Famous Mold

Started by Jackal, 09/03/2010 02:52 PM

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Jackal

I bought a box of CAO Visions from Famous Smoke Shop at a killer deal.  When it arrived the sticks were as fuzzy a a 3 week old kitten.

I called them and they tried to convince me that it as plume.  After explaining to them that I know the difference, they begrudgingly sent me a replacement box.  This box too was moldy.  So we went for box three.  Same again.

The customer service woman was snippy with me basically telling me that I don't know what I am talking about and that it is plume.

Box 3 is going back for a refund (no replacement).  Maybe I can find a good deal on them elsewhere.

I would stay away from the Visions from Famous, as she says that they all have plume and that is just how it is and that it is a good thing.

I'll do what I will and I'll drink what I please
I'll smoke what I like 'till I cough and I wheeze
I'll drink and I'll whore and every pleasure realize
For this time tomorrow I may die


bklein128

That really stinks.  Have a pic to post so we can see the damage?

DonM

Wow, first I have heard of mold from Famous cigars!

"The Curmudgeon"













DocJazzRH

QuoteDonM - 9/3/2010  1:10 PM

Wow, first I have heard of mold from Famous cigars!

Very sad to hear, I too have never heard of this issue with them but I am certainly behind your knowledge, good luck with the next box; and pictures please...
Rich ()=iii=<


 Delusions of grandeur make me feel a lot better about myself .. J. Wagner

 At least a bad conscience can make life interesting -- Kierkegaard











kennyg

QuoteJackal - 9/3/2010  3:52 PM

I bought a box of CAO Visions from Famous Smoke Shop at a killer deal.  When it arrived the sticks were as fuzzy a a 3 week old kitten.

ha ha ha, 3 week old kittens are pretty fuzzy, I understand your disappointment ! You would think that by box 3 someone who knows the difference between fuzz and plume would have opened the box and checked it before sending it out......but that takes human intervention....not just pressing "resend order" on the computer, as the customer service rep must have done.

Maybe you could start a cigar pass for "fuzzy cigars only" call it the 3 week old kitten pass  :lmao:  :lmao:  :lmao:  :lmao:  :lmao:  :lmao:  :lmao:  :lmao:  :lmao:  :lmao:  :lmao:
KennyG : )

ROTHNH

Wow.  I assume you had to send all three boxes back at your own expense?  While I certainly don't doubt that the cigars were moldy (it certainly wasn't plume), I can also understand Famous having a hard time with it, especially since the Vision box is actually a humidor... did you happen to notice the RH on the digital read-out on the boxes when you got them?  With all three boxes having mold, that should have raised a red flag @ Famous... it would indeed be very interesting to find out more about their "problem" and what they're doing about it... I got the new Famous catalog today and they're offering the Visions (like you said) at a huge discount.  I'm thinking the Vision cigars are so old at this point that there is some sort of failure in that high-tech box's systems...

kola

Must ... see ... pictures ...

It is highly disturbing that Famous would try to pawn mold as plume. Even if many of the dips out there wouldn't know the difference, it is unethical. :mad:

Please let us know if there is any further news about this ... and if Famous 'fesses up. At least they have tried, and at least you will get some (most?) of your money back.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery - Winston Churchill

cmmayo

I was just talking about moldy cigars with fellow smokers at the Finck's outlet yesterday. I was telling them to watch out for the Cigar Warehouse nearby because they have moldy cigars--especially my beloved Joya de Nicaragua Antanos. The guy working there doesn't even know enough to try to convince me it's plume...

And that's why I go to Finck. Their exclusives are hit or miss, but their stock is quality and they know what they're talking about.

Guess Famous is a notch closer to going on the C G  S H I T  L I S T.

 :shooter:
--Corey

I'M BACK, MF-ers!!!

wescat

Jason, that sucks. Did they at least send you a couple of 5 packs for your trouble?
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In most realms, tranquility comes from ownership.
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Samhain2000

Thats piss poor customes service
A cigar is like a gun, you never know when you'll need one.

junglepete

I'd like to see some pics or have they all been sent back?
Guru of Frugality

"It is your decisions, not your conditions that shape your life."  ~Tony Robbins~

gitfiddl

That sucks.  I've probably ordered more from Famous via the Monster in the last six months than anywhere else.  I'm on your side, but like others, I have to ask did you take pictures?
Self-appointed Guru of Pass Container Sizing,  All Things Midgetly Stripperish, and general "Stirrer of the Puddin'".

Brlesq

Quotejunglepete - 9/3/2010  6:25 PM

I'd like to see some pics or have they all been sent back?

Yeah, I would have liked to see some pics as well.  I recently had an issue (not mold)with a "cask" of cigars I bought from JR and took some pics, but I didn't end up posting anything here because they handled the problem appropriately (very slowly, but appropriately.)  You should always get some pics, just in case you need to document the issue.
Bruce
Chief Enabler 
Guru of Decorum & Sarcasm


Hey! How come Habana is written on here with a Sharpie ?!?

A day without whiskey is like . . . just kidding, I have no idea!


