@ghostsofpompeii I agree with you on not ordering items that are listed as back-order or out-of-stock but the issue was and still is for me and many others that when our orders were placed the items were IN STOCK but this software bug/glitch they had between the 2 systems they installed ERP and WMS didn't "catch" the issue and it didn't display correct item status (this is my opinion based upon watching the video and reading posts) until things were way out of wack. Of course this caused a back-log which snowballed. While I am not going to their site daily to check I have been on it multiple times since my order was placed and I have seen the items I ordered go from in-stock to out-of-stock to in-stock then to back-order and all this time waiting for my order. It is a lesson in patience but in my humble opinion waiting almost 2 months to inform your market of what is going on and providing an email to those who could inquire about their order now; when in the beginning it would have been proactive and a benefit for P&C to unravel things. I am glad they are back up and running but in order to assist those awaiting orders for almost 2 months or longer I would assume a first in first out approach, sadly I do not think that is the case. The form emails they sent out didn't help either, informing those who ordered their items were being picked and should ship soon when that wasn't the case. @thelowlyapprentice you may have some luck calling them or emailing to the newly posted email address in the video link that BTSteve posted. I had ordered 10 ounces of 5100 and it has been in stock the entire time (I also ordered like you on 2-19) but it did take me calling and asking them twice to please ship my ordered items that were in stock before I got it.
@piperdave I can see why you and several others are on the war path. I'd feel the same way too if I'd been waiting that long for an order to arrive. I hope they get their s**t together because they currently have a really good sale going on bulk tobacco - and that's the best time to stock up your cellar when the price is right.
@woodsman Agreed! @ghostsofpompeii I hope so as well, I think an order placed now after the fact is going to be fine as long as it is in stock like you said.
I had a long talk with them Monday, It's what we figured that February was a nightmare for them. I told them to just cancel my order instead of trying to find what was ordered. I'm getting up another order for them that I'll be sending in. I mentioned that they should keep their old system on disk in case you get a result like they did. I still like most of their prices.
I just received my apology email and code as well. I'll certainly take up their offer. I'm glad to see them trying to fix this mess they made, and hope they continue to iron out their problems.
I got the same email and coupon, I was glad to see they are trying to make that mess right. I went ahead and stocked up on some MM965 and Nightcap with that coupon.
Hey! I received the $50.00 coupon from Eric Vernon at P&C (Albeit the fine print: "The merchandise total of each eligible customer order must exceed the value of the P&C Cash Coupon Code"), too, and they didn't even delay my order in the midst of the chaos that ensued.
Hmm. Well, I got the coupon too, but since it doesn't expire until July 31, I'm going to see if things have improved and people who use the coupon receive their orders in a qucik and efficient manner before I get screwed by them and their horrific customer service again. Once bitten, twice shy.
@Rshey1 It's a shame P&C is out of the "Gone Fishing" from the 'Out Of Office' brand. For an aromatic smoker it's possibly the best. Got myself several tins during their clearance sale, so I doubt that it's going to return.
@rshey1 So just curious you used your coupon code? Is all that you had to do was spend more than the $50 (for example $60) and you only had to pay the amount over the coupon, +shipping? BTW very nice blends you have there, what bulk blend did you get? I have tried the Cube Silver and it is a great aro.
This is actually a very serious matter, not because our orders were delayed, although I'm not dismissing that. The IT problems Cigar International continues to have has severely affected it's parent company The Scandinavian Tobacco Group, the generous sponsors of our beloved web forum. The problems ran deeper than originally thought and now STG's revised guidance (equivalent to our Earnings Estimates) have caused their stock to take a very serious wallop, very serious.
As consumers we should hold them to a high standard which will only benefit them in the future but we must also consider that the health of the company in the long run benefits us as well. I hope C.I. gets on track quickly and that customers do what they can to help them through it. The last thing they need is for investors to bail out on them.
All companies face problems at one time or another and I imagine the bigger the company the bigger the problems. We can already see companies dumping lines such as the Dunhill Pipe Tobaccos because of poor forecasts. The 30,000 foot view of this, hopefully, is the industry is strong and has a good future.
I have been trying to order several blends from P&C for about a month now. I get a gut feeling that something is big time wrong here. MANY of the blends on their site and some that I order are continually listed as back ordered. This has been for over a month now. I cannot believe that such a business would run out of these blends due to the failure to, or inability to have product in the pipeline. These are not 'small batch" blends, but top popular name brands that are large sellers. Are these failures due to some financial issues perhaps caused by their "fall from grace" by their less than stellar customer service? I have called and called by phone (to no avail), and have sent several emails with only one returned about a month ago advising me the two products that I was interested in would be in approximately one or two weeks later. No products yet and no answers to several subsequent email messages.
Several weeks ago I ordered a couple of Codger blends for my cellar which were delivered within the week I placed the order. I mention this because from that I assume that theirs' is not a delivery issue but a supply issue?
I hope P&C gets their act together because I have no problems with them beyond that as noted above. They have what appears to me to be the most comprehensive product listings and their prices are competitive. But what good does that do to the consumer if the selection and the competitive pricing are not deliverable? And, if they are not getting the product in stock soon, or at all, just tell us so we can move on.There are other sources out there.
For the most part, P&C is a retailer and buys the majority of their stock from the manufacturers. If the manufacturers are having problems filling orders, then P&C may have problems filling orders.
On top of that, you have the turmoil caused by the pending FDA Deeming rule. Some European Tobacco Manufacturers reviewing what they can sell in the United States. If it are some of the house blends owned by P&C, the lack of availability may also be related to the pending Deeming rule and production was cut back because they weren't sure they would be allowed to sale the blends.
I did see a post on another forum about Trout Stream being out of stock at P&C. Russ Oulette, the master blender at P&C replied that he has had a lot on his plate lately and hasn't had time to get any made.
Apparently, things are back to normal at P & C. Placed an order on Saturday and it arrived early this morning (Wednesday). Received the discount as promised and got everything I wanted with the exception of one back ordered tin of Frog Morton's Cellar. Looking forward to trying the Dunhill Elizabethan Mixture.
Comments
@thelowlyapprentice you may have some luck calling them or emailing to the newly posted email address in the video link that BTSteve posted. I had ordered 10 ounces of 5100 and it has been in stock the entire time (I also ordered like you on 2-19) but it did take me calling and asking them twice to please ship my ordered items that were in stock before I got it.
I have a funny feeling that Feb.19th is the disaster central of their meltdown.
@ghostsofpompeii I hope so as well, I think an order placed now after the fact is going to be fine as long as it is in stock like you said.
Hey guys, I Just got an email as an apology included was a code for $50 off my
next order. Looks like i'm ordering more tobacco tonight
Hey look what came today. P&C is back on track.