Got my new catalog

Hiker007

I know several individuals have posted about bad experiences with Pipes and Cigars. However, I wanted to post a good review. I have ordered from them around half a dozen times in the last few months. I have had nothing but a great experience with excellent customer service. In addition, received some great deals. So, needless to say, I was excited to see that the newest catalog came in the mail today.

Woodsman

I'm perusing it myself, P&C seems to have their Ducks in a Row now.

PappyJoe

I've noticed lately that some pipe smokers are IN MY OPINION too quick to condemn a pipe or pipe tobacco company as disreputable because they have had one bad experience. Now, in P&C case, the installed new software and brought it on line way to fast when they should have ran it in the background to make sure all the bugs were out. A lot of people blustered that they "will never order from them again!"

In another case, a piper bought a pipe, smoked it a few times over several months and then it broke at the shank. He called the retailer and was told they couldn't give him a full refund but would give him a 50% discount  on his next pipe. Other members on facebook immediately started calling the retailer/broker disreputable because he wouldn't give a 100% refund on a pipe that had been smoked for several months. I'm with the retailer/distributor on this one. The man received the pipe, smoked it for several months and then it broke. The company has a return policy and it was passed the time limit and use limit for a 100% refund. 

From what I can tell with P&C, the reality is, they didn't get some tobacco they ordered. They also were not charged for it. Yeah, not getting an order is a pain but it doesn't kill you either, especially when they don't charge you for what you didn't get.

Now, if some of you made an order, and was charged for it, then you have a complaint that I can stand behind.

Charles

P&C has been a pleasure to deal with.  I have never had any problems with them.  As PappyJoe stated, if you order something and it is not in stock, you are not charged for it until it ships. 

I placed an order with them last week and one Item in that order was  for a Kaywoodie pipe that was in stock.  When I received my order and opened the pipe, I was disappointed at the overall size.  To me, it looked more like a Christmas ornament then a real pipe. The photo on their site did not represent the actual product properly.
When I opened the box. I
really thought it would have been a much larger or standard size pipe. I called to request an return authorization number and was given one immediately with absolutely no problem. 

My experience with P&C has always been great and I recommend them to anyone who asks me for a recommendation for a pipe tobacco source.

ghostsofpompeii

P&C has been and will continue to be my 'go to' place for tobacco purchases. I enjoy many of the house blends exclusive to P&C like the Russ Monthly blends. I also order from other places when P&C doesn't offer what I'm looking for, or if I happen to find a pipe a better price somewhere else. But that's my prerogative. And that little hiccup they had during the transition isn't enough to keep me from taking advantage of the amazing discounts they offer from time to time. I'm not a perfect person and have made my share of mistakes and misstep during my 67 years on this earth. I'd hate to think that an employer would fire me for my first mistake after years of faithful service. When an item was backordered or no longer available I was never charged for it. So other than being disappointed I didn't receive what I wanted ... I didn't have to go through the hassles of getting a refund ... because I was never billed for it in the first place.

Wolf41035

I was one of those who placed an order and didn't get what I ordered, I was charged and not refunded, I sent in several complaints and they finally sent part of my order but not all.  Maybe since they fixed everything I will contact them one last time and see if they will either refund me or send out what they owe me.  If they do I will give them one more chance and start buying from them again but if not I have found two other places that treat their customers right.

jim102864

This wasn't simply a case of purchasing software and implementing it before they worked out the bugs, this had everything to do with how they handled the crisis (and to them this was clearly a crisis and it very much was) that THEY created by not addressing it with their customers immediately after discovery and having a contingency plan in place.  Failing to answer the phone when a customer calls as they did with me when I called them literally 25 times in one day because they failed to answer my numerous calls in previous days should be unacceptable to any business.  Failing to respond to emails when a customer is entitled to an explanation as to why their order hasn't been delivered in full as promised for weeks and perhaps months in some cases should be unheard of to a customer-focused business as they did with me and my multiple email inquiries.  I agree, no one is perfect.  I'd be the first one to give a business a second chance if they deserve it.  I initially was one of those who said they clearly don't care about me as a customer nor anyone else who was burned by their lackadaisical handling of the situation so I had no plan to do business with them again.  Then, weeks after the fact, they publicly acknowledged the mess they were in and have since tried to make amends via a $50 coupon for future purchases.  Sorry, but in my mind they were inexcusably slow in responding to the problem at hand.  The only reason why I will give them a second chance is because of the coupon and because folks who have posted on this and other websites are BEGINNING to see a change suggesting that P&C is coming out of the situation they were once in.  

motie2

Unless you are after something exclusive or very esoteric, I agree with @ghostsofpompeii: 

<<P&C has been and will continue to be [the] 'go to' place for tobacco purchases.>>

They had a problem, they made significant and meaningful amends to the bulk of their offended customers, and the problem has since been corrected. 

Their closest online competition would appear to be http://www.smokingpipes.com IMHO. 

I agree with @jim102864: <<.... they were inexcusably slow in responding to the problem at hand. >> 

Yes they were. Nevertheless, I've let it go. I'll continue to patronize them as long as they continue to offer what I want, at a fair price, and get it to me within a reasonable length of time. Since "the problem," they have promptly filled my (albeit modest) orders, twice. I'm satisfied with their service..

ghostsofpompeii

As far as mail order business goes I can't say I was ever really screwed by P&C. Now I can't say the same thing for places like EBAY, or even some AMAZON vendors. In that case I've been screwed out of actual cash from Vendors that never fulfilled the order but took my money, or send a product that was faulty or out and out broken. Some of the convoluted return policies made it impossible to get my refund from the original Vendor, who never responded and eventually pulled up stakes. Probably showing up under another name and screwing even more people. The main culprit is when buying full season DVD collections from different EBAY vendors which didn't work. One or more discs in the set won't play and I can never get satisfaction or a refund - and end up buying them at Walmart or Best Buy for a higher price. So I have two sets ... the faulty set I got off EBAY for what I thought to be the best price, and another that actually works but cost me even more money. I've come to the conclusion that a lot of those great EBAY prices are from vendors selling 'returned' merchandise as new ... knowing they are faulty. Then bailing out once they got rid of their supply of rejects.  

pwkarch

I too have some good news to report re: Pipes and Cigars.......I ordered 2 tobaccos last Friday and they arrived on my front porch Monday morning via UPS. If the weekend had not been staring the delivery in the face it would have probably been here in 2 days. I used to get my cigars overnight from Cigar.com. That is the good news, and was the fastest delivery yet from P&C.

