Pipes and Cigars (the online retailer)

[Zeno Marx]

This is a general, all-encompassing thread about the site, from sales to reviews to experiences etc. Positive. Negative. You name it.

Their computer system. I don't understand it. They sell a lot of products and a lot of customized items (tobaccos in varying amounts etc). I understand that it would be a complicated system, but...we land rovers on Mars and have stock scammers scamming the stock market by smaller than microseconds. A cart system can surely be designed for this kind of thing. There has to already be one, so why aren't they using it?

the situation:
1) order made at 6PM on a Saturday (order cannot be physically sent until Monday morning)
2) 10PM (4 hours later) a mistake is caught, and using their website internal email system that is directed through the order#, a short note is wrote and sent to remedy the mistake.
3) no reply on Sunday.
4) Monday afternoon, a confirmation email is received that the order has been shipped. The invoice indicates the mistake was not fixed.
5) immediately call them upon receiving the email, only to find out that nobody has read the remedying note.
6) was told that the call center would eventually see this, but the warehouse, where the orders are filled, would never see it. there are people working the warehouse on the weekends, but nobody is at the call center on the weekends.
6) great customer service, and a solution is offered and accepted.

Here's my deal: I'm baffled at the idea that the warehouse receives orders, but they don't also receive emails about those orders that are generated through the site. I would think that would be basic necessity to catch mistakes, add-ons, subtractions, etc. And if they don't want to educate warehouse workers how to make additions to payments, subtractions from payments, address corrections, or whatever, they would at least know to pull the order and set it aside until they can work out the changes with the customer center.

If they fill orders through printouts, with iPads, or some other gadget, they could surely receive notes associated with those orders that come through their system. If they are old school and have a stack of printouts constantly rolling as orders are made, why isn't that same printer giving them notes associated with those orders? Again, they don't have to know how to make every kind of fix, only enough that they would know to put the order aside until someone who does know how to fix it, fixes it. If nobody is at the customer center to catch the various kinds of mistakes, yet they continue to fill orders during that same time, why wouldn't you give the warehouse some level of ability to cover for the other department while they're absent? Maybe I'm wrong, but it sounds like a recipe for waste and potentially unhappy customer experiences.

*I used to run a mail-order music label and business.

 

[Stinger4me]

I dealt with them a couple of times and I don't recall how long ago. There were a couple of issues and my thoughts were, life is too short to deal with this, GOOD BYE. I have found other places to purchase from and keep my life simple in the process. Just my $.02.

Stinger

 

[Sasquatch]

P@C is for people who want to save 40 cents per tin and who don't mind being short-shipped/back-ordered/etc. They eventually come through (usually) and often have promos/coupons/giveaways.

For me, I'd rather just deal with an operation that didn't have its collective head up its collective ass. The fact that a real-time inventory is still completely beyond them baffles me, and the garbagey new system introduced in February only made things worse it seems.

I think the people there are terrific, but "corporate" isn't.

 

[BriarBeagle]

I don't even care to elaborate on my latest nightmare with P&C. I'm afraid they've used their 9 lives. They will no longer get any business from me, no matter how big savings or promotion.

Felt compelled to chime in as my last debacle was extremely frustrating. I don't even care to know their internal process anymore as it has now become a non-issue. Sayonara, suckers!

Hope everything works out for the best with your order.

 

[Lonecoyote]

Zeno, for what it's worth I stopped doing business with P&C in 2014 due too similar issues. Very poor customer service, that is if/when they got back to you by email or even answered their phones. Example: yes it's in stock, Added to cart, paid for, email received from P&C that your order has been shipped, next email 3 days later: your credit card has been issued a refund ( and may take up to 3 days before its posted on your credit card ) the total amount paid due to items NOT IN STOCK. That happened twice, with me it's not baseball and 3 strikes your out! I'm sure you understand now what I went through with them and it's time you spend your hard earned money elsewhere. I only do business with either Smokingpipes or 4Noggins. Excellent customer service, they answer the phones and respond to emails within 24 hours. I'm a HAPPY pipe smoker now with NO headaches. I have enough on my plate without worrying if/when will my order from P&C be shipped or IS IT REALLY IN STOCK???
Good luck to you and I hope after reading this you can come to a better conclusion " P&C, close my account. I will be doing business elsewhere "!

PS
I have no affiliation with the 2 businesses I recommended, other than being a very satisfied customer.


