. Once you get in the groove, yes, your £20 gets "squirreled away", but it just gets used to help pay for the next case. The wine cost as an "Angel" in my opinion is good, quality ranging from good-acceptable to amazing-excellent.
However, the concept of having a "personal involvement" with an accessible producer is quite novel. Even in a microscopic way I find it gives a sense of "involvement" and the thanks that are out there from the growers for Naked Wines funding does (at least for me) give a small sense of ownership in the risk and reality of wine production0 -
Actually, I think it is nearer 100,000 people now. And this is exactly the point. If people bothered to read the detail, the whole point of Naked Wines is to use the up-front cash to fund smaller independent growers with advance payments to enable them to produce good wine that is sold directly back to the "Angels" who can then converse with the growers through the forum (if they wish).
There is no scam. The £20 isn't "lost". It ends up in the hands of producers. Do some research and you will find there are many new growers with really heart-warming stories about how Naked Wine has enabled them to realise their ambition to create their wines.
I am a relatively new (4-5 cases) customer. Once you get in the groove, yes, your £20 gets "squirreled away", but it just gets used to help pay for the next case. The wine cost as an "Angel" in my opinion is good, quality ranging from good-acceptable to amazing-excellent.
However, the concept of having a "personal involvement" with an accessible producer is quite novel. Even in a microscopic way I find it gives a sense of "involvement" and the thanks that are out there from the growers for Naked Wines funding does (at least for me) give a small sense of ownership in the risk and reality of wine production
I looked into this outfit and, whilst I agree that it's an interesting idea, when checking reviews I found that the main problem was that the wines were not particularly good for the price charged. Overpriced at list and nothing at all out of the ordinary in either quality of value when discounts applied.
A pity, really.There are two types of people in the world: Those that can extrapolate information.0 -
Overpriced at list and nothing at all out of the ordinary in either quality of value when discounts applied.
Which misses the point somewhat. I agree the discounted price is "about right" for the quality. The upside is delivery is prompt, quality is consistent, and there really is a sense of "involvement" in the knowledge that the business model helps to fund up-and-coming producers. If I was a new producer, I would certainly be interested in funding while the grapes were still on the vine!
In a competitive market, there is no such thing as a "free lunch", so why should anyone expect that the price/quality should ultimately be too much different. As someone who would otherwise purchase £5-£7 bottles from the supermarkets, I find their quality just too variable. The "Big producers" - Hardy's etc produce consistent fortified ribena, but going "off piste" in a supermarket is just a gamble.
For me I find NW consistently good-excellent, so it works for me.0 -
Which misses the point somewhat. I agree the discounted price is "about right" for the quality. The upside is delivery is prompt, quality is consistent, and there really is a sense of "involvement" in the knowledge that the business model helps to fund up-and-coming producers. If I was a new producer, I would certainly be interested in funding while the grapes were still on the vine!
In a competitive market, there is no such thing as a "free lunch", so why should anyone expect that the price/quality should ultimately be too much different. As someone who would otherwise purchase £5-£7 bottles from the supermarkets, I find their quality just too variable. The "Big producers" - Hardy's etc produce consistent fortified ribena, but going "off piste" in a supermarket is just a gamble.
For me I find NW consistently good-excellent, so it works for me.
I agree that supermarkets are a pain with their fake discounts and preponderance of wines that are obviously made/blended/selected to be inoffensive rather than interesting.
Maybe I'll bite the bullet and give NW a chance.There are two types of people in the world: Those that can extrapolate information.0 -
made/blended/selected to be inoffensive rather than interesting
Ha! you've hit the nail on the head there!. I think we keep buying from NW partly because of the variety. Previously we had bought far too much new-world sauvignon, cabernet and shiraz from the big names just because it was consistent (and inoffensive). But it was also getting boring.0 -
Kurtis_Blue wrote: »No, 50,000 x £20 = £1 million pounds, and that's PER MONTH, that will help cash flow some what...
Maths was never my strongest point!;)
Irrespective of where or how the money is used - it is -to all intents and purposes, an interest free loan.0 -
Soon after purchasing my first case I began to be pestered regularly on the phone by Naked Wines sales people imploring me to join the 'Angels' scheme. At one point I was getting about 3 calls a week, whilst at work, which became a real nuisance.
On the last occasion, I requested that all my details be deleted from their database, which they said they would do, with regret. I was assured that they would not contact me again and that I had been removed from their database.
A couple of weeks later they sent me an email saying that my credit card had refused to honour a £20 payment to them (I had cancelled that card some months earlier).
When I rang to challenge them, they told me that the note on their system said that I had been (and I quote) "delighted to join" their Angels scheme.
I'm pretty sure that they are operating fraudulently and will be pursuing it, so I just wanted people to be aware of their underhand, deceptive practices.0
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