Nov. 2002

POLICIES

1) All delivery orders must be submitted to the Vintners Express office by 3pm for next day delivery. Exceptions will be charged a rush charge

2) We need 24 hours notice of all deliveries coming into the warehouse.

3) VE cannot process add-ons after the original order has been processed. Add-ons sent after the original order will be treated as a new order with the same related charges. If the client clearly provides notice that the order is an add-on and provides the new combined case count, we will then offer the discounted service rate for the add-on order ONLY.

4) In the afternoon, we must focus on the immediate demands of our daily business. Clients are requested to address non-urgent business issues either in the AM, via email or drop them off for consideration as time allows.

5) VE only stores and tracks full cases. If you need a bottle storage area in the warehouse, please contact us to be assigned an area. With your permission, we will pick stock from your bottle area for deliveries but those items will not be tracked in inventory.

6) VE does warehouse pickups on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday in Napa and Sonoma. (City of Sonoma Monday only) (See rates) There is an additional $.50 per case charge for Tuesday and Thursday pickups. If required by the warehouse, pickup instructions must contain the warehouse pickup number. VE will call warehouse to schedule the time. Goods received are available for shipment the second working day. Exceptions will be charged rush charges and we accept no responsibility for inconsistencies in inventory.

7) VE provides inventory and delivery confirmations on our website at www.VintnersExpress.com.

8) A physical inventory will be taken the first Friday after the end of every quarter.

9) VE is serious about the care of your wines and often takes responsibility in rare problem situations. However, this responsibility is voluntary and your products are not specifically covered for loss under an insurance policy. It is advisable for VE customers to carry their own insurance. Claims for merchandise lost or broken must be made in writing within 30 days of the purported loss. VE's liability will not exceed 50% of the wholesale price to $100 per case of 12 750ml bottles. PROOF OF INSURANCE WITH WAIVER OF SUBROGATION IN FAVOR OF AMERICAN WINE DISTRIBUTORS, INC. IS REQUIRED!

10) New vintages, appellations or varietals must be marked on the receiving or pick up paperwork "NEW TO VE." Vintners Express will take no responsibility for inventory discrepancies and/or miss-shipments of wine that result from undesignated new product.

11) Our policy is that we can only wait 15 minutes for deliveries. After 15 minutes, we must now charge for standby time at the rate of $15 per fifteen minutes. After 45 minutes of waiting, we will leave for the next stop. You will be billed for the delivery and wait time, and we will contact you before scheduling another appointment. If we are late for our appointment, there will be no charge for waiting time.

12) If an order is refused, the driver will note who refused the order and immediately contact the VE office. The office will notify the client and request the client’s advice. The driver will wait up to 15 minutes for client instructions before leaving for the next stop.

13) VE always makes a “best effort” to deliver restricted time deliveries at no charge. VE does not guarantee restricted time deliveries unless specifically requested by the client with acknowledgement of their intention to pay an additional $10 charge.

14) VE bills are due and payable in 10 working days. Finance charges of 3% are added to outstanding invoices. Deliveries will be held and a lien placed on inventory if bills are not paid on time. VE considers products left in our warehouse for more than three months without payment of storage charges as abandoned. VE reserves the right to liquidate, destroy or remove abandoned product in accordance with a standard warehouse lien. Written approval from VE is required to obtain an exception to this policy.
Checks are payable to American Wine Distributors, Inc. with a reference to the Vintners Express Department. If there is a problem with your bill, please pay the entire bill and submit a request for credit in writing/email. We will review your claim and issue a credit to be used to pay your next bill.