Firstleaf Wine Club Reviews

Firstleaf Wine Club
( 75 reviews )

Firstleaf Wine Club is a wine club which describes themselves as “the first fully personalized and customizable wine club” at work in the US today. 

How Does Firstleaf Wine Club Work?

According to their website, the goal of Firstleaf Wine Club is to be a revolutionary new way to enjoy wine. Instead of other wine clubs which rely on wine experts to choose your wine for you each and every month, Firstleaf says they only need one expert to choose your wine each month, and that’s you.

Customers who sign up will get to choose whether they prefer a monthly shipment of red or white wine, or a mix of the two, and whether they prefer domestic or international wine, or a mix of the two.

Once you’ve signed up and receive your first shipment, that’s when your membership truly begins. 

Each time you receive a shipment, you will provide the company with feedback on what you liked or didn’t like about each bottle of wine, so each and every month they will be able to send you a selection of wines that are better and better suited to your tastes. 

In addition, customers will be able to see all the selections they have coming up for the next month and choose to swap those wines out for different wines if they choose, and they have complete control over the shipment schedule as well, with the ability to pause or skip a month at any time.

Cost/Price Plans

It seems as though every member will start off with a single shipment of six bottles priced at $39.95+tax or twelve bottles for $79.95+tax.

These are the first bottles the wine concierge uses to get your feedback on the types and tastes of wines you like and don’t like, before they proceed with your regular membership order of six or twelve bottles per shipment.

The website says that because they have “cut out the middleman” and partner directly with wine producers to save their customers up to 60% off the retail price of each bottle.

Regular club shipments are always 6 bottles for $79.98 plus tax and $9.95 shipping or 12 bottles for $159.95 plus tax and Free Shipping.

Refund Policy

In fact, Firstleaf Wine Club does provide their customers with a Credit Policy, which is actually very unusual for a wine club. Of course if a bottle arrives at your house broken or damaged, customers should contact Member Experience right away so they can address the problem as soon as possible.

However, this company goes a step further and says that they want their customers to be 100% satisfied, and so a customer who isn’t satisfied with a bottle of wine they have received from Firstleaf should contact their Member Experience team to discuss a potential credit.  In some cases a $20 restocking fee may apply.

Member Experience Contact Info

Customers who wish to contact their Member Experience team with any questions, concerns, or complaints can do so by phone at 800-461-7203 or by email at [email protected].

Customer Reviews & Complaints

There is a wide range of reviews for First Leaf Wine club, ranging the gamut from terrible to excellent.  The majority of 1 star reviews all seem to stem from the logistics side of the business i.e. shipment and account issues. 

While on the other hand many members enjoy the budget friendly tasty wines, rating the company 5/5 stars.

Many companies have taken to the subscription “monthly box” business model and are dealing with the pains of that strategy.  There are a lot of logistics that go into managing customers shipments and affording them ample time to cancel/modify their orders before shipments go out.

On top of that there’s the fallout from customers who forget or don’t realize that they’re locked into a monthly plan that won’t stop until they authorize them to.  In response to these challenges First Leaf is making an effort to be as transparent and clear as possible.

If you need to cancel or unsubscribe you can do so at Firstleaf.com/unsubscribe, simply sign in, and follow the instructional prompts.  They also make an effort to reach out to folks who’ve left poor reviews attempting to make things right by either redelivering the wine or providing credit.

Customer issues aside; wine itself is a very personal topic with varying tastes and preferences which usually can’t be fully answered for you without sampling the products.

That being said, this company is making some amazing promises that are almost too good to pass up.

The ability to get monthly selections based specifically on your tastes and feedback, the ability to return bottles you are dissatisfied with, and the promise of a minimum discount of 25% off retail price with the ability to pause or cancel your service at any time seems to add up to a company that customers should be willing to try for themselves.

Competitors and Alternatives?

Certainly there are many other wine clubs in operation in the United States, including Vinesse Wine Club, TastingRoom.com, and Winc Wine Club. 

It should also be noted that most of these other options have similarly negative reviews as First Leaf.  You’ll be hard pressed to find a wine club with a flawless shipping record and a 100% customer satisfaction record.

If you have any experience with Firstleaf Wine Club or their products, please leave your reviews below.

