Famous Mold

[ROTHNH]

I agree with Humberto on this.

Let's see what Jackal (Jason) has to say.  I'm sure it won't be long and I am optimistic about a favorable resolution.

[lowpro75]

Cigahs - 9/11/2010  11:31 AM

kola - 9/11/2010  11:13 AM

Cigahs - 9/11/2010  10:59 AM

Gentlemen:

Your act of solidarity is admirable. Yet, this matter is between one customer and one company he's doing business with. As I mentioned before, the issue is being dealt with. Pouring gas to the flames here will have no effect on its outcome other than to dissuade other satisfied customers, (many of which I'm sure have never had any negative issues with Famous Smoke Shop after a multitude of purchases), from doing business with a very reputable company that made one notable error. I ask that you allow us to do our job and handle the matter appropriately before grabbing your torches and pitchforks. After all, this is (or at least used to be) a gentleman's business.

Thank you.

Humberto

It seems you understand the situation clearly. None of us wish to deal with the type of annoyance over a luxury purchase where high hopes and expectations are dashed.  A gentleman's business is based on trust. If one side fails on an agreement, it is their responsibility to ensure the situation is handled gracefully and that the terms of the agreement are met to the satisfaction of the other. None of us should have to lecture you on this. So. Many of us are happy to take the sidelines and watch to see how this is resolved. It is *your* actions that determine the outcome.

In this case *our* actions are geared towards one person. No one wants an audience when handling a sensitive situation. As far as satisfaction towards our customer, in this case 'Jackal', it's been clearly established that we've made several attempts at getting him the products he ordered at no extra expense to him. The big issue, as I understand it, was with the way he was treated by a member or members of our staff and the insistence that he didn't know what he was talking about. We've admitted, without prejudice and in open forum that (a) it was mold and (b) we were wrong. Dealing with staff members, at this point, is an internal matter. His last post on this was that he only wanted the truth, which he and the rest of you got.

If there is anything further to be done here, it has nothing to do with anyone else but 'Jackal' and Famous Smoke Shop. Unless he chooses to publish his dealings with us here, we really have nothing left to say on this as we absolutely respect our customers' privacy.

Humberto

Humberto,
How you choose to deal with the situation is your business, how I or anyone else chooses to spend their money is not.  Leave well enough alone.   I thought your first letter was direct, honest and to the point.  Jackal is a good guy and if you resolve the situation to his satisfaction he will let everyone know.  Getting into a pissing contest in a forum doesn't help anyone, in fact, it can only hurt.  I understand your instinct to try to control the situation but I can almost guarantee that it will have the opposite effect. So while you are technically correct that it is a situation that involves one customer, you now have a number of people waiting to see how the situation is resolved, and that is the only thing that matters to me, all the rest is just words.  So if you are trying to politely but firmly tell me to mind my own business, I'll take a pass.  

Thanks,

Rich

[simcha]

Mr Humberto

With all the respect you are totally wrong.

When Jason decided to share with us this issue it has become public & is part of your showcase .

"If there is anything further to be done here, it has nothing to do with anyone else but 'Jackal' and Famous Smoke Shop" (p.s it's Jason)

No - you have a bunch of customers or future customers that in some way you have lost their trust & if you care about this audience you have to purchase your trust again.

"No one wants an audience when handling a sensitive situation" very understood but neither Jason nor we arose the problem, so the AUDIENCE you don't like becomes part of the problem.

I'm aware to the stress and tension in this situation but you must keep kool and think rational & you can't afford to preach us the AUDIENCE.

Simcha

[Samhain2000]

We are a group of individuals with like interests sticking by their friend till he is satisfied; it's nice to see someone telling us not to do this.
Before I switched careers to the Oilfield Industry, I worked in customer service from many different angles: answering phones at a call center, face to face and management. Truth be told the customer is not always right but that does not constitute treating the customer poorly and there are ways around telling the customer he doesn't know what he's talking about. As a manager, I was fortunate that my crew always treated the customer well but I would not have tolerated poor customer service.

