Not over-joyed with pipesandcigars.com

[Hermit]

Originally Posted by Vrbas

The only problem i had with them was some "miscalculations" as far as my bulk tobacco went. Ordered about 5 blends from them (only like 1oz each) and one baggie CLEARLY did not weigh up to 1oz. The others were off a little as well (under), but oh well. I don't smoke enough for it to be that big of an issue and luckily i didn't particularly like the blend i got jipped on all that much, but still it gets under my skin.

I'd recommend CupoJoes.com They got the stuff, they'll ship it fast, and they seem to have higher quality of ziplock bags (funny i'm rating the quality of a zippy, but it's true).

I've had some "miscalculations" from them, too.
I usually get more than I order.
They're not perfect, but P&C is my number one vendor.

[bige610]

same here. i asked for a sample of two blends they sent me a few ounces of each. and it always seems they err on the heavy side. 1 oz of tobacco isnt very much

[Rolando]

Most of you are clearly missing the point. IT IS NOT ABOUT THE MISSING TIN. I was too busy to notice and over a week has gone by. I am SURE they would have replaced it had I called in timely manner. My MAIN source of irritation has absolutely NOTHING to do with the tin.

And no not every item has to be called in to check for availability. From their website:



The problem clearly is that their website is not updated often enough to have the correct inventory levels and when you place an order for something that is out of stock you are left in the dark as to when an order will ship. Yes I could call them and get estimated shipping dates and all that but I should not have to since they have my email address.

[atlacatl]

I buy from them alot and never had a problem. I'm sure they'll take care of the missing tin.

[Vrbas]

Originally Posted by bige610

same here. i asked for a sample of two blends they sent me a few ounces of each. and it always seems they err on the heavy side. 1 oz of tobacco isnt very much

Suckers are getting the better side of "miscalculations".

About the topic creator's issue: Perhaps since they are such a large and popular retailer, they have a lot on their hands and updating their website slips through sometimes. Even then, if you're as popular and renown as they are, I'd think better of them.

[Mad Hatter]

Maybe its safe to say that online tobacco vendors are like mechanics and we all have our own opinions of who provides quality service and who has shoddy service.

[wharfrathoss]

the whole "out of stock but still listed" issue has been going on for awhile, they even placed a short lived discount code here awhile ago to make up for it-when i placed my order w/them a couple months back, i knew to expect delays-i just checked the tracking on the order, & when i hadn't shipped i emailed Deb-she let me know why it hadn't & when it would-i'm not saying it's the way i would run an online buisness, but it's their website & their choice-it's also our choice whether to do buisness w/them or not-so be it

[BlackDog]

This is not the first time this issue has been brought up regarding pipesandcigars.com Howeve, Scotty seems like a guy who is trying to serve his customers well. Personally I do wish he would put in a real-time inventory system on his website. Other e-tailers do, so obviously it can be done. I also wish he would not hold orders when you order something he doesn't have in stock. I think he should ship the partial order, then ship the backordered item when he gets it in stock. Or, put in a real time inventory system.

When the issue of service from his business came up on another forum, he posted these replies, which I think speak well of his intentions:

I tried to post this earlier. Unfortunately, I did not save it so I have to type it again.

First of all I would like to apologize to Tex and anyone who did not recieve the service they expected. We really care about our customers and strongly believe in providing a quality product at a fair price.

David may be right that we may be experiencing growing pains but it is more than that. We do carry some 7500 products. Pipes, pipe tobaccos, cigars, RYO and a host of other products. From time to time we do run out of products. Sometimes we are at the mercy of our vendors. They may run out of something and be waiting on a container. There has also been a lot of consolidation in this business as well.

Twelve years ago, I started my business with 15 boxes of cigars in a cart in the mall. Today the Albany Habana does 4 times the average smokeshop and our mail order business ships out 200+ packages a day. As an example of our customer service out of 10,000 ratings (through our Yahoo! Store), 97% are good (1,600+) or excellent (8,000+). We strive for a 100%.

The bottom line is we give a 100%. We're not perfect and we are sorry. We do mistakes and take responsibility for them. If there is anything we can do to make things better for you, let us know. We would like to make up any wrong we've done.

My email is scott@pipesandcigars.com

Albany Store (where I am at most of the time) 518-690-2222

Bob's email address is bobbyg@pipesandcigars.com

Please don't hesitate to give us a call or email for any reason.

Bob and I are heading to Vegas on Sunday for our trade show and we will have email access.

Thanks and again please know our hearts are in this.

Scotty

Thanks.

