Questions

TOP 10 Frequently Asked Questions

1. What states do you ship to?
2. What happens when I select shipping to a Walgreens?
3. Why was my card declined? What does "Merchant Override Decline" mean?
4. What size are the bottles?
5. How quickly are items shipped out?
6. Do you sell bottles that are in perfect condition for my collection?
7. What happens if I'm not available to sign for the package?
8. Do you accept international orders?
9. Do items come with a box/tube?
10. How do I find a product available in my state if Internet Wines doesn't carry it or can't ship to my state?

Q: What states do you ship to?
A: Orders for wine, spirits, or beer may be shipped only where not prohibited by law. Title of ownership for all alcoholic items transfers to buyer at time of purchase. Buyer assumes all responsibility for alcoholic shipments and is assumed to be familiar with any and all applicable laws regarding shipment of alcohol to the destination provided. We currently ship to AK, CA, DC, FL, IL*, LA, MO, NE, NH, NM, WY. (*Available in IL only if we can get the product at our IL store.)

Q: What happens when I select shipping to a Walgreens?
A: Orders shipping to a Walgreens will be sent to the participating Walgreens/FedEx location nearest to your shipping address, unless another preferred Walgreens address is provided by you. Upon shipment of your items, a tracking number will be emailed to you. Follow the tracking information to see when your package is available for pickup at the Walgreens. The selected Walgreens address should be provided on the tracking information. If it is not, please call us and we will be able to provide the address for you. If the package is not picked up within 5 business days from Walgreens, it will be sent back to us and the shipping charge will not be refunded to you. **Call the Walgreens location before picking up your order to verify they have the package in hand.**

Q: Why was my card declined? What does "Merchant Override Decline" mean?
A: Your card is being declined for one of a few reasons:
1. The billing address entered online must be entered exactly as it is registered to the card. Check your billing statement or call your bank to see how the address appears exactly. (Example: Road must not be abbreviated as Rd.)
2. Foreign billing addresses and foreign credit cards are not accepted by our system.
3. Credit cards that have fraud protection will be declined unless you tell your bank or credit card company to authorize the merchant “Internet Wines & Spirits”.
4. The credit limit may be reached on your card or your debit card has a zero balance.
**PLEASE NOTE** Every time your card is declined on our website, you will see an authorization hold on your card. This is NOT a charge, but merely a hold to verify the card. This hold will fall off within a business day or two. If the hold doesn't fall off within a few days, contact your bank or credit card company.

Q: What size are the bottles?
A: All bottles on the site are 750ml unless otherwise noted in the title or description.

Q: How quickly are items shipped out?
A: Barring complications, your order will be shipped out within 2-3 business days after being processed. (This does not include weekends!)

Q: Do you sell bottles that are in perfect condition for my collection?
A: We sell items for consumption, not collections. Labels may be slightly scuffed, and original packaging may not be included. InternetWines.com sells items exclusively for use by the recipient of the order. These items are not intended for resale, and the sale of alcohol without a license is a crime in the United States. No alcoholic item should therefore be considered to have collectible value. We will always do everything we can to ensure your items arrive in the finest possible condition, but we are not responsible for any dings, dents, defects, scratches, scrapes, or marks that might be seen to diminish an item's perceived collectible value.

Q: What happens if I'm not available to sign for the package?
A: FedEx will attempt delivery three times. If you are not home, the business is closed, or someone over 21 is not available to sign, the package will be sent back to us. You can choose to have the package resent, but we will need to charge shipping once again. If you want a refund for the order, we will only be able to refund the cost of the product, not the shipping. Alternatively, if you think you will not be home to sign for the package, you can choose shipment to a Walgreens/FedEx location.

Q: Do you accept international orders?
A: No. We do not ship internationally (outside of the United States), to freight forwarders or PO Boxes. In addition, we cannot accept foreign credit cards with foreign billing addresses.

Q: Do items come with a box/tube?
A: As a rule of thumb for our website, anything pictured with a box/tube will ship with the box/tube. Some heavier boxes cost more for shipping, so you will notice the shipping charge increases in the cart. If you would like to save on shipping costs or would prefer not to have the extra box/tube, put in your notes at checkout that you'd like to skip the box/tube. We will adjust your shipping cost (if necessary) and refund the difference after the order has been placed. (Some items do not have an increased shipping cost due to the packaging.)

