What would you do if?

[TheFuzz]

you bought a box of cigars and they all came in either plugged or pretty tight. And both retailer and manufacturer will not accept fault

-Comes from a pretty reputable brand
-Cigars have been dry boxed and no dice
- Cut every which way no dice

 

[sofc]

Hand made product that has such issues at times.

I would be angry but nothing can be done really (unless you bought with AMEX and can talk your way through a dispute)

 

[CeeGarOne]

Based on my experience I cannot see this happening add to this, all my NC box purchases come from one source (a direct distributor).

That said and keeping in mind that I am dealing with a man made product and flawed human beings, I would reach out to both the vendor and the manufacturer formally and appeal to their customer focus and brand image; presenting them with the opportunity to make things right. Should those efforts not prove successful, I would make a note to self that I would never deal with first the retailer and then the manufacturer.

From there, I would take to the numerous social media channels and share my experience.

That's it and that's all.

 

[Lomey]

It sucks, but I'd chalk it up to bad luck and move on. What else can you do except waste time on being upset and that doesn't sound worth it to me.

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

 

[Gunson]

I know it's not an optimal solution but have you tried using a draw poker?

 

[Zmilin]

My BM would swap a cigar with no questions asked if it was tight (and bought there). The mfg not standing by their product is just bad service too. The only exception here is CC. Your on your own with those.

 

[sofc]

My BM would swap a cigar with no questions asked if it was tight (and bought there). The mfg not standing by their product is just bad service too. The only exception here is CC. Your on your own with those.

Why is it that with ccs, this is acceptable?
Also, how does the BM know that someone is telling the truth about a stick? People could buy a box and hate the cigar and return it and say it's a tough draw or it's not smoking well. I imagine this would cost them a great deal of money. You don't buy a chocolate bar and say "oh, I didn't like it, I want my money back."

 

[Zmilin]

Thats what I get for using the phone to comment.
Its not acceptable with CC but taking the average situation on this board into consideration... US based buyer, access to online vendors and local BM and assuming that this is not a first time purchase...

The BM always has the right to deny the request but if you are a customer I believe most BM would trust you and swap. I never said refund and I would not ask for a refund as a customer but I would ask for a swap for same.
CCs are different because technically they are illegal and I think most suppliers don't have to offer that level of service. Keep in mind... this is only taking into consideration that they are being ordered online as most of us probably won't drive to Canada to purchase CC when we can get them online much cheaper. Those of you that buy large quantities of CC might have a different experience. your supplies probably want to keep you happy. Me... not so much. I don't think Im even on the radar of my supplier.

I make the non CC comment based on a personal experience. My BM knows me very well. I bought a box of cigars and they were 50% or more plugged. I mentioned it when I was in at a later date and they told me to stop smoking them and bring the box back. I did the usual "no, I don't want to cause trouble" but they were adamant. They replaced what was remaining in the box and they trusted me on how many were plugged that I tried smoke.

I agree, its a hand made product. I agree, on occasion we will run into a plugged cigar and most of the time we will just move along. I do not agree that we need to stand by and accept a box purchase can be plugged and we need to accept it. Making the BM aware and seeing if they would do anything is worth a shot.

Online vendors is another challenge. The one I order from consistenlty handles all issues very well. I am sure if I ran into an issue like this they would do something similar to how my BM handled it. Maybe only swap the unsmoked sticks but even that would be great. I also think this would be based on the amount of purchases I have made. There are other online vendors I have only used once or twice and one very large one that Im sure would not give a rats ass and blow off my claim. Mostly based on lack of business.

Does this help clarify?

 

[Jfire]

you bought a box of cigars and they all came in either plugged or pretty tight. And both retailer and manufacturer will not accept fault

-Comes from a pretty reputable brand
-Cigars have been dry boxed and no dice
- Cut every which way no dice

What is the box code/date?
How long have you had them?
Nc or CC?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jfire]

Why is it that with ccs, this is acceptable?
Also, how does the BM know that someone is telling the truth about a stick? People could buy a box and hate the cigar and return it and say it's a tough draw or it's not smoking well. I imagine this would cost them a great deal of money. You don't buy a chocolate bar and say "oh, I didn't like it, I want my money back."

If you ate 2/25ths of a chocolate bar any food place would gladly return your money. Most places even will let you return a empty beef container and replace refund now days. I've returned to my grocery store saying the fruit or meat was spoiled with out bringing it back and they've refunded. (It was) No questions asked by them.
My CC vendor(s) have never given me any problem with box returns. (One Time return)
Except one, havnt used them since the @great mold breakout of 2010".
The other vendor I was told to keep the box and a reship came.
It's a relationship built experience IMO.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sofc]

If you ate 2/25ths of a chocolate bar any food place would gladly return your money. Most places even will let you return a empty beef container and replace refund now days. I've returned to my grocery store saying the fruit or meat was spoiled with out bringing it back and they've refunded. (It was) No questions asked by them.
My CC vendor(s) have never given me any problem with box returns. (One Time return)
Except one, havnt used them since the @great mold breakout of 2010".
The other vendor I was told to keep the box and a reship came.
It's a relationship built experience IMO.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mold and other stuff is different than draw or taste. Grocery stores are a different animal because they deal with essentially perishable goods.