KEEP ON PUFFING!!!

 

[Zeno Marx]

and the garbagey new system introduced in February only made things worse it seems.

Ain't that the truth. I hate to tell them, but the system from 1999 or whatever was superior, at least from the customer end. If you're going to implement a new system, you would think it an improvement, especially since the old system was pre-internet and 18 years old. There are free cart system available that work better than whatever they got.

 

[Sasquatch]

That's the part I just don't get. They "upgraded" - they are a reasonable sized company, and whatever system they implemented is about 1992 for technical quality. No debugging obviously, and the retrograde troubleshooting of a 3 month disaster has been... patchy, although they have tried for sure. It's as though the answer to "Why can't you guys fix this?" is "Well, geez, you'd need a computer or something!"

Totally ridiculous, and at this point, the people who continue ordering and having problems... well, they don't deserve it, but there's no reason to continue banging your head against the wall.


Now, all cards on the table, I have an axe to grind against these guys not as people, but as a corporation, and it's twofold - first, I had a real nasty experience with them 10 years back. No second chances here in that regard. Second, I hate the corporate mentality of these large companies - instead of offering service, they promise service, and it's not the same thing at all. Where's your profit when you have to ship two packages for every order? If you need to dedicate staff to the stuff you screw up every single day... stop screwing it up! Set that as a priority! Shut down for a day or two, straighten out your shit!

There are exemplary retailers out there who do large volume, do it correctly and seemingly with ease. All it takes is someone who really cares up at the top, and that clearly ain't the case here.

 

[RDPipes]

That's the part I just don't get.   They "upgraded" - they are a reasonable sized company, and whatever system they implemented is about 1992 for technical quality.  No debugging obviously, and the retrograde troubleshooting of a 3 month disaster has been... patchy, although they have tried for sure.   It's as though the answer to "Why can't you guys fix this?" is "Well, geez, you'd need a computer or something!"

Totally ridiculous, and at this point, the people who continue ordering and having problems... well, they don't deserve it, but there's no reason to continue banging your head against the wall.  


Now, all cards on the table, I have an axe to grind against these guys not as people, but as a corporation, and it's twofold - first, I had a real nasty experience with them 10 years back.  No second chances here in that regard.   Second, I hate the corporate mentality of these large companies - instead of offering service, they promise service, and it's not the same thing at all.   Where's your profit when you have to ship two packages for every order?  If you need to dedicate staff to the stuff you screw up every single day...  stop screwing it up!  Set that as a priority!  Shut down for a day or two, straighten out your shit!

There are exemplary retailers out there who do large volume, do it correctly and seemingly with ease.   All it takes is someone who really cares up at the top, and that clearly ain't the case here.  

THIS !^^^^

 

[SpeedyPete]

Richard @ 4noggins......no problems :cheers:

 

[Lonecoyote]

WHAT HE SAID...^^^^

Or Mark and Chip from Smokingpipes.



KEEP ON PUFFING!!!

 

[DoverPipes]

Richard @ 4noggins......no problems :cheers:

Well, other than his political attacks on his customers who didn't vote the way he did or thought his customers should.

 

[DoverPipes]

I have to say, I have only one issue in all my years of dealing with P&C / Habana (When Russ was in Albany, NY) and that was a split shipment where box #2 arrived three days after box#1. My most recent shipment arrived at my mail box in less than 24 hours! Do't believe that? Here is the UPS Tracking number: 1ZEW9678YW03920867.

Some may say because I live in NY, I received the package quicker. While that may have some small bearing on my particular orders, if you look at the time stamps from UPS, you can see the order process scans at P&C and the scans out to UPS. I can't really say they are slow by any stretch of the imagination.

I know when they were using a Yahoo mail store to maintain their "live inventory", they had many issues showing what they truly had in stock. That system has been gone for quite sometime. I know the recent upgrades to their replacement systems caused untold havoc with orders and processing. Maybe they need to scrap that system and move to a third system? In any event, my orders have been more than fulfilled and have been on time.

So, I guess I will be the "lone supporter" of P&C here on B.O.B.!  :lol!:

 

[Fight'n Hampsters]

Richard @ 4noggins......no problems :cheers:

Well, other than his political attacks on his customers who didn't vote the way he did or thought his customers should.

Sounds interesting. Care to elaborate?