Q: How do I find a product available in my state if Internet Wines doesn't carry it or can't ship to my state?
A: Unfortunately, we do not have any information regarding availability of products in other states. We do, however, recommend using the website www.WineSearcher.com.

COMPANY INFO

Q: What is your cutoff time for ordering?
A: We have an official cutoff time of 9:00am CST for same day processing. Orders can take up to 2-3 business days to process and will be shipped out according to the shipping type you purchased. (Orders are processed Monday through Friday.)

Q: What are the hours for customer service?
A: Our offices are open Monday through Friday, 10am-5pm CST. You can reach us via phone 314-865-3569 or by email.

Q: Why does the phone number listed on the web dial a place called "Randall's"?
A: "Internet Wines and Spirits" and "Randall's Wines & Spirits" are one and the same. The number you have dialed is our base of operations in St. Louis, Missouri. Randall's is a family-owned wine and spirits store, operating 5 locations in the Metro St. Louis, Missouri area. If you ever find your way to the area, be sure to drop by the store.

Q: Are these prices/items available at your St. Louis or Fairview Heights, IL stores?
A: Prices and availability reflected on our web site are in no way representative of our retail stores in St. Louis, MO or Fairview Heights, IL.

ORDERING

Q: Why is there no order button for the product I want to purchase?
A: If there is a SOLD OUT button, then we are out of stock on that item at this time. In most cases, the product will be restocked. Email us or call us and we will let you know the status of the item in question.

Q: Do I need to be 21 to order?
A: YES. You must be 21 or over to place an order with us. A signature and valid ID will be required from an individual 21 years or older upon delivery.

Q: What if I order something that is out of stock?
A: If we expect to be out of an item for more than 3 days, we will contact you for replacement or substitution.

Q: I have a problem with my order, how do I fix it?
A: We are available Monday-Friday 10am-5pm CST via phone at 314-865-3569 or you can contact us via email. Please have your order number ready. (It can be found in your confirmation email. It is a 6-digit number after the IWS.)

Q: Do I pay sales tax?
A: We are only required to collect sales tax for items which are either picked up at the store or shipped to residents of Illinois, New Hampshire, or Missouri.

Q: Can I include a gift message or special instructions with my order?
A: You can add a gift message or special instructions to your order on the checkout page. Prices are NOT included on the packing slip.

Q: If I purchased an item at regular price and it goes on sale shortly thereafter, can I get a refund for the price difference?
A:If the item or items you purchased are now lower in cost AND it has been no more than 7 days since your purchase date, we will give you a refund for the price difference.

Q: Why was the wine vintage I ordered not available?
A: We do our best to ensure that the vintages on our website are updated and accurate. However, when we go to order from our supplier, they may not have the requested vintage. If we cannot fulfill your order with the requested vintage, you will be notified via email. You can either choose the newer vintage or cancel your order. If we do not hear back from you within a few days regarding vintage change, we automatically cancel the order.

Q: Can I modify or cancel an order once it has been placed?
A: After placing an order, any changes must be made on the phone or via email. If your order has already been shipped but has not yet been received in your possession, shipping charges will not be refunded. If your package has already shipped out, you can simply refuse the order when it arrives, however, when the merchandise is received back at our warehouse, you will only be refunded for the product cost.

SHIPPING

Q: Why hasn't my order's tracking status updated?
A: Orders shipped to certain parts of the country are often passed to a local shipper in the area. There may be a delay in the time between the shipping label being created and the local shipper receiving the package. It may take a little longer than normal for tracking info to be updated.

Q: Is there a list of Walgreens locations I can have my order sent?
A: To see a list of Walgreens locations that offer FedEx package pickup, visit Walgreens.com and use the Store Locator. Enter your shipping address to see which locations are nearest to you. If a location says "Pickup & Delivery Available", then you can use that location for FedEx package pickup. In addition, if you would like a certain Walgreens location for your order, please put the address in the order notes at checkout.

Q: Is it safe to ship wine & spirits in hot/cold weather?
A: During extreme weather in the Summer and Winter months, we recommend delaying shipments to ensure the safety of your product(s). We do not like to ship wine if the weather is above 85 degrees or below 32 degrees. We ship spirits in the summer, but delay shipment in the winter for items under 50 proof, since the liquid can freeze. We will hold your order in our temperature controlled warehouse until weather permits. Please let us know at checkout if you require us to hold your order due to weather, otherwise we will decide what's best for the product and keep you informed about your order via email.

