How Can We Help You?

Check out the most frequently asked questions here; however, if you still need help then please contact us at hello@hic-winemerchants.com

Some Frequently Asked Questions & Answers!

How can I contact you?

 

You can contact us at Hic! by telephone 01977 550047 (from within the UK) or +44 1977550047 (from outside the UK). Alternatively, you can email us at hello@hic-winemerchants.com or fill out a contact form here: Contact Us 

 

You can also find us on Facebook 

 

When are you open?

 

At present our retail store in Ledston is open:

Monday - Closed

Tuesday - Closed

Wednesday - Closed

Thursday - Closed

Friday - 12 noon till 8pm

Saturday - 10am till 8pm

Sunday - 10am till 6pm

 

Our opening hours do vary over holiday periods so if you’re travelling a long distance to visit us, it’s always worth contacting us ahead to double check we’ll be open.

 

What is your email address and when will you reply?

 

You can email us at hello@hic-winemerchants.com and we’ll do our very best to help you as soon as possible. We aim to reply to all emails within 24 hours, but this is often much sooner.

Where do you deliver?

 

We can deliver to all mainland UK addresses and many off-shore and international addresses. If you live outside of the UK mainland it’s worth getting in touch with us to check if delivery is possible as there are some restrictions in certain countries on importing alcohol.

 

You can find out more about all our delivery services, prices and restrictions on our Delivery Page .

 

How long will it take for my order to arrive?

 

We aim to fulfil all wine orders within 10 working days from the date of placing your order, but this is often much sooner. When your order is despatched our couriers will attempt to deliver it the next working day. You can contact us to request a specific date and time for your delivery if you choose.

 

How can I track my order?

 

Once your order is ready for delivery, we will send you an email letting you know it has been despatched together with a tracking number and details of the courier. Once the courier has organised their delivery route you will receive a further email informing you of your anticipated delivery time. Our DPD service provides a 1hr Predict window for your delivery and also allows you to add or amend any delivery instructions.

 

Who will deliver my order?

 

Most of our orders are delivered by DPD UK but our independence allows us to select the best delivery partners to ensure we can get your order to you no matter where you are. We also work with APC, Royal Mail and ParcelForce.

 

What will happen if I am not in when you try to deliver?

 

If you are not in when DPD try to deliver, the driver will leave a calling card to let you know they tried to make a delivery and you will receive either a text or email notification confirming this. They will automatically attempt to re-deliver the next working day, but if this is not conveneient you can contact them to arrange an alternate day that best suits you. Please note that after two failed delivery attempts your order will be delivered back to us by DPD and this incurs a returns charge of £10.00. If you want to attempt re-delivery for a third time we will need to raise an additional invoice for the cost of shipping which is £12.50

 

What if my order has arrived and it’s damaged?

 

If your order arrives damaged, then please contact us as soon as possible. We’ll arrange for the damaged order to be collected and a replacement order sent out as quickly as we can.

 

How much does delivery cost?

 

Our Standard Delivery is FREE for most UK Mainland orders with a value over £165.00. All orders below £165.00 are charged £12.50 per consignment to a single UK Mainland address. 

 

Does Standard Delivery cover the whole of the UK?

 

No it does not. Our Standard UK Mainland Delivery does not provide a service to parts of the Scottish Islands & Highlands, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Wright, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. For all orders placed outside the UK Mainland we will contact you following placement of an order to agree shipment details and charges for which an additional invoice will be raised.

 

How much does it cost to deliver a single bottle?

 

Single Bottle orders are delivered using DPD track and trace with 1hr predicted delivery window and charged £8.00 per order.

 

Do you offer a Click & Collect service?

 

Yes, you can now order online and select our local pickup service option at checkout and you can then collect your order from our store in Ledston. If your order is urgent we recommend you contact us beforehand to check that your requirements are available and to arrange a convenient collection date and time. Please note that third-parties - for example taxi drivers, chauffeurs or any individual who is not the customer – will not be permitted to collect an order.

Please read our terms of sale carefully before placing your order and retain a copy of these terms and your order for future reference.

These terms and conditions apply to all wines, spirits or other goods or services supplied by Hic! to you.

How can I place an order with you?

You can buy online via our website www.hic-winemerchants.com or you can call and speak to us about your order requirements. You can also send an email with the details of what you would like to purchase.

Which wines or spirits should I pick?

We pride ourselves on customer service and having retailed wines and spirits for 25 years are confident we have the knowledge to support you. Just get in touch and we can guide you through the process of choosing the most suitable wines for your particular needs. If you prefer to shop online then we have ensured our website provides plenty of producer and wine information, alongside a great search and filtering function, to help you find exactly what you need.

What does it mean to buy wine in bond?

Purchasing wine “In Bond” (IB) is the traditional way of securing some of the world’s leading fine wines, particularly when they are first released for sale onto the market En Primeur. Fine wines are almost exclusively traded “In Bond” as they are often purchased as an investment and as such are a far more attractive to prospective buyers or brokers in this regard. IB Wines have not yet had the duty and VAT paid on them. They must be stored in a bonded warehouse approved by HM Customs & Excise. A selection of our wines can be purchased In Bond; however, they must be purchased by the unmixed case and are not available for delivery or consumption until the duty and VAT has been paid. If/when you choose to have the wines delivered these taxes become payable (at UK rates).

