case (6 bottles) Tattinger £65 + p+p

champducoq

Cockburns of Leith ?

champducoq

Cockburns of Leith go into administration in February. Sir David Murray, owner of Rangers FC and head of Premier Property Group to buy them out of administration. Premier Property Group have one of their main offices in Leeds, just round the corner from 3 York Place, a restaurant run by flamboyant businessman Denis Lefrancq. Might there be some sort of a connection ?

irishdids

I think not. Remember on the original WP thread the cutting and pasting accusation of several merchants lists, TW wines and Lay and Wheeler. Believe it or not the Cockburns website is still up and there is little of no similarity to the SW list.

champducoq

True, there's little or no similarity in the lists, but I'm working on the basis that the rather limited fine wine list (for a 200 year old wine merchant) on C of L's website is just a few leftover bottles after the bulk has been grabbed by its new owners. I don't know the full Cockburn's story, but wine merchants like that usually go bust due to excess stock and a sudden lack of orders and I don't see that stock on the site.

130charlotte

Another thing that puzzles me is that the site closed down its' wine list a couple of weeks ago yet the 0800 number continued taking calls. Presumably the staff were being paid. So for that couple of weeks do you think denis hoped that all was on track. Or am I missing something? I find the coincidence of the Leeds warehouse and cockburns rather compelling...curiouser and curiouser.

toxophilite

There is so much speculation regarding this sorry affair, with suggested excuses as to why and how the purported businessman behind the scandal (Lefrancq?) might have run into difficulties. Some respondents even almost sympathise with how 'Denis' might have had problems.

What I do know is this-
A company advertises a load of stock which it obviously doesn't have - of the thousands of customers I have yet to hear of even one which has had an order fulfilled.
The company debits the customer's credit card on placement of the order, and not on despatch of goods - a suspect business practice.
Customers are told that delivery will be within 2 weeks. Subsequently for many customers, delivery dates and times are personally given by telephone but no goods ever arrive.
No paperwork ( order form, invoice ) is received by mail or Email from the company.
The company becomes uncontactable by telephone as it closes its customer lines.
Much customer time is wasted waiting for phantom deliveries and trying unsuccessfully to contact the company.

As far as I am concerned, this company is totally disreputable, and the only recourse is to arrange a block on the transaction by the credit card company, so that hopefully no money will be lost.
If I am not mistaken, the CC company, receiving multiple complaints, can refer the matter either to Trading Standards or to the local police, if there is a suspicion of fraud.

In any case, like many others, I have been gullible, and regard this as a salutory lesson which will temper any future enthusiasm which I may have in the future regarding 'super bargains'.

emeraldbugle

We had two pals who also ordered some wine, no money was debited from their credit cards.

I've had a call from my credit card company, they are doing routine security checks on my recent transactions. I think the company has been flagged up on their system and they are checking everyone who has transacted with them. We were debited by 3 york place and refunded by mardenis ltd. It is a complete mystery.

champducoq

do you mean you've had the money returned by Mardenis ?

emeraldbugle

champducoq wrote: »

do you mean you've had the money returned by Mardenis ?

Yes, the money was debited on the 7th, and we cancelled our order on the 19th after too many delays and the refund on the card came from Mardenis Ltd.

champducoq

That's very reassuring. The fact that they gave you your money back at such a late stage would imply that there's no real intent to defraud here.