 

[Zeno Marx]

Second, I hate the corporate mentality of these large companies - instead of offering service, they promise service, and it's not the same thing at all.

BINGO. Because most people don't hold anyone accountable (see politics as well). If they can save a dime, or if you tell them what they want to hear, it's good enough.

Where's your profit when you have to ship two packages for every order?

This. It never was, but now shipping is insanely expensive. I don't order often, but since the new system was implemented, this is exactly the case. Sending a second package to make up for the mistake or even offering a sizeable cash voucher as an apology. Each time this has been the case. I appreciated it the first time, but now that I see it is their mode of operation, I find it ridiculous and stupid.

On top of that...again, on top of that, they no longer hold orders if something isn't in stock. They ship what they have and then make a second shipment of the backordered items. Some would say that is the correct way to do things. I won't argue too much with that, but I also have sympathies for the economics and environmental impact of multiple boxes to cover a single order. Hey, I'm willing for you to sit on my order for a week or two until you have everything I ordered. I'm generally fine with that. I can wait. Save your company and my world a few bucks and some carbon footprint and send me one package. The way I understand it, if you ordered four backordered items, there's potential for you to receive four packages as each item gets restocked. How does that make ANY sense? That isn't a business model.

 

[Fazby]

I can't complain about P&C. (Please let me remain on the site...) One order had a snafu, but it was fixed. Things happen; no worries. Other orders have been fine.

As for multiple shipments, Thompson Cigar sent me three packages for one order. The second and third each had one item.

 

[Brewdude]

I also remember they just threw all the items in a box with literally no packaging. No bubble wrap, no packing peanuts, no crumpled up paper, no nothing! Some tins came through dented, some broke their seal as a result, others were scuffed up. WTF is up with that?!

:x



No Cheers,

RR

 

[Lakebound]

Had only one issue with P&C for a gift order that was sent to my Son. He told me what tobacco he received and it wasn't what I ordered for him. I called P&C and they sent out the right stuff no charge.

I am looking at 4Noggins based upon recommendations here but so far, all I see is that they are a thin dime cheaper per tin of my favorites.

Frank

 

[BriarBeagle]

Had only one issue with P&C for a gift order that was sent to my Son. He told me what tobacco he received and it wasn't what I ordered for him. I called P&C and they sent out the right stuff no charge.

I am looking at 4Noggins based upon recommendations here but so far, all I see is that they are a thin dime cheaper per tin of my favorites.

Frank

You won't be dissapointed with 4 noggins, I reckon

 

[Bonanzadriver]

From the "For what it's worth department".


Being a relative noob "Serious pipe smoker" (less than 9 or 10 months now) I have had a much more limited history with P&C than many or most of you here.

I too got frustrated with their "Hal 2000" upgrade debacle and ended up cancelling my order and going with either Smokingpipes.com or Cupojoes.com... Can't remember. Regardless, I was able to get what I wanted in a timely manner, but at a little higher price point.

Once they got past their Mainframe Malady, things seem to have smoothed out a bit, with the notable exception of running sales on items that are out of stock.

This past week I received the email about their 1lb of Dunhill bulk and 3 tins sale for $56 ! I cautiously filled my basket (gettin it over the $99 to save the shipping charges).

It arrived Tuesday, as promised, with no issues.

I understand everybody's frustration with them and do feel that they handled their faux pas less gracefully than one would hope. But I seem to keep givin em a chance, based mostly on their prices.

The other reason I will continue to shop with them and the other 2 shops I mentioned and NEVER EVER shop at 4noggins is because of their unacceptable postings on social media sites.

IF you don't know what I'm talkin about, go to their fb page. Not only was it an inappropriate post for a business (Keep your politics to yourself) but the childish way they responded to people, that felt the same way I do, was nothing less than "zit faced gamer forum behavior."

At the end of the day business owners all need to decide. "Do you want to win an argument or win a friend?"


They made their choice.
&
I've made mine.

Dino

 

[Zeno Marx]

Decorum and decency go an awful long way...but it is one of the many values we've flippantly tossed in the trash. I don't know if a better marker is to say post-internet or post-9/11. Anger is obviously divisive, but more subtly, it is erosive. Anger appears to be our go-to emotion, particularly with men, and that is some dark stuff.

ps-I probably miss some sales, but man-o-man am I ever glad I avoid looking at facebook. What an unkept toilet bowl.