Q: Where is the safest place to send my order - a home or business?
A: We recommend that you ship your order to a business address, or an address where an adult will be available to sign for your shipment. Our providers will make three delivery attempts before returning the shipment to us. If the order is returned after the third attempt, the customer is responsible for the return shipping cost. Please note, we cannot ship to PO boxes, UPS Stores, FedEx Office locations, freight forwarders, or US Post Offices.

Q: My order shipping to Illinois/Missouri was canceled. I thought you shipped to Illinois/Missouri?
A: We have 2 warehouse locations: one in Missouri, one in Illinois. If the shipping address for your order is Illinois and the product is only available at our Missouri store, we cannot transfer it to the Illinois store to fulfill the order. (And vice versa for Missouri orders.) Due to state liquor laws, we cannot transfer items between our two stores. If you have an address that is in another state we can legally ship to, we can gladly fulfill the order. Our ordering system cannot decipher between MO/IL orders, therefore we go through each order individually.

Q: Why did I get charged $15 for a FedEx Address Correction?
A: FedEx makes every attempt to deliver your package to the address you've given us on your order. However, in some cases, these addresses are undeliverable due to an invalid zip code, missing suite number, etc. In order to deliver these undeliverable packages, FedEx will determine the correct address, complete delivery, then notify us that they had to take extra steps to deliver the package. You will receive notification from us stating that we are charging you for this FedEx Address Correction fee.

Q: What does SHIP PARTIAL mean exactly?
A: At checkout, if you select ship partial, we will ship the items in your order that are currently in stock at our warehouse. We will adjust your order total and shipping cost to get the items out quickly. We will not, however, ship the other items that were left off the order. You will have to re-order those items in a completely new order.

Q: I don't like FedEx. Can't you just use UPS to ship my order?
A: We have an exclusive contract with FedEx, therefore they are the only shipping company we can use to ship our orders. All orders must be shipped using our shipping labels and our FedEx shipping account. We cannot use a shipping label provided by a customer.

RETURNS

Q: The item I purchased arrived damaged. How do I return it?
A: Simply return the damaged product to its original shipping box (including original packaging materials), and call us at 314-865-3569 or email us within 2 business days of delivery. We will then send FedEx to inspect/collect the damaged merchandise. Once FedEx has collected the package, we will send a replacement or credit your account accordingly. If your package contained multiple items, please return only the damaged portion of your order.

Q: How long do I have to return an item?
A: If you have a problem with your order, we would like to know about it. Please inspect your package immediately upon delivery. In the instance that your package is damaged during transit, we require you to notify us via phone (314-865-3569) or email of any broken/damaged items within 2 business days of delivery. We require the sealed/unopened items to process a claim and send a new shipment to you. We will not replace any empty bottles.

Q: Do I have to pay to ship my item back to you?
A: If the item is damaged, we will send a FedEx return tag to you via email. Place the damaged item in the original packaging and send it back to us. Once we receive the item, we will send a new one to you. If the item you receive isn't damaged, but merely you changed your mind and want to return it for a refund, you will be charged a return shipping fee to send it back to us. Once we receive the item, we'll refund your card for the original item that was returned, but we'll also charge you for the return shipping fee.

WEBSITE INFO

Q: What does Internet Wines do with my personal information?
A: We do not share/sell any personal info gathered by this site with anyone.

Q: How often do you update your prices?
A: We update our prices daily.

Q: How safe is sending my personal information and credit card number over the web?
A: It is very safe. The information you send is secured and encrypted using SSL technology. This makes it very difficult for anyone to intercept and interpret your information. It is certainly safer than giving someone your information over the phone.

Q: What types of payment do you accept?
A: We only accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express & Discover cards.

Q: Do you offer gift certificates?
A: Yes we do! Click here for more information and to purchase.

Q: Do you guarantee pricing and item availability?
A: We cannot confirm the price of an item until after the order is placed. In the event of a pricing error, Internet Wines may refuse or cancel any orders placed for that item. We will notify you of any cancellations via email. Prices and availability are subject to change without notice.