samples and good business?

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Zeno Marx

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So, I contact a brick & mortar store far, far from home because they make a blend that isn't available anywhere else. I've heard great things about this blend. It's not your usual type of blend, so it is definitely a niche product. Obviously in demand, but not something you're going to see many blenders bother to try. The person I talk to on the phone is very nice and helpful. It was clear they knew their product. It wasn't a summer part-timer making minimum wage with no real interest in the business. They offer to send a sample. After some conversation, I make it clear that it isn't necessary for them to send anything else. A bowl or two of the desired blend would be above and beyond the duty of service. Seemed like it was going to be the beginning of a nice relationship. I know how tough it is to run a small business. I was trying to be as generous to them as they were being to me. Don't waste bags, other tobacco, and postage costs on something I don't want.

Here's the thing: more than a month later, I receive a small package with three samples, all of them being bone dry, all of them being tiny dust particles like you'd find at the bottom corner of a tin, jar etc, and none of them enough to fill a group 2 half way. That's why I'm bothering starting this thread. I won't name names. The whole experience has confused me more than anything. If you were going to bother to spend the 5-10 minutes to get this package together and use up business resources, hope to gain a new customer, and at least make it worth the potential customer's while with enough tobacco to give a taste, why would this seem like that answer? A couple weeks later, I'm still scratching my head at the whole experience. They might as well have pulled a $5 bill out of the register and lit it on fire. There was nothing useful in the package. So weird.

Should I call them back and offer feedback? Just leave it well enough alone? I'm not that driven to do anything, but at the same time, this thing falls in the borderlands between "what just happened?" and frustration.
 
Could be they had a weekend kid putting the samples together for you who just didn't give a hoot, hard to tell as it always is with situations that occur which are not face to face.

Perhaps give them a quick call and politely let them know what samples arrived and what condition they were in, if it's a weekend kid at fault they'll seek to put it right, if not I think you'll know by how they treat you on the phone.

Of course, if you are not really that concerned with getting the sample, but you seem to be keen, then just let it slide and think no more on it, folk can be crazy at times and just move on kinda thing.
 
I understand what you're saying, but it's tough to complain about free samples. Who knows what happened.

You mentioned "they make a blend", so I assume it's bulk tobacco.

If you're interested in this unusual blend why not toss a few bucks their way for an ounce or two?

 
It sounds like whomever it was that put your little sample order together did his company a disservice as well and may have lost a potential customer. If it were me I'd let them know about it.

 
RobJ":d4eqdb51 said:
It sounds like whomever it was that put your little sample order together did his company a disservice as well and may have lost a potential customer. If it were me I'd let them know about it.

This.



Cheers,

RR
 
Hmm, I think I'd certainly do what Rob suggested. It's also strange it took so long to get to ya, maybe held up in mail would explain it being dry but, the amount does not.........unless a postal worker decided he needed a sample more then you.:scratch: ;)
 
Wouldn't hurt to call them and let them know, especially considering the fact that they seemed so willing to go out of their way to actually provide good customer service. Best intentions and all....
 
mark":ytw34w46 said:
I understand what you're saying, but it's tough to complain about free samples. Who knows what happened.

You mentioned "they make a blend", so I assume it's bulk tobacco.

If you're interested in this unusual blend why not toss a few bucks their way for an ounce or two?
Mostly because by the time I buy their minimum and pay minimum postage, I'm throwing $14 at it. I offered to pay for postage on the sample. They declined my offer.
 
Zeno Marx":buvehkx0 said:
mark":buvehkx0 said:
I understand what you're saying, but it's tough to complain about free samples. Who knows what happened.

You mentioned "they make a blend", so I assume it's bulk tobacco.

If you're interested in this unusual blend why not toss a few bucks their way for an ounce or two?
Mostly because by the time I buy their minimum and pay minimum postage, I'm throwing $14 at it.  I offered to pay for postage on the sample.  They declined my offer.
I don't know, $14 doesn't seem that bad for a tobacco I want. Heck I've paid that for DDNR a few times.
I reckon it just depends on how much you like it. ;)
 
If you're going to buy the tobacco you were looking for anyway, maybe just mention the samples "didn't work out because they dried up in the mail". That way they are aware of what happened, but nobody's really accusing anybody of anything--and you don't come across as looking the gift horse in the mouth. Everyone gets the benefit of the doubt. I find an indirect approach is best when it comes to something that was offered for free like that. FWIW.
 
RobJ":8jaencm5 said:
It sounds like whomever it was that put your little sample order together did his company a disservice as well and may have lost a potential customer. If it were me I'd let them know about it.

^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^ :)

AJ
 
Cartaphilus":5bu1lml4 said:
Zeno Marx":5bu1lml4 said:
mark":5bu1lml4 said:
I understand what you're saying, but it's tough to complain about free samples. Who knows what happened.

You mentioned "they make a blend", so I assume it's bulk tobacco.

If you're interested in this unusual blend why not toss a few bucks their way for an ounce or two?
Mostly because by the time I buy their minimum and pay minimum postage, I'm throwing $14 at it.  I offered to pay for postage on the sample.  They declined my offer.
I don't know, $14 doesn't seem that bad for a tobacco I want. Heck I've paid that for DDNR a few times.
I reckon it just depends on how much you like it. ;)
I don't know how much I want it, or if I like it, thus the sample.  It's not a type of tobacco anyone does well anymore, which adds to the hesitation.  One of those cases of, "I'm probably not going to like it, because I haven't liked anyone else's recent attempts, and this is the last one on my list to try."  I could have mentioned that in the first post, but in context, this is all inconsequential.
 
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