Firstleaf Wine Club Customer Reviews

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Great variety of wines not available locally. Value for price point Is exceptional
April 16, 2023

I’ve been a member for about 2 years. I’m 98 bottles behind in my consumption.

However, each time I open a bottle i am amazed at the quality for price point. I let First Leave pick 3 w and 3 red without any other criteria and if not rate the wines. I’m drinking AVRO 18 FIANO. never heard of it. Quite nice.

As an OHIOAN I am most satisfied with the club as Ohio has a state distribution monopoly and these wines are a pleasure to discover.

If it's too good to be true...
January 16, 2023

I received 18 bottles before canceling membership. A few weeks after final delivery, I opened a bottle. I have since poured seven down the drain. There isn't any character to any, in fact, I suspect they're tainted somehow. Honestly undrinkable. Did not want hassle of returning, etc. I'm writing cost off. Would recommend buying from local vendor!

Membership Trap!
October 12, 2022

I had a bad experience with the company, but not with the wine. The wine was fine, not something incredible, but I bought my girlfriend for her birthday a package through their website, and before I knew it I was member in the club, payed 108$ on the month that followed, on wines I had no intentions to purchase, without ANY ability to return it and get a refund.

I'm sure that many others fell into this trap of theirs.

Excellent wine and service
June 2, 2022
I’ve been a member for the past year and a half. I LOVE the wines and I have had EXCELLENT customer service. I’ve had contact with real people via email and phone, when I wanted to make changes to my twice monthly orders. I did accidentally receive a wrong order once, but they said keep it and still sent my regular one immediately. I’ll stay with this club!

Total Fraud Stay Away
December 16, 2021

I can confirm what others have said; the company operates with the intent of constantly defrauding the customer.

The first instance occurred around OCT of 2021 when I delayed my next shipment for a few months but the company claimed the order was already processed and could not be changed or delayed. Their concession was to put my account on hold until APR 2022.

Low and behold I happen to find yet another charge to my account in DEC 2021. When I inquired about it the rep responded with yes I see that your account is on hold but we decided to place an order for you in DEC 2021 so you will be fully stocked.

So literally they will do unauthorized charges on your account whenever they feel like it and claim that you didn't respond to an email to tell them to stop. WTF!

Pure FRAUD! Good luck on your CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT that I am starting. This is a zero star company that will have you constantly checking your account for fraudulent charges.

Lotan October 12, 2022

I had a similar experience. I'm sorry for what they've done to you. It's a complete fraud.

They Will Absolutely Continue To Bill After Cancelling.
November 22, 2021

I tried this service and was not satisfied as the wine was misrepresented and over priced $8 bottles with front labels stating they were from France and Chile and rear labels saying bottled in US . Twist tops cheapies would show up when I did not exchange online prior to delivery. There is total truth in the feedbacks left that this company continues to bill after you cancel. A month after I cancelled they sent more.

When I called for refund they tried to say it was already shipped. I explained the fact that I will go out of my way to place a heavy lawsuit and use the BBB to impact their business and fight for my compensation plus legal fees and hardships,mental anguish ect thats when they agreed to a refund, Go to the store and pick some wine. This service is a sham of pure trash,hot wine and employees gifted with tongue to force you to continue being billed.

BeverlySchmidt June 02, 2022

In the 18 months I’ve been a member, I have never received a twist top.

PeggiSturmfels July 07, 2022

Me either. All the wines have been excellent except for 2 that were exchanged. Customer service is stellar. Been a member for almost 2 years, changing addresses and never had a problem that wasn't handled very well.

Easy to discover great new wines!
September 18, 2021
I have really enjoyed my surprises from firstleaf. They make it easy to try new and different things at a reasonable cost. There are very few bottles that I have not enjoyed. And several bottles I have ordered more of after trying. I would recommend if you just want to try something new!

Firstleaf Lies and Customer Service is Bots, then humans who argue with you
July 14, 2021

My wine arrived so hot you could not hold the bottles. Firstleaf CLAIMS to deliver in refrigerated trucks but reality is they use Fed=Ex. You have to be home to sign to get order, and they don't tell you when the wine will arrive. I Know my wine sat on a Fed-Ex truck for 4 days because that's how long I was waiting and tracking it on Fed-Ex.

