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I HAVE BOUGHT SEVERAL CIGARS FROM THOMPSONS AND IN THE PAST I HAVCE EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM THAT HOLTS HAS NEVER SEEMED TO HAVE. THOMPSONS SENT ME A MONTE CRISTO SAMPLER FOR A FRIEND OF MINE THAT I HAD PURCHASED FOR HIS BIRTHDAY AND WHEN I GOT IT I DID NOT EVEN OPEN IT DUE TO THE FACT I DID NOT WANT TO LET OUT ANY HUMIDITY THAT WAS ALREADY THERE IN THE PACKAGE. ON HIS BIRTHDAY I GAVE IT TO HIM AT THE OFFICE AND HE TOOK IT HOME. THE NEXT DAY HE HAD A LOOK ON HIS FACE THAT WAS DISPLEASEING TO ME. COME TO FIND OUT THAT HE HAD OPENED IT AND ALL LOOKED FINE, BUT HE ENDED UP SMOKING, OR ATTEMPTING TO SMOKE THREE OUT OF THE BUNCH AND THEY WERE LIKE SMOKING A #%$@ STICK HE SAID. I TOOK ALL OF THE LEFT OVERS AND SENT THEMM BACK TO THOMPSONS ONLY TO GET A REPLY OF WE ARE SORRY. THEY HAD THE NERVE TO SEND ME A SAMPLER OF WHAT THEY CALLED A SOUTH AMERICAN SAMPLER, HOLY BAT%$#@, WHAT A RIP OFF. WELL, I CONTACTED HOLTS TO ORDER ANOTHER AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND WHEN I RECIEVED THE SAMPLER FOR HIM THERE WERE TWO IN THE BOX, ONE FOR HIM WITH A NOTE SAYING HAPPY B_DAY AND ANOTHER THAT SAID SORRY FOR YOUR PROBLEMS, HOLTS CIGARS. SO, IF YOU EVER EVEN THINK ABOUT ORDERING FROM THOMPSONS, SHAME ON YOU.

I'VE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THOMPSONS AS WELL!!! I too ordered the MonteCristo sampler, and all I received was a soggy ham and cheese sandwich on french toast! Go figure...

Way to wave the flag, Tim-ster. But please get down off your soapbox. Although I too feel that CI has the BEST customer service and great prices, I have strayed on occassion. And of those outside visits I've had both good and bad experiences. I applaud Slim for sharing his woes. You must have a favorite restaraunt. Do you eat elsewhere, or always there? This chat board is an open forum to discuss all-things-cigar. We often talk about items not sold through CI. Shame on us? Shame on you for being closed minded. Besides, how would we know that CI is the best unless we had something to compare it too?! JMHO...

I have had and am still having a Thompson's hangover. Some time back I wanted to try Habano Primero. CI didn't carry them, neither did my local tobacconist. I called the manufacture and they gave me Thompson's phone number. At the time I didn't even know who they were. So I called, and immediately they tried to sell me cigars I didn't want, like talking with a used car salesman. Then I got the wrong cigars, natural instead of maduro. They sent a replacement out but to my home address and the driver left the box in the snow as I was at work. Then, worst of all, they started calling my house while my wife was here trying to sell me cigars! They kept at it, and I have told them over and over, I don't want any correspondance or phone calls sent to my home address. All this from just buying one box of cigars. Of course now I get their catalogs and see for myself how expensive they are, and I hate the style used by the person writing the catalog, every cigar is like a Cuban, and all prices are rock bottom, and so patronizing. There, that venting enough for you?

OHHH, you guys ain't heard nuthing yet. I was a loyal Thompsons fan and customer for many years, 1986-1993. I was in the "Box a month club" were they would send me a box of AF 858's each month. It was my cigar of choice. Then only about $50.00 a box (believe it or not). Well, I kept getting notices each week or so around '92 that the price