P&C Doubles Prices on Esoterica Bags

[peckinpahhombre]

He's bent over backwards for us many times

Oy Vey. So maybe this price hike on Esoterica blends is just P&C asking us to do the same?

But hey, maybe you're just being sarcastic with your post. I hope you are, because it's totally unfair to blame Russ Ouelette for this.

Me, sarcastic? Absolutely never. I don't blame Russ. I don't even know him, and frankly, couldn't pick him out of a police line up. It was getting a little amusing though how every week or so there would be another post about P&C stepping on their dick in some way yet again, and Russ's avatar would always magically appear to explain what happened, calm the crowds, and tease us with all the exciting new stuff P&C has planned. Not this time.

 

[cortezattic]

@peck, :rofl:
On a more serious reserved note, thanks for the above link, duck.

It's good to know that the BBB has given Cigars Int'l a grade of F on the common A+ thru F system.
I will not knowingly do business with any company that gets that sort of score.

It's too bad that Russ is affiliated with that company. I hope he can find another place to work.

He's been a real asset to the pipe smoking industry.

 

[tedswearingen]

I don't really want to weight in on this issue, per se, but I would like to mention something, and I hope y'all will excuse me if I veer off for just a moment.
I've heard this said on this forum a handful of times now (and on this thread, I think, and another one that's hanging out) and I feel obliged to clear things up. I've read it here suggested that just because a product's in your shopping cart (at Smokingpipes.com) and displayed on the website as 'in stock' it doesn't mean you'll actually 'get' the product because when it comes time to 'pull it' from our warehouse some other guy who is ahead of you in the virtual waiting line has got it first. This isn't right. We do have real time inventory.
The problem is this: ten people might have the last tin of Penzance in their shopping cart at the same time and only one of them will get through with their credit card first. The site keeps 'real-time' inventory, and so does the cart, but only until a point. If you're at the last page of the checkout process, that page isn't going to randomly refresh the cart quantity before you're done (just imagine how frustrating that'd be trying to get your credit card information typed out and the page just keeps refreshing to make sure the inventory in your cart is straight). And it's not going to update the cart again because this is the last page of the shopping experience. This is the end. So while you might be the guy who's got that last tin of Penzance in your shopping cart, and you very carefully (with two fingers) probingly type out your credit card number verifying it against the plastic copy of it next to your keyboard, one keystroke at a time, but you left your reading glasses in another room... The professional typist that's got his credit card number memorized that's also got the last tin of Penzance in stock in his shopping cart... he's going to get it first. And you're not going to know the difference. Until we contact you.
This isn't so much a matter of us not being in the 21st century in terms of how our website works. This has more to do with the fact that we've got a lot literally hundreds of customers from all over the world jockeying for one last product at one moment in time. And while we could feasibly continue to customize and tinker with our shopping cart as if it were a finely tuned formula one racer* designed perfectly to handle this crazy course that most of us don't drive, we ended up thinking that it was probably just more fair to put the product up at a time of the day when folks on both coasts could buy the product (yeah, we've got that complaint too, about the time zones) and ask that they call in to make it happen. Because it's most fair, even if it's less convenient. Because like someone mentioned in another thread about Esoterica, it only takes one angry customer to spoil a company's reputation. And we'd rather make folks happy by making hard-to-get products available to as many people as possible without the game.
Cheers,
Ted
*Something else we hear a lot: why, if a product is in the shopping cart, is it still available on the website for others to also put into their shopping cart (whether it's a rare Rainer Barbi pipe or that last tin of Penzance)? Quite simple: if you're the kind of guy who really wants that tin of Penzance but maybe can't afford it until next pay day, why not just hoard it in your cart until you can eventually pay for it? And so the question becomes, why not have the shopping cart boot these kinds of products out after X amount of time, at which my answer will be to refer you back to the shopping cart as a formula one racer analogy.

 

[philobeddoe]

I understand all of the anger being directed at P&C for raising their prices on Esoterica tobaccos, but it's simple supply and demand. The tobaccos are in short supply with heavy demand, the price was bound to go up. Is it cool, no, it's capitalism, and it works the same way for every other commodity on Earth. It's not price gouging either, you don't need Stonehaven or Penzance the way you need milk, eggs and gasoline. Tobacco is a luxury item, it costs just exactly what customers are willing to pay for it.
As a side note, those of you who are purchasing these tobaccos merely for resale, please don't rub it in the face of the rest of us, no good comes from bragging about doing something that is universally despised. I'm not saying its wrong from an ethical standpoint, but it sure ain't cool!
Just my 2 cents.

 

[namuna]

There's a whole lot of offending, defending and general frustration being aired out in this thread. It's all just that though, "air". We can all complain, here and perhaps even directly in correspondence to P&C (or any other company/scalpers that price gouge), but they're laughing all the way to the bank as whatever items they're price gouging continues to sell at the higher price.
As has been stated, it's supply and demand. I believe the only real way for us consumers to actually make a difference is to affect the supply. Such as via boycott.