There were some shenanigans here, when the first box was sent back with mold, maybe someone higher up the chain of command should have gotten involved. When the second box was sent back some one higher up should have definitely gotten involved. The CSR reps could have handled things better, but the bigger the company the more potential problems you will have. The only fault I see with Jackal's actions is that after the second box of moldy cigars, I would have asked for my money back. (all that means is Jackal is a more patient person then myself)

Admitting the cigars are in fact moldy is a big step. The 10% discount, to me, is no incentive to shop there again. Telling us to keep our noses out of business that our CG BOTL brought to our attention, is our business.

[SenorPablo]

Man.  I go out and cut the grass and then play with the kids and look what I miss.

So here's my thoughts on this.  Jason had a bad service situation with Famous.  He was not happy with how it was handled.  We posted here to get some attention to the issue.  Humberto had the guts to come here and directly respond with an apology, admittance that the Service Rep was wrong and that indeed Jason was correct about the mold.  Frankly, I think that is pretty big move for a company to make and I think it has to go to their character.  Let's face it, most of us have bought from Famous and have had good experiences.  It seems unreasonable to me to let 1 bad CSR taint your overall opinion of them - but that it obviously up to you guys as individuals.

What I don't think helps the situation any more is to drag this out in an open forum.  The original intent of the thread was to bring attention to the issue and that has happened.  I think the rest is between Jason and Famous, and if Jason chooses to talk about this more, then that is on him.  But I don't think Famous should be expected to carry on this dialog about a customer service issue in the public.

My 2 cents.  

As you know I'm not one that likes to come in and over-moderate this place because I think we do pretty good at self-moderating, but I don't see the point of piling on this topic any more.

-Paul

[junglepete]

My thoughts are that if Famous does the right thing for Jason then they will be priaised and admired immediately by me. If it is in the works, great, and if Jason wishes me not write my thoughts and ideas of the situation then I won't, but at this point Jason posted his thoughts and feelings in a public forum and many responded, including a rep from Famous. I am not comfortable by having a rep from Famous tell me to butt out of a public forum discussion or trying to lecture me on what is private or not. There was nothing disrespectful being said or done here, just people sharing opinions, thoughts, feelings and ideas in a public forum. We as geeks support each other as friends...we share cigars, we trade cigars, we give away free cigars, we do box passes, we host contests and we have fun. Not supporting a friend in this situation is just not an option for me and if I can influence others then I will try to do so. I have no ill feelings for anyone who wishes not to 'jump on the band wagon'...to each his/her own.

For me, this is not a bashing of Famous, just a stand of solidarity for a BOTL. I do not expect Famous to join in the public forum and could care less if they do or not...how they handle it is certainly their own business, but it is also my business as to how I handle my own feelings about it. If they are on top of it then great, but that in no way entitles them to tell others to stop talking about it. At this point I don't see any cigar geek being offended by this thread.

[simcha]

Couldn't be phrased better

[Jackal]

SenorPablo - 9/11/2010  12:23 PM

Man.  I go out and cut the grass and then play with the kids and look what I miss.

So here's my thoughts on this.  Jason had a bad service situation with Famous.  He was not happy with how it was handled.  We posted here to get some attention to the issue.  Humberto had the guts to come here and directly respond with an apology, admittance that the Service Rep was wrong and that indeed Jason was correct about the mold.  Frankly, I think that is pretty big move for a company to make and I think it has to go to their character.  Let's face it, most of us have bought from Famous and have had good experiences.  It seems unreasonable to me to let 1 bad CSR taint your overall opinion of them - but that it obviously up to you guys as individuals.

What I don't think helps the situation any more is to drag this out in an open forum.  The original intent of the thread was to bring attention to the issue and that has happened.  I think the rest is between Jason and Famous, and if Jason chooses to talk about this more, then that is on him.  But I don't think Famous should be expected to carry on this dialog about a customer service issue in the public.

