I usually buy from CI, FS, or JRs. I had a buddy of mine order fomr Thompson's and complained that the sticks weren't in good shape. This was a long time ago and i dont remember what the problem was. Has anyone ordered from them recently? They got what looks like a kick ass deal:
http://www.thompsoncigar.com/default.aspx?&cm_re=HP-_-BestSellers-_-BestSellers&page=product&sid=encbxl45vhjrsy45qadbjn45&uid=1287
JF
I ahvn't heard much about the quality of the cigars from Thompson's but I have heard their customer service ain't great. They don't have much inventory control either apparently and frequently seel items they don't have. I have heard stories of orders taking 3 weeks or longer to show up. Calls to customer service weren't handled well. No replies to emails. So in genral, i would shop places you know are good - famous smokes, cigarmony, JRs.
*P
I got an R&J with bug holes once. My biggest gripe is their advertising their house brands as really very good. They're awful! They are cheap, though, and most are long-filler. Many are bitter, which might appeal to some members. I learned a lot buying their samplers before I found better places. The R&J was in one of those samplers. Like an idiot I smoked it and it was awful. Duh!
Certainly Thompson is high-priced. That said, they are like any other retailer in that you have to keep your eye out for bargains.
Take for example the "deal" linked to by the original poster. In the "Powerhouse Dozen" for $29.95, 8 out of 12 smokes are Thompson house brands. They are all likely robusto size too. At an average stick price of 2.50 this is no deal. (Tried to talk someone out of it at another board - he bought, Thompson substituted out so it was 12 of 12 house brands.)
However, at the same time Thompson is selling the "Mega Samler III" - 16 cigars, all national brands, several torpedoes and toros for the same $29.95. Less than $2 per cigar for brands that range retail $3-5.
I ordered this and yes they substituted - but I got two cedar wrapped Fuente toro sized cigars instead of two Cusanos. Fair enough by me.
I also think their prices on humidors are really as good as any in the industry for quality products.
Like I say, there are problems with this 100 year old industry giant, but every now and then...
I'll start another thread for the Thompson auction site.
Check out the complaints they've gotten:
http://www.complaintsboard.com/bycompany/thompson-cigar-a33411.html
Just because of the bad rep Thompson has i have never ordered from them, and they are based here in the bay area, whick means I pay sales tax. I have bid/ordered with Famous with no problems, but finding what I like on auction does not come on that often. As for CI/Cbid, they have got alot of my hard earned money, but then the customer service is great, and typically you get what you paid for. If it isnt broke, I aint gonna try to fix it :biggrin:
I haven't ordered anything from Thompson in a while. I've bought three of their now discontinued $29.99 humi/lighter/sampler combos in the past. Some of the smokes included were actually decent, like the Don Lugo and Phoenix. The Cuban Corojo wasn't bad either, if I remember correctly. The humis are fine, but all the lighters bit the dust rather quickly. I've got some Black Label coronas that are better than average yard-gars and remind me a lot of A/F Brevas Royales, but I paid $10 for a bundle of 25, so I wouldn't expect anything better. I've still got a couple of AOA torps I bought that are nice, creamy and mild, but the construction is sub-par as they are falling apart. I bought a bundle of their Match Play Maduros that were pretty decent. I've never had an issue with delayed shipping, but they are notorious for substitutions. The aforementioned Black Label Coronas were supposed to be Robustos. I've had similar substitutions in samplers from Mike's though...
Knock on wood, but I've never got any buggie cigars from anyone. I got a bundle of Trinidad y Cia's from JR in which some of the wrappers had holes, but they looked more like the wrapper had been filleted when the cigar was put in the cellophane or otherwise damaged in handling. JR did make good by crediting my card for the amount of the damaged sticks. About two weeks later, another bundle arrived unexpectedly at no charge. :biggrin:
I order from Thompson occasionally. Usually when they offer free shipping and, unless they're offering a super deal on some sampler or the like, I usually buy a house brand/exclusive.
My last Thompson purchase was a bundle of Perdomo Artesanals (under $50), which I'm enjoying. The Navarro short torps (4X60) are also nice, especially the maduros. Also, Thompson offers some brand name cigars that, while they might be found cheaper elsewhere if I look hard enough, they represent a good value, especially when they come with free shipping (like now) -- bundles of 18 off-color Edge Lite 6X60 or 25 T.Baez 6X60 -- both offered for under $60 each, delivered, come to mind.