Now the confusion: I had been trying to get Lane Vanilla Black Cavendish for quire awhile from them not being able to find it elsewhere. As posted previously, I had contacted them several times and in fact posted a "notify" comment. They never notified me, which I assume was going to happen, so I checked every day and last friday I saw it was back in stock......so I ordered it. Today I get an email from P&C advising me that they have not received more stock from their "supplier" and asked me if I wanted to keep the order in the que, or would I want to cancel the order. What? I got it this past Monday from them, and they are now just getting around to answering an email to them which is at least 3 to 4 weeks old? Talk about timing.

I like P&C because of their location (1 to 2 day delivery), their significant selection offerings, and generally they are a good price. But HOW can they be so lax in their handling of customer service issues? I don't get it, but I will give them time to get their act together.

dbh1950

Agree with the positive comments regarding P&C, having ordered from them for a couple of years, absolutely no complaints.

I ordered a Stanwell from them quite a while back, upon arrival, I noticed a small crack at the mortise joint. Contacted P&C, within a couple of days, received a replacement with a postage paid label for the return. That is customer service to brag about. 

For the last few years, the number of online pipe and tobacco vendors I have dealt with has been quite a few, all with no complaints about products or service. 

Good time to be a pipe smoker.

pipeman83

I will continue to order from P&C, I never had any issues with them even when they were having trouble with the new software, I always get my order within 3 days so I will continue to be a customer.

thebadgerpiper

I don't blame the people who were upset with P&C during IPSD this year. P&C probably shouldn't have made such a massive rehaul on their systems during their biggest high traffic day of the year. I was one of the people affected by the system issues. I heard people were having problems, but I decided to order anyway and restock a few of my favorite tins. I ended up waiting for my order for a whole month before it arrived, but I wasn't too bothered, since I was just going to put the tins in my cellar. What was frustrating was I had to wait even longer before the charges finally showed up on my card.

Still, I will give P&C credit. They've gone out of their way to make up for their mistakes. I received a $50 off coupon for my next order, and from what I've heard, their shipping has improved. While I prefer smokingpipes.com for my purchases, I'll still shop at P&C for Stanwell pipes and their sales.

Wolf41035

OK Guys I am getting to old for this crap....lol....My mind is so messed up right now, reading all the posts about Pipes and Cigars had me screwed up, my order was through Cigars International which is in same building and switched to same system but different company if that makes since.....anyway March 1, 2017 I placed my order the CAO Eileen's Dream was on back order, took almost a month to get it but then they forgot my Erin Go Bragh so I have been fighting with them since then, for a while I let it go, I thought I got my money back but I found out a few weeks ago I didn't so I sent them another message but sent it to C&P instead of CI so when didn't get response I called them today and ended up apologizing to the guy because he pointed out after he was actually helping me that the order was not through them.....Boy did I feel bad, the guy was really nice and I had not been ordering through them because of this screw up that was part my mistake. lol  So he gave me the number to CI, I talked to them, they admitted the order was still held and it should have went out, the girl told me that should would resend the order since everything was in stock BUT never tried to make up the screw up to me, they have had this screwed up since MARCH, it is NOW Late June.....all I can say is the need to do right by me, I have ordered thousands of dollars through them! 
I order from both so it gets confusing when I am read posts and forgetting to call them and letting it go a day or four! 
So P&C I am going to buy from, C.I. unless they do something to make it up to me I am done with them!
OH yeah she was going to start the order and charge me again, told her it was already paid for, she then said oh yes it was, we will put it back on card and charge it off again, I told her she can't I closed the one card and the other was a gift/debit card that was gone, it had a limited time on it, one of them crazy ones I guess...Christmas present, I was shocked that some cards have a time limit but then again I can understand.
 
Anyway I will go back on the C.I. site tomorrow and see if things are fixed and will give them until next week to get my stuff to me. 

motie2

New P&C catalog arrived today. Sat on rear deck, smoked some Vanilla Custard, and drank one of the Weihenstephaners I was supposed to save for company tomorrow.

motie2

Said catalog announced the discontinuance of all Dunhill blends. 

ghostsofpompeii

I know we've discussed the end of the Dunhill blends many times before - but it's still a very upsetting thought even for someone like myself who doesn't smoke the blends. Thing is they've been around forever. I recall seeing tins of Early Morning Pipe and Nightcap back when I was a kid. I'm tempted to at least buy one tin of Early Morning Pipe for reasons of nostalgia even if I don't crack open the tins. Ye Olde Sign has no Latakia so I might opt for it as well. But Nightcap would kick my ass if I tried to smoke a bowl so I don't want to have it around to tempt me.   

motie2

I smoked the Dunhill Aperitif, Early Morning, and I think the 221B Baker Street was a Dunhill, too, back in the day. Today, I could tolerate none of these, but I remember them fondly.

xDutchx

I am really going to miss Royal Yacht in a Country Gentleman. I only have eight 50 gram tins left, and need to scarf up a few more.