Hey everyone. So I finally placed an order online to get some blends I wouldn't normally find around my area. The order was inspired by the "McClelland Syrian has run out" posts. Having never tried Syrian I told myself I'd rather try it, love it and have it disappear than to have never smoked it at all. Got dinged about $30 for customs, plus some more taxes but still came out cheaper than local tins. I ordered 3 from McClelland: 3 Oaks Syrian, Wilderness and Yenidje Highlander. Also threw in 2 more tins, one Mac Baren Vintage Syrian and one Solani White and Black. Final part of my order was a Missouri Meerschaum Mizzou pipe for my lady (yes she enjoys to smoke with me) as all she currently has is a tiny folding vest pocket pipe handed down to her. Cheap shipping, about 12 days to get here, totally happy with SPC.
My issues are actually with the pipe. It arrived with the stem cracked where it meets the black band, ready to fall off with a gentle tug it looks like. I can only assume it happened during the customs check as there was a sticker noting that the package had been opened and it wasn't repacked or taped very well afterwards (the top of the box was sticking up from the pipe pushing up, probably putting too much pressure on it). The stem was turned as if they had tried to take it out for whatever reason, cracked it, said oops and tossed it back in... Frustrating as it was a gift to my girlfriend and she was really excited. Question is what do I do now, probably just suck it up and order a new stem since they're cheap? I would feel a bit silly complaining and returning a $4 pipe but in the end I guess I am dissatisfied. Haven't looked into stems but I feel like it'll end up being a $10 stem after it's shipped here. Another thing I noticed is there's some orange crusty resin that dripped on the bowl but I assume I can chip it off gently. So in the end what do you all think my best option is? Also since I only plan on opening one tin for now which one would you dive into if this was yours? Hoping to stash 3 Oaks until I can get a tin of the original and have a side by side comparison to indulge my curiosity. Sorry for the life story I just wanted to be thoroughly descriptive, here are the pics :
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Too long, Didn't read - Stem broke during shipping. Return it? Order more stems and deal with shipping? Find a forever stem? Happy to hear any opinions
My issues are actually with the pipe. It arrived with the stem cracked where it meets the black band, ready to fall off with a gentle tug it looks like. I can only assume it happened during the customs check as there was a sticker noting that the package had been opened and it wasn't repacked or taped very well afterwards (the top of the box was sticking up from the pipe pushing up, probably putting too much pressure on it). The stem was turned as if they had tried to take it out for whatever reason, cracked it, said oops and tossed it back in... Frustrating as it was a gift to my girlfriend and she was really excited. Question is what do I do now, probably just suck it up and order a new stem since they're cheap? I would feel a bit silly complaining and returning a $4 pipe but in the end I guess I am dissatisfied. Haven't looked into stems but I feel like it'll end up being a $10 stem after it's shipped here. Another thing I noticed is there's some orange crusty resin that dripped on the bowl but I assume I can chip it off gently. So in the end what do you all think my best option is? Also since I only plan on opening one tin for now which one would you dive into if this was yours? Hoping to stash 3 Oaks until I can get a tin of the original and have a side by side comparison to indulge my curiosity. Sorry for the life story I just wanted to be thoroughly descriptive, here are the pics :
:Too long, Didn't read - Stem broke during shipping. Return it? Order more stems and deal with shipping? Find a forever stem? Happy to hear any opinions
We are all happy right now.
