A Question in Customer Service

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minfarshaw

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 12, 2014
279
1
My Comment 1/10/2015

Order # I don't expect to be able to return this product as it has already been smoked. While smoking, I realized that the stem I cracked where it meets the mouthpiece. I've always been very satisfied with my purchases from your company. This one, however, was disappointing. Is there still any way to remedy this situation? Thanks for your time and consideration.
Their response-
We’re sorry that you are having problems with this pipe. We are not able to accept a return or exchange for smoked pipes. You may be able to contact Missouri Meerschaum regarding the issue. I apologize for any inconvenience this causes you. Please let us know if there is anything further we can help you with.
Thank you,

Customer Service
My Comment 1/15/2015

Yes I understand. I was hoping for a replacement but I have covered the crack with some tape and it works fine. I should have checked before smoking. Thanks for the correspondence.
This has been bothering me. I did not contact MM about the cob. I was just hoping for better customer service. Granted, this is about a cheap MO freehand cob. I paid for the product, the product was damaged. I did not realized there was a crack where the stem/shank met the mouthpiece until smoke started coming out of it. I had to place tape over the crack. To me, the product wa subpar. Therefore they should have sent me a new one. It's not like I am a new customer. I order at least once a month. I guess I should have just directly stated that I wanted a replacement in the first place. Do you guys think that I should have gotten a replacement. Or am I just full of it? It is done now, I just want your opinion on the matter.

P.S- I erased some info to avoid incriminating the company in question. Just in case I am wrong about deserving a replacement for the product.

 

oldreddog

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 4, 2014
923
6
For the sake of a cob,I think they could have made a better effort at customer relations and sent a new one to you.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
minfar', I agree this is a little hard-nosed on the part of the retailer, but alas, they are well within their rights.

This has the strong take-home lesson (that all of us know but few of us observe rigorously) that before you

buy any pipe, and before you smoke any pipe bought online and through the mail, examine the heck out of

it. Not all flaws can be seen, but this one could have been. Still, it's not your fault, minfar'. Pipes are the

interests of enthusiasts, and we open the arrivals with gusto and tend to dive right in for a smoke. I like

your taped fix, and think it somewhat adds charm to the pipe, and you've shared this stern but not expensive

lesson with all of us, so it is your contribution to the education of Forums members. Thanks. You may be

able to patch up the stem with something more permanent -- plaster of Paris, glue, or maybe a wrapping of

decorative wire/rawhide/cord.

 

tbradsim1

Lifer
Jan 14, 2012
9,093
11,012
Southwest Louisiana
Min for the sake of a few bucks they screwed the pooch. You will never look at this retailer in a good light. It amazes me how nickel and dime crap will taint a customer. Yes I would contact MM and I believe they will resolve this. Good Luck.

 

minfarshaw

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 12, 2014
279
1
Thanks for the validation guys. And yes, I think I will contact MM. Just to let them know. I will copy and paste the correspondence. They might surprise me. I just ordered a Wizard from them. Now I know to inspect for damage before smoking it. It's really too bad, the pipe is awesome! I hope the tape fix lasts.

 
For what it's worth, I've found phone calls to be more effective for one particular vendor of pipes (and cigars). They told me on the phone, that some trained monkeys run the email response department. They treated me above and beyond once I had a person ear to ear. Might be worth a shot also.
The problem with most of these online venues is that, to keep costs down, they run out of warehouses with just a few employees. They farm out all of their web, email, and phone services. So, these services don't have as much of a vested interest in protecting the consumers. They may in fact boast that they can shield these companies from returns and complaints.

 

brass

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,840
7
United States
Minefarshaw, I commiserate with you. This whole thing about not returning smoked pipes is the industry standard and is rational. However, I think merchants should be flexible. It is one thing if I smoke a pipe and find that it isn't to my taste. That doesn't mean the pipe was defective.
It is quite another to smoke a pipe and discover that the draw is as tight as a frog's ass, as was the case with an estate Meerschaum purchased from smoking pipes. Basically, I was told sorry about that.
I also purchased a new Chacom from them and the stem fit, acceptable at first, became very loose fitting within a couple of weeks. SmokingPipes gave me some advice, and were willing to fix it, if I shipped it to them, at no charge. But they wouldn't exchange it.
Since the policy is clear, I bear the company no malice but still, whenever, I look at the Meerschaum or notice the still somewhat loose stem on the Chacom, it brings up slightly bitter memory of the company.
My ethics prohibit me from selling the Meerschaum, so I'm basically stuck.
But it did reduce my loyalty. I had purchased at least a dozen pipes from SmokingPipes and I bought from them exclusively. I still do but I will now shop around for pipes at Pipe&Tobbaco; 4Noggins, and other vendors.
BTW, you havn't missed much from calling MM direct. The bad thing is that their answer for everything is Elmers general purpose glue. The good thing is that Elmers glue will fix just about any problem you'll have with one of their pipes.
I had a free hand with a lose stem - perhaps loosened after a drop. Just wiped off the stem, slopped some glue on it, shoved in the draft hole, let it sit for a day, and it has been smoking good as new.
Have a pit in the cob. Take some sawdust or pencil shavings, grind to almost a powder, mix it with Elmers, and fill it. Hardly perceptible.
My guess is that you can seal your crack with Elmers. Worth a try.