When it finally arrived, their "covid safe" delivery was a Fed-Ex guy without a mask barging into my home so I could sign his iPad. For this all six bottles were Ruined as they sat on the hot truck in Reno for 4 days before finally being delivered (I waited at home 4 days so I could sign).

When I complained, all they did was argue, claiming they use refrigerated trucks (LIE) claiming the wine could not be ruined (IT SMELLS LIKE URINE). I think they use this technique to dump ruined wine off on customers and charge us a "discount" to unload their lousy ruined wine, then if you report to customer service all they do is argue with you.

THEY LIED. the Fed-Ex truck was not refrigerated, the wine was ruined, and they won't refund my money, just harass me with "customer service" letters about how great they are. DO NOT BUY WINE FROM FIRST LEAF

Firstleaf Customer Service August 17, 2021

Hi Kay,

We take heat very seriously when we ship our wines and send them in refrigerated cars for the majority of the trip. For the last few miles, however, the wine is exposed to some heat on the truck. These last few miles will occasionally make the bottles feel hot to the touch, but it’s rare that it affects the taste of the wine. If the wine has been affected just let us know and we will happily replace them right away!

As for the FedEx driver not correctly wearing a mask and entering your home, we can always file a complaint with FedEx on your behalf. We also offer the option to switch your preferred carrier to UPS, just let us know.

First Leaf is a huge bait and switch scam!
March 5, 2021
Huge Scam. I was baited in with a gift and then they started billing me monthly. I called and they credit my account, waited a few months and started back billing me again. Do not due business with First Leaf!!!

Firstleaf Customer Service March 09, 2021

We would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you to research this matter. There isn't enough information in this review for us to locate the account to determine what transpired.

Could you please contact us at 1-800-461-7203? Our Member Experience team is available from 8:00am to 9:00pm EST. Member Experience is very important to us, and we would like to research this issue further please.

Best regards, Firstleaf

Frauds. Scammers.
January 11, 2021

This company reinstated my account after I canceled it to squeeze more money from me, hoping I wouldn’t catch them. I woke up to a $70 charge on my credit card this morning, which I had no knowledge of.

When I went onto the site, I found that they had reinstated my account without notifying me. When I tried to take my credit card off of the account information on the website, I was blocked. When I spoke to a customer service rep, “Samantha,” she said it was “too late” and they were already shipping the order.

Which is bogus because they initially told me that there were two days left until the shipping process began. I had to lock my credit card, notify my credit card company and get a new credit card.

Stay away. They’re frauds and they will scam you.

Firstleaf Customer Service March 08, 2021

Dear Ashley, We are sorry for any confusion as we never reinstate a member's account without a specific request to do so. However, we do see the order was canceled and you were refunded on 1/12. We've supplied records of your user history by email. For additional details on membership please visit: https://help.firstleaf.club/hc/en-us/sections/360004717913-Membership. We do hope we have addressed your concerns, and we did process the refund as requested. Best regards, Firstleaf Member Experience

Don't be fooled!
December 29, 2020

First of all, there are no such vineyards as these bottles specify. I found several of the vineyards under fictitious business'. Basically, these are private label wines. It's probably the same wine/variety being bottled and getting a different label/vineyard slapped on.

I tried various varieties and they much pretty much tasted the same, there was nothing to distinguish the wines from each other

For example, google 'two rabbit imports' and you'll see it's a fictitious business for firstleaf, hence, firstleaf is pretty much the producer and bottling, perhaps the same variety of wine under various vineyard names/labels.

Look up bronco wines to get an idea. At least fred and joe franzia are honest that they are producing several wines under various names/vineyards that are non existent and know that a good wine shouldn't cost anymore than $15/20 the most.

It seems that these Napa, Paso Robles and Sonoma growers are pretty much money hungry people taking advantage of poor immigrants for pennies by the hour while they're charging stupid people, whether you're rich or poor, an obscene amount for wine that is sub par and taking advantage of the region and if you ask me, old world taste so much better.

