A Question about MacQueen Pipes

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dgh1001

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Ok, so I had purchased the Wizard pipe off their website back on Halloween last year. After checking their production time, the pipe should have arrived at christmas, but it didn't. So I had sent them an email asking what the status of my product was and when they thought it would ship. They reply to me saying that the day it would ship was January 15, 2012. So I waited till the 15th to get an email saying that my package had shipped...and I got no email that day. So i gave them some more time, on the 19th I decided to email them back to ask if there were any issues with my package. A week later they emailed me back saying that they had over looked it and they would ship it the next day and because of what happened they would upgrade my shipping to air mail which would make it get to me quicker. I didn't get an email that my package shipped until the 7th of February. To this day I still haven't recieved my pipe, so what I am asking is should i be worried or anything about where my package is? or am I just over reacting to this?

I apologize for the long story, I just didn't want you all to think I had just ordered this and that I'm already complaining.
 
Are you in the US? MacQueen is Canadian and my guess is the don't have any warehouse stock in the states, so your pipe probably has to cross the boarder and clear customs. I personally just had a pipe from England take well over a month to make its way to me. Another member started a thread about trouble going in the other direction (purchased a pipe from smokingpipes in the states and had to wait a really long time to get get it in Canada.) I think the long shipping time may be a result of the US customs/ USPS troubles we've been hearing about.

As far as why it took so long to ship, I can't really answer that other than to say that pipesandcigars is stocking them again, so maybe they didn't really have the capacity for the increased demand. :scratch: I dunno. I have never dealt with them, but a lot of other folks have and I haven't read any complaints.
 
Yes I'm in the US. I was/am confused on is how long is shipping really then if it has to go through customs and all.
 
The last pipe I ordered from them took a little over three weeks from its shipping date. Be patient; trust me, I know what you are feeling. While you are waiting for it, go back through some of the older posts to familiarize you with the quirks of these pipes. Smoke it slow, and make sure you have churchwarden length pipecleaners.
 
From what I've read elsewhere, you'll eventually get your pipe, but it could be months and months still. Seems they have the world's worst customer service. Just another reason I'm glad I buy cobs.
 
I ordered one about a week ago so I will let you know how long it takes to get to me. I know they have an 8-12 week production time so we shall see.
 
Not to scare you, but it took a total of six months on mine. They did award me for my patience. They gave me a voucher for 50% of my next purchase. The pipe has been quite satisfactory, but in the meantime, you might take John's hint about a cob. You can get a nice forever churchwarden stem and smoke twenty pounds of tobacco if your order takes what seems to be generally a long drawn out affair. Good luck.
 
Lesath":cpuyzbho said:
They did award me for my patience. They gave me a voucher for 50% of my next purchase.
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Even with the wait that kind of customer service is just outstanding. You are the 2nd person on the forum who has said the same thing about the voucher. Their pipes don't cost that much to begin with, even if you got their top of the line pipe at 50% off you would still come in at like $60, not that is absolutely stellar.

I am more than content relaxing on the customs bit....I deal with US customs with nearly every package I send and receive and know it can be a real bear.
 
Agreed, those are the pipes I was talking about but I had forgotten the name of the line. So long as I like the way my Wizard smokes when it gets to me I have a goal to buy all the MacQueen pipes one line at a time. I just find them utterly unique.
 
Ok, thanks for all the input! I was just wanting to make sure that I wasn't the one strange case this was happening to.
 
I just ordered a pipe from a Canadian maker. When discussing the shipping and ETA things he informed me that he has sent a number of pipes through the system, from CAN through customes to the US destination takes 10 days.

MacQueens pipes are legendary...and so is the total lack of reasonable customer service. Regardless of getting a voucher for a discount (SO...you CAN be bought!) on a future order, having to wait and then being told something that is seemingly a really, really large, steaming, stinky...well, you get the idea. They are fairly famous for this tactic around other boards.

I'm not normally known for being a wet blanket to other guy's deals...far from it. But a spade is a spade and a crock is a crock. For the price they make an interesting and decent product, and being unique in the world, they still have a business. The fact that you'll certainly get your pipe at some point will make the wait OK, I guess. I just don't think it's right to tell people something has happened that obviously has not.

I'll say one thing...I had a Ranger of theirs with the briar bowl option. I spruced the tip of the stem as per the recommendations on a number of sites and waxed it nicely with carnuba...and the damn thing provided one of the most stellar smoking experiences using Stonehaven that I've ever experienced...far, far in excess of what one could ever have expected. So...you're in for a treat! Someday. lol
 
Well, since I'm 65, I sure won't be ordering from them. I might not live long enough to get the dang thing.
 
Welp, I am utterly Peeved with MacQueen now. I ordered my pipe in February. The estimated ship date was May 20th. It is now July 1st en the pipe has still not left their factory. If the pipe is not marked as shipped within the next business week I will be asking for a refund and for them to keep their pipe. There are numerous retailers who can have the same pipe out and at your door within days....4.3 months is waaayyyy too darn long. My idea of owning any other MacQueen pipes has gone completely out the window. I will NOT be ordering from MacQueen or buying a MacQueen from a separate retailer EVER again. My apologies if this sounds harsh but the run around others have gotten and the emails of "it will be out next week" when it never is are the same ones I have received. I think my skin is currently a shade of Hulk green in dealing with this company. As unique as their pipes might be MacQueen needs to rethink their business strategy in a rapid manner because their lack of timely delivery and of customer service is losing them customers. :evil: :x :evil: :x
 
Look them up on the Better Business Bureau.

If any local merchant had this type of rating, they would be investigated and closed down by the Attorney General :shock:
 
Don't know if there's a Bureau like that in Canada. But if you do a search on MacQueen you get a number of angry posts re: not getting items that were ordered and not getting any response from them.

If you're not totally 'off' the MacQueens...there's still a few vendors around that stock them sometimes.
 
I personally just won't bring myself to support them in any fashion again. Absolutely miserable company to do business with. If this one ever gets here I will have 2 MacQueens...the other I bought from another BoB member who sells them new. But my money will not go directly or indirectly to them again. They are decent pipes for the money, just the frustration isn't worth it to me.
 
Blackhorse":cfv6cyb6 said:
Must have been Cigar Store Jay...a good guy.
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Nail on the head, a darn nice guy and easy to do business with. He didn't have the pipe sheaths listed when i ordered the pipe, but a quick email and I had one included. Always better to support a brother here.
 
I had to wait 5 months for my Wizard and when it eventually arrived, it was one big disappointment. The pipe was badly made and the draw was restricted to a point where I could hardly smoke it.

While I was still considering what to do about the matter, a second pipe arrived!!!! This one is well made and it smokes Irish Flake like none of my other pipes.

I emailed them about the whole issue, complaining about the bad pipe and asking them about the second pipe.

They told me to keep the second pipe, dump the bad one AND gave me a 50% off voucher!! They did not charge me for the second pipe either.

Needless to say, I'm not going to use the voucher.

My opinion on this whole issue is that, although they make a unique product, their management went awol long ago.

 
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