A couple things regarding "buyer beware" are the annoying sales calls (easy enough to stop, however) and to make sure you will keep what you order because Thompson charges a considerable "restocking fee" when you send items back for credit.
I have ordered from Thompson in the past, and will not go back to them. Their product is sub-standard, and their customer service is non existent. Plus they spam email you like crazy.
:mad:
I ordered from them once for some cheapies...but all premium brands are overpriced in my opinion, including their specials, especially their specials. Thompsons are not for me!
One way our jobs are sent overseas is to hire phone banks in third world countries to answer calls and make those annoying ones. Thompsons uses them. India is a big source. Companies can't afford to hire Americans here at home. We expect health insurance and retirement funds. We demand a living wage and sick days and vacation time. We've priced ourselves out of the job market.
Someone struggling to feed their family has a big incentive to lie to the customers and say the order is free. They work on commissions and they're fired if they don't produce. Weeks later it's hard to trace the lie back to one worker and even if they do, that's next month's problem.
Compare the name boxes Thompson sells. Where the norm is 25/box, they sell 20 to make them look cheaper. They have lots of deceptive tricks and harassing customers obviously pays off as they laugh all the way down the low road. They feed on ignorant herfers. They couldn't survive with informed consumers.
I agree with Larry about them being deceptive. I don't order from them because, although some of their samplers look good on the surface, you don't really know what you're getting. Take a look at thier catalog--they don't make it clear what size cigars you will get in their samplers. They only show a photo of the tops of the cigars, and in many if not all cases, they list the size as "assorted". Any other vendor will tell you exactly what you are getting, barring any substitutions.
Though I personally have no complaints about Thompson or their auction site, my old friend called me yesterday, CONVINCED he had been screwed out of an auction. I wanted to post this to see is it's happened to anyone else:
He said he had a winning bid of $48 on a box of Perdomo Grand Cru cigars with less than 5 minutes left. He monitored the auction all the way to CLOSED. At the point, he said, the winning bid of $50 was listed for an account named: UNREASONABLE. Immediately, the box was re-listed (which itself is normal on their auction site), BUT had a minimum opening bid of $89.
DID HE GET SCREWED BY THOMPSON??? :confused:
That sounds fishy....unreasonable my !@#@#.
Quotecmmayo - 10/4/2009 2:34 PM
Though I personally have no complaints about Thompson or their auction site, my old friend called me yesterday, CONVINCED he had been screwed out of an auction. I wanted to post this to see is it's happened to anyone else:
He said he had a winning bid of $48 on a box of Perdomo Grand Cru cigars with less than 5 minutes left. He monitored the auction all the way to CLOSED. At the point, he said, the winning bid of $50 was listed for an account named: UNREASONABLE. Immediately, the box was re-listed (which itself is normal on their auction site), BUT had a minimum opening bid of $89.
DID HE GET SCREWED BY THOMPSON??? :confused:
Yes. Yes he did. :mad:
Your friend definitely got screwed.
He could try calling Thompson -- if he speaks to someone in authority there he may get some satisfaction. But it appears that his final bid (closing auction price) for that box of Grand Cru cigars was too low due to the fact that the initial (opening) listed price should have been much higher. Thompson's mistake.
My bet is that he will be told, "we made a mistake and posted that item with an opening bid that was much too low. Sorry about that. Good luck next time."
I've often wondered about the checks and balances that may or may not be in place with cigar auction sites. At least eBay is an impartial third party.
Do we even have anything other than faith that ANY cigar auction site won't do this? How could you prove anything? Who could you go to for justice? (Other than Joe Pesci.)
:confused: :confused: :mad: :confused: :confused:
Quotecmmayo - 10/5/2009 1:19 PM
I've often wondered about the checks and balances that may or may not be in place with cigar auction sites. At least eBay is an impartial third party.
Do we even have anything other than faith that ANY cigar auction site won't do this? How could you prove anything? Who could you go to for justice? (Other than Joe Pesci.)
:confused: :confused: :mad: :confused: :confused:
I say we take our shotguns and visit their corporate office, demanding justice. Maybe we can get some free boxes of cigars out of the deal!
