Wine scam?

I got a phone call today from fast-talking "Chad," representing a wine broker called Montesquieu (http://www.montesquieu.com). He somehow had a few tidbits about our wine preferences and then waxed rhapsodic for several minutes about an Australian Cab Sav (Duncan Block from Eagle's Rock? or whatever). Normally $70/bottle, I could get a case for $35 ($540).

After I could get a word in edgewise, I told him to take a deep breath and a glass of wine, that I never bought things from strangers on the phone, and that I would research him.

I googled the name and got several hits, including an interesting discussion about how they may relabel and misrepresent their overpriced wine.

So waddaya know about this firm?

There was something on winegeeks.com about this firm, I believe.

I didn't bother taking down the name of the company, but I got a phone call like that this week. Claimed to buy out entire lots of small production wines. Sounds like a private label operation. Anyway, I got off the phone with him as soon as I could.

Check out this exchange on http://www.wines.com/ubb2/Forum8/HTML/000285.html

Regards, Bob

I got a phone call today from fast-talking "Chad," representing a wine broker called Montesquieu .....

I got the same phone call tonight (right in the middle of Double Jeopardy. ) I meant to ask him how he got my number but also couldn't get a word in edgewise. Finally I hung up on him. He called me back and said that somehow we'd been disconnected. I told him that was because I hung up on him and hung up again. I then called my local grape grower toplace an oder for my home made wines and the call waiting thing kept beeping in my ear. Could these people be using the "location" below our names at this site to look us up? There is a NY State law against telephone solicitation and I've registered to not be called.

Yup, he called me the other day, trying to get me to buy 2 cases of a Syrah from Monterey at $42/btl case price (normally $60). I told him no and he kept talking so I hung up. He called back a couple hours later - I said "I don't want to talk to you and hung up again". Since then there have been quite a few hangups to my answering machine. I assume those ae mostly him since I get very few calls in general and almost none trying to sell me something.

Isn't he in violation of the no-call law if your name is on the national list?

[Robin Garr]

Isn't he in violation of the no-call law if your name is on the national list?

Sure is ... there's some procedure for filing a complaint, although in my experience (I tried complaining about fax spam once or twice), the regulators just send you a note saying, in essence, "Thanks for complaining, sucker. We'll keep this in the records and if enough people complain about the same number, we might take some kind of action, but we'll never tell you."

Still, it might be worth a try, and your state regulators might possibly be more interested than the feds.

Is it not easier to ask for contact details and then advise that they'll be reported for a breach. It doesn't half make them backpeddle normally.

regards

Ian

Wine Scam? Definitely.

Check out this thread on the Parker forum for some more info:

http://dat.erobertparker.com/bboard/showthread.php?t=104928

Get their name and phone number and write it down with the date. Then tell them, "Take me off your phone calling list." (I usually add, "Never call here again or I'll report you."

The one time that some phone solicitator did call again, about a month later, I informed him that I was reporting him to the FCC--and I did, with the contact info I had previously obtained. There are some big fines possible. At any rate, that was the last I heard of him.

BTW, the national do not call registry works pretty well, but you have to renew it every five years. And, peculiarly, it costs to do it via internet, but free if you send a postcard. Go figure.

He called me back and said that somehow we'd been disconnected. I told him that was because I hung up on him and hung up again.

Howie, I admire your gutsiness. Good man, good man!!

Telephone solicitations are annoying, that's for sure. But many of them are pre-recorded, so as soon as I hear the damn drivel I instantly hang up.