Paul Humidors - Winador Drawers Review

[alden]

:dunno::dunno::dunno:


Well, truthfully I have nothing in hand to show you yet and I will explain why.

Back in August I was contacting vendors to make 2 Drawers and 1 shelf for me. I gave the measurements to the vendors so that they could quote me a price. Well, the first one to answer me was Paul's Humidor, so I went with them. I wish I hadn't.

this is what I sent the vendors.

When talking to the owner I was quoted a fair price with a turn around time of 2.5 weeks to my door (ya right?). BTW the date the order was made was 8.21.09 that was a month and a half ago...remember the 2.5 weeks part? And I was charged on 8.24.09 for the cost of the drawers and shelf.

The next day 8.22 I shoot over an email asking if there will be dividers with the drawers.

Brian--

I forgot to ask you about this over the phone, but will you include dividers for the 2 drawers?

thanks again
--alden

no response, that's fine they are probably busy.

I finally contact him again on 9.15.09 (24 days later) Keep in mind the 2.5 week expected delivery date has already passed.

Good Morning Bxxxx--

I just wanted to follow up on the status of the shelf and drawers.

Thanks
--alden

Finally I get a response back. same day 9.15

Hello Alden,

Yes, the drawers will have pressure fit adjustable dividers.

Bxxxx

finally getting somewhere...better late than never right?

I respond back on 9.15

Bxxxx--

Sounds good!

I know when we talked on 8.21 you said I should have them in 2.5 weeks. Do you happen to know when they will ship?

Sorry, just getting anxious.

Thanks for working on this.

No word from him for another 6 days

so on 9.21 I send another message

Bxxxx--

Sorry to bug you but I just wanted to follow up on this question i had earlier.


"I know when we talked on 8.21 you said I should have them in 2.5 weeks. Do you happen to know when they will ship?"

Like said, Sorry, just getting anxious.

--alden

2 days later I get a response on 9.23

Hello Alden,

Your drawers will ship the very beginning of next week and you should receive by weeks-end. Any questions, just give us a call or email. Thanks.

Regards,

Bxxxx Paul

Well, they didn't show up at the end of the week. So I send out another email on 10.2

Bxxxx--

Thanks for your response. Today is Friday October 2nd and I was wondering if my order has shipped and if so, can I get who it shipped with and is there a tracking number? I know you said they would go out at the beginning of the week and be delivered by the end of the week, but I have yet to see it.

thanks for any info.

alden

Then I say "F it". I'll just call because email is really not getting anywhere and who knows when I'll get another response.

I get a really friendly person on the phone who seems to be really helpful. he finds my file and says that the order is complete but they can't find the shipping ticket and to call back on Monday when the the owner is back in the office. Fine, I'll call back.

I call on Tuesday 10.6 and talk to the same person/ well, the answer I get is that they lost the drawer and may have accidentally shipped it with another order. F'in great! But the are making a new set for me and are gluing it up as we speak then it will go out. Fine, whatever just get me my drawers...please.

on Wednesday 10.7 I get an email from the owner

Alden,

I received your message from Mark and apologize for our mix-up. I had to remake your trays and they will ship USPS Priority Mail. They will arrive on Sat. or Monday. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Sorry again for the delay, my fault.

Regards,

Bxxxx Paul

I respond right back.

Bxxxx--

Thanks for the update. Do you know if they will be picked up with today's shipment or tomorrow? Also, Do you have a delivery confirmation number to go with the USPS priority shipment?

Just trying to keep tabs on it since it's been about a month since the original expected delivery date.

thanks again
--alden

Finally getting my Drawers WooHoo!!!...Wrong.

I get an email today 10.9

Alden,

I think we figured out what happened to your order. Can you please confirm the shipping address.


Regards,

Bxxxx Paul

Well, I send him my address

Sure.

8xxx Gxxxx Rd #xxx
Silver spring MD 20910

And I send another because I want to know what might have happened.

Do you mind if I ask what happened?

thanks

Once again I just decide to call. I mean really, what is going on here?

