Package Protection Policy

Wine Chateau Package Protection Policy

This Package Protection Policy ("Policy") forms part of our Terms & Conditions, Shipping & Delivery Policy and Return & Refund Policy. Package Protection is added to eligible orders at checkout and may be removed before you pay. Where Package Protection is included in your order, you agree to this Policy.

Package Protection is not insurance. It is not underwritten by an insurance company, and no insurer assumes any obligation to you under this Policy.

Package Protection is presented through a third party application, which provides the technology only. The commitment to you is Wine Chateau's own: Wine Chateau receives the Package Protection fee in full, reviews every claim, and provides every resolution described in this Policy. Your claim is made to Wine Chateau, and no third party carries any obligation to you under this Policy.

1. The service

Package Protection is added to eligible orders at checkout. You may remove it before completing your order. It provides priority claim handling, a committed decision timeline, and a resolution of your choosing for qualifying shipping incidents occurring while a shipment is in the carrier's custody.

Where Package Protection is removed at checkout, Wine Chateau is not responsible for loss, theft, damage, breakage, leakage or missing items once your order has been handed to the carrier. This does not affect errors on our part, as set out in Section 5 of our Return & Refund Policy.

If you remove Package Protection, you will be asked to confirm that you understand Wine Chateau is not responsible for loss, theft, damage, breakage, leakage or missing items once your order has been handed to the carrier.

How this Policy fits with our other policies

Title to the products passes to you in New Jersey and we arrange carriage on your behalf, as set out in Section 11 of our Terms & Conditions and Section 18 of our Shipping & Delivery Policy.

Where an incident occurs in transit and Package Protection is included in your order, the claim is handled under this Policy, which provides a defined process, a committed timeline and a resolution you select rather than one we determine.

Where Package Protection is removed at checkout, Wine Chateau is not responsible for incidents occurring in transit, other than errors on our part as set out in Section 5 of our Return & Refund Policy. This is also set out in Sections 14 and 15 of our Shipping & Delivery Policy.

The purchase of Package Protection does not mean that every claim will be approved. Claims are reviewed individually and remain subject to the requirements, limits, exclusions and verification procedures set out in this Policy.

2. Coverage

Subject to the exclusions and limits in this Policy, Package Protection covers:

· Carrier confirmed loss in transit;

· Theft occurring while the shipment is in the carrier's custody;

· Physical damage occurring during transport;

· Bottle breakage occurring during shipment;

· Leakage resulting from carrier handling;

· Missing bottles, where supported by shipment documentation or a carrier investigation; and

· Other verified shipping incidents occurring while the shipment is in the carrier's custody.

3. Exclusions

Package Protection does not cover:

· Incorrect or incomplete shipping addresses you provided;

· Delivery changes or rerouting you requested;

· Refused deliveries;

· Failure to provide an adult signature or the required identification;

· Return, redelivery or reshipment charges arising after the carrier has completed its permitted delivery attempts without an eligible adult aged 21 or older being available to sign, or after a shipment placed on hold has not been collected within the holding period. These charges are dealt with under Section 9 of our Shipping & Delivery Policy and Section 6 of our Return & Refund Policy;

· Failure to collect a shipment from an authorized carrier pickup location within the holding period;

· Shipments delayed because of instructions you gave;

· Cosmetic damage limited to manufacturer packaging, gift boxes, labels or presentation materials;

· Packaging variations, label updates or vintage substitutions permitted under our policies;

· Damage, loss or theft occurring after successful delivery;

· Mishandling, improper storage or misuse after delivery;

· Dissatisfaction with taste, aroma, appearance or personal preference;

· Fraudulent, misleading, altered or unsupported claims; or

· Anything specifically excluded under our Terms & Conditions or other policies.

Where a claim is excluded here, it may still be addressed under Section 5 of our Return & Refund Policy where it results from an error on our part.

4. Price and refundability

The Package Protection fee is tiered and is calculated from the value of the products in your order. The total fee is shown in your cart before you pay.

The fee is refunded in full if your order is cancelled before it ships.

The fee is not refunded once your order has shipped, including where you make no claim, or where a claim is submitted and declined.

5. Coverage limit

Our total liability for any Package Protection claim will not exceed the amount you paid for the affected product, excluding shipping, taxes and the Package Protection fee itself.

