Internet Retailer

[redbeard]

So I was able to get a few tins for Christmas from my girlfriends grandparents. Well I went with some tins from one site and then got my favorite bulk from another. I have recently been getting into flakes so that's all I wanted and all I picked out. It arrived yesterday so excited I'm able to open one now I picked the one that caught my eye most, a flake with some LAT on it YUMMMMM. to my disappointment I pop it and find it full of ribbon cut tobacco!!!!! Also it is a different color tin altogether!! I am very upset so I emailed them stating my concerns since I am not interested in that tobacco which is why I purchased the flake version. I have still yet to hear anything from them! The picture of the tobacco and description is all there on the site, it's not like I miss ordered.
I am just having bad luck with internet retailers these past few days!! What would you do? Advertised as a flake and your shipped ribbon cut.

 

[tamer291]

I'd wait for the response from the site. If its from any of PMs sponsors they should take care of the problem. I have found calling usually speeds up the process.

 

[redbeard]

Well I finally called (Cigars international) and got thrown for a loop, being told I should of read the description for better information and even told to take it up with pipes and cigars!!
In the end after a heated conversation I am being told to ship the tin back and pick something different, well... Somehow in a day they no longer carry Mc Clelland tobacco and the only flake with Latakia they carry is back ordered! I just asked for a refund but man it was like pulling teeth! I would gladly pay extra to go to a local B&M if all internet retailers are like this!!
So out of the same building I'm told 4 or more companies all pull from the same stock and I'm assuming are training their customer service associates the same way....HORRIBLY. I don't mean to bash a company but come on people!! Is it just like, oh hey it's him so lets screw him over or what? Don't get me wrong she offered me an exchange then a refund but after I had to get loud and explain how the site said one thing and I received another. Then she can't find the item since it's removed from the site but luckily I took a screen shot of it before they did so! I guess if I didn't have the foresight of problems to come I would of been SOL
So now I get to wait another 10 DAYS to even get a refund so I can purchase from somewhere else, even then.... I will be out the new shipping from the other company I order from. This is just stupid.

 

[rmbittner]

redbeard:
Not all Internet retailers are like this. Sure, mistakes are bound to happen sometimes. But everything this particular company has said about how they fulfill orders -- and handle the resulting errors -- has led me to choose to buy elsewhere.
When a similar situation happened with a Smoking Pipes order -- I received the flat-out wrong tin of tobacco -- the CS person said I was free to keep the tin if I wanted and that they would send the right one immediately. Since I didn't want the tin -- it was an aromatic, when I'd ordered a latakia mixture -- she said they'd include a prepaid return label with the replacement shipment. The "fix" couldn't have been easier.
It's worth mentioning, though, that the mistake didn't happen with my first order. I'd placed 38 correctly handled orders when this mistake happened. So I knew it was a great company that just slipped up. (BTW, the CS person asked who signed the picking sheet so they could be sure to let that person know.)
But I could praise SmokingPipes.com all day. . .
Bob

 

[redbeard]

They didn't even offer me to keep it, even after I told them it has been opened, because who wouldn't open it in excitement for a tobacco they have been waiting anxiously for!! They said they normally don't take them back but I will. I can only imagine them going off and being like "we received an open tin, nothing we can do for you"
Shall I start taking wagers??

 

[rmbittner]

"They said they normally don't take them back but I will."
Hey, bulk tobacco has to come from somewhere, right?
Bob

 

[redbeard]

Lol! So that is how it's born 8O

 

[lestrout]

red - which blend was that which created the issue? McC 2020?
hp

les

 

[redbeard]

The description and picture was a flake tobacco, or so I assumed. I've never had any McC blends so how was I supposed to know. It was oriental #14

 

[lestrout]

red - the European (Planta, KK, Orlik) and UK makers present their flakes much differently than the Americans, especially McClelland. If you were expecting a nice block of thinly sliced flakes, you would be surprised by many if not most of the McClellands. I usually think of their fine flakes as more broken flake, and if the tin has been handled a lot, you may not find many chunks in the tin. I think the differences reflect the difference in equipment and process.
hp

les

 

[redbeard]

Ahh, I have yet to open the tins of dark star and blackwoods, I honestly was a little scared too after my experience with that one. Although the #14 wasn't supposed to be a flake to begin with. They had the wrong pic of tobacco there which caused this whole thing.

 

[woodsroad]

Am I the only one who is having difficulty understanding precisely what the problem is?
What was ordered?

Was it bulk or tin?

Got a link?

 

[redbeard]

Well they removed all McC off the site unless it's back up now. I'm really so over this though it's not even funny, I've learned my lesson and that's that.
But, I made an order of all flakes, Peterson, Orlik, McC. The McC's I ordered were all black labeled, or so I thought. Almost all sites have a small picture for example of what the tobacco looks like or just no pic at all. This one was a picture of a black label flake, the description was of a tobacco full of Virginias, lat, and more and that was what I wanted so I selected it. I guess they had a picture of a totally different blend (how was I supposed to know?) and I was shocked when I found out its loose cut and a green labeled tin. So when I tried to get the situation resolved I was given attitude and told I'm wrong and that's what I ordered.
So I ordered oriental #14 expecting a flake due to the description

It is in a tin

And no link because they just removed all McC (according to Russ they still have them however)
I did however take a screen shot of what I was viewing and what I though I was getting, that shut that CSR up real quick once I sent it over to her. But honestly I really do not want to have to go through all the BS of sending it back and going back onto a card I do not have access too. I've heard of plenty retailers admitting their mistake and sending out a tin without the paying customer having to go through all the trouble to solve their screw up. But what can you do besides taking business elsewhere

 

[woodsroad]

How about sharing that screen capture with us?

 

[redbeard]

 

[andrew]

Jesus, it's a picture of Navy Cavendish, you're problem isn't with McClellend's it's with Cigars international. McClellend's makes the best Va's around in my opinion. I'm not to big on their english blends, but anything that's VA forward I love.

 

[redbeard]

I never said there was a problem with McC, and I guess if you have had navy CAV then you would know. But this was my first experience purchasing them, I would assume the person setting the website up knew what they were doing. Wouldn't you?

 

[andrew]

Yeah that's some sloppy work. I'd try the oriental though, their oriental blends are great, just not big on the English blends by them really.

 

[redbeard]

I love stuff like that, only thing is I wanted a flake is all. It was supposed to be a Christmas present after all. I have plenty of blends just like this one in loose cut which is why I wanted a flake. Too bad for me I guess

 

[mikestanley]

The photo is pretty misleading. Any retailer who made such a mistake and would make me send the opened tin back would not see my tobacco dollars. As Confushus say..."picture worth thousand words". Mixture #14 is pretty good IMHO though. FWIW, Blackwoods is a broken flake, not full flakes. Just so you know. Iyt's one of the finest broken flake tobaccos going.
Mike S.