Customer Service - A fair recompense.

[jitzy]

very surprized they didnt do a little extra for you any dealing ive had with ci or cbid have always ended with me very very happy.

for example i won a gurkha sampler on cbid and it wasnt in stock not much money maybe 29 dollors or so i was compensated with about 75 dollors worth of cigars, end result i was very happy give them a call let them know you werent happy they will most likely do something for you within reason.

[Studebaker]

I work for a big business that takes customer service very seriously. Sometimes giving good customer service requires going beyond what you're "obligated" to do. When you've screwed up, and everyone does at some time or other, you need to do what you can to maintain your relationship with your customer. Sometimes you do a little something extra in order to generate some goodwill. My is they would do well to offer you some product or a discount coupon for your next purchase, or something.

I just placed my first online order with that vendor yesterday and will be very interested in seeing what my customer experience will be.

[Stonato~]

I would expect more nowadays. As someone said, prices can be comprable but it's the Service (...and condition of course). Example, I just got my cigar of the month club shipment from Cigar.com. I know this is the same company but what's important is different management. One of the sticks got damaged during shipping probably from rubbing and shaking. I took pics and notified them... they offered me a 5er of that cigar with my next shipment. It wasn't even their fault!! These guys are good.

[jbo]

I feel for you. I'm not an expert and I'm relatively new to online shopping for cigars. However, in a competitive world, you would expect stores to go above and beyond to keep your business.

I think I shared it before, but I'm proud of the company I deal with. I ordered a certain Churchill sized cigar at a certain price. They sent me the Gran Robusto's instead. They were the same manufacturer and the same price. I emailed the company and the gentleman told me to call it to their attention the next time I ordered from them and they would make it right. I called it to their attention and they sent me a 5 cigar sampler with my next order. Two of the cigars were about the same price as the ones I ordered. The other three were more expensive. Now that's the way to do business.

[Tristan]

That is irritating. Your expectations were not met. I would think since the delay is their fault they should kick in something free for you.

Overall, I agree with your opinion on Cbid and CI; I think they are good at what they do for the most part and i will continue buying from them.

I never had a problem with CI or CBid until last week. I received a box of RP Vintage 92 Churchill Tubos from C-Bid. Half of the cigars were damaged and not smokable. I called them today and they have another box coming my way with a return label. They were also very nice on the phone, spoke clear English and enunciated.

[Warren]

I'm addicted to Cbid and have been for about 6 or 7 years. Maybe around the time that they started up. I've also ordred from CI and Cigar.com numerous times. I've had a hiccup with them here and there but nothing major.

I guess my would be that this is a good reason why paying a little extra and having a relationship with your local B&M can be worth it. I tend to buy all my boxes online but try as often as I can to frequent the local places for my singles and fivers. Yes I pay a little extra but I have a one on one relationship with them, get exceptional customer service, and most importantly keep them in business.

All that being said CI will do the right thing by you. If you aren't happy in the end call them up and they'll make it right. One thing I've tried to do over the years is to email one person each time I have a problem. Instead of just using the random CS email. When you get a reply it will be from an actual person's email. Use that for all replies and future questions.

[ttours]

I agree with the consensus that you remaining calm, courteous and take the high road. This just looks better to customer service when your order does finally arrive, their screen is not all filled up with your abuse.

In the past and this is rare I have asked for gotten a discount coupon. Like $10 off your next order of $50 or more. What is most important is what you want, based on your level of frustration and their lack of service detail. From a customer service background it is a lot easier to resolve the issue when the customer realistically outlines what it will take to make him happy. Be reasonable and most times you will get what you ask for.

Let us know that you did receive your order and how things end up.

Good Luck

TT

[Boston_Dude05]

Seems frustrating. They could have run out of stock etc, but wanted to collect the $s on it still. The thing that must be frustrating to you is that they kept breaking promises. The free shipping does seem a little low on this case.

Overall though CI is still not bad in terms of service. I've ordered from some vendors where the whole order gets screwed up and you don't get anything. Obviously the still make the sale, but what they don't understand is that I won't rebuy from them.

[Bleedingshrimp]

They did indeed ship it today, I spoke with a gentleman earlier. I mentioned to him politely my trouble with the order. He mentioned that everyone I had spoke with had done right and it was an unfortunate series of mistakes. I informed him that I spent a lot of money with them and that I would feel more comfortable ordering from them in the future if they offered me a discount coupon or credit...not much.

