The Science Channel has a new show called Oddities and I caught an episode on Saturday Morning. How awesome was this particular episode featured Asian Snake Wine – and the fraud that it was. Its really funny that they gave the seller $50 for the “Large Bottles” that AsianSnakeWine.Com sells for 199 Euro.
As far as the show – its pretty interesting, and I love all the Masonic stuff in the background (aprons and Fezzes). Maybe I will go there some day – would love to browse.
The real question is, how many pages can I have dedicated to AsianSnakeWine.com? The answer is….not enough.
You can read several of our stories on this fraudulent product -
And several others……but now, not only am I a blogger – I am an investigative reporter.
I’ve actually held off blogging, as I was worried that I might let it slip that I was making a trip to Brussels Belgium earlier this month. Normally I don’t mind people knowing where I am going or what I am doing, but I didn’t want key information to disappear from the web before I tracked it down. What information you ask…..sit back and pour yourself a drink.
I recently realized that the main address for AsianSnakeWine.com was based in Brussels.
A very basic address is listed at the bottom of every page of their site.
What I wanted to know, is what is their REAL address? This can be found ONLY on the Conditions of Use page -
Now we are getting somewhere.
I did try and reach out to AsianSnakeWine.Com on their customer feedback page back in August-
Notice when they say that they only have a Warehouse in Belgium. I posted a follow-up comment (that they kept deleting), asking if the product ships from Thailand, why do they need a warehouse in Belgium? I guess they don’t have an answer (but I have a theory coming up).
Fast Forward to three weeks ago – We arrive in Brussels and have a great week (more posts on that to come). We did have some free time one afternoon, so I went with two friends in search of 4 rue de la Presse, Brussels 1000, Belgium.
On the map, it didn’t look to far from our hotel…..so off we went.
After a stop at the Cathedral of St Michael, we followed my fantastic “Map” almost directly to the address.
Here are some pictures -
So, what is at 4 rue de la Presse, Brussels 1000, Belgium? Absolutely NOTHING. Well, that’s not fair – There are some offices (not a WAREHOUSE like they said on the feedback), but they are all Ghost/Virtual Offices. Don’t believe me? Look at this Website for Burotel – Fully serviced Virtual Offices, Flex Offices and Meeting Rooms. In fact, they advertise Domicilation – ie, a fake address to receive mail (and a service to forward it on) and give airs of having a prestigious address in Brussels.
Asian Snake Wine does not exist at this DoJo.
I should almost re-title this post AsianSnakeWine.Com Fraud Part 2.
My personal theory is that the main players at AsianSnakeWine.com are somehow tied to the political infrastructure of the EU in Brussels. As some type of diplomat, they have access to various channels, resources and funding, without having to be “based” in Thialand.
I challenge any consumer who stumbles on this page to ask yourself – With the evidence presented above, (plus the links HERE, HERE and HERE), how can you believe in/trust a company that has so many shady dealings?
Spread the word – There are buttons below for Twitter, Facebook and Google. If you +1 this on Google, this could help raise us in the search engines (we are already on Page 1, but at the bottom). Do your part and help me help others.
Cheers -
What am I supposed to do? The Rocket Scientists that run Asiansnakewine.com have now contacted Blogger.com because I have ONE copy written image of theirs on my website. Wooooooooo is me, Wooooooooo is me, WOOOOOO IS ME!.
According to the Email below, that page is now in “Draft Status” and cannot be viewed now…..big whoop. In their jealous rage (for loosing the PayPal Dispute) Asiansnakewine.com has now caused the one page on my site that actually spoke POSITIVE of their product to be removed. Now, if anyone comes across my site, they are 100% Guaranteed to see what sleezeballs these guys are, learn their selling tactics and know once and for all how AWSOME (insert Sarcasm HERE) their customer service is. I might put up a SPLASH type page there in the future, but for now….it’s to much work.
Needless to say, I find the whole thing funny.
Here is the Email I received an hour ago-
Blogger has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that certain content (the image at http://www.asiansnakewine.com/sites/asiansnakewine.com/files/imagecache/product_full/vin-de-serpent-zoom-3_1.jpg) in your blog is alleged to infringe upon the copyrights of others. As a result, we have reset the post(s) to "draft" status. (If we did not do so, we would be subject to a claim of copyright infringement, regardless of its merits. The URL(s) of the allegedly infringing post(s) may be found at the end of this message.) This means your post - and any images, links or other content - is not gone. You may edit the post to remove the offending content and republish, at which point the post in question will be visible to your readers again.