 

[tedswearingen]

At that point, duckfat, you're talking about two things not related to the above problem I outlined of real-time inventory vis-à-vis our shopping cart, though it's seemingly so. And here I really must apologize if I'm hijacking this thread. The two issues you mention are related to 1) credit card information capturing whereby we still 'charge' someone even if we shouldn't be (which is something else entirely), and 2) this problem where you ordered something that we said was in stock, said it was in stock 'hours after [you] placed your order' but you didn't get it. That sounds like some human error and that we screwed up on our side. I hope you let someone at SPC know and I hope we took care of you on that. That's not good.
And for the record I'm not here to make excuses or provide the euphemistic reason; really, I just keep reading that our site doesn't maintain a real-time inventory and I thought this was an opportunity to mention otherwise.
But the tone around here is fairly hostile, so I'll bow out of this thread. Thanks to all for the chance to sidebar.
-Ted

 

[cigrmaster]

duckfat, when I am ordering tins from Sp, I put 25 in my cart and the site tells me exactly how many are left if it is less than 25. I don't know how you can get more real time than that. I have sat there hitting 14,15,16 and so on until they list it as out of stock and then order, getting every last tin. When it is a hard to find blend, I have put in my order and then gotten notified they could only send so many because so many other people were ordering at the same time. They have no control over that and like Ted said, the fastest with the credit card wins. I have my credit card saved in my browser and can order in less than a minute when I get a notification. If SP is dealing with 100 people who got shut out of a Esoterica blend at the same time, how fast do you think they should be notifying people?
philo, this is not a supply and demand issue from the mfg as they have not jacked prices, this is a greed issue

with PC. 4noggins and Sp have not raised prices and that to me is huge. It says to me that they still value me as a customer and they do not want to jack me up on a popular blend just because the market says they can. To me it is about honor and integrity, not everything is about the dollar. CI is a big corporation whose only goal is share price, it is the way of 21st century corporate America. I will just take my business to people who make me feel appreciated.
Buying tobacco for the express purpose of re selling it for a profit will anger the pipe gods and it will affect your karma, I personally would not do it.

 

[JimInks]

Rothnh: since I was told Arango did not raise the prices on Esoterica by two different vendors, I'd sure like to hear what you find out when you hear back from them.

 

[cigrmaster]

roth, from what rich has told me, no price increase and jiminks has talked to Arango. Of course when a mfg increases prices and the retailer has too jack theirs I would accept it as normal business. I am willing to bet that no mfg is going to have a 100% price increase as PC has done.

 

[cigrmaster]

roth, I do not have SP confused with 4noggins. Go on their site pick a blend and then type in 500, it will tell you how many are left if they do not have 500. I just did it to Klondike Gold and it is telling me they only have 39 on hand, that is real time to me.

 

[woodsroad]

Jim, I bit the bullet and took it upon myself to speak with Dave at Arango Cigar Co. just a few minutes ago.

As of today, he sees no plan for Arango to raise the wholesale prices on Esoterica tobaccos.

Thread ender.

 

[flmason]

The parent company of P&C obviously does not care about their customer. No company should double prices without good reason. Greed is not a good reason. It is too bad the item in question is not like water. Then the company could be formally charged with a crime.
I have not bought any tobacco from P&C but they get an F from me related to pipes. I have tried 2 times to order pipes and the company failed big time both times by not answering the questions I had. The second time the rep would not even let me speak to a manager.

 

[woodsroad]

It is too bad the item in question is not like water. Then the company could be formally charged with a crime.

What a silly statement.

 

[cigrmaster]

roth, you are right, I do have you confused with Duckfat, duh, my bad. lol
duckfat, did you do like I suggested? If it is not showing you how many are on hand then maybe it is your browser. I use google chrome.

 

[bigboi]

I can't order from P&C anyways, being from Washington. I have never tried any esoterica tobacco, I may never, because there is so many other tobaccos that are less expensive for me to try. Maybe I will never get to experience the "best", but right now I am very happy with some of the blends I have tried.

I am sorry to see where P&C seems to be going. It's a sad day when customers feel taken advantage of and no longer want to do business with what used to be in their minds a respectable retailer. As for me I will continue to do business with those that I can get tobacco from.

 

[cigrmaster]

Here is what I am seeing on Sp.
Klondike Gold 50g

Klondike Gold 50g
Item#: 003-578-0001

$4,563.00
$507.00 ( Extra 10% off for 25+)
We only have 39 on hand*

 

[cigrmaster]

duckfat, Sp is one of the best vendors out there, I don't understand why you are so down on them. I have always had a great experience dealing with them and in the couple of times and order was not processed correctly, they bent over backwards making it right. Do you think it is that easy to get in touch with a couple of hundred people when a blend sells out in 2 minutes? Other than your Esoterica orders what issues have you had with them?

 

[cigrmaster]

duck, I don't understand how you do not see that them stating they only have 39 tins on hand is not real time inventory. I go to their site, I pick a blend, if I hit 25 and they do not have 25 in stock it tells me exactly how many there are left so I can order that exact amount. How is that a bad thing?
There have been a few times when I was trying to order Wessex Brigade Campaign and was told after I thought I got some, that sorry, other people got to it first. When 200 people are trying to order the same thing, it probably takes time for their customer service people to figure out, who got their info in first. They are fair people, they do not play favorites, they take the orders as they come in. Do what you want of course, less competition for me. lol

 

[ram74]

Actually it is not simply supply and demand because the wholesale price of Esoterica tobacco has not gone up and no other vendor has taken a similar step. I imagine because doing so would be extremely damaging to a website's reputation. I am a member of several online pipe forums and every single one has a thread about this topic. Most of the responses are negative. Highly sought after items drive sales for other items. When someone places an order for Esoterica items they may also order other items they may not have purchased otherwise. P&C has really angered a lot of their customers.
CI has a BBB rating of F. That is brutal.

 

[woodsroad]

CI has a BBB rating of F. That is brutal.

Brutal? That rating is based on 16 complaints filed anonymously with the BBB over a period of 2 1/2 years. 15 of those complaints were resolved. CI is not a BBB member, so this "rating" is nothing more than extortion on BBB's part. It's how the BBB works. Google BBB Extortion.
Disclaimer: I have no connection whatsoever to CI or P&C other than I have placed several orders with them.
CI-BBB Link