There is no reason whatsoever for Thompsons not to honor the end result...especially if it was their bad. If they are not willing to bite the bullet of a few dollars in the name of good business, then it is no wonder they have such a bad reputation. Now that I think of it, it was not Thompsons that I ordered some cheapies from in the past it was Holt's and I am happy about that too.
It's interesting, in all this Thompson bashing, that I just received an e-mail from Thompson, offering a box of CAO Criollo Conquistadors (6 1/8" X 52), in the 2002 "drawer" cedar boxes for $69 with free shipping. I well may be off base on this as well, but, properly aged (4-6 months), these CAO Criollos are an outstanding smoke. This, to me, is an exceptional value that has not been available, anywhere near this price, anywhere else. Which brings me back to my point about Thompson -- sometimes, it's a great deal.
Oops -- here's the link BTW:
http://www.thompsoncigar.com/catalog/product.jsp?TLCode=33201&productId=73744&cm_mmc=Email-_-20091005-donrafael-33205-_-body-_-criollopage&cm_vc=10577
QuoteROTHNH - 10/5/2009 9:16 PM
It's interesting, in all this Thompson bashing, that I just received an e-mail from Thompson, offering a box of CAO Criollo Conquistadors (6 1/8" X 52), in the 2002 "drawer" cedar boxes for $69 with free shipping. I well may be off base on this as well, but, properly aged (4-6 months), these CAO Criollos are an outstanding smoke. This, to me, is an exceptional value that has not been available, anywhere near this price, anywhere else. Which brings me back to my point about Thompson -- sometimes, it's a great deal.
Oops -- here's the link BTW:
http://www.thompsoncigar.com/catalog/product.jsp?TLCode=33201&productId=73744&cm_mmc=Email-_-20091005-donrafael-33205-_-body-_-criollopage&cm_vc=10577
Well, there is no doubt that is a good deal! I smoked a box of the Pampas...and kept the nice looking box too.
Let me know how that works out for you with Thompsons, if you bite on that deal.
Quotejunglepete - 10/5/2009 9:40 PM
QuoteROTHNH - 10/5/2009 9:16 PM
It's interesting, in all this Thompson bashing, that I just received an e-mail from Thompson, offering a box of CAO Criollo Conquistadors (6 1/8" X 52), in the 2002 "drawer" cedar boxes for $69 with free shipping. I well may be off base on this as well, but, properly aged (4-6 months), these CAO Criollos are an outstanding smoke. This, to me, is an exceptional value that has not been available, anywhere near this price, anywhere else. Which brings me back to my point about Thompson -- sometimes, it's a great deal.
Oops -- here's the link BTW:
http://www.thompsoncigar.com/catalog/product.jsp?TLCode=33201&productId=73744&cm_mmc=Email-_-20091005-donrafael-33205-_-body-_-criollopage&cm_vc=10577
Well, there is no doubt that is a good deal! I smoked a box of the Pampas...and kept the nice looking box too.
Let me know how that works out for you with Thompsons, if you bite on that deal.
Of course I pulled the trigger. I've experience with the CAO Criollo -- all I have to do is let them sit for a while. Great smoke, great deal. Happy camper.
I have yet to have a problem with Thompson and I have made several purchases with them. It has been several months now.
It's all about shopping eh?
QuoteROTHNH - 10/6/2009 11:16 AM Thompson, offering a box of CAO Criollo Conquistadors (6 1/8" X 52), in the 2002 "drawer" cedar boxes for $69 with free shipping. -- here's the link BTW: http://www.thompsoncigar.com/catalog/product.jsp?TLCode=33201&productId=73744&cm_mmc=Email-_-20091005-donrafael-33205-_-body-_-criollopage&cm_vc=10577[/QUOTE (http://www.thompsoncigar.com/catalog/product.jsp?TLCode=33201&productId=73744&cm_mmc=Email-_-20091005-donrafael-33205-_-body-_-criollopage&cm_vc=10577%5B/QUOTE)] Like I said about not knowing what your getting...In the link you posted the item is listed (in the title) as Churchills, but Torpedos in the description at the bottom. Which one is it, Thompson?