My 2 cents.  

As you know I'm not one that likes to come in and over-moderate this place because I think we do pretty good at self-moderating, but I don't see the point of piling on this topic any more.

-Paul

Wow, a lot happens while I am offline.  The admission that there was truly a problem, an apology and that action is being taken to fix things at Famous was all that I wanted.  

I am happy to let it drop from here.

I appreciate the show of solidarity, but it is not asked for by me and it is probably best to let everyone get back to their lives.  I suffered no damages other than some ruffled feathers and some of my time and annoyance.  Guys, do what you wish at this point.  If you want to buy a good deal at Famous then please do so; if this incident has drawn you away from them, I can't do anything about that other to say that they did take the returns at no cost to me.  

It is your own choice who you shop with.  Please put down the pitchforks and firebrands.

[Samhain2000]

And there was much rejoicing.

yeahhhhh...

[Ken Kelley]

"Man. I go out and cut the grass and then play with the kids and look what I miss."

I'm right there with you, Paul!  I glanced through this thread a couple of days ago and since then it done growed...a bunch!

[Voexum]

[SenorPablo]

junglepete - 9/11/2010  4:19 PM

My thoughts are that if Famous does the right thing for Jason then they will be priaised and admired immediately by me. If it is in the works, great, and if Jason wishes me not write my thoughts and ideas of the situation then I won't, but at this point Jason posted his thoughts and feelings in a public forum and many responded, including a rep from Famous. I am not comfortable by having a rep from Famous tell me to butt out of a public forum discussion or trying to lecture me on what is private or not. There was nothing disrespectful being said or done here, just people sharing opinions, thoughts, feelings and ideas in a public forum. We as geeks support each other as friends...we share cigars, we trade cigars, we give away free cigars, we do box passes, we host contests and we have fun. Not supporting a friend in this situation is just not an option for me and if I can influence others then I will try to do so. I have no ill feelings for anyone who wishes not to 'jump on the band wagon'...to each his/her own.

For me, this is not a bashing of Famous, just a stand of solidarity for a BOTL. I do not expect Famous to join in the public forum and could care less if they do or not...how they handle it is certainly their own business, but it is also my business as to how I handle my own feelings about it. If they are on top of it then great, but that in no way entitles them to tell others to stop talking about it. At this point I don't see any cigar geek being offended by this thread.

My point was that they seemed to satisfy what was being asked.  They took the time to come here and publicly apologize, admit they were wrong, admit their CSR folks mis-handled the situation, admit it was actually mold, and left Jason whole + a 10% discount on a future purchase.

That seems pretty good to me.  I'm not sure what more could be expected - except maybe a free box of cigars.    But I wouldn't hold your breath for that one.

In any case, you all are certainly entitled to air your feelings, I just feel like that has been done and it's time to move on.  Again, my 2 cents.  

-Paul

[Brlesq]

SenorPablo - 9/11/2010  9:36 PM

My point was that they seemed to satisfy what was being asked.  They took the time to come here and publicly apologize, admit they were wrong, admit their CSR folks mis-handled the situation, admit it was actually mold, and left Jason whole + a 10% discount on a future purchase.

That seems pretty good to me.  I'm not sure what more could be expected - except maybe a free box of cigars.    But I wouldn't hold your breath for that one.

In any case, you all are certainly entitled to air your feelings, I just feel like that has been done and it's time to move on.  Again, my 2 cents.  

-Paul

  I didn't chime in on this thread or the other related one earlier (and that is unusual for me) because you guys seemed to be pretty passionate about it, but frankly I agree 100% with Paul's assesment of this.  Its no different than the issue I had earlier in the summer with Tampa, and it was resolved between the retailer and myself without any 10% discount or expectations of a freebie or the firing of the customer service rep, and everyone here thought that the conclusion was fair and adequate.  I'm not sure why this one is any different.  We were both inconvenienced, the retailer eventually stepped up and admitted the mistake and took corrective action.  And Jason seems to be OK with that, just as I was with Tampa.  Time to forgive and move on, IMHO.  

