P&C does it again!

[Kris1979]

Today I received an email from P&C to provide them the damaged packaging material from an order placed on 09/03/20. They need it to settle a claim with UPS. Uh, no I did not kept the packaging material 🤷‍♂️. Missing item was 1oz of bulk backy 😂
Looks like they are somewhat behind on there customer service claims 💩

 

[Marker]

P&C/Cigarbid/cigar.com/etc are all owned by the same place if I remember correctly?
Cigarbid has customer service issues from August they just won't answer. Piles and piles of issues. They hire people from out of the country to take orders. I talked to a lady from Belize back in May when I needed something. Took me 5 calls and on hold for 15-40 minutes EACH. Don't expect customer service from them. Ever. Just don't. Either you get what you want or throw the money on a craps table.

 

[blackmouth210]

We know how the shipping companies have been doing for the last 6 mos. Could it be that P&C filed a claim some months ago and are only now getting a response from UPS?

 

[Kris1979]

We know how the shipping companies have been doing for the last 6 mos. Could it be that P&C filed a claim some months ago and are only now getting a response from UPS?

Why would you file a claim on a 1oz bulk backy loss?

 

[Codgerindecline]

We know how the shipping companies have been doing for the last 6 mos. Could it be that P&C filed a claim some months ago and are only now getting a response from UPS?

on the face of the specific issue cited by the OP, that seems like what is going on. Hard to see how the customer got injured.
My last order from P&C, 5 tins and a pound of bulk, arrived On a Tuesday following a late Friday night order, well packed, no issues, so maybe things are getting better.

 

[Codgerindecline]

Why would you file a claim on a 1oz bulk backy loss?

They probably batch file as claims accumulate. The larger the number submitted, the larger the ultimate settlement.

 

[blackmouth210]

Why would you file a claim on a 1oz bulk backy loss?

I'm thinking big picture.
It's only 1 oz to you and me.
How many does it mean to P&C?
Like @Codgerindecline stated, they aren't likely to file one at a time.

UPS and USPS have dropped the ball on many packages over the last few months.
If P&C just allowed a few dollars of product to disappear here and a few more dollars of product to disappear there, it wouldn't take long for that to represent a lot of money in product to them.

They could probably eat the cost under normal circumstances. But that's not likely true under the conditions deliveries have been made (or not made) the last several months.

 

[RDPipes]

Won't even do business with P&C because they lack scruples and integrity.

 

[Merk3030]

 

[Codgerindecline]

Won't even do business with P&C because they lack scruples and integrity.

😀

I love these pile ons. Keep it up, the fewer people they have competing for what I get from them, the better.

For the record, over the last 5 years I have had issues with them, maybe on a half dozen orders. I sometimes had to hold a long time for customer service, but I just put the call on speakerphone, drank coffee and smoked a pipe while waiting. Every single problem was resolved to my complete satisfaction. I have offered to send back tins I didn’t order that were sent in lieu of ones I did order, and they said “keep them” and sent out replacements that day. Yes, there are horror stories, many from people I know and have no doubt of their veracity. And while I have never had to go this far, others have gotten Russ Oulette involved to straighten things out.

Yes, they could have better customer service, better packing, and an e commerce system that really did reflect real time inventory. They don’t. Their business model is stack ‘em high, sell ‘em cheap. They are owned by Cigars International,, which is owned by Scandanavian Tobbaco Group, a public company. Their financial statements are accessible on the web. They don’t break out P&C separately, but their overall North American retail results have been exceptionally strong since the pandemic started.

They aren’t going to change. Neither will I. They aren’t my preferred vendor, but when the price is right they get some of my business.

 

[Chasing Embers]

After the IPSD 2017 debacle and their collaboration with the head of an unnamed pipe club, I won't touch them.

 

[Peacock]

Oh the irony

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

I hate them except when they have something I want. Hahahaha

 

[RDPipes]

😀

I love these pile ons. Keep it up, the fewer people they have competing for what I get from them, the better.

For the record, over the last 5 years I have had issues with them, maybe on a half dozen orders. I sometimes had to hold a long time for customer service, but I just put the call on speakerphone, drank coffee and smoked a pipe while waiting. Every single problem was resolved to my complete satisfaction. I have offered to send back tins I didn’t order that were sent in lieu of ones I did order, and they said “keep them” and sent out replacements that day. Yes, there are horror stories, many from people I know and have no doubt of their veracity. And while I have never had to go this far, others have gotten Russ Oulette involved to straighten things out.

