Is the Pipesandcigars.com Magazine a New Thing?

[mso489]

Haven't seen this much excitement since the dog had puppies!

 

[numbersix]

"PipesandCigars.com partners with companies that offer products and services we believe may be of interest to our customers. If you purchase a product from us, there is a chance we may share your name with another company whose products and services might interest you."

What a sad state of affairs this is. I hope P&C addresses this issue because there are other vendors who offer similar pricing and (at least at the present moment) much better service.
Here's smokingpipes.com's policy:

We do not share this information with outside parties except to the extent necessary to complete that order.

Here's Cup O Joes policy:

Information you give us is never sold or given to others. You will never receive unsolicited email from us. We appreciate your business and respect your privacy.

Here's 4noggins policy:

This information is kept strictly confidential and will never be given out.

Get it together P&C - I want to give you my business, but you're making it difficult.

 

[blendtobac]

I'm passing along your concerns to the appropriate people. We have never billed in advance of shipment before, so this has me mystified. It may be a PayPal related issue, as it seems that the only complaints of this sort are paid that way.

As far as the mailing list policy goes, that existed prior to the purchase of P&C by Cigars International. CI absolutely does not sell names or share them with anyone. I mentioned this and that comment will be removed post haste. You can be sure that no one who buys from us or joins our email list will have their name sold or shared.

Some people wonder why I spend so much time looking at the forums. This is why. Sometimes the only way I know about problems is when I read them here and elsewhere. Thanks to all who brought these concerns to light.
Russ

 

[blendtobac]

Okay. The list sharing issue has been addressed and I just watched as the comment was being removed from the site. The PayPal issue has to do with our accounting system not being able to integrate with the ordering system. We are working on a soluition to this issue, and it will be resolved, but it's going to take some time. In the meantime, this notice will be going on the site shortly so that no one is flying blind when placing an order:

If you choose PayPal as your payment method, please note that the entire amount of your order, including any possible backordered item will be charged to your account. Backorders will ship as soon as inventory is replenished. If you change your mind about waiting for the backorder, contact us and we will refund your PayPal account for the backorder amount. Substitutions are always possible and we will work to find replacement product that satisfy your needs.

It's not the perfect solution, but we're working on it.
Russ

 

[numbersix]

You can be sure that no one who buys from us or joins our email list will have their name sold or shared.

Thanks Russ for such prompt action - you can put me back on the list of P&C fans.

 

[spartan]

I don't understand why people have such a problem with getting billed for something that hasn't shipped...
It baffles me to no end.
You placed the order, now wait for it.
The end.

 

[brdavidson]

I have to say Russ, even that I now can't order from P&C as a Canuck, that I'm impressed with the professional manner in which you address each of these concerns. I know it can't be easy to see some negative comments about your company and yet you have always addressed the concerns professionally, politely and quickly. Communication is key during transitional times like you are having. :clap:

 

[blendtobac]

Sorry about the multiple entries here but I should have mentioned this in my last post; if a customer uses a credit or debit card, backorders will be handled as we always have. No backorders will be billed to a card until they physically ship.
Russ

 

[blendtobac]

Also, I wanted to note that when I was watching the privacy policy being updated, at the end of the quoted section shown above, there was a mention of opting-out, so that possibility was always there. It's now irrelevant as CI's no sale/no share policy is now P&C's as well.
Russ

 

[olewaylon]

I don't understand why people have such a problem with getting billed for something that hasn't shipped...
It baffles me to no end.

Boy Spartan, I hate for you to be baffled to no end. I sure don't like to get somebody so excited! Like Roth said there are several examples of why this is not ideal and I appreciate Russ's efforts to fix this.

 

[blendtobac]

The disclosure will change once the site publishes, which is usually at the end of the business day. That's when all changes (removing old items, changing copy, etc.) happens. The change will be there later today or early tomorrow.
Russ

 

[blendtobac]

When everything goes right, no one can tell anything about your character. The trick is to not wet yourself when the fire alarm goes off.

 

[cigrmaster]

Wow, I am glad I checked this thread. PC has been and always will be one of my go to vendors for tobacco. Their prices for what I like to buy is almost in every case the lowest on the web. I appreciate their commitment to having the best prices. Now of course when a company gets bought out there will be many issues that will arise and cause angst to both the company and their customers, that is just the way it works in business many times. Some companies can do this seamlessly, others have difficulties. I have been following Russ as he tries putting out fire after fire and also keeping people informed, to me that goes a long way. He is not hiding, he is not making excuses, he is up front about their issues and has spent a lot of time trying to ease peoples minds. I for one will be patient and wait for PC to get it together because I want the best prices. If I was to cut off my nose to spite my face and order from other places, it would cost me a lot of money. I look at every ten dollars saved as a free tin of tobacco, and I have gotten tons of free tins by buying from PC. I don't care if something is back ordered I can wait. They only charge my credit card for what they ship so no biggie.
Russ, hang in there, soon this will be just a bad memory and things will be running smoothly, you will always have my support.
Forgot to add that I love their catalog, as soon as I get it I put it on the back of my toilet and peruse it at my leisure. Make for great bathroom reading.

 

[captainbob]

I like PipesandCigars.com because they sell and promote many fine blends including Captain Bob's Blend that was created by myself and the late Craig Tarler. I do refer a lot of business to them and expect their service will be prompt and considerate as I have personally always experienced. I am very pleased to see that they sell Captain Bob's Blend in the artwork tin as well as in bulk because most e-tailers do not do that. I did receive the catalog last week and I really enjoyed Russ's article and the whole catalog was very well put together. I look forward to receiving many more from them. It is refreshing to receive a catalog like this in this day and age!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________