You can find out more about buying wine in bond here: Buy Wine In Bond 

You can find out more about Alcohol Duty Rates here: UK Duty Rates 

Can I buy Wine as a Gift for someone else?

Yes, you can purchase products as a gift for someone else and have it delivered to their address. Our independence allows us to offer a bespoke gifting service and we offer a range of gift packaging solutions to which you can add a gift message free of charge.

What Gift Packaging do you offer?

As standard all our wines are delivered in the industry leading "Pulpsafe" bottle packaging. This is fully recycled, recyclable, compostable and biodegradable. It can be re-used as planters for your garden or placed in any household compost and will biodegrade in less than 6 months. If you would like additional gift packaging, we can supply a wide range of options to suit most bottles and popular quantities. You can see our range here: Gift Bottle Presentation Packs

Please note that we are able to source and supply a wide range of gift packaging so please contact us if you would like a bespoke solution for your needs.

Can I send a gift message?

Yes, you can add a gift message for any order you place. You can enter this as part of the checkout process if you purchase online or when you speak to us about your requirements.

Do you sell Gift Vouchers?

Yes. We sell a range of Gift Vouchers in denominations of £10; £25; £50 and £100 that are available to use in our online store.

How can I buy Gift Vouchers?

You can purchase our electronic gift vouchers on our website here: Hic! Gift Cards 

Our gift vouchers are delivered by email with full instructions on how to redeem them online at checkout.

Which credit cards do you accept?

We accept all major debit and credit cards including Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and American Express.

Can I pay by PayPal?

No. PayPal have implemented operating practices which we believe are prohibitive to small business and as such we no longer support their payment option. 

Do you accept Apple Pay?

Yes our online store accepts payments using Apple Pay.

Can I pay with Google Pay?

Yes you can pay securely online using Google Pay.

Is my payment secure?

Yes. Shopping with Hic! is totally secure. Our payment provider is 'Shopify Payments' and they are PCI compliant and support 3D Secure checkouts. We do not store any customers financial details on our site.

Can I return the wine I purchased from you?

If you change your mind for any reason within 14 calendar days of receiving your order, please let us know by emailing info@hic-winemerchants.com within this time frame. The cost of returning the order will be at your expense and we will refund you, less your original delivery cost once we have safely received the products.

How do I cancel my wine order?

Any order placed for goods (to be delivered) may be cancelled within 14 working days of your receipt of the goods. A full refund will be offered provided the goods remain in a saleable condition and that the request to cancel is received in writing.

You can inform us you want to cancel your order by emailing us at info@hic-winemerchants.com, by post, by printing off the model cancellation form and posting it to Hic! Wine Merchants, 23 Main Street, Ledston, Castleford, WF10 2AB.

If you decide to cancel, you should return the goods to us at your cost within 14 days of such cancellation.

A charge of £10 will be payable for collections made by us.

We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.

Any cancelled order will be refunded to the purchaser via their original payment method, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the date upon which we have collected the Goods or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the Goods. The refund will include any outbound delivery costs incurred.

For your protection we strongly recommend that you use a recorded delivery service to return goods. All goods remain the responsibility of you until they are received by us.

I think my wine is corked. What should I do?

If you believe a wine we have supplied is corked or faulty, then please let us know straight away. In the first instance we will offer a replacement bottle; or if we are unable to replace the bottle from our stocks, we will offer a credit to the replacement value of the wine providing this falls within our 30 day return period from date of delivery.

We will ask for the return of the bottle in question, so we can have it tested and report back to the winery from whence it came.

If a wine has been kept too long or stored inappropriately, we may not be able to offer a refund.

Unfortunately we are unable to replace any mature wine over 10 years of age and these wines are purchased ‘sold as seen’.

Are all your wines available in your Ledston store?

Regrettably, not all wines listed for sale online are on the shelves of our Ledston store. Although we have an excellent selection of some 500+ wines and spirits to view in our shop, space prevents us from having all our wines on display. If you intend to visit our store for a particular wine it is best to check in advance that it is in stock before you set off. If we do not have stock, we can request it from our shippers for delivery within 2-3 working days.

Are all your wines online in stock?

As we are retail stockists, selling from our Ledston shop as well as online, it makes it difficult for us to show a 'real-time' inventory of our wines and spirits online. As such, very occasionally, a wine may be out of stock that the website has allowed you to order.

To ensure a timely delivery, we are happy to substitute your order with a similar wine of equal or higher value and at no additional cost to you! If this is not an acceptable solution please advise us in the 'Special Instructions' at the checkout.

Are the vintages of your wines correct?

We endeavour to display accurate and current vintages on all our wines listed on the website; however, from time to time stocks of the vintage listed do become exhausted. If this is the case with your order we will always contact you to recommend another vintage of the same wine, if it is still available. 

If the vintage of a wine is important to you then please either contact us, or leave us a message in the 'Special Instructions Box' at checkout.

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