This page describes the terms and conditions for purchases made from Protea Wines Japan.
See also our page Notification in Accordance with the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions, where terms are laid out required by law in Japan.
Latest Update: May 25th, 2020
Contents
- Legal Age
- Ordering
- Payment
- Shipping
- Order Cancellation and Changes
- Note on Caring for Wine after Delivery
- Security and User Registration
Legal Age
You must be at least 20 years of age to purchase wine or other alcoholic beverages.
Adult Signature required
By placing your order you have represented to Protea Wines Japan that you are at least 20 years of age. All alcoholic beverages that we ship on your behalf must be received and signed for by an adult of legal drinking age.
First-time online store customers will be required to submit proof of legal age for purchase and consumption of alcohol by submitting a birth date in the sign-up form.
Ordering
All orders will be confirmed via email or other means once they have been received. We aim to prepare an order for same day shipping (see shipping arrangements on our shipping and returns page). If there may be a delay we will inform you via email or other means.
If your order is time sensitive, please inform us (along with a required delivery date) in writing when placing your order.
How to Order
Orders may be placed using our online store, but also via telephone or email (see our Contact page).
Please note that products in many cases are extremely limited. Protea Wines Japan will not be liable in case we are unable to fulfill your order.
Maximum Credit Card Purchase
Credit Card purchases may not exceed a certain amount (approximately 2,000,000 JPY), depending on the credit card processing. If such a limit is reached, any remaining balance can be paid by bank transfer. Please contact us regarding larger purchases.
Cancellation
A cancellation fee of 10% will apply to any order for which payment has been processed, or in the case of payment on delivery has been prepared for shipping.
Custom Orders
If we do not have the item that you are looking for we will gladly go out of our way to order it on your behalf. Please note that all special orders are subject to final confirmation and payment up-front, with no cancellation possible thereafter unless related to the availability of the product.
Payment
Below are the conditions governing accepted payment methods, and issuing of receipts.
All prices exclude Japanese consumption tax of 10%.
Payment Options
Credit Cards
Visa, MasterCard, JCB, American Express, Discover, and Diners Club cards are accepted. Other cards maybe available on request (please contact us).
Our default credit card processor Square does not accept JCB, Discover and Diners Club cards. For these card types please use Paypal or Stripe.
Note that for selected Visa cards install payment plans are available (please check with your credit card company).
Some cards do not have a security code. In such a case, please enter your payment details with the security code left blank. If you are unable to determine your security code please check with your credit card company.
Note that credit card details are not stored or recorded on the Protea Wines Japan site (PCI-DSS compliance). They are only used during the processing of the transaction, entered by the user on the credit card processing company's interface.
Bank Transfer
Transfer to one of our bank accounts, with remittance fee borne by the paying party. Account information to be provided as part of purchasing transaction.
Available accounts are Mizuho Bank, Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, and Japan Post Office.
Payment to our Paypal account is also possible.
When making a payment, after your name please enter your phone number as given when placing your order. Furthermore, if your name as payee is different from your name when placing an order, contact us by email or phone before making payment.
Cash on Delivery (COD)
COD orders (including consumption tax, postage, and other charges) are limited to 300,000 JPY. Orders larger than this require special handling, please contact us for service.
The delivery company will collect your payment at the time of delivery. Fees for this service are 265 JPY (including consumption tax), plus charges depending on the order and total amounts, as follows:
- For order totals less than 50,000 JPY (including consumption tax and postage) the charge is 203 JPY.
- For order totals from 50,000 JPY (including consumption tax and postage) upwards the charge is 417 JPY.
Stamp duty accrues for larger orders:
- For orders (excluding consumption tax) from 50,000 JPY but less than 1,000,000 JPY, stamp duty of 200 JPY.
- For orders (excluding consumption tax) from 1,000,000 JPY, stamp duty of 400 JPY.
Paypal
Account information to be provided as part of purchasing transaction.
Receipt
Payment by Credit Card, Bank Transfer, Paypal
A receipt is issued online as part of the purchasing transaction if requested by the purchasing party.
For individual orders over 50,000 JPY (55,000 JPY inclusive of consumption tax) a printed receipt will be sent to the purchasing party's postal address.
Payment by Cash on Delivery
The delivery slip from the delivery company will serve as a formal receipt. Thus, no changes to the delivery address or name, etc., are possible.
Shipping
Please see our separate shipping and returns page.
Order Cancellation and Changes
Below are the conditions governing cancellation of orders, or changes to orders. For return of delivered items please see our shipping and returns page.
Prior to Shipping
Depending on the status of the order, the procedure will vary. Please call us during our office hour as soon as possible. Please have your order number handy. If the reason for cancellation or change is not an error of Protea Wines Japan, a service fee may apply.
After Shipping
Orders which have been prepared for shipping (as informed via email or other medium, or stated in the order status in your account) or already shipped may not be changed or cancelled.
Note on Caring for Wine after Delivery
Storage
Please immediately store any delivered wine in your wine cellar (at 10–18 degrees Celsius).
Opening the Wine
Wine is a living entity, and changes occur naturally within the bottle as part of maturation, including changes in colour, aroma, and flavour, as well as a slow decline in the quantity of liquid. If there is a significant amount of sediment stirred up in the wine, let the bottle stand for a week before opening. Any fungus on the cork is a natural effect, and proof that the bottle was properly stored. Wipe the fungus off carefully.
When opening sparkling wine, ensure that the bottle is held in a safe direction, as the pressure in the bottle may shoot the cork out violently as soon as the metal fastening is loosened.
Security and User Registration
Security (TLS Certificate)
Our shopping cart pages use TLS (Transport Layer Security, previously known as SSL) certificates issued by Let's Encrypt. Access only uses HTTPS (Secure HTTP), which makes use of the TLS certificate to verify the identity of the website to the browser, and encrypts all communication between browser and website.
Ensure that your browser displays a black lock in the address bar when accessing site pages.
Recommended Web Browsers for different OSes
- Windows: Internet Explorer 11, Firefox (latest version), Google Chrome (latest version), Safari (latest version), SeaMonkey (latest version).
- MacOS: Safari (latest version), Firefox (latest version).
- Linux: Firefox (latest version), Google Chrome (latest version), SeaMonkey (latest version).
- Smart phone: iOS11－Safari, Android 4.4－Chrome (any lower versions not supported).
Furthermore, make sure to the following functionality is activated in your browser:
- JavaScript
- Cookies
- Stylesheets
- TLS (v1.2 or above required)
User Registration
Any person of legal drinking age may register at our online site for free. Guest checkout is available, so registration is optional and not required for purchasing.
For registration, a unique ID is created (see Privacy Policy for details on use of this information). Using your ID allows you to see your previous purchasing history, change or add delivery addresses, contact information, and make use of selected functionality of the shopping cart.
Users can de-register at any time, although order information may be required to be kept for legal purposes (see Privacy Policy for conditions).