Firstleaf Customer Service March 08, 2021

Hi Franco, apologies for the confusion! The labels on the wines are not wineries or vineyards. We are the winery, we produce smaller batches! We work directly with vineyards across the world and do all of the winemaking & finishing here at our winery in Napa, CA.! You can learn more about our winemaking process here: https://www.firstleaf.club/grape-to-glass

Confirmation of 2 shipments 1 membership and 1 online store
December 13, 2020
I frequently order an extra shipment in addition to membership shipment. I ordered the extra shipment thru the online store. This month I ordered an extra shipment and I have not received confirmation. I placed the order by your deadline of Dec 14 in order to receive by holidays. I respect that this is a trying time. I would just like confirmation that my wine will be here before holidays.

Scam
December 10, 2020
I signed up for a trial run. My family didn't care much for the wine so I cancelled the service on November 30th. They charged my credit card for $94.19 on December 7th and shipped wine. I emailed them and they said to refuse the shipment and they would refund me the money but charge me a $20 restocking fee. A restocking fee for something I did not order? Seems to be a common theme of Firstleaf.

Bob Kenny January 10, 2021

Scam

This exchange says it all:

Sent: Saturday, January 09, 2021 at 6:07 PM

From: "Firstleaf"

To: "Robert KENNY"

Subject: Re: Five9 Call

You shipped on January fifth, two days after I canceled. It was not in-transit. I see the host of complaints on Reviewopedia for this scam. The package is being rejected because it was delivered unannounced and unsigned for. As soon as I figure out what agency governs your conduct I will complain. And,you can count on a dispute with my credit card company.

##- Please type your reply above this line -##

Gabbie L. (Firstleaf)

Jan 9, 2021, 6:07 PM EST

Hi Robert,

I spoke with you on Thursday regarding your order in transit. At this time, I am seeing that this package was accepted and delivered. Unfortunately, I am unable to process a full refund as our members are unable to return any packages. However, I've processed a $30 refund so you can enjoy this at a discount rate. Please allow 5-7 business days for this to reflect on your statement. You can review more about our return policy by clicking here.

Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns!

Best,

Gabbie

Member Experience Specialist

Gabbie L. (Firstleaf)

Jan 7, 2021, 10:55 AM EST

Ticket created from call

This email is a service from Firstleaf. Delivered by Zendesk

[WVE96Y-43DD]

Worst!
December 3, 2020

WORST WINE CLUB! Worst customer service. I ordered on 11/29 and told wine would be delivered on 12/1. It never came and tracking shows FedEx hasn’t received my box.

On 12/3, I was actually told my wine would be delivered on 12/1! So, I guess they’ve developed a time machine. The rep couldn’t tell me where my order was or if/when I would receive it. His only solution was to cancel my order and membership. Fine with me.

But, seriously, that’s not good or appropriate customer service and satisfaction at all. Good riddance.

P.S. If you’re looking at reviews of this company, look closely and look at a lot of different ones. There are many “review sites” that give it good reviews. And, I’m sure some of them are receiving compensation. But, it sure makes me wonder if the company itself created some of these sites. Because if you dig deeper and look for real reviews, you’ll find a lot of unhappy customers.

Forced Shipment
September 24, 2020

I ordered 1 shipment not realizing I was "joining" a wine club. The wine was mediocre, but worth a shot for the money. Not worth their regular prices. The next month I receive an email alerting me of another pending shipment. I immediately responded that I had no desire for another shipment and they confirmed it was cancelled.

I went to their website to delete my credit card. Guess what? No can do. No worries, if they alert me of another pending shipment I'll decline. Guess what? Next email was informing me the wine was shipped! I again email back. STOP!! Ok. Alcohol deliveries in CA have to be accepted by an adult upon delivery. I just won't accept delivery.

Guess what? A box shows up outside my door unannounced. There's more to the story but I won't bore you. Lesson learned: Any company that holds your credit card hostage can not be trusted. No phone number on the web site, ditto.

Firstleaf Customer Service October 06, 2020

Hi Steve, so sorry for the confusion! Memberships must be canceled on your account, not through email. We're happy to walk you through the process and take a look at past orders for you! Our phone number is 1(800)461-7203. We'll be able to remove your card information as well.