I've never had the guts to return 2/25ths of a chocolate bar to a store so I'm not sure about that.

But I'll ask it again. If retailers/b&ms took cigar returns because customer stated "it doesn't have a good draw" or "it doesn't taste good" where would their margin be and how much more would cigars be?

 

[Mikenice81]

Most will work with you on a box. People that buy a whole box tend to be a more serious smokers and repeat customers.

That being said, I have had a store switch out the cigar I was smoking in their lounge. It had issues and kept going out. One of the clerks swapped it out without me asking.

 

[Jfire]

I'm not really understanding your argument Ara. If you bought a 100, 200 or even $500 box of cigars. They should preform like the manufacture intended. With a acceptable draw, pleasing flavor to the consumer and be free from things such as mold and beetles. And I think most B&Ms would return the flawed box back to the manufacture or distributor. Not eat the wholesale cost.
Also I don't return 2/25ths after eating 2/25ths. I would return 23/25ths.
It's like taking a bite out of a Fruit to find it was stored to cold (Peaches) and find out it's has ripend but flavorless. (Ask E)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Craig Mac]

Most retailers should have a stated return policy and in some cases they will bend it a bit. Like if it is 2 weeks, they may give an extra week or so. Once you get beyond that I wouldn't expect a retailer to refund/exchange. I know we like to keep boxes sealed and all, but that puts the risk on us when we don't examine the cigars. I had a box once that was full of bad cigars that I had left sealed for years and stored properly, no way I would expect to be compensated for that.

Most retailers should make it right if it is in a reasonable time frame. If not I would try to reach out to the manufacturer and see what becomes of it.

The great mold outbreak of 2010 was awful.... I had to fight with the vendor to get a refund. They kept trying to tell me it was plume so I sent pictures of the damn cigars and finally got them to authorize a refund.

 

[problemsolverjc]

Online vendors is another challenge. The one I order from consistenlty handles all issues very well. I am sure if I ran into an issue like this they would do something similar to how my BM handled it. Maybe only swap the unsmoked sticks but even that would be great. I also think this would be based on the amount of purchases I have made. There are other online vendors I have only used once or twice and one very large one that Im sure would not give a rats ass and blow off my claim. Mostly based on lack of business.

At Famous, if someone calls and says they were plugged, bugged, moldy whatever we accept the return and either replace them or issue a refund. How much the person has spent has ZERO impact on the return authorization. Neither does the number of orders.

It's not harder to return to the large online places, in fact its probably easier.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk

 

[Jmphotog]

At Famous, if someone calls and says they were plugged, bugged, moldy whatever we accept the return and either replace them or issue a refund. How much the person has spent has ZERO impact on the return authorization. Neither does the number of orders.

It's not harder to return to the large online places, in fact its probably easier.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk

More of a reason why famous is my online go to! Thanks for the info Jim!

 

[Jfire]

The great mold outbreak of 2010 was awful.... I had to fight with the vendor to get a refund. They kept trying to tell me it was plume so I sent pictures of the damn cigars and finally got them to authorize a refund.

After a month of fighting. Then shipping back two orders. (One being two boxes of OR Cohiba Magicos) they refunded and then deleted my account. Oh no!!!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[atbat82]

If it were me, and I made a good faith effort with the place of purchase and the manufacturer, I'd probably name and shame. I'd post in on here and any other board I'm on.

That said, this seems a bit odd to me. I've had very few bad experiences (a few moldy sticks) and each was taken care of easily by the place of purchase. This is an industry built on word of mouth and relationships and most retailers understand that.

Also, use this as a learning experience. If this was your B&M, find a new one. If it was an online vendor, start buying from our site sponsors. Never had a bad experience with any of them.


Sent from my iPhone

 

[jfettlol]

Rat out both the retailer and manufacturer. Any manufacturer not willing to stand by their product, and any retailer not willing to make their customer happy, deserves to serve as a warning to all fellow botl's. If the retailer is so strapped for cash, that they're willing to save 10, 20, 50$ on a simple box, or a manufacturer who can't admit their quality control isn't flawless, deserves to be ousted.

 

[TheFuzz]

its a box of las calaveras 2015 in the corona size. next time you want to piss your money away buy crown heads.