A bit of background: the DMCA is a United States copyright law that provides guidelines for online service provider liability in case of copyright infringement. If you believe you have the rights to post the content at issue here, you can file a counter-claim. For more information on our DMCA policy, including how to file a counter-claim, please see http://www.google.com/dmca.html.
The notice that we received, with any personally identifying information removed, will be posted online by a service called Chilling Effects at http://www.chillingeffects.org. We do this in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). You can search for the DMCA notice associated with the removal of your content by going to the Chilling Effects search page at http://www.chillingeffects.org/search.cgi, and entering in the URL of the blog post that was removed. If it is brought to our attention that you have republished the post without removing the content/link in question, then we will delete your post and count it as a violation on your account. Repeated violations to our Terms of Service may result in further remedial action taken against your Blogger account including deleting your blog and/or terminating your account. If you have legal questions about this notification, you should retain your own legal counsel.
Sincerely,
The Blogger Team
Affected URLs:
http://smokesandbooze.blogspot.com/2010/11/snake-wine-need-i-say-more.html
Tonight I woke up with a headache.
I think I am finally getting the crud that is going around and I’m really not looking forward to it with me in LA next week.
Anyway, since I was up, I decided to see how our old friends at Asiansnakewine.com were doing.
You see, I love drinking and, as a company, these guys are doing a disservice to the industry. There are tons of microbreweries and craft distillers out there that do not need people like AsianSnakewine.com to put doubt of quality into consumer’s minds.
With their poor customer service and lousy product, their only saving grace is the gimmick of their Snake Wine Product and the fact that word of mouth (and going viral) is keeping their business afloat.
So, as Don Quixote (having lost his mind due to lack of sleep and food from dedicating all of his time to reading….sound familiar) set out in the name of Chivalry….so have I, with Asiansnakewine as my Windmill.
My first quest resulted in VICTORY, so tonight I set off again…. visiting various blogs to see what others were saying and to add my two cents.
This lead me to Voda Online. You can see their cached Blogpost HERE (more on why it was cached here in a minute). After reading the post, I noticed there was no place to comment, but I did see you could follow them on Twitter.
A few quick tweets to @VodaMagazine and an hour later I got a respones:
VodaMagazine @smokesandbooze good to know! It would have been reasonable to not expect a scam but you never know with some other countries.
WOW. At least they acknowledged that it could be a scam….but when I went back to link to the story…they had PULLED it.
Double Kudos to Voda!
Everyone, this goes to show that even a small voice can make a difference. If one person doesn’t get ripped off by this scam, then all my blogging was worth it.
Do me a favor…..Visit Voda’s site to show them a little support. They did the right thing here and I think they deserve some recognition.
Also, if you are on Twitter….you can follow along HERE (@smokesandbooze).
Keep up the good fight and spread the word.
WOW….has it really been two months since this saga began? As many of you recall, I blogged about asiansnakewine.com back in November, saying it sounded interesting. In Dec, I placed an order and they missed the Christmas/New Year’s deadline I was looking for, which lead me to Blog HERE. I received my Asian Snakewine on January 10th, and promptly labeled it a Fraud.
What you might not know was that I started a fraud report with PayPal for “Non-Receipt of Goods” just prior to it actually arriving. Once the product did arrive, I then changed the claim to “Damaged and Not as Advertised”.
While there were some pains along the way when dealing with PayPal (I get they are trying to get as much evidence as possible), I received a great email this morning -
In it, I learn that I won the case…but I would have to return the bottle.
I would have been fine for this, except that they were wanting me to ship to France vs the place of origin, Thailand.
This made me a little nervous, as I would be shipping un-labeled liquor, in a leaky bottle, to another country of origin. I was in the process of contacting the USPS about this when THIS email came in -
I honestly couldn’t believe the gall of this person. It’s all my fault? Send it to another customer in the US (after I posted the condition HERE)? I have to pay for shipping <Direct Quote from PayPal- we've determined that you'll be eligible for a refund (including handling and shipping) once you've returned the merchandise to the seller.>? I really did think this guy is crazy….especially when you add his PS -
please could you also delete our Email address from your blog post as we have many new customers who contact us directly using this Email address, but we prefer that they contact us using the contact form on our store. Thank you for your post.
