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How to handle an unfortunate situation?

vortex said:
That was my first thought, too, Jason. First we try, then we trust. Ten boxes is an order for an already trusted vendor. And who the hell won't talk to a customer?!? ;)
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Who's to say it's not a very well trusted vendor?
 
Napa_Smokes said:
Who's to say it's not a very well trusted vendor?
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Was it a previously trusted vendor? That is possible I suppose but leopards seldom change their spots, Josh. This vendor does not want to talk to a dissatisfied customer. So if he used to be a trusted vendor, what happened that made that vendor become untrustworthy, as he obviously has become? Very rare I would think, but nothing's impossible. May have been sod and under new management?
 
vortex said:
Was it a previously trusted vendor? That is possible I suppose but leopards seldom change their spots, Josh. This vendor does not want to talk to a dissatisfied customer. So if he used to be a trusted vendor, what happened that made that vendor become untrustworthy, as he obviously has become? Very rare I would think, but nothing's impossible. May have been sod and under new management?
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I can easily see how one would assume that the vendor was an unknown as it wasn't stated he had purchased from them in the past but given the size of the order I went with the idea it was a previously trusted vendor and wanted to confirm the source instead of assuming I sent a pm and asked. It is one that many people her and in other cigar boards highly recommend and use. The last time I used them about half my cigars had cracked feet. I planned on smoking them so didn't care. One of my coworkers ordered 4 boxes from this vendor recently and had more like 2/3 of the cigars with cracked feet or some other damage. When he asked to exchange the boxes or the damaged sticks he was given the run around as well and told the vendor no longer had any of the cigars he ordered in stock to exchange them for, so he just decided to keep the boxes and not order anymore boxes from this vendor. Is this just a run of bad luck from the warehouse where his stock is shipped out of or something more

So yes this is an issue where a well trusted and respected vendor has dropped the ball. Sometimes it's better to ask the pertenant questions before making assumptions.
 
Perhaps then if this seems to be a reoccurring issue, this vendor should be outed? If he doesn't resolve the OP's issues then it's likely the vendor doesn't care to keep customers. What extremes would it take for that (outing) to occur? Or how bad does the customer service experience have to be?
 
CMontoya79 said:
Perhaps then if this seems to be a reoccurring issue, this vendor should be outed? If he doesn't resolve the OP's issues then it's likely the vendor doesn't care to keep customers. What extremes would it take for that (outing) to occur? Or how bad does the customer service experience have to be?
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Outing a vendor especially one that is used by so many is very difficult. You always hear of the bad transactions and almost never the good until shit hits the fan then everyone who uses them or swears by them comes to their defense.

As Grateful stated this vendor has had issues in the past with getting burned by customers making false claims and sometimes that transfers over to appearing to not give a crap when he is trying to protect his business and profits. Not an excuse it just happens sometimes.

Even trusted sources screw up and send moldy or damaged cigars on occasion.
 
Customer service goes a long way, no matter if you're selling Cuban cigars online or cheap cars on the corner. Any pictures of the damaged goods?
 
If I'm not missing anything, the dealer wants the full boxes back. That protects him from Bull or a little better than somebody cherry picking and replacing their own moldy sticks, and other things that normal folks can't predict from sociopaths.
He agreed to pay for return shipping, which is more fair than most any retailer. He may not want to discuss as it keeps him safer rather than getting into a ping pong game of words.
If he has been burned, and I imagine it is attempted frequently (try selling stuff on ebay) I'd say he is being fair, and discussing "outing" him is really not appropriate.
Seems like a remedy is in place, and other than time, which is ultimately acceptable in this situation, being made whole is on the horizon.
 
No skin in the game, but sounds like Monk is on the money with his nuggets of wisdom above.
 
Let me clarify a couple things so we don't run the gauntlet on assumptions.

I ordered from him after speaking to a couple friends and trusted BOTL's here. He sent me moldy cigars (which were opened for inspection) and very poorly packaged boxes which were destined to be damaged; he immediately took an attitude when I notified him. He asked me to return only the moldy or damaged cigars for refund and said he could not replace them because he sells only boxes. He also agreed to pay the return shipping, both legitimate business offerings. It was his attitude and his belligerent language in emails which made me hesitate to put any more of my money at risk. He was a DICK plain and simple!

In my opinion, when I buy "anything" it should be intact and as expected. When it's not, I expect the seller to ask me what they can do to fix it and not take an attitude. He never offered an apology, I asked to speak to him on the phone since we are 12 hours apart and email was taking forever. He would not call me, he simply just kept saying to return the cigars. Returning cigars to the other side of the world is difficult and expensive!

When I convinced him that American Express is not interested in being customs police, and that he was leaving me little choice but to file a claim for the entire order and let Amex deal with him, he agreed to refund the proper amount based on the cigars I would return and the return shipping, which he promptly did once I gave him an amount.

We will see what happens from here
 
The only thing that I saw as a "red flag" was that the vendor was unwilling to talk to a customer. I find that unfathomable from a purely business POV. Communication is everything in both customer relations and trust. It's possible the vendor does not speak English well or something.
 
I can only assume that given his perfect command of the English language in email that he can speak English as well.

There are many more, equally ugly, details which I have not shared.

This seems out of character for him based on the due diligence I did prior to ordering but it is what it is and he conducted himself as a world class ass and I will certainly never order from him again.
 
Well that is one vendor that is off your list! Not the way to win loyal customers IMHO! Good luck with the refund, let us know how it turns out.
 
I would also make a request of whomever made the recommendation that they also write to the vendor. Letting him know that they recommended his business as being a good place to deal with. How disappointed they are that the experience was less than what their experience has been. Plus, that they won't be making any future referrals. Hopefully that will help any future exchanges and help people get resolution without an attitude!
 
I feel like I know this unnamed (as it shall remain) and that there quite possibly may be many here who do business with said vendor. Once upon a time I was involved in a box split which, when the quite expensive sticks arrived, they were moldy. That vendor took back the entire box and replaced. Not sure if he acted in a dickdefied manner with the organizer or not, but I am trying to discern what you think the most aggregious offense is, acting like a dick to you or not making the transaction right?
 
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