6. Submitting a claim

Report damaged, broken, missing or leaking products within 5 business days of delivery. For a shipment you believe is lost in transit, contact us as soon as you have reason to think so.

Email: hello@winechateau.com

Phone: 800-946-3190

Please give us your order number, your full name, the delivery address, a description of what happened, and any photographs or documentation we request. Reporting promptly matters, because carriers impose their own claim deadlines and a late report can stop us recovering from them.

7. Documentation and preserving the shipment

Keep the affected products, all packing materials and the shipping carton until we confirm you may dispose of them. Carriers require the packaging before they will process a claim, and once it has been discarded we may not be able to resolve yours.

When you file a claim, we may ask for:

· Photographs of the exterior shipping carton;

· Photographs of the shipping label;

· Photographs of the packing materials;

· Photographs of the affected products;

· Photographs showing leakage, breakage or other visible damage;

· Photographs showing the contents and packing materials, for a missing product claim; and

· Confirmation that a shipment was not received, or verification of the delivery address, for a lost shipment claim.

8. Claim review and timeline

We will acknowledge your claim within 1 business day and give you a decision within 10 business days of receiving the documentation we requested.

If a carrier investigation is required, a decision may take longer. Carrier traces for alcohol shipments typically run 5 to 8 business days, and we will keep you updated while it runs.

Our review may take account of carrier tracking records, delivery confirmation, adult signature records, carrier investigation results, shipping documentation, our correspondence with you, order history, photographic evidence, and other information reasonably needed to establish what happened. We ask that you cooperate with reasonable requests during the investigation.

If we decline a claim, we will explain why, and we will tell you whether the issue results from an error on our part that can be resolved under Section 5 of our Return & Refund Policy.

9. Claim resolution

Where a claim is approved, you may choose from:

· A replacement of the affected product;

· A comparable replacement product;

· Store credit for the affected product; or

· A refund for the affected product.

Resolutions are subject to the coverage limit in Section 5. The choice between these options is yours rather than ours.

10. High value, rare and limited products

Allocated wines, limited releases, rare spirits, collectible bottles and special order merchandise often cannot be replaced.

Where an identical replacement is unavailable, you may choose a comparable substitute, store credit or a refund for the affected product, subject to the coverage limit in Section 5.

Final sale status does not prevent a Package Protection claim. Section 3 of our Return & Refund Policy stops you returning a final sale product because you changed your mind. It has no bearing on a claim for loss or damage in transit.

11. Fraud and abuse

We take fraudulent and abusive claims seriously. Where we determine that a claim is fraudulent, materially misleading, or supported by altered or fabricated documentation, we may:

· Decline the claim;

· Retain the Package Protection fee for the affected order;

· Cancel pending orders and refuse future orders;

· Restrict or close your account;

· Decline to offer Package Protection on future orders;

· Recover amounts already paid or credited in respect of the claim; and

· Report the matter to the carrier, the payment processor, or the appropriate authorities.

We may also decline further claims where a pattern of claims is not consistent with carrier records or ordinary shipping outcomes. We will notify you before taking any of these steps and provide an opportunity to respond, except where doing so would prejudice an investigation.

12. Your responsibilities

To keep a claim eligible, you must:

· Inspect your shipment promptly on delivery;

· Report any issue within the timeframe in Section 6;

· Keep the affected products and all packaging until we say otherwise;

· Give us accurate information;

· Cooperate with reasonable requests during the claim review; and

· Follow the claim instructions we give you.

13. Relationship to our other policies

Package Protection supplements our Shipping & Delivery Policy and Return & Refund Policy. It does not modify our Terms & Conditions, guarantee delivery dates, replace the Return & Refund Policy, or create rights beyond those stated here.

The Shipping & Delivery Policy governs general shipping and delivery, and sets out how transit incidents are reported and reviewed. The Return & Refund Policy governs returns, cancellations and refunds. This Policy governs the handling and resolution of qualifying shipping claims where Package Protection is included in an order.

14. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. The updated version will be posted on WineChateau.com with a new version number and date and will apply only to orders placed after its effective date.

15. Contact us

Wine Chateau

85 Central Ave, Metuchen, NJ 08840