Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Sent to Ashton Cigars this afternoon.

JohnnyKay5 took a picture of the inch and a half "tree trunk" I pulled out of my cigar Saturday night.

Am I wrong?

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Pics???

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

I'd be verklempt if I were you Tobii ;)

Definitely worth letting them know though... after spending $7 on a stick I would expect it to smoke well :2

aj

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Not snobby or unreasonable at all. Polite and respectful - as it should be.

So who wrote it for you? ;) :D

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

You beat me to it. I know it was not Dave, the writer uses complete sentences. :r

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

So I want to see pics of this tree trunk.. I have never encountered a stem.

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Yeah that is unacceptable. Never had any such issues with any LADC or SC I have smoked but there is always that exception.

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

They must have done it just for you Tobii.:) I have never had that issues and I have smoked may more Ashton cigars than you have. And yes I am a snob. :)

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

No, you are right!

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Right on as far as I can see.:tu

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Once in a blue moon maybe an oversight in QC, but when it starts to become commonplace it is definitely unacceptable. I prob would have sent them a letter too. There's too many choices out there for them to start becoming complacent and letting QC go to hell. SNOB! J/K :D

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

A polite letter is never a bad idea though a good retailer will(should) replace them for you if you are unhappy.
My local has done it for me a couple times,for some higher priced cigars.

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Out of all the vendors I have ever dealt with in this industry...Ashton BY FAR is the BEST...that letter is not disrespectful, snobby, over the top, etc...It does suck however that that would happen. They like to keep their customers happy and smoking Ashton...on top of that, it's about the only company that trains EVERY EMPLOYEE in the company about every aspect of smoking and cigars...not just their own...I love dealing with Ashton and I hope you have the same response Tobii...

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Thanks For The Info, Andrew! & Yes, I Would Complain, Also, Tobii!

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Wayne was ready, willing and able to replace the cigar on the spot - but it's not HIS fault - so why should he be held accountable and/or financially responsible for a substandard product?

Wayne is just as curious as I am to see the results/response from Ashton on this - I made sure to explain that I mentioned his store just in case Ashton pulled their products from his business!

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

It would be wrong not to write such a letter. You are making an effort to see no other smokers have the same problem in the future. You are speaking out for the guy who may be too timid or lazy to. You, sir, are a hero!
I'm a hughazzz fan of both brands of cigars and your effort today may save even the likes of me from dealing with the horror of a ginormous stem in his stogie. For that I thank you!

As for Wayne, if he wants to replace the cigars I'd let him. And if anything, Ashton might send a few boxes gratis to Wayne's store because of yr letter.

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

did the cigar taste bad? what was the problem?
:confused:

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

A giant stem was the problem. Can't see any problem with sending a well thought out letter. Hope you get a good response.

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

It will be interesting to see what kind of response you get from the letter.

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

I would infer that the problem was poor draw - but it's not indicated herein.

your point is valid though mmblz; if it smokes well and tastes as expected, perhaps its a minimal issue. After several though feedback is warranted.

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

:np

Well... not worthless, but it would be interesting to see ...

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Snob :D

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Nope,not his fault at all. I'm quite sure he would be reimbursed by Ashton too.

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Well, based on my expierance of 2 - 3 Ashtons, I'm not suprised. This brand has never even come close to a good smoke to me. I do think you did right by writing a letter though. They can't fix it if they don't know of the problem. Hopefully they will do better than Davidoff did for Ferd though.

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

You did the right thing,and your local B&M should be made aware of the problem,since that is the best way to get the info back to the maker. I am wondering if this is the result of the Schips tax where every maker was trying to hurry and get product into the U.S. to beat the tax increase.It would not be the first time that poor quality has shown up as a result of the rush to beat the tax increase...Good for you Tobii........

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Received an email directly from the Ashton Representative today.

I must say, I was truly rendered speechless.

It is nice to know that Customer Service STILL exists in this day and age.

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Glad to hear they responded and so promptly. :tu

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

As it has been fore-said, definitely not a snobby complaint. In Canada those cigars are not only rare to find but quite pricey as well. Probably somewhere between $20-$30. I would be absolutely livid if I were to encounter such a problem. I would send them a letter and your pictures. Who knows, you may even get some free sticks out of it. Good luck with everything.

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Can you share more detail? Not trying to pry but curious what they did to make you happy. :)

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

PM Sent

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

so - was the stem problem purely cosmetic or not?

why are you publicly posting your email to them if you're not going to publicly post the response you received?

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

I'm doing the best I can with my backup camera, and it is NOT working, so please, bear with me.

The trunk that came out of the cigar left a hole so wide and long it turned the cigar into a McDonalds straw.

Does that help for a visual?

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

:tt Ok, where's the smoking gun?

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

What happened to the pic JohnnyKay5 took?

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

I think you should have smoked it like you used to smoke various grasses back in the Jurassic period, ya old fart. I suppose you would complain if we hung ya with a new rope too. ;)

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Pete is right, Dave. I know you smoked some pretty gnarly stuff in Nam. :D

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

That was GOOD stuff compared to what we were smoking trying to ride elephants through the friggin Alps!!!

:D

(I'm hoping Johnny wil see this and add the pic from his phone)

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

since you made your side of the email exchange public in this thread, i think it is only fair to post the other side as well...

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

:tpd: In my best Beavis & Butthead voice...YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!! :r:r

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

I would love to know the answer to both of these. You said once the stem was taking out out it was like a straw. I can surely understand that. But was there a reason you took it out? Was the draw bad, cigar plugged, keep going out etc... Or was you just looking for stems and decided to pull out the pliers from your pocket and pull it out? Just wondering?

Whatever was in the email I'm glad your happy with the outcome.

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

This is what was pulled out.


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y198/tobii3/honker.jpg

a stem is one thing....a tree trunk that collapses the cigar diameter by 1/4" is another story....and to have it happen TWICE?

(the nail is for reference, it wasn't in the cigar)

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Did you use the beast to pull that stump out of the cigar?:r Dear, Ashton My cigar had this nail inside of it. :r I know you said it was for reference but I couldn't resist.

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Put me on the list that's interested in this as well.

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Dear Wendy's,

My chili had a finger in it.

:td

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

:tpd:

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

I am too. Forgive me but I am still wondering, if it smoked and tasted fine, what was the problem. Yes, they cost alot and shouldn't have very large stems in them but they produce tens or maybe hundreds of thousands of them and are bound to have a small percentage that will have those in there. As we all know, handmade products are not going to be perfect every time.

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

:tt

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

From my ORIGINAL post -

When you spend $30 for a bundle of cigars, it goes to reason that you'll probably get a few stems and twigs in a few of the cigars.

When you drop $150+ for a box of cigars, and 2 of the last three sticks have tree trunks embedded in them, you notify the company.

Re: Okay, not trying to be "snobby", but...
 

It only takes a tiny bit of sense to figure out why he doesn't want to post Ashton's response (especially on an open forum where anyone can read it). I don't understand why the mods have taken such an interest in this as if something unsavory is going on here. The issue seems to have been resolved amicably and that should be the end of it.