4Noggins - Tobacconists - Missing In Action?

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Beowoulf

Can't Leave
Oct 16, 2022
446
7,340
Hi, Folks!

Does anybody know if something is happening at 4Noggins? I placed an order on October 9th, and except for an initial acknowledgement, I have heard nothing. I have sent 2 emails and have tried calling repeatedly. The phone calls always go to the machine. The initial acknowledgement indicates that I have paid, and that my order is "unfulfilled".

I live in Canada but I don't think that is a problem for them because my pipe smoking club (Montreal Pipe Smoking Club), placed many orders through them. (Of course, that was 10 years ago.)

Any ideas?

(Right now smoking 10 year old Esoterica Tobacciana's Margate. The first third of the bowl was like smoking old rubber tires. The last two thirds was pure heaven.)
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,812
29,654
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
from what people have been saying this sounds more and more common there. I can't speak from experience but I am sure some can. Though it from what it sounds like people still order from them but don't count on a timely experience. So at the end of day you can vote with your dollars on what is worth spending you money on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Beowoulf

Beowoulf

Can't Leave
Oct 16, 2022
446
7,340
from what people have been saying this sounds more and more common there. I can't speak from experience but I am sure some can. Though it from what it sounds like people still order from them but don't count on a timely experience. So at the end of day you can vote with your dollars on what is worth spending you money on.
Well, I've given them $178. I'm getting a little nervous. (And I have $304 sitting in my shopping cart.)
 

Beowoulf

Can't Leave
Oct 16, 2022
446
7,340
I guess I could order from another tobacconist, but back in the pipe club days, 4Noggins was "creative" with the shipping labels and customs was never a problem.

Are there some Canadians on here who could recommend a well-stocked tobacconist?
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
4Noggins management changed about five or six years ago, and several members have complained about customer service since then, but as far as I can tell, they finally come through, but not as promptly as under the former management, as near as I can tell.

For years now, smoking pipes.com has been the customer service champ maybe along with Iwan Ries.
 

Beowoulf

Can't Leave
Oct 16, 2022
446
7,340
Well, ThermionicScott, you're right! All their email was going into junk. Still, among the stuff there, there is no mention of the progress of my order. They say, essentially, Thanks for your order. We're getting it ready. We'll notify you when it is shipped.

Thanks for your guidance! ;-)
 

unadoptedlamp

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 19, 2014
742
1,368
I have ordered about 7 pounds of tobacco from them in the past month. All arrived.

I have had your experience once in the past. Turns out he was waiting for a shipment to come in and then fulfilled the order. It was a matter of 1-2 weeks.

I have never heard of 4noggins "ripping off" anyone -ever. But the customer service is in need of improvement. I suspect it is very short staffed and so other things are a priority.

I have been ordering from them for close to 20 years now without fail, through both owners. They are a life saver for anyone outside of the continental U.S., so to any of our American friends here who seem to show up and slag this company in threads like these... please don't.

They provide a much needed service and are the only tobacconist willing to ship to some select countries. Until you are in that position, it is hard to imagine what it might be like.

I would say plainly if I have ever been taken advantage of by them. To the contrary. I have had shipments sent and re-sent multiple times to ensure it ended up where I needed it. Just don't expect a long chin-wag on the phone or to get a lengthy e-mail in response.

If they ever start stealing from people, that's a different story. But it's simply not the case, and patience is required. It ain't Amazon...
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,812
29,654
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
I have ordered about 7 pounds of tobacco from them in the past month. All arrived.

I have had your experience once in the past. Turns out he was waiting for a shipment to come in and then fulfilled the order. It was a matter of 1-2 weeks.

I have never heard of 4noggins "ripping off" anyone -ever. But the customer service is in need of improvement. I suspect it is very short staffed and so other things are a priority.

I have been ordering from them for close to 20 years now without fail, through both owners. They are a life saver for anyone outside of the continental U.S., so to any of our American friends here who seem to show up and slag this company in threads like these... please don't.

They provide a much needed service and are the only tobacconist willing to ship to some select countries. Until you are in that position, it is hard to imagine what it might be like.

I would say plainly if I have ever been taken advantage of by them. To the contrary. I have had shipments sent and re-sent multiple times to ensure it ended up where I needed it. Just don't expect a long chin-wag on the phone or to get a lengthy e-mail in response.

If they ever start stealing from people, that's a different story. But it's simply not the case, and patience is required. It ain't Amazon...
precisely.
 

Winnipeger

Lifer
Sep 9, 2022
1,288
9,670
Winnipeg
I have never heard of 4noggins "ripping off" anyone -ever.
I stopped ordering from them when an unopened packaged got returned due to customs shenanigans, and they gave me NO REFUND. I know they received the returned package because it was tracked. In other words, I paid for tobacco that I did not receive and they (I assume) resold it to someone else and never responded to any of my emails. That was a few years ago.

Too bad, because I ordered from them A LOT, before that.
 

--dante--

Lifer
Jun 11, 2020
1,071
7,308
Pittsburgh, PA USA
When they changed management, I experienced orders wherein they basically sold me things they didn't actually have (yet), resulting in weeks of non-answered emails. Other times they were quick (if they had the product in stock). So it _seemed_ like they just take any order, regardless of whether it's in stock or not.