Jackal

#13
QuoteROTHNH - 9/3/2010  2:27 PM

Wow.  I assume you had to send all three boxes back at your own expense?  While I certainly don't doubt that the cigars were moldy (it certainly wasn't plume), I can also understand Famous having a hard time with it, especially since the Vision box is actually a humidor... did you happen to notice the RH on the digital read-out on the boxes when you got them?  With all three boxes having mold, that should have raised a red flag @ Famous... it would indeed be very interesting to find out more about their "problem" and what they're doing about it... I got the new Famous catalog today and they're offering the Visions (like you said) at a huge discount.  I'm thinking the Vision cigars are so old at this point that there is some sort of failure in that high-tech box's systems...

I never put the batteries into the humidor to check the RH.  Luckily, they picked up the shipping on all of the returns.  If not, I would be really pissed.  The mold was probably there either from the get go coming from CAO or in the Famous humidor.  These cigars felet wet to the touch.
The high tech humidor is just a plastic box with a humi pouch in it.

I'll do what I will and I'll drink what I please
I'll smoke what I like 'till I cough and I wheeze
I'll drink and I'll whore and every pleasure realize
For this time tomorrow I may die


Voexum

Damn that really is a bummer, I be annoyed outta my mind! Ya know it's simple, if there's a problem all they needed to do was look into it, (the box of cigars & the situation) and things would have gone so much smoother. Yet even after a second "incident" it should have been a HELLO, SOMTHINGS UP!!! for them.

Whatever...
Christopher "Voexum"
http://www.cigargeeks.com/index.php?action=humidors;area=public;member=Voexum

"A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points but it is by no means the most interesting." - The Doctor

ROTHNH

Again, I'm just amazed at Famous for rolling over and playing dead on this.

I the old days, Arthur would have jumped over the damned counter and grabbed this problem with both hands.

If I were you, I'd write Arthur an e-mail.

consti

Wow, that's disappointing. I've never had a bad experience with Famous Smoke Shop. I would have hoped they would have responded better.
-Justin

PA.pierced2010

I wonder if it is a result of the special humidor box?
Of course, Famous should have opened one up (or asked you if they could) to check themselves before sending you another box.  :sad:
"The difference between a man and his valet: they both smoke the same cigars, but only one pays for them"
Robert Frost quotes (American poet, 1874-1963)

DonM

I have got a fair amount of cigars from Famous lately and never had any problems like this.  In their defense, it sounds more isolated to that particular brand and or boxed brand.  Of course CAO has never been one of my go to cigars (I don't own any)  I would think after 3 boxes, there should be some compensation there if I were the vendor, just for good customer service

"The Curmudgeon"













Brlesq

QuoteDonM - 9/4/2010  5:46 AM

I have got a fair amount of cigars from Famous lately and never had any problems like this.  In their defense, it sounds more isolated to that particular brand and or boxed brand.  

I have to second that.  I have ordered a lot of cigars from Famous and have never had any issues.  Maybe the mold issue started at the factory and was "sealed" into every box.   :confused:
Bruce
Chief Enabler 
Guru of Decorum & Sarcasm


Hey! How come Habana is written on here with a Sharpie ?!?

A day without whiskey is like . . . just kidding, I have no idea!


ROTHNH

I just sent Gary Korb @ Cigar Advisor a link to this thread:


"Hi Gary,

I thought this is something you might want to look at:

http://www.cigargeeks.com/index.php?topic=6237.0

As a long-time Famous customer, I, like many of my friends, are concerned with this issue.

Thanks for your time!"

nwb

Wow - that stinks.  I've only ordered once from Famous, but I've been considering getting some Visions at their huge discounts.  Now I know not to....
Chief of Shaft

Jackal

In their defense, I have never had any serious problems with them before.  A few smashed sticks due to bad packaging, but they were resolved quickly and replaced.

This is the first time that I have ever gotten mold, beetles or anything else like that.  

I think that the problem is completely isolated to the CAO visions.  

Maybe the fact that they were selling them for $109.98 a box was telling that there was something wrong with them.

The whole exercise is entirely frustrating and the condescending manner of the woman at customer service has left me a bit sour towards them.  It is not like they are the only online retailer out there.


I'll do what I will and I'll drink what I please
I'll smoke what I like 'till I cough and I wheeze
I'll drink and I'll whore and every pleasure realize
For this time tomorrow I may die


kola

As many others have said in this thread, I also have ordered frequently from Famous/Monster and never once received a poorly maintained stick. It seems to me that the problem is specific to the "humidors" and original packing at the CAO factory.

If Famous had more than one call about the product (the representatives response leads me to believe they had already received calls about it), someone should have been alerted to go open a couple boxes and inspect it. Cigars are a luxury purchase that should not be accompanied by hassles when there is an obvious problem.

I for one will be watching to see if this was just a one-time screw up, or if it indicates a shift in policy at Famous.
Smoke 'em if you got 'em
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery - Winston Churchill

Jackal

I think that they did inspect them, sent me the one with the least mold on them (it is only a few patches on this box, confined to the cigar's feet) and will pass off the others as plume to the unsuspecting.

The snippy CS girl said that they all had plume ands that I just didn't know what I was talking about.  She said that plume would grow right out of the feet of the cigars.

PLUME IS NOT FUZZY.

I'll do what I will and I'll drink what I please
I'll smoke what I like 'till I cough and I wheeze
I'll drink and I'll whore and every pleasure realize
For this time tomorrow I may die



   
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