QuoteHot Stuff x - 10/6/2009 3:38 AM
QuoteROTHNH - 10/6/2009 11:16 AM Thompson, offering a box of CAO Criollo Conquistadors (6 1/8" X 52), in the 2002 "drawer" cedar boxes for $69 with free shipping. -- here's the link BTW: http://www.thompsoncigar.com/catalog/product.jsp?TLCode=33201&productId=73744&cm_mmc=Email-_-20091005-donrafael-33205-_-body-_-criollopage&cm_vc=10577[/QUOTE (http://www.thompsoncigar.com/catalog/product.jsp?TLCode=33201&productId=73744&cm_mmc=Email-_-20091005-donrafael-33205-_-body-_-criollopage&cm_vc=10577%5B/QUOTE)] Like I said about not knowing what your getting...In the link you posted the item is listed (in the title) as Churchills, but Torpedos in the description at the bottom. Which one is it, Thompson?
I noticed that too. Also they have the same thing for sale elsewhere on the site for $99.
This is something I've seen them do several times, and you'll also see it in the catalog. They'll list the exact same item or sampler at 2 different prices, and the item number will only vary by the first or last letter/digit. Very shady in my opinion.
Update:
My $69 box of CAO Criollos from Thompson arrived a few days ago.
They were the Conquistadors, as ordered.
Not only were they packed in the original 2002 cedar box, as a pleasant surprise, they were also aged.
Yay for me LOL.
I've found a number of sites that post different prices in different parts of their catalog. One page will have something for sale, but if you look up the item, you'll get a different page with the regular price. That's not just Thompson.
Ah, different prices maybe (though I haven't really noticed) but how about different construction?
Before I get to this month's glaring example, I reiterate what I said before and others have agreed with - like anything else, you have to watch for deals.
Last month TCC was selling 4-packs of AVO #2 cigars for $20. Last I checked, 5-packs of this vitola sold everywhere for $33+. $4 each vs. 6.60 to $7 - a genuine good price.
On to our featured story: On page 43 of the TCC "Sept. II" they offer the "Don Lugo" line, "crafted from the finest of combination filler tobaccos."
By page 54, as part of multi-bundle deal, the Don Lugo has been upgraded to "long filler cigars"
I've smoked the Don Lugo torpedo which I though was a nice $1 cigar. Wish I had one left to cut open.
Oh and I have been peeved by the TCC exclusive Perdomo "Artesanal" since it came out.
There is no such word as "artesanal" although it is a homonym for "artisanal".
I must be lucky because my experience with Thompson cigar has been pleasant so far. I got the same deal ROTHNH got and I got it in great shape. Shipping was timely and everything went without a hitch. I would definitely consider buying from them again.
I got bundle of Don Lugos in a humi combo I ordered from them. Some of the sticks were kind of good (not real good), but some were absolutely unsmokable...too harsh. Because of this I gave half of the bundle to a buddy who has been smoking cigars for over 20 years and he had exactly the same experience. We ended up nicknaming them Don Luggies. I submitted a 1 star review with explanation and Thompson did not post it.
On the other hand I love one of their Victor Sinclair torpedo samplers (mild cigars).
Quoterhg12345 - 11/6/2009 7:31 PM
I got bundle of Don Lugos in a humi combo I ordered from them. Some of the sticks were kind of good (not real good), but some were absolutely unsmokable...too harsh. Because of this I gave half of the bundle to a buddy who has been smoking cigars for over 20 years and he had exactly the same experience. We ended up nicknaming them Don Luggies. I submitted a 1 star review with explanation and Thompson did not post it.
On the other hand I love one of their Victor Sinclair torpedo samplers (mild cigars).
Funny, the Don Lugo is probably my favorite Thompson cigar. I've never bought a bundle, but I've purchased a couple or three humi combos (they used to be $29.99) that had Don Lugos in them. I daresay the Don Lugos were more consistent and as good or better a smoke than most Victor Sinclairs I've had.
I got some Don Lugo Robustos in a mixed Thompson deal 3 years ago when I was just back to smoking after 24 long years and didn't like them or any other samples included. Then I smoked a Don Lugo Churchill a week or two ago and liked it. Based solely on flavor, it was a lot better than some premiums. It's a short-filler, so you have to smoke it gently and can't do some of the things you come to take for granted with a long-filler, like clipping the end with no caution, chewing on it without fear of discharging chopped leaves and stems into your mouth, etc. However the chopped tobacco farm refuse tastes good. Now I hear that one can taste good and another suck. Oh, well. It's not like I planned on buying some.