Most customers describe problems with delivery and fulfilment. Complaints centre on missed time slots, repeated courier failures, and slow refunds. A smaller group report on-time deliveries, quick replacements, or effective fixes from managers. Payment and website issues also come up, often alongside poor communication.
Examples from available reviews (Jan 2020 – Mar 2026).
Multiple missed deliveries, missing order and slow refund process.
“I am totally disgusted with waitrose Cellar and DHL delivery service.”
Manager rectified overcharges and provided generous customer care.
“rectifying the overcharge and even presenting me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.”
Online payments failed for three cards when buying discounted Christmas wine.
“3 cards all not accepted.”
Found a wide, well-curated selection of high-quality wines and prompt delivery.
“Tasting the wine only further reinforced my positive view of this service.”
Delivery and fulfilment problems show up in many reviews. Customers mention missed delivery windows, parcels sent back, orders not arriving, and courier backlogs that made time-sensitive purchases useless. A smaller number describe drivers arriving on time and replacements turning up quickly.
Several reviewers paid extra for premium or timed delivery but still did not get their orders, or waited for refunds. Multiple customers say added charges for chosen delivery dates and voucher-based compensation felt inadequate. A few reviews note overcharges being corrected and extra help from customer care.
Website and checkout issues come up often, including card payments failing, account details disappearing after a site update, and gift vouchers not working. Some callers say telephone orders were refused or they were pushed into guest checkout. These problems repeated during holidays and other busy periods.
Reviews often mention the wrong vintage, incorrect items, and weak packaging that left bottles loose. A smaller number praise the wine range and the taste of specific products, including positive comments on certain spirits. When goods arrived damaged, some customers received replacements.
Many reviewers describe unanswered messages, slow or rude helpline calls, and refunds delayed until returns were logged. Customers also mention poor follow-up during investigations and unclear updates on recalled or delayed deliveries. A few reports point to helpful managers who improved the result.
Feedback splits between many negative accounts centred on delivery and service breakdowns and a smaller set of positive experiences. Ongoing issues without resolution reduced trust for many customers, while the occasional smooth delivery and strong support from individual staff restored satisfaction for a few. This gap influences whether customers plan to buy again.
For each review, the core experience based on original source reviews.
Sources: Trustpilot (40) · Reviews (20) · Reviews (1) · Quotes shortened · As of: March 2026
Paid extra for specific delivery date but Waitrose didn't honour or refund.
“Was charged extra postage (expensive!) to choose a specific delivery date.”
Unable to place order online; customer service unhelpful and unresponsive.
“Refused to take my order over the phone.”
DHL repeatedly failed deliveries and Waitrose offered only a voucher.
“All Waitrose did was to believe DHL rather than me (their customer)and offer me a gift certificate.”
Damaged order replaced within 24 hours by helpful customer service.
“I received a replacement order less than 24 hours later.”
Received no responses to submitted feedback.
“No response to any feedback.”
Paid premium for next-day delivery but most items were missing.
“I paid for premium next-day delivery specifically to ensure my party order arrived on time.”
Christmas order lost and Waitrose detached responsibility, no help.
“Our Christmas order was lost.”
Many items missing from order and poor supply visibility; voucher never arrived.
“Great food — but what’s the point if you can’t actually get hold of it?”
Contact centre staff and manager were extremely poor.
“A lady called Shamira and a manager that did not listen on 31/12/25 at contact centre extremely poor.”
Multiple missed deliveries, missing order and slow refund process.
“I am totally disgusted with waitrose Cellar and DHL delivery service.”
Two cases missing, backordered then out of stock with poor support.
“I would give them zero stars if I could.”
Present deliveries mishandled and damaged, partial replacement and voucher issued.
“The delivery was made one day early to that selected (so no one was at home);”
Completely wrong items delivered and customer service unreachable.
“Completely wrong items delivered not even close to my order”
DHL delay caused farcical delivery and harmed brand reputation.
“Dreadful wine order delayed DHL delivery a farce letting down the Waitrose brand”
Waited over two weeks with poor customer service and no reorder.
“Dreadful experience with Waitrose cellar.”
Paid for delivery but parcel didn't arrive amid repeated failures.
“Shambolic incompetence so I’ve asked for a refund and won’t use Waitrose Cellar again.”
Scheduled delivery missed repeatedly leading to refund request.
“I have never received such awful service......”
Order not received after six days and no phone response.
“Awful , still no order received after 6 days , they don’t answer the phone either,”
Multiple dispatch failures and parcel returned, customer accuses company of deceit.
“They are a bunch of con artists.”
DHL backlog delayed delivery and customer service failed to follow up.
“Avoid Waitrose Cellar like the plague.”
Refunds delayed until returned goods logged, effectively penalising customers.
“Holding customer funds until misdirected goods are returned is unfair”
A month without order or refund and inaccurate communications.
“It has been a month since my order.”
Ordered wine repeatedly misdelivered and not received before an event.
“it wasn’t my order!”
Reviewer objects to Waitrose selling halal meat and is boycotting.
“As a Christian I Find This Disgusting”
Delivery delayed repeatedly by DHL eCommerce causing long wait.
“SO WHILE WAITROSE CELLAR USE DHL ECOMMERCE UK DON'T BUY FROM THEM.”
Paid for wine order that didn't arrive and received rude, unhelpful service.
“Now down a substantial amount of money, with no wine.”
Received the wrong wine vintage again.
“Wrong vintage delivered - AGAIN!”
Incorrect wines delivered and told to return them at own expense.
“we had to return the incorrect bottles at own effort / expense”
Manager rectified overcharges and provided generous customer care.
“rectifying the overcharge and even presenting me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.”
Receiving unsolicited emails claimed as a GDPR breach.
“Sending me emails I never signed up.”
Unable to use preferred payment methods and forced to guest checkout.
“what's happened to Paypal etc.”
Cancelled order still delivered despite cancellation.
“Cancelled an order C1246679 but received it anyway.”
Delivery window too late and caused multiple wasted waiting days.
“I had to pop out for just 20 minutes and missed the all day and most of the evening Friday delivery.”
Received a later vintage than ordered and poor customer service response.
“Got 2021 delivered - which is a very different prospect.”
Prompt home delivery and helpful driver; quick in-store collection too.
“Delivered to home within a couple of days by a very helpful driver.”
Slow dispatch and failed DHL delivery left customer to collect.
“Very slow to Dispatch. DHL failed to delivery.”
Damaged parcel and ongoing courier delay with unsatisfactory Waitrose response.
“It's Waitrose that took my money and it's Waitrose that needs to resolve this.”
Order delayed and refunded slowly, long frustrating experience.
“All we want, is to receive are goods which we paid for.”
Forced to provide mobile, no PayPal, and payment page times out.
“Bring back paypal!”
Two months of difficult emails and unsatisfactory refund and compensation.
“we still haven't come to a satisfying solution.”
This page combines submitted experiences with public reviews from platforms such as Google, Trustpilot, etc. Recurring points are summarised without changing the content of reviews.
Waitrose Cellar is Waitrose & Partners’ online shop for wine, beer, and spirits. It offers a curated range with vintage and tasting notes, gift-wrapping, and specialist spirits. Customers can use home delivery or click & collect, and the site also supports corporate and event orders. Product pages often list producer information, region, and storage notes to help customers choose.