Thats my 2 cents on it, so now you have 4 cents.    

[capndutch]

If Jackal is satisfied with the outcome, I am too.

Now, if Famous could extend a special Geeks Free shipping offer, I would be happier.  But I am not extorting anyone.

 

[cmmayo]

My 2 cents are: as a guy that spends way too much cash on cigars, I like all of the information I find on Cigar Geeks. It makes me a more efficient and happy spender.

 

[nwb]

capndutch - 9/11/2010  10:26 PM

If Jackal is satisfied with the outcome, I am too.

 

Looks like a missed a lot over the weekend, but I'm happy that it was resolved to Jason's satisfaction.

[gitfiddl]

SenorPablo - 9/11/2010  9:36 PM

junglepete - 9/11/2010  4:19 PM

My thoughts are that if Famous does the right thing for Jason then they will be priaised and admired immediately by me. If it is in the works, great, and if Jason wishes me not write my thoughts and ideas of the situation then I won't, but at this point Jason posted his thoughts and feelings in a public forum and many responded, including a rep from Famous. I am not comfortable by having a rep from Famous tell me to butt out of a public forum discussion or trying to lecture me on what is private or not. There was nothing disrespectful being said or done here, just people sharing opinions, thoughts, feelings and ideas in a public forum. We as geeks support each other as friends...we share cigars, we trade cigars, we give away free cigars, we do box passes, we host contests and we have fun. Not supporting a friend in this situation is just not an option for me and if I can influence others then I will try to do so. I have no ill feelings for anyone who wishes not to 'jump on the band wagon'...to each his/her own.

For me, this is not a bashing of Famous, just a stand of solidarity for a BOTL. I do not expect Famous to join in the public forum and could care less if they do or not...how they handle it is certainly their own business, but it is also my business as to how I handle my own feelings about it. If they are on top of it then great, but that in no way entitles them to tell others to stop talking about it. At this point I don't see any cigar geek being offended by this thread.

My point was that they seemed to satisfy what was being asked.  They took the time to come here and publicly apologize, admit they were wrong, admit their CSR folks mis-handled the situation, admit it was actually mold, and left Jason whole + a 10% discount on a future purchase.

That seems pretty good to me.  I'm not sure what more could be expected - except maybe a free box of cigars.    But I wouldn't hold your breath for that one.

In any case, you all are certainly entitled to air your feelings, I just feel like that has been done and it's time to move on.  Again, my 2 cents.  

-Paul

So it is written, so let it be done.  

Actually, I think we were pretty well behaved as a group on this one.  It could have gone a lot further South than it did.  I really appreciate Humberto's frank and honest replies.  Was this the right forum for Famous to address this issue?  In today's day and age, I'm not really sure, but it is what it is what it is.  You piss someone off and it hits the internet.

I'm going on 45 years of age.  I spent well over a third, maybe half of those years in sales, customer service and retail management in one degree or another.  If what Jason was saying about his treatment by the CSR is true, and from my dealings with him I have no reason to doubt him, I think that young lady needs to look for another job.  

I think that it's great that a group like the Cigar Geeks can put some pressure on folks on behalf of a fellow Geek and get a response that seems favorable.

[kola]

nwb - 9/12/2010  3:12 PM

capndutch - 9/11/2010  10:26 PM

If Jackal is satisfied with the outcome, I am too.

 

Looks like a missed a lot over the weekend, but I'm happy that it was resolved to Jason's satisfaction.

+1

I will be a bit wary of them for a while though, and will be watching to see if this was an anomaly or beginning of a trend.

[gitfiddl]

kola - 9/12/2010  5:37 PM

nwb - 9/12/2010  3:12 PM

capndutch - 9/11/2010  10:26 PM

If Jackal is satisfied with the outcome, I am too.

 

Looks like a missed a lot over the weekend, but I'm happy that it was resolved to Jason's satisfaction.