I get a person on the phone and he looks for my file once again. Well they sent the original drawers out to a wrong address and just got them back from the mail, and they wanted to verify that they had the correct address. Which it seems they did, and the owner is off to the post office to send out my drawers USPS priority.

Uhhh...what happened to the drawers they were going to send out earlier in the week? The ones you were gluing up and sending out?

They didn't go out. You will most likely be getting the drawers that were returned.

So, what happened to the drawers that you said you were finishing up for me and sending out earlier in the week?

I don't know?

we go back and forth a few times and get no where.

my final email to the owner Bxxxx today

Did the Drawers you were gluing up (re-making) the other day got out on the 7th?

...and that was pretty much the end of the conversation.

WTF!!! Well, I hope I get my Drawers tuesday...maybe.

Once I get my drawers I'll post up pics and review quality. But I will not be recommending Paul's Humidor to anyone. If you've used them or purchased from them, I hope you've had better luck than I have had.

I've now been waiting 7 weeks (49 days) from the order date 8.21. That's over 30 days from the quoted delivery time of 2.5 weeks.

 

[blooz4u]

Ugh... What a terrible experience! Let us know if they're intact when you get em!

 

[Cyrann]

Ouch... hope they are at least what you ordered.

 

[ScottyWed]

Wow, I'd say you've been more than patient. Can't wait to see the picts... That is if they show up.

 

[Cole]

That really sucks, hate to hear it.... good luck with actually getting them and them being correct, sounds like you need it badly.

 

[jwyatt55]

Damn that sucks man. I just had a bad experience with a purchase I made. I never recieved a shipping confirmation that my stuff went out and tried for 2 weeks to reach the yahoo. Sent emails and made phone calls that always went to voicemail....never a reply or return phone call. Finally 2 weeks later I get a usps ship comfirmation email, but no explanation to what the hell the problem was. Customer service can really kill a business. We should start a "avoid this retailer" thread.

 

[alden]

It just sucks. I feel I've been pretty patient with them.

...I really just want my drawers.

I'm not a fan about complaining about stuff online but I think this is deserved.

 

[twenty5]

Thats crappy, contact him for the money back! A guy on a couple other forums makes unbelievable drawers for a great price (ChasDen is his sn) He is starting another run soon and he has a long waiting list.

To change your title go to edit, go advanced

Good luck with everything!

 

[Robinsond]

Dang...I hate unreliable services. And they call themselves a business.....:squinteye

 

[smokinghole]

I had a similar poor experience with cheapcigars.com only they never responded to anything I sent. I called multiple times, and then filed with BBB.org. They got no response.

Someone needs to learn something about organization and customer service. It doesn't sound hard to keep things straight unless you're unorganized.

 

[njstone]

That really sucks, bro. I'd say you've been more than patient with them. I'd have threatened to cancel my order after 2 weeks.

 

[SkinsFanLarry]

The sad thing to me is that "they" promised you the drawers in 2 1/2 weeks, not like you asked them to have them done in that time frame.

From there website it appears they do some pretty nice work, but I wouldn't order from them now.

 

[mav_sd]

Noted.

Sorry to hear about the runaround.

 

[alden]

It really sux because I know how busy people can get, so I give them the benefit of the doubt.

I know in my profession as a graphic designer people don't seem to understand how much time things take to do make and concept. They just think I'm playing around, I draw something and Tada...it's done. So I try to give them a reasonable time frame even though they probably want it tomorrow. And if they really need it tomorrow I try to get it done. I stay late what ever. If I can't have it done tomorrow. I will have it by 9:00 am the next day.

With my vendors i'm a little different because I know the time it takes to get something done. Sometimes I need images from a photo shoot right away, Usually because our subject isn't available till late in the month. But I am never going to ask my photographer for the images the day of. Work goes into the processing of the images, color correction etc. so I will give him some time to do what he needs to to do and make it up on my end.

So when it comes making stuff I give people a buffer. But in this case it's been over a month since they were supposed to be delivered and by the conversations over email and over the phone they had not even started the project till after expected delivery date. If they would have contacted me a week or 2 after the expected delivery date and said "Hey we apologize for the delay your drawers are on their way to you and should be there tomorrow." I would have been fine with that and this thread about Paul Humidors would be totally different. But this is not the case. I'm the one who had to contact them to find out what was going on and where my drawers were.