I do care. My first email though was more apologetic. I did not mean to brag about our business, I meant to share with you that we have a lot going on and that we owe a lot to this industry for being so good to us.

I also meant to address a couple of other issues.

1. Dented Tins. This is a problem for all retailers. Just let us know and we'll do our best to replace them. We don't dent them in put them in the box and we rarely box a dented tin. If anyone has an idea how to better pack the blasted things, shoot me an email. Just remember, we don't make a lot of money per tin so please dont suggest bubble wrapping each one because we already thought of that.

2. Our goal is to respond to every email. For some reason, some emails go to a spam folder and even though we check it every day, sometimes we miss one. Due to the high volume of emails I receive, sometimes I do forget to respond. I am sorry. I'm just a guy who works in a store, has a mail order business and a family. I am not a computer. I do value your input so please feel free to email any ideas.

3. International orders. No BS, with all the money I have lost on International orders I could have bought a #@#@@! Ferrrari! We do not lie on Customs forms. It is a serious offense and not only do I have a family but the people I employ do too. We are located in the capital city of the State of NY. I know you were just trying to order a pipe (which believe me is different than tobacco), but we set up these procedures to protect ourselves from a host of issues.

Anyway thanks for letting me vent. If you choose not to use us, I understand. There are lots of good "etailers" out there. In fact, I will be eating dinner with Eric from Cup o Joes on Tuesday night. He is my friend. I know smokingpipes runs a good business too.

If you do choose to use us again, give me a call (518-690-2222) or call the 800-494-9144 number and they will transfer you. I always pick up my phone if I am not with a customer. Feel free to shoot me an email.

If you're in Albany, stop by. I would be glad to send you over or give you a tour myself of our warehouse. We also have a pipe club that meets the first Thusday of every month in our lounge at Albany Habana at 6:00pm. We love meeting new people.

Gotta give blood, get back to work and off to Countryfest with the Fam.

Thanks again and my best wishes for a good weekend,

Scotty

[dartplayer1]

If your not happy with the service why would you place another order?

[SeanGAR]

Communication and online live inventory separate the top retailers from the rest. I shop at retailers who can tell me immediately if something is in stock, who immediately email me the order information, who ship fast and email me the tracking information. The rest can live without my business.

[drastic_quench]

Originally Posted by SeanGAR

Communication and online live inventory separate the top retailers from the rest. I shop at retailers who can tell me immediately if something is in stock, who immediately email me the order information, who ship fast and email me the tracking information. The rest can live without my business.

That's a sound strategy.

[Doc Holiday]

I had an order where I had ordered 8 oz tins but I received 2 oz tins. Several calls to staff seemed to fall on deaf ears. After a couple months it appeared I may not get things straightend out.

One email to Scotty caused a flurry of emails I was copied on, and tobacco to be in the mail within hours.

My suggestion would be to contact Scotty if you feel you have an issue. He will take care of you.

[squeeze left]

Originally Posted by SeanGAR

Communication and online live inventory separate the top retailers from the rest. I shop at retailers who can tell me immediately if something is in stock, who immediately email me the order information, who ship fast and email me the tracking information. The rest can live without my business.

I agree that real-time inventory is a plus, but it's not the only one for me. Selection, price, and careful packing are my top priorities. I'm never in a hurry and always choose the cheapest shipping. That said, if I haven't heard from a retailer within 3 or 4 days I do email them just to check that my order was recieved. After a couple of weeks I might check the tracking number.

It's like MadHatter said - we all have different criteria. Certain retailers have poorly organized and confusing websites, and their childish advertisements. I will never order from them because I would never trust them with my credit card number. But I also won't trash them (by name) - they'll do fine without my business.

[Rolando]

Originally Posted by dartplayer1

If your not happy with the service why would you place another order?

There are multiple levels of annoyance in life. I have not reached the phase of "will never order from the again" just the phase where they may not be my first choice in the future.

I did receive an email from them after this thread letting me know an item was out of stock. I am not sure how I feel about that since it was prompted but again I never blacklisted them as a vendor. They do have a good selection and the prices seem reasonable but since I seldom price shop I don't know how they compare with others.

[bige610]

ive found with that site it is best to call them when you want to place your order. or what i do is place my order, and then call at my earliest convienence. I had a problem were my order never shipped. turned out they were waiting for an item to come in. after that i call everytime. they are very helpful. on another note if you call and ask for a sample or two with your order they really hook it up. i got a few ounces of the stuff i asked for. if you cant call you can email. deb usually responds within an hour or two.