Monday, January 10, 2011

Asian Snakewine–The Fraud

Well, here we are – 21 Days after ordering express…..my Asian Snakewine Bottle arrived.  To say that I am disappointed is a HUGE understatement.

First, some background can be found HERE.

Since then, I have opened a complaint with PayPal about non-shipment, but now I will have to append it to be Damaged Goods and not what I expected.  Why is that you ask?  Read on McDuff…..

I picked up the package at my local Post Office.

Package

The first thing that didn’t bode well was the DENT in the box.  Throw in that the entire box is wrapped in tape (to seal it, as I would find out later), the contents is listed as an Glasshour (Hour Glass) with a $20 Value for customs and finally the phone number listed is one I had never heard of before (323 area code is Hollywood California) and in retrospect, I should have not accepted the package at all.  My fear was that my small town PO would raise suspicion due to these inconsistencies and next thing you know, I am on a terrorist watch list (if not already).image

I also noted that the box seemed a little small, considering that the website says the bottle is 10inches tall (more on that later).

I got home and cut open the box only to be greeted by an unusual smell and bubble wrap.  Not the big bubble bubble wrap mind you, but the tiny ones that are usually used for wrapping small electronics.  I would have investigated them further, except that they felt greasy and looked like they had been salvaged from a dump.  Plus, they smelled. 

DentExamining the bottle showed me the source of the smell.  The sealing job done by the vendor is lacksidasical at best.  It appears we are using some type of recycled bottle (the lid is partly covered and I can make out Kilmarnock Scotland) and they have to re-manufacture the seal.  How do you ask?  By wrapping it in (non-food grade) shrink tape of course.  The seal is horrible, and when you add that the cap is slightly dented and rusted…..there is no way in hell that I would ever drink the contents of this bottle.  I tried several times to get a good picture….this is the best I could do.  It should also be noted that the dent in the packaging is nowhere near where the end of the bottle was, so that cannot be used for an excuse (especially given the rust).

HeightAnother piece of false advertising is their website.  Remember when I said the package looked a little small to contain a 10 inch bottle?  Well, part of this has to do with the poor packaging and the other part is that the bottle is really 9 inches…..not 10.  Yet another rip off.

As you can see, this is a complete scam.  While the snake looks cool (it really does, although it is kinda small), the fact that the bottling is suspect (at best), the bottle cap is rusted and there is a leak (compromising the seal)…there is no way I would drink this.  I can’t even leave it on a shelf as it smells (due to the leak). 

As a someone who reviews items, there is no way I could make a recommendation of purchase.  Even if this vendor offered 10 for 1 pricing.  Hopefully, PayPal will see the evidence I present here, coupled with the rest of my claim, and simply refund my money based on this not being what was promised (size and condition), the bottle was damaged (and leaking) and not express shipped (10 Euro more expensive).  If not, then you can make your own summation of PayPal’s service in handling disputes…..but I know how I would feel.

Overall, Service with this asiansnakewine.com would not rate on a scale of 5.  Product Quality would also rate a zero, as I am unable to sample the product due to the poor condition upon arrival.  Express shipping was also a waste, therefore they made the trifecta….three Zeros.

Avoid this product like the plague.

6 comments:

  1. As much as you get me to try new things, this is one thing I wouldn't have tried even if the bottle was perfect and everything seemed on the up and up.
    I went to their website and it was a little suspect, none of the feedback had been confirmed and if I recall most sites require you to log into your account to leave a comment. Maybe it's just me but I would have liked to have seen at least verified with some sort of user name.
    It is sad you went through the anticipation of getting this package and only to be disappointed.

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  2. K- Come on...you would have tried a sip :P

    And I agree, some things did look suspect...but I also realized I was dealing with Thailand. I thought that having PayPal in the middle would help protect any transaction. We'll see how it works with the dispute.

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  3. Keep your stupid stories for yourself, if one retarded customer of this shop among thousands has nothing else to do than trying to convince everyone that his own experience due to his own stupidity concerns everyone, it's time to suicide yourself! I am also a shop owner and think that customers like you should be burn...

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  4. OMG! What a fantastic post!
    That has to be one of the funniest responses FROM A SHOP OWNER I've ever seen !
    Had much customer service training 'lovesoccerfoot' ??
    I'm sure your valued customer are overwhelmed by you caring and empathetic skill set ROFL! XD

    Seriously.. My 5 year old has more common sense and customer skills!

    Mr Bell, you deserve an award for weeding out and exposing this scumbag, .. Absolutely PRICELESS ha ha ha ha ha!

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  5. @lovessoccerfoot - Next thing you know, you'll say you are a ManU fan.

    This is my blog and if you dont like it, take off. That being said, it's already been proven to be a fraud and I got 100% of my money back - because Paypal realized it too.

    Shopkeepers like you are the worst kind, but I have little fear from you. As Simsey says (that sounds like a game), a 5 year old has more common sense. If I were to bet, I would guess you have ties to this fraud of a company and dislike the true information being out there. This is why I suggest to all my friends and readers - if you see a post somewhere else about AsianSnakewine, and they allow comments, post a link back to hear. Cheers

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  6. I recently ordered the scorpion and green snake and the little cobra in the bottles for my brother for Christmas. The bottles did not smell or leak. I did not order the from this website though. There is another place that sells this kind of product. I e-mailed the sender and ask if the wine was drinkable and the told me "he would't". That was good enough for me.

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