I was looking through some of the threads in the 'Dog Rocket' sub-forum, and came across one about the 'brown bag' sampler offered by Thompson. This company really deserves it's own thread. I'm one of those weirdos that actually enjoys a double-claro, and their Iguanas aren't bad at all for a cigar of this type.
I used to like Thompson when I first started enjoying cigars. They had reasonable prices, and a great selection. My first humi was from there.
But I don't order from Thompson anymore, for a number of reasons:
1. Substitution in samplers. You will see a sampler on their site and in their catalog, but when you get it some of the name brands shown have been substituted for a house brand. What you see is not neccesarily what you get. For a time they put this disclaimer in there saying that they reserve the right to substitute, but then what's the point? I order samplers because there are sticks in there I want to try. If you can just receive any old thing, how can you determine it's worth? Why bother ordering it if you get a 'Wall Street' instead of an RP Super Fuerte?
2. Aggressive marketing. I eventually put my cell phone number in my online account in case there was a problem with my order. A week after I received my order I had left my phone in the truck while at work, and come back to find some unknown number has called me every hour on the hour all day long. I get home and look up the number. Thompson. I figured anything that required them to call me throughout the day must be important - maybe there was a problem with my card, maybe the Black Pearls I got were contaminated with Anthrax spores or something. So I call them..nope they just want to sell me on their auto-ship program. I tell them no thanks.
The next time I order, same thing. Guy calls me when I'm as busy as a one-legged man at an ass-kicking contest at work AND WILL NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER or get off the phone. I tell him that some of the brands I enjoy are not carried by Thompson (like 5 Vegas) and this is why I am not interested in the program. He says "well, we can't be all things to all people". I never asked him to be "all things to all people". I told him the reason I ain't doing it: I order from several different companies based on brand, availability, and price. Guy was a complete idiot.
3. Lousy quality. Yep, I'm poor. I smoke cigars every day and simply don't have the free income to puff boutique cigars all the time. I have many nice cigars but these are collected for special occasions. So I'm always on the lookout for inexpensive or discounted bundles. They had a special on Victor Sinclair Especiales and I figured; "Victor Sinclair, these could be pretty nice" - and ordered two bundles. I am here to tell you that these were the most horridly constructed things I ever smoked. Two out of every three were plugged. I cut one open and it was full of huge hunks of stalks. The bands were even crude as can be. I cannot believe this is a VS product. I contact them with pictures and don't get so much as a 'sorry' or 'kiss my ass'.
4. 2-fer requirement. As I said, I'm constantly looking for a decent knockaround for my commute or farting around out in the yard. Seems like everytime I find a decent per-stick deal there though..you have to buy two bundles. I don't want two bundles of something that is potentially crap before I have even tried them. Other companies offer 5-packs or even a single stick to try if you want. No such animal with TCC.
It's really funny to see what they offer now. Flavored wraps which are only good for rolling weed, stupid gadgets, and hookah tobacco. This company has got to be hurtin'.
I used to like Thompson when I first started enjoying cigars. They had reasonable prices, and a great selection. My first humi was from there.
But I don't order from Thompson anymore, for a number of reasons:
1. Substitution in samplers. You will see a sampler on their site and in their catalog, but when you get it some of the name brands shown have been substituted for a house brand. What you see is not neccesarily what you get. For a time they put this disclaimer in there saying that they reserve the right to substitute, but then what's the point? I order samplers because there are sticks in there I want to try. If you can just receive any old thing, how can you determine it's worth? Why bother ordering it if you get a 'Wall Street' instead of an RP Super Fuerte?
2. Aggressive marketing. I eventually put my cell phone number in my online account in case there was a problem with my order. A week after I received my order I had left my phone in the truck while at work, and come back to find some unknown number has called me every hour on the hour all day long. I get home and look up the number. Thompson. I figured anything that required them to call me throughout the day must be important - maybe there was a problem with my card, maybe the Black Pearls I got were contaminated with Anthrax spores or something. So I call them..nope they just want to sell me on their auto-ship program. I tell them no thanks.
The next time I order, same thing. Guy calls me when I'm as busy as a one-legged man at an ass-kicking contest at work AND WILL NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER or get off the phone. I tell him that some of the brands I enjoy are not carried by Thompson (like 5 Vegas) and this is why I am not interested in the program. He says "well, we can't be all things to all people". I never asked him to be "all things to all people". I told him the reason I ain't doing it: I order from several different companies based on brand, availability, and price. Guy was a complete idiot.
3. Lousy quality. Yep, I'm poor. I smoke cigars every day and simply don't have the free income to puff boutique cigars all the time. I have many nice cigars but these are collected for special occasions. So I'm always on the lookout for inexpensive or discounted bundles. They had a special on Victor Sinclair Especiales and I figured; "Victor Sinclair, these could be pretty nice" - and ordered two bundles. I am here to tell you that these were the most horridly constructed things I ever smoked. Two out of every three were plugged. I cut one open and it was full of huge hunks of stalks. The bands were even crude as can be. I cannot believe this is a VS product. I contact them with pictures and don't get so much as a 'sorry' or 'kiss my ass'.
4. 2-fer requirement. As I said, I'm constantly looking for a decent knockaround for my commute or farting around out in the yard. Seems like everytime I find a decent per-stick deal there though..you have to buy two bundles. I don't want two bundles of something that is potentially crap before I have even tried them. Other companies offer 5-packs or even a single stick to try if you want. No such animal with TCC.
It's really funny to see what they offer now. Flavored wraps which are only good for rolling weed, stupid gadgets, and hookah tobacco. This company has got to be hurtin'.
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing."
- Robert E. Howard
- Robert E. Howard