What we have to lose

[Dijit]

Amazing how this doesn't seem to occur to people sometimes... then again, this IS the internet and ppl have a tendency to be more abrasive behind a screen than they EVER would be IRL.

I am abrasive everywhere! Really just ask my wife.

Great thread though and thanks for starting it.

[CamoSutra]

Here is how I view the entire issue:

If a member here, or any cigar smoker, has a problem with a vendor the first place to voice that problem is with the vendor -- not an online forum. Explain what is wrong, give the vendor an opportunity to rectify the problem. Understand that sometimes things don't go perfectly, and politely requesting corrective action is far more likely to achieve the desired results than simply complaining. The only one who can fix a foul-up is the one who caused the foul-up -- that's either you or the vendor, and even if it's your fault most vendors will do all they can to keep you happy so that you continue to do business with them.

If a vendor blatantly and deliberately does something unethical, or refuses to correct a problem they (not you) caused, or causes the same problem repeatedly, then you owe it to the cigar community in general to describe the problem here and/or on other cigar-related forums. We need and want to know about cheats and thieves, but fortunately their kind are pretty rare in the cigar industry.

Most of the time, any problem or disagreement with a vendor is just a misunderstanding or the result of a legitimate fault in the online-ordering system. An example: Not too long ago I ordered some cigars from an online vendor whose Website had just been substantially updated. In my haste, I failed to notice that I had clicked on a delivery address that was at least three years out-of-date, and discovered my mistake only when I received an automated e-mail confirming the order; this was late on a Saturday evening, with no one either online or near a phone at the vendor's end. I immediately sent an e-mail requesting that the order be switched to my then-current address, but the vendor's e-mail was not functioning properly and the order went to the old address before anyone at the vendor's end got to read my e-mail. They made good, but it took a little longer than it normally would and in the interim I placed another order with a different vendor. While the problem was partly theirs because of their site's e-mail system not working properly, I certainly shared the blame because I wasn't paying attention when I placed the order. The worst thing that happened, when all was said and done, was that I temporarily ended up with more cigars than my humidors would hold. I still do business with that vendor, because they fixed a problem I caused in the first place, when they could have just as easily have said it wasn't their problem because they sent the order where I told them to.

I didn't mention this to anyone except the vendor, until just now. I did not accuse the vendor of not caring because they failed to read my e-mail and re-address the shipment before it left on the Brown Truck. I did not complain about their Website's e-mail system not working properly. I did not complain because their new Website defaulted to the old address -- which i should have noticed and deleted long ago. I had to wait an extra couple of days to receive that shipment, which wasn't really a hardship since I already had a good supply of cigars and I had ordered more which arrived before the mis-addressed shipment got to me.

Now, if this vendor had refused to work with me to correct the mistake, or had been rude to me, you can be sure I would have screamed bloody murder. But instead they went the "extra mile" to keep me happy.

Incidentally, they have since fixed the bug in their e-mail system, and thanked me for bringing it to their attention.