 

freakiefrog

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 26, 2012
745
2
Mississippi
You paid for a functional product from company #1, Company #1 received your money and shipped you a defective product. Your grievance is not with their supplier its with them. Either they stand behind the products they sell or they don't. I wouldn't call MM that's the problem of the retailer to make sure the products they ship are up to the product description. If the retailer refuses to exchange or refund you the price of the cob -shipping I say you box it up ship it back to them and tell them not only will you never buy from them again but you make sure let the nice folks at Pipes magazine know who they are. If this is how they treat you with a 20.00 purchase why would you or I for that matter want to risk a 200.00+ purchase and pray I get good products?

 

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
11,700
16,209
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
The retailer missed his one big chance to make you a lifelong customer. The retailer would most likely not be out a penny as they could have forwarded the defective pipe to MM and received a credit. I'm betting that they wouldn't have to send the pipe back to MM, just advising them of the problem would have generated a credit, most likely.
Fie on the retailer!
You held up your end of the "food chain" and they did not.

 

minfarshaw

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 12, 2014
279
1
Alright guys, the retailer was PIpes and Cigars. I've changed my mind about hiding their identity. Free speech right?

 
What does it matter whether its the internet or a B&M? People get pissed at vendors, one in particular, all the time, and it doesn't effect their business at all. In fact most of us on here, still continue to buy from a company that gets bashed repeatedly. Hell, look at Shiny Pipes on ebay selling more and more pipes and getting premium prices, yet we all know and warn everyone. I would say that in the age of the internet, it's much easier to screw over people and still make a killing.
As a business owner, I can empathize with whoever this company is. You have to draw the line somewhere, because people try to beat the system all day, every day. I get attempts to screw me everyday. The problem, is that the "once smoked, it's your tough luck" policy has caught up an innocent. The policy is good. It protects them from the millions of con-men who are trying to beat the system, yet this situation could possibly be a stand out, where the policy might be set aside. This is why I would try the phone over an email. A phone allows you to further explain the situation and answer questions. You just got caught up in their web of policies that have served them well till now.
But, MM has a dog in this. Do they want to have their products seem inferior? the retailer would have to deal with them anyways.

 

minfarshaw

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 12, 2014
279
1
I had to chuckle a little bit there. Yes I bet they are doing well. I am willing to bet that people would be willing to put up with crap to save money. They do seem to have the best prices out there and not much competition. Maybe that's where the swagger comes from. They will get away with bad service. They have and will continue to get away with it.

 
Give them a call. They sent me a whole new brick of bulk flake tobacco that I dropped on the floor. I accused them of sending me a brick that wasn't sealed. But, when I got the new one, I realized that Peter Stokkebye doesn't seal their bulk blends. They are just in an unsealed bag. So, they replaced a whole pound plus, knowing that it was my own fault. Good people once you get them on the phone. Email, eh, not so much.

 

iamn8

Lifer
Sep 8, 2014
4,248
14
Moody, AL
I have found it INFINATLY helpful to email them a link to this thread. It works wonders.

It makes them remember that this isn't an issue with a customer. It is an issue with their entire reputation.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,632
44,859
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
So here's my take. An important part of what makes a business successful is good will. That means that, as a business, you take care of your customers and in return you customers will give you more business. May not work 100% of the time, but on balance it's a smart way to do business. You may be doing well without good will, but you're not doing nearly as well as you could be.
Swagger only goes so far. People get fed up with it end eventually go elsewhere. And there is always somewhere else to go. In my industry I've seen this play out many times.
The currently outted company may have not been under any obligation to take your pipe back, but it was essentially a stupid move. The return represented a small dollar loss against continuing revenues from a satisfied repeat customer over time. Their competition should thank them for the business that they have given up.

 

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
11,700
16,209
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
As much as I try, on these type of threads, to mitigate for retailers, especially whensucha thread is simply a rant, minfarshaw tried, in what I hope was a civil manner, to have the retailer address her problem. When I worked in a retail hardware business, the customer was to be satisfied. For returns, we would then work with the manufacturer.
I some cases a customer would build up a "track record" which indicated that they were simply looking at the store as a "rental shop." They were looking for a refund not a return. These customers soon found themselves dealing with the manufacturer when trying to return "defective" products. But, until they established their deviousness, they were always "right."
As minfarshaw has not demonstrated, through her posts, that she is a "complainer," I will take her observations to heart; "Pipes and Cigars" will not be a company that I will do business with. She has, most likely, saved me some future frustration.

 

minfarshaw

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 12, 2014
279
1
Thanks for the advice everyone. I contacted MM about thirty minutes ago and already got a response from a person named Marilyn that they would replace the pipe provided I send them pictures so she can show them to her general manager. It didn't even take an hour for her to reply. That's what I can great service! Thank you MM.

 
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