Yes, they could have better customer service, better packing, and an e commerce system that really did reflect real time inventory. They don’t. Their business model is stack ‘em high, sell ‘em cheap. They are owned by Cigars International,, which is owned by Scandanavian Tobbaco Group, a public company. Their financial statements are accessible on the web. They don’t break out P&C separately, but their overall North American retail results have been exceptionally strong since the pandemic started.

They aren’t going to change. Neither will I. They aren’t my preferred vendor, but when the price is right they get some of my business.

Ya know until you've walked in my shoes you should stop and consider they may just be a good reason for some people not to do business with them.
I put in an order for some tobacco about oh, 7 maybe 10 years ago with them and waited some time for the order. They finally replied and told me the blend was on back order and asked if I would like to cancel my order, I told them NO I'll wait. A few days passed and they took the liberty of canceling my order and refunded me the day before they anounced the blend was in and at almost 3 times the price it was when I ordered it. So as the story goes, they didn't want to honor the price I purchased at. It's not so much them raising the price it was how they went out of their way for a dime to screw me out of what I ordered.

 

[N80]

Never had any problems with them. In fact have gotten great personal service well above the call of duty (Russ volunteering to identify a blend for me). UPS on the other hand has been a nightmare to deal with taking months to settle claims that were clearly and utterly their fault. BTDT. Recently. Thought I was going to have to get an attorney.

Not a P&C fanboy here but will stick with them until there is a problem.

 

[Lee D]

I got frustrated with shipping from SC to NY, so I placed a couple orders with P&C in 2021, and both times the package was here in 2 days. Amazon Prime should do so well. And there's Butternut Burley and Classic Burley Kake to occasionally replenish.

 

[Codgerindecline]

Ya know until you've walked in my shoes you should stop and consider they may just be a good reason for some people not to do business with them.

I thought I acknowledged that possibility when I sad:
.
“Yes, there are horror stories, many from people I know and have no doubt of their veracity.”

My experience with a very large McClelland bulk order before the announcement of their closure was the direct opposite. I had stacked coupons with the last promotion they ran on McC bulk. Most of it was backordered. I had to get a supervisor involved at one point, since the customer service rep couldn’t make the coupons work together, which I had been able to do when placing the initial order. The supervisor understood what I had done, and honored the price. It took three different shipments before everything was completed, but I ended up with multiple pounds each of 2010, 2015 and 2035 for less than $35 per #. Still smoking on them.

Sorry for your bad experience.

 

[OldA2Piper]

I placed a $400 order with Cigars.com on 3/22. About an hour later, I received an email from my bank saying the debit card transaction for that order was declined. This didn’t make sense since there was money in the account. I never received an order confirmation from Cigars.com. I didn’t have time to look into it so I placed an order with JRCigar.

Last Thursday (4/1) I get home and there is an unexpected package on the porch...my Cigars.com order!!!!! They still have not charged my debit card. I figured I will give it another week or two and if they don’t charge me I will call them and tell them I owe them money because they are incompetent.

 

[Ozark Wizard]

I thought I acknowledged that possibility when I sad:
.
“Yes, there are horror stories, many from people I know and have no doubt of their veracity.”

My experience with a very large McClelland bulk order before the announcement of their closure was the direct opposite. I had stacked coupons with the last promotion they ran on McC bulk. Most of it was backordered. I had to get a supervisor involved at one point, since the customer service rep couldn’t make the coupons work together, which I had been able to do when placing the initial order. The supervisor understood what I had done, and honored the price. It took three different shipments before everything was completed, but I ended up with multiple pounds each of 2010, 2015 and 2035 for less than $35 per #. Still smoking on them.

Sorry for your bad experience.

Multiple pounds of 2035?

Sweet........

 

[blackmouth210]

I placed a $400 order with Cigars.com on 3/22. About an hour later, I received an email from my bank saying the debit card transaction for that order was declined. This didn’t make sense since there was money in the account. I never received an order confirmation from Cigars.com. I didn’t have time to look into it so I placed an order with JRCigar.

Last Thursday (4/1) I get home and there is an unexpected package on the porch...my Cigars.com order!!!!! They still have not charged my debit card. I figured I will give it another week or two and if they don’t charge me I will call them and tell them I owe them money because they are incompetent.

Whomever is responsible for managing the internet sales system/software for that whole family of online shops does a horrendous job.