Firstleaf Customer Service October 06, 2020

Hi Steve, apologies for the confusion. Memberships must be canceled through your account, you cannot cancel by email. We're happy to walk you through the process and remove any payment information for you. Please call 1(800)461-7203.

mr.terry
September 5, 2020
i ordered, and on the date of delivery, it did not arrive.please send the wine.,thank you

Firstleaf Customer Service September 09, 2020

Hi Mr. Terry, please reach out to 1(800)461-7203 and we'll be happy to look into the order for you!

Firstleaf came through
June 3, 2020
I got my 6 bottles within a week, before covid hit. I loved 5 out of the 6 wines. The 6th was ok., but not terrible. Prices I thought were reasonable. I’m a slow wine drinker, so I was able to get my next shipment 4 months later. No problems at all. Very happy.

Firstleaf Customer Service June 03, 2020

Hi Brenda! We're so glad you enjoyed your first introductory order. The good news is when you rate a wine that you’ve tried, we’ll be able to use that information to determine the kinds of wines you like and filter through our inventory and curate a box specific to you. It gets better with every box!

Paul Dolbec July 08, 2020

Rating the wines does seem to help in getting more of what you like to have in the next order.

Customer Service is the worst
May 25, 2020

This echoes what many others have said, and it's comforting to hear I'm not alone. After receiving my first order, I canceled my subscription. The wines were okay, but I prefer sweets, and they didn't seem to have a lot so I wasn't interested in continuing.

A couple of weeks later I received an email that my next order was almost ready to be shipped. I quickly tried to cancel online but received an error message. I tried calling, only to get an automated message telling me to email them instead. They said I would receive a response to my email between 3-5 days, but I just received a response after 2 weeks of trying again and again to reach them. The wines were shipped to me during this time, and I had to refuse them at the door.

They have now said I will be refunded, but I'm going to be very upset if I am changed a restocking fee. I do NOT recommend this subscription!

Firstleaf Customer Service June 03, 2020

Apologies for the inconvenience! Our customer support team is experiencing higher than normal volume of emails/phone calls and are answering all requests in the order they were received. We make sure to send an email notification 9 days ahead of time, this way you can cancel or modify your order through your account before it processes and ships. Happy to hear our customer support team has resolved this refund for you!

Paul Dolbec July 08, 2020

Emails have not been answered and you can NEVER get anyone to talk with you. I enjoy the wines and the process, but customer service needs some tuning up.

WORST WINE SUBSCRIPTION
May 18, 2020
First leaf is the WORST company, customer service is a joke. They set up a customer service line but NO ONE is ever there to pick up. Tried calling them many times at diff hours and almost every day within 2 weeks. I set my wine subscription for every 3 months, but they still shipped new order next month and charged me continuously. Can't even delete my credit card! Had to call the Bank to block them. Beware.

Firstleaf Customer Service May 18, 2020

We deeply apologize for this. Our customer support team is experiencing higher than normal volume of emails and are answering all requests in the order they were received. Our phone does have a callback option for those who do not want to wait for our Member Experience team to be available. If you also left an email, a member of our MX team will be in touch with you very shortly to provide further assistance. We appreciate your patience with us!

Dishonest
May 4, 2020
Problem 1: Singing up for one shipment forces you on a monthly membership 2. The site makes it difficult to get out of it. 3. My first shipment was cancelled without my consent and no money refunded. 4. When I asked for a refund, they refused. Any business based on trickery is guarantee to fail.

Firstleaf Customer Service May 15, 2020

Hi Lee, we are a wine club, so you are signing up to be part of a club, which is clearly stated during the sign-up process. We let you control how frequently orders come to you and you can get them automatically every 1, 2, or 3 months depending on your preferences. If that's still too frequently, we always let you set the next delivery date in your account and you can keep pushing it out until you're ready for more wine! This information can also be found on our site at https://help.firstleaf.club/hc/en-us/articles/115000861707-General-Club-Information.

If you didn't get your introductory order or a refund, please reach out to [email protected] about this and they are more than happy to look into this as soon as they are able to get to your request!

MG May 18, 2020

Hi this customer is pretty on point. I am experiencing the same thing as Lee, and the frequency subcription order is not working.

I set up 3 months out but the order came early (in less than one month) which is why I tried reaching your customer service line and email for 2 weeks, but NO ONE responded.

Please reevaluate your customer service first and face your customer real-time, instead of hiding behind the scene answering comments when you already taken our money. this is unacceptable!