Ser Jacopo

[crashthegrey]

If I am honest, I can't see the issue from any pictures on this thread. Just because some are upset for you does not mean that you are in the right. That being said, without better pictures I would hesitate to provide a personal opinion on the drilling. It is disappointing that the response was so dismissive, though.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I was assuming that there were pictures that I just couldn't see in this thread, because I was thinking the same thing. I saw no problems at all, but maybe I just didn't fully understand the problem.

 

[cohiba007]

JPM. You only posted two of my photos. The two that you didn’t post show my issues. Your link shows all of my photos with others response. I don’t think that I am being overly critical.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I'd gladly post any photo that shows the problem. But thumbnail photos don't show anything I can see; can you link to the full sized images?
Perhaps others can see that there's a real problem by looking at the thumbnails, but I cannot.

 

[cohiba007]

http://pipesmagazine.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/album/19023/1136b479-c1ff-4c3e-a21f-339b2668bd12-600x450.jpg

 

[cohiba007]

http://pipesmagazine.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/album/19023/2598d2cd-71df-4cb9-86c8-881b8ddb6034-450x600.jpg

Edit: Posted photo/Al

 

[cohiba007]

Those last two posts show issues. If I am being too critical please say but I don’t think so. Just seems like a poor job for a pipe that over $300

 

[mityahicks]

I agree, not worth the price point with that drilling. Smoking pipes refunded a Johs pipe for me that had a defect only visible after smoking. That hole looks like it would hinder a totally pleasurable smoke.

 

[ssjones]

I fixed the title.
I would be unhappy with that drilling on a $300 pipe, but at that price point, I would have scrutinized it carefully upon receipt. I can see SmokingPipes not doing much after you have smoked it 4-5 times. I'd chalk it up to a lesson learned.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

Al, in today's world,I can't disagree with your lesson learned conclusion.
But still....
I started getting serious about pipes around 1979. At that time, Royal Cigar in downtown Atlanta had annual Charatan "trunk shows" which really were trunk shows. Gene Thompson, the Lane representative, would drive over from Tucker GA (an Atlanta suburb that was Lanes headquarters) and unload a couple of big shipping boxes from the trunk of his car containing 5 or 6 dozen Charatan's. A few weeks later he would come back and pick up the unsold pipes.
I was in the shop one Saturday when he came back for the pipes. The owner, the late Bill Kiely, already had boxed up the pipes to go back. Except...
As they were doing the bookwork, Mr Kiely opened a drawer and pulled out two Charatan boxes. He said " Gene, you probably ought to look at these before you send them out again." He nodded and nothing else was said. The pipes were loaded in the trunk of Thompson's car and they went to lunch together.
The next time I saw Mr Kiely I asked him about those Charatan's. He just said, "To me, they shouldn't have ever left the factory, so I never put them out". I still don't know what the problems were.
As I said above, markups are still around keystone. (100%). I guess what has changed is that back then shop owners earned their profit. And knew how to evaluate a pipe that carried a premium price tag.

 

[crashthegrey]

back then shop owners earned their profit. And knew how to evaluate a pipe that carried a premium price tag.

In fairness, Smoking Pipes runs a pretty tight ship in my experience, and from what I have heard. One mistake is hardly enough for the context of your statement. It is hard to see how poorly drilled this pipe may or may not be in this one photo, but assuming that it is horrible for the sake of conversation, this is a retailer who stands by the quality of their pipes. Every person and company can make a mistake. You tell a great story, and I know plenty of retailers who still do the same. I am willing to bet that a mistake or two were missed by these same old time guys. It happens. Now, if the OP had not smoked this pipe, he would have been taken care of immediately. It is tough when you make a mistake and it is only pointed out after smoking the pipe.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Is the problem that the vertical drill hole is 1-2 mm off center? Or something else?

(Does this pipe accept a filter?)

 

[cohiba007]

Issues are the “curvature” of the boring. The drought hole isn’t centered but that is not really my issue. It just seems like the drill was not done properly. I don’t fault smoking pipes. They have said that they would look at the pipe when I send it back which is fair. I am new to pipe smoking so I don’t inspect the pipe properly upon receiving it. That’s in me. I have a bigger issue with the response that I received from Ser Jac. A second email to them has gone unanswered. As some have said I am just chalking this up to an expensive lesson learned. Maybe smoking pipes will issue me a credit but I certainly won’t hold it against them if they do not. However Ser Jac could have handled this better in my opinion. And no this pipe doesn’t take a filter. And a cleaner certainly doesn’t go though because of the drilling.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

And a cleaner certainly doesn’t go though because of the drilling.

For a Ser Jacopo not to pass a cleaner is really sad.
And @crashthegrey, I firmly believe that an old timer like Mr Kiely would evaluate the situation under a standard of "Should I have put this pipe out in the first place?" and would give particular weight to the fact that the customer was new to pipes. Which is something that SP might very well do. I thought the pipe had already been sent back and was in the hands of the"restoration department" but from the OP's last post it appears they haven't looked at it yet. I have never had an issue with SP. In fact, I have purchased two new Ser Jacopo Jucunda's from them, both flawless.

 

[cohiba007]

Ok. Ser Jac replied to my second email pointing out the defect. The reply is below .He has no idea if this pipe smokes well which is what bothers me. Anyway, thank you for all your replies and happy puffing.
I repeat this is Not a defect because the pipe smoke well...Anyway If You dont like the pipe this It is anotherhistory

Best regards

Maurizio

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

Sad. But as there is no longer an independent Ser Jacopo distributor for the US (Rob Siegel dba Marble Arch has retired), your only recourse is through SP. Give them a chance.

 

[enrikon]

Apart from the irritating response of Ser Jacopo, I believe that no dealer would change a faulty pipe that has already been smoked. The only exception is when a pipe is bitter or with a bad taste, because this is a defect that you can only understand after smoking it. In these cases, a serious producer changes it.

 

[saltedplug]

The pipe should never have left SJ's shop. This is a defect in service.

SP's should give you a return. That you smoked it isn't good, but with a chamber draft off-center, SP's won't be able to sell it as new, so in my mind that's irrelevant.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Totally disagree. The pipe he's smoked with no problem noted, "4-5 times". That it "shouldn't have left the shop" is debatable, as the defect hasn't been well defined, just "off center". Folks who scream that he is being ill used are doing no one a favor. You smoked it, you bought it.