He said they had gave me free shipping and his supervisor had it overnighted. I continued and he put me through to his supervisors voicemail. I didn't leave a message today because I'd already spent 10 minutes on the phone with that guy and I had a lot of work to do. So I'll leave the supervisor a message tomorrow. The guy didn't sound like he even understood why I felt I was owed just a lil something for my trouble.

[No1der]

Originally Posted by Bleedingshrimp

They did indeed ship it today, I spoke with a gentleman earlier. I mentioned to him politely my trouble with the order. He mentioned that everyone I had spoke with had done right and it was an unfortunate series of mistakes. I informed him that I spent a lot of money with them and that I would feel more comfortable ordering from them in the future if they offered me a discount coupon or credit...not much.

He said they had gave me free shipping and his supervisor had it overnighted. I continued and he put me through to his supervisors voicemail. I didn't leave a message today because I'd already spent 10 minutes on the phone with that guy and I had a lot of work to do. So I'll leave the supervisor a message tomorrow. The guy didn't sound like he even understood why I felt I was owed just a lil something for my trouble.

Honestly I'm surprised that this was the response you got. I've never had to call them up but so far I've had excelent service so it seems to me like they care about making the customer happy.

Nice run-on sentence I made there huh? But anyway, I would definitely call the supervisor and explain to him the situation. I would expect him to be in a position to make things right.

Rob

[Hoodere]

They're just passing the buck, no one wants to bite the bullet for a screw up. I would cancel and try again.

[kenstogie]

Originally Posted by Bigwaved

I usually find much better responses in these situations when I continue to use my manners and maintain a calm demeanor. I am not suggesting you have or will not, but if you find yourself becoming frustrated, remember not to shoot the messenger. That is my

or actually smart. It is hard at times to stay cool, just go (through Officer School) Any way you got to other wise your "labeled" so it's whattcha gotta do.

[TideRoll]

I agree with a lot of what is said in this thread. It would be good business for the vendor to throw a little something extra in, even if it is just a three pack, but of course, they are not obligated to do so.

And keeping ones calm can pay big dividends. I am a huge beleiver in a well written letter to management in a friendly tone and written with their perspective in mind but framed in terms of customer service. Works for me almost every time I have to go that route.

[punch]

Originally Posted by pnoon

Here is my , fwiw.

Flame suit on.

First, I share your frustration. And I would not have been happy either. I might have even cancelled my order. However, your question is "was the transaction fair"?

IMHO - No. "Fair" would have been to charge you for the cigars and shipping. You purchased both and both were provided. Now, the REAL question I think you are asking is "Was it good business?" or "What would you have done?"
To that I answer "No" and like CI, I would have waived shipping and, like duckmanco suggested, thrown in a little something extra.

Very sane response. I guess I have a problem with the entitlement mentality of so many people today. These people don't "owe" anyone anything. If one got the cigars they ordered, they got what they paid for. As for the shipping, that was screwed up and they paid nothing for it. Things go wrong now and then, and if it is not a pattern, there should be no problem with accepting an apology and a token (like the shipping that didn't happen on time, so no charge was made for it). To expect more merchandise due to an honest and rather harmless mistake, and then whine when it is not offered, seems to speak more poorly for the customer than the vendor. And also, "hundreds of dollars over the three or four months I've been smoking" would hardly even put one on the radar screen of most mail order businesses (which is not to say that they should treat someone poorly, just that it does not make such a person any kind of "gold star" customer with a multi-million dollar business). Quite frankly, I believe that the free shipping is a good faith effort on the vendor's part. As for me, I would have cancelled the order and ordered elsewhere after the first call so that I could be assured of having some cigars on the way. However, an event like this would not cause me to refrain from ordering from this vendor again.

Now, if the vendor sent me cigars anyway at no charge for the cigars or shipping, I would certainly accept them and even call them to thank them for what was an unneccesary act that went above the call. However, I cannot bring myself to feel entitled to more cigars that I did not pay for simply because the one's that I did pay for came late and with no cost for shipping them. Maybe I am just from an older generation, but I, too, cannot understand why one would feel they are owed more for their "trouble".

[taltos]

Punch, I'm a bit older than you and I agree with you in totality. The free shipping was a good faith effort to make things right and nothing else should be expected. Everyone makes mistakes and as long as they are corrected, all is well.