I don’t have his email address listed, only the web URL. Needless to say, I responded that I still thought their product was a fraud and might violate US Laws (no label and the way it was shipped into the US). I also said I was re-contacting PayPal.
Let’s just say, contacting PayPal via phone was a dream. The CSR was very friendly and helpful, and once she understood the situation (especially that it was liquor)…she found again in my favor. She also let me in on a little trick -
PayPal Education 101 – If you have a dispute being resolved by PayPal and they provide you an address to have the item shipped back to the vendor….ship to that address ONLY. Any other shipments violates their terms of agreement, and they will find for the vendor.
The CSR said this was a fairly common tactic by sellers, because they will not be held accountable or forced to pay a refund.
After a good 15 min discussion with PayPal, I hung up feeling better…but this was compounded by the email received 20 minutes later -
Full Refund….No Action Required.
Victory.
This of course leads to me to wonder, how do encourage companies to provide good customer service? It didn’t take me long to realize Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey is a company that needs more publicity, as they are a class act and are a group that understands that the liquor market is a tough one. I blogged on them in the past, as a sign of gratitude (imagine that) they sent me some promo swag and samples. What better way to show my support of a company that gets it….plus get the message out on this particular scam with asiansnakewine.com
So, for the first 10 people that share this link on Facebook or retweet, I will send an item from the Fireball Goody Bag.
My hat is off to them for recognizing that Blogs do make a difference, that the customer comes first and a big thanks for their generosity.
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.
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).
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.
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.
This should be the point in a review that I am all giddy from exposing people to something they have never had before.
This should be the point of the review with pictures and comments from everyone how impressed (or not) they are of a product.
This should be (in this case) the part where people are mugging with the bottle, because Asian Snake Wine is not something you find every day in the US.
It’s not. Why? Because I didn’t get my shipment.
You see, awhile back, I put a link on the Website (HERE) and eventually purchased a bottle. My order was received (payment accepted and acknowledged) on the 20th of Dec. The day I made the order, the website stated (at the very top in bold letters) that I would receive my shipment by Christmas if shipped express, they have since moved that offer to HERE.
Here is the text of the Email I received on the 20th of Dec.-
If you want a second snake or scorpion bottle you can send 39e more and then get your 2 bottles within 5 days because they will also be sent by express mail with internet tracking number and insurance.
If you are interested you can pay 39 euros only on this page:
http://www.snake-wine-cobra.com/buy-snake-wine/order-one-more-snake-wine-or-scorpion-wine-bottle-for-39-euros-only.htmlAlso we want to tell you that your parcel might take few more days to arrive than usual as we have two days holiday here.
Please add our email asiansnakewine@gmail.com to your contacts list to receive all our future messages concerning your order.
Best regards,
http://www.asiansnakewine.com
As you can see, at the worste I should be expecting this is the 27th…and for 39 Euro more, I could have another bottle.
To be fair, I opted out of the second bottle.
What followed is a series of Emails of me inquiring into the missing shipment.
I won’t bore you with the details of the emails (finally, someone with worse spelling than me), but I will share some highlights-
Throughout this process, I have been promised a bonus bottle cheaper (with no details how cheap), a “special offer” AFTER I received my item or a second bottle (the email states again “by Christmas”) if I fork over a little more cash.
Since I don’t have the liquor to review, I guess I will base my review on dealing with the company….and in a word. It sucked. I would not recommend dealing with Asiansnakewine.com under any circumstances. Communication was poor (and always prompted by me) and they have now gone quiet, not even responding to my last email of 4 days ago. Considering ordering online is based on trust….I don’t care if they offered me 10 bottles for 10 euro, I wouldn’t give my card information to them again. They do use Paypal, and my next course of action is to make a fraudulent claim….but still it’s a hassle for me. Hopefully there is some recourse there, but in the meantime…I wanted to share this experience in case anyone else out there was considering a purchase. This company (I can’t rate the product, since I haven’t gotten it) gets two BIG THUMBS DOWN.
Cheers.
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