Thompson Bastards

[PerpetualNoob]

So, I haven't actually bought anything from them since September, but I'm still on their e-mail list. I read them, maybe look at the website, then move the e-mails into my "cigars" folder and never look at them again.

They've recently updated their website, and, according to them, some registered users' accounts needed to be reactivated, mine being one of them. To entice me, they offered what I thought was a fairly decent deal, five decent cigars, and an 8-cigar travel case for $25. Plus shipping. Nothing you'd, say, light your crotch on fire to get, but a decent package. Then I get to the checkout page, and I discover that I had forgotten about their "Alaska Tax", and extra $10 for priority shipping, on top of the regular $4.95. Very suddenly, a marginal $25 deal isn't much of a deal at all. I canceled my order and then used their contact page to blast off a very hostile message, which I will probably live to regret, but it really felt good at the time.

I mean, come on! It's not like I'm in some archeological dig in the Gobi Desert, or something. I'm in the U.S. of A.! Sure, we've only been a state for 50 years, but it was in all the papers. I wasn't alive yet, but I've seen them, so I know. Like everyone in the state, I get packages from the "real world" all the time, and I happen to know for a fact that priority shipping is NOT the only option the Post Office offers. If I want it, I should be able to choose it, but it shouldn't be mandatory. It's not just Evil Cigar Company, to be fair. Other companies try the same crap, too, and I don't do business with them, either.

I am officially irked. It will be a long, long time before they ever see another dime of my money. I DO NOT WANT OR NEED PRIORITY SHIPPING. How hard is that to understand?

I just needed to vent.

P.S. - while I was ranting, I got an e-mail from their auto-responder, telling me I should expect a response within 24 hours. If I actually get anything other than boilerplate, I'll update this thread.

[Dom]

Yeah I'd be pissed too, i mean that's like saying your only shipping option is overnight air and expecting you to pay for it.

I'm excited to hear what they say tho, who knows maybe you'll get something out of it.

[PerpetualNoob]

Originally Posted by Dom

Yeah I'd be pissed too, i mean that's like saying your only shipping option is overnight air and expecting you to pay for it.

I'm excited to hear what they say tho, who knows maybe you'll get something out of it.

I've never been mad enough to investigate it before, but there used to be a couple of consolidator companies that many Alaskans have used. You would have your items shipped to them in the "lower 48", getting the cheap (or free) shipping that many companies offer, and they would palletize everything and you would only have to pay the cost for your part of it by weight. For a handful of cigars and a travel case, it would be almost nothing.

About a year ago, I was in the final stages of ordering several hundred dollars worth of stuff from Overstock.com, when I found out they wouldn't ship to Alaska at all. Made me so mad I have never been back to see if they have changed their stupid policy.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get, and I'm too sick to have a nice, calming stogie! GRRRRR!!!

[DBCcigar]

I've NEVER heard of anyone having a good experience with Thompson's.

[wrapper23]

I ordered that reactivation deal, and a cutter, from them on Saturday. So far, so good (timely emails, shipping time etc). I'm really looking forward to the delivery. My sympathies to the OP, though. It does seem unfair. Alaska is a great state.

Anyway, this is my first post so WTF?

[duckmanco]

I ain't keen on them either, but when I used their 5 packer fever deal to get 601 green troncos and 601 blue maduros for 3.00 a piece, and then found a coupon online for free shipping.... I was pretty happy. I will probably never used them again, but that deal was/is astounding.

[PerpetualNoob]

Back in August, I ordered some cigars, and a sampler that came in the aluminum travel case. Good service, good cigars, good price, no complaints at all. A few weeks later, I ordered a bunch more cigars and a Diamondback humidor. Great transaction all around. I liked the Diamondback so much, I ordered another one almost immediately, along with a bunch more cigars. It took three weeks and endless e-mails back and forth before I finally got everything. All of this was before I found out about Club Stogie, so I had to learn the hard way. Then I found out about CI, and eventually c-bid, and never considered buying anything from Evil until now. Now I remember why. I guess the amnesia set in. I'm going to blame it on "diminished capacity" on account of me being sick.

[rhoffart]

funny, being new I tried Thompson's and just got the order yesterday exactly 7 days after I ordered them. They were in a zip-lock that was not zipped and no humidity control.

Opposite, I have ordered the daily deal twice from cigar dot com and both were sealed and had a humid. pack included.

I was just glad it was not July when I got the T order ...

[Phantom57]

Just one of the reasons most experienced smokers don't do business with them. You don't have to worry about renewing anything, once you order, you have a friend for life.

[mc2712]

I have not ordered from Thompson's and from reading the threads on forums about them I probably never will.

[Acesfull]

I bought a MOAH from them.. never any cigars... so they called me after I bought it and solicited cigar sales.. some cigar club that was supposedly "free" but I didnt want any part of but they just wouldn't take no for an answer. I probably wont buy anything from them ever again.

[PerpetualNoob]

Unless they have their caller ID blocked, and they're one of the many "unknown" or "private" callers that I see on my phone all the time, I don't think they have ever called me.

[Chuckie]

They just want a piece of your pipeline money Noob. Share the wealth, haha

That does suck they want to charge you more. I won't buy from them either in support.

[Chuckie]

Originally Posted by Chuckie

They just want a piece of your pipeline money Noob. Share the wealth, haha

That does suck they want to charge you more. I won't buy from them either in support.

hey, that was 100. Go me!!

[PerpetualNoob]

I got a reply e-mail from them today. It seemed like a canned response from a library. Basically, "for Alaska, Hawaii, etc., we can't ship any other way", which is total BS. That was my whole point. I've lived here for 21 years, and we live by parcel post, and I know the difference between "unable" and "unwilling". Five cigars and a travel case would weigh practically nothing. If they wanted to, they could have easily shipped it to me for $6-7, total, not $16. If I had bought 150 cigars, and spent $350, I wouldn't have quibbled over a $10 bump. On a single $25 package, it's a big deal.

So, I sent them back a moderately angry e-mail. We'll see if they respond again, but I'll be surprised.