Truthfully, they have not done anything in return to better my purchasing experience with them. This is the best they did is...

When I called on Monday 10.5, They said they were finishing gluing up the new drawers and and as soon as it dried they would expedite the shipping 2-3 day (USPS Priority). I'm not sure how that is expediting? That's how I send out my smokes to people? Ok, whatever. So, I should have the Drawers by Saturday or Monday.
Don't forget I got this email from the owner:

Alden,

I received your message from Mark and apologize for our mix-up. I had to remake your trays and they will ship USPS Priority Mail. They will arrive on Sat. or Monday. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Sorry again for the delay, my fault.

Regards,

Bxxxx Paul

then 3 days later, Friday 10.9

Alden,

I think we figured out what happened to your order. Can you please confirm the shipping address.


Regards,

BxxxxPaul

And when I called to find out what was going on, they say they had the originals were shipped to the wrong address and were returned. The new Drawers that were made probably didn't go out during the week because he thinks the owner Bxxxx is going to stop by post office to drop off the drawers that were returned in the mail on his way to a job site.

So, What happened to the drawers you guys were going to send out during the week?

answer: I don't know.

So, in reality, Nothing was really expedited for me and nothing went out during the week.

What crap!

 

[alden]

Thats crappy, contact him for the money back! A guy on a couple other forums makes unbelievable drawers for a great price (ChasDen is his sn) He is starting another run soon and he has a long waiting list.

I wanted to but I found out about this guy a few days after I I told Paul Humidor to make them. I figured they already had my money and they were a few days in to making it. and I would have my drawers in just a few weeks

...I was wrong.

I should have canceled with them right away and canceled the order.

 

[Hendy]

Let me know how it ends up. I can make you some drawers and shelves no sweat. Just pay for the materials.

 

[alden]

Let me know how it ends up. I can make you some drawers and shelves no sweat. Just pay for the materials.

Thanks Scott.

Hopefully they are here on Monday, well Tuesday since Columbus day is on Monday.

You doing ok? I know it's been pretty rocky for you the past few months.

 

[Andytex]

Wow that sucks man. I hope it all works out in the end. Guess I'll cross them of the list of potential new humidor purchase.

 

[alden]

Well they sent me a DC# today saying it was shipped out. I can't really confirm if they left Friday or Saturday because USPS's tracking site is down and has been all day...oh well.

I hate complaining about things so in their defense they were apologetic at times towards the end. But the apology seems really empty considering that my order is already a month late and no one in the beginning of the process seemed to care.

1. First off I didn't get an answer right away on my divider question. It wasn't even answered till 2 weeks after the agreed delivery date.

2. I was the one who had to follow up after the product was 2 weeks late and hadn't heard anything from them.

3. Told me it was done and would be shipping out at the beginning of the week and I should have it by the end of the week. It was a no show.

4. Was told they lost my product didn't know where it is.

5. they apologize for losing it and they are finishing up a new and should be out the next day and have by the end of the week or monday.

6. Friday, they find out that they sent the original order to a wrong address and they are sending me the original ones that were returned. So, they didn't send out anything earlier in the week. Which I'm assuming they completely lied to me when saying they are finishing up and sending me new ones.

So all in all they don't care about you, your product, they lie to you, customer service sucks and don't expect them to make the buying experience any better.

I will say they will charge you ASAP, but don't expect your product anywhere within the time quoted. Don't even expect the project to be started within the given delivery time.

Sorry still venting. This horse will be dead soon...I promise.

 

[alden]

Got the drawers today and all I can say is that they are just about perfect.

The craftsmanship is excellent. All the corners are dovetail joint and the rest looks as though it glued. The base is weaved with thin strips of cedar and pinched into the frame. It looks excellent.

The fit is just about perfect. I'll post up a few pics of the fitment tomorrow as I am loading up the drawers. The ones I took this evening came out blurry.

but I will leave you with these.