Watch City Cigar Dealings...

[craig61a]

I recently placed an order with WCC for a few items. When I initially received the box, I opened it and looked through quickly to make sure everything was there. Fast Forward a couple of weeks and as I was taking stuff out of the box to repackage it for cellaring, I noticed the label read differently from what I had ordered.

I emailed them and let them know of the mix up. I also advised them that I would just keep what was sent, since for myself, it's kind of a hassle to have to spend the time to prepare, post, and send a small quantity of something back. Ernie replied back later in the day...

"Oh Hell no. We screwed up we’ll make it good. We would never make anyone return something they did not order on their own dime. Just cellar the WC Slice and enjoy it...we lose more than that in a day. I’ll ship out 8 ounces of OD tomorrow afternoon."

Ernie Q.

I like the way you do business, Ernie...

 

[ofafeather]

Same here. I had ordered a bunch of WCC blends to try last summer and hadn’t gotten around to trying them all. The other day I went to have my first smoke of what I thought was Nor’easter but it didn’t seem to fit the description. I contacted him by PM here just to ask his opinion on whether it was Nor’easter or, if not, what blend he thought it might be. He got back to me right away and told me that it looks like I was sent Old Black Magic by mistake. He said he would send out Nor’easter right away without me even asking. He later told me that he included a sample of Old Black Magic for comparison. This was all months after my original purchase in August.

Thanks @ernieq ! Class act all around!

 

[markus]

I've had several dealings with them in the past and many more in the future, they are good people!

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

I just placed my first order last week after seeing all the positive words.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Ernie pulled me from a burning car once.



Ha, no, really, I'm glad to hear good things about a retailer, and I never like to hear bad things, unless they're really funny... or maybe make for a good story.

 

[FurCoat]

All of my interactions with WCC have been beyond my expectations. Ernie has taken the time to speak to me on several occasions. Never had a problem with my orders, but things happen and we're only human. Like I have said before, if Aug. 8th ends internet sales, I will be at Ernie's the next morning with a credit card and a UHaul.

 

[kcghost]

WCC seems to enjoy a very good reputation as a vendor. I don't know why the few recalcitrant vendors don't mend their ways.

 

[k9shag]

You will probably really enjoy the WC Slice For a change of pace.

 

[sablebrush52]

All of my interactions with WCC have been beyond my expectations. Ernie has taken the time to speak to me on several occasions. Never had a problem with my orders, but things happen and we're only human. Like I have said before, if Aug. 8th ends internet sales, I will be at Ernie's the next morning with a credit card and a UHaul.

You'd be out of luck. August 8th ends ALL sales. But you can make a huge bonfire and invite everyone.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Aug. 8th ends internet sales

Wait, what? Why would internet sales end on that day? I must have missed something.

 

[sablebrush52]

Wait, what? Why would internet sales end on that day? I must have missed something.

It doesn't. August 8th of this year is when the FDA guillotine blade drops on all blends that are not FDA Deemed or not grandfathered in under the FDA Deeming Regs. Nothing to do with Internet sales.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

It doesn't. August 8th of this year is when the FDA guillotine blade drops on all blends that are not FDA Deemed or not grandfathered in under the FDA Deeming Regs. Nothing to do with Internet sales.

Thank you!! I thought that maybe I had missed some scary news.

 

[ofafeather]

It doesn't. August 8th of this year is when the FDA guillotine blade drops on all blends that are not FDA Deemed or not grandfathered in under the FDA Deeming Regs. Nothing to do with Internet sales.

And do we know WCC has not gone through the process?

 

[sablebrush52]

And do we know WCC has not gone through the process?

We don't. Ask Ernie.
I'd be happily surprised if any of his blends are, given that they're relatively small batch and the Deeming process is significantly expensive.

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

We don't. Ask Ernie.
I'd be happily surprised if any of his blends are, given that they're relatively small batch and the Deeming process is significantly expensive.

I keep hearing that the deeming process is expensive but I've never seen a concrete figure.

 

[FurCoat]

Thank you!! I thought that maybe I had missed some scary news.

I'm just going on what I've read on this forum on the regs thread. I have seen mention of sales being limited to face to face sales. I'm not making this assumption based on knowledge of up coming regulations. Considering that several states have taken it upon themselves to implement said restrictions, I wouldn't disregard the possibility. I don't want to cause fear or a long drawn out debate, but it bears keeping an eye on as the time approaches.

 

[sablebrush52]

I keep hearing that the deeming process is expensive but I've never seen a concrete figure.

I've seen several "concrete" figures, ranging from $3,000 a blend to $250,000 a blend. Take your pick. The FDA releases were written in NEO Medieval Pseudo Bulgarian in a manner intended to be as opaquely vague as possible. I don't believe the FDA has any more of a clue than you or I. And opaque vagueness is the name of the game with the tobacco industry.

 

[sablebrush52]

I'm just going on what I've read on this forum on the regs thread. I have seen mention of sales being limited to face to face sales.

"Face to face" sales is part of a different piece of legislation, one that hasn't been passed. 8/8/21 is specific to the FDA Deeming Regs, which was passed by Congress in 2009. Whoever conflated the two is mistaken.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I'm just going on what I've read on this forum on the regs thread. I have seen mention of sales being limited to face to face sales. I'm not making this assumption based on knowledge of up coming regulations. Considering that several states have taken it upon themselves to implement said restrictions, I wouldn't disregard the possibility. I don't want to cause fear or a long drawn out debate, but it bears keeping an eye on as the time approaches.

Smokingpipes seems to be so far ahead of the ballgame on all of this. They've gotten the paperwork done on all of their artisan pipemakers, and working with the FDA to get more and more new blends out. I would expect that the day after any flatlines happen to online sales, that smokingpipes would have a franchise waiting and ready to go in each large city and state capital.

I have no idea how large WCC is, but I imagine that if your own blends aren't the largest part f your business, that it wouldn't be fruitful to jump through all of the hoops to keep them.

But, I like smokingpipes juggernaut-like way of dealing with obstacles, which will serve them well in the long run. They help keep this forum going, and are in the vanguard on all aspects of this FDA thing. No whimpering or bellyaching from them. It wouldn't surprise me if their gungho attitude about being sponsors and dealing with all of the FDA stuff leaves them being the only operating pipe and tobacco retailer in the US. Or, at least the largest.

 

[cohibajoe]

I Support the smaller shops....WCC is an Excellent place to buy from...Top 3 shops for tobacco blends!!!!