+1

I will be a bit wary of them for a while though, and will be watching to see if this was an anomaly or beginning of a trend.

Having received several shipments from them while all this has been going on, I think it is indeed an anomaly and a situation that could have been handled better on the part of Famous.  That being said, I think I can still order from them with confidence.

[Jackal]

gitfiddl - 9/12/2010  12:54 PM
Was this the right forum for Famous to address this issue?  In today's day and age, I'm not really sure, but it is what it is what it is.  You piss someone off and it hits the internet.

I think that this was the right forum considering the circumstances.  If this had been taken care of quietly with an admission that it was, indeed, mold, then it wouldn't have had to go to the forum.  All of the dodges and statements of "bloom" and direct denial of mold was what got it here.

I would have been perfectly happy with a response of: CAO sent us some bad boxes; we are in the process of replacing them.  Sorry about the inconvenience.  

With that, it would have been case closed, and I would never have even brought it up here.  The dicking around that I got was the cause of me posting this thread that now has over 1280 views.  I think that this is a lesson in customer relations, not only for Famous, but for anybody who runs a business.

[gitfiddl]

Jackal - 9/12/2010  7:39 PM

gitfiddl - 9/12/2010  12:54 PM
Was this the right forum for Famous to address this issue?  In today's day and age, I'm not really sure, but it is what it is what it is.  You piss someone off and it hits the internet.

I think that this was the right forum considering the circumstances.  If this had been taken care of quietly with an admission that it was, indeed, mold, then it wouldn't have had to go to the forum.  All of the dodges and statements of "bloom" and direct denial of mold was what got it here.

I would have been perfectly happy with a response of: CAO sent us some bad boxes; we are in the process of replacing them.  Sorry about the inconvenience.  

With that, it would have been case closed, and I would never have even brought it up here.  The dicking around that I got was the cause of me posting this thread that now has over 1280 views.  I think that this is a lesson in customer relations, not only for Famous, but for anybody who runs a business.

Major props to you, Jason, for sticking by your guns.  Details aren't necessary.  Just let us now when you are satisfied.

[kennyg]

Jackal - 9/12/2010  7:39 PM

gitfiddl - 9/12/2010  12:54 PM
Was this the right forum for Famous to address this issue?  In today's day and age, I'm not really sure, but it is what it is what it is.  You piss someone off and it hits the internet.

I think that this was the right forum considering the circumstances.  If this had been taken care of quietly with an admission that it was, indeed, mold, then it wouldn't have had to go to the forum.  All of the dodges and statements of "bloom" and direct denial of mold was what got it here.

I would have been perfectly happy with a response of: CAO sent us some bad boxes; we are in the process of replacing them.  Sorry about the inconvenience.  

With that, it would have been case closed, and I would never have even brought it up here.  The dicking around that I got was the cause of me posting this thread that now has over 1280 views.  I think that this is a lesson in customer relations, not only for Famous, but for anybody who runs a business.

Jackel,  sorry you had to teach Famous the difference between Mold, and Plume 3 times no less...... You did a good thing by being persistent. Think about it, Famous is purging their inventory, so you saved some smucks from buying moldy cigars, and from inhaling mold spores !!

For my two cents, I understand your reasons for posting the subject, and I agree 100% with your reasons.

This forum is a great collection of people, who benefit collectively, from individual information.

If I was writing the ending here, I would have Famous send you out a 50 % off coupon for up to $100 for you to use in the next 6 months. Or I would have them check your buying history, and send you a bomb of singles from your order history....something like 10 or 20 cigars. But, I'm not writing the ending........

It's easy to say everything is "even" but it's better to say Famous did more then they needed to to make you a happy customer.

I won't go into details here, but Cigars International did that for me when I had a problem with some cigars....gave me a 5 pack of cigars free for my trouble. Since then, I returned several times safe and confident they would not only make things right if something went wrong, but would go that 1 step more.

Enjoy the day,  smoke a cigar, relax, reflect !