As a buyer, the auction process was straightforward, but despite information about import duties and fees being provided in advance, the final cost was much higher than anticipated.The major issue for me was the expensive shipping, which cost over £40 to the UK. On a bottle worth £1000s this may not be an issue, but for cheaper lots it's problematic. Aside from collection, this was the ONLY option offered for shipping.This is a big disincentive to bidding on lots in their EU warehouse, so I hope they can find a way to reduce that cost, even if it means longer shipping times, which in this case I would have been fine with.The shipping price then becomes part of the total value of the order, so after the 12% "Buyer's Commission", plus local VAT, plus delivery, the total value upon which 20% UK VAT is then charged is considerably higher. It's worth noting that this value also DOES include the hammer price for UK residents, though WH's FAQ did not explain this well at the time of bidding.There was also a charge of £11 for the courier to pay the duty in advance, which WH had not mentioned in their documentation, before or after my bid was placed. DHL inform me this is the option selected by the client, but WH had no knowledge of it. I would like to see this being optional, as at £51 before customs charges, I paid more than double the cost of the bottle before any customs fees were paid. Again, sometimes I am happy to wait for items, sometimes not, but this should be a choice.All up, in my example, a bottle with a hammer price of £22.50 ended up costing £98.80 at the time of delivery. I expected some import charges, but the total paid was absolutely not in line with the expectations set by WH.On top of this, on arrival the box has some significant and obvious defects which were not shown in the listing. It seems some damage was caused somewhere between the lot being photographed, and it being delivered.I reported this damage to WH and was contacted by them very quickly. While I was not seeking any compensation, they were quick to explore options with me, and took the time to help me to understand their perspective on some of the issues I encountered, some of which it is fair to say may have been outside of their control. They also had read, and noted issues mentioned in, this review.Within a couple of hours of our initial conversation, the matter was resolved, politely, and generously, by WH. Clearly this is a company that values good customer service, and this is a rare occasion where I have been very much swayed, not by the compensation, but by the effort put into their response. In the end, the total cost to me was much more in line with my expectations.There is certainly room to improve, however, I am confident that the WH team understood my concerns, and will actually take action to resolve any remaining issues in the future.I look forward to finding out if they do this, and will make an effort to find out, as unlike my opinion only a few hours ago, I fully expect to do business with them again in the future.
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Whisky Hammer aims to bring an exciting array of rare and collectable bottles available to auction alongside offering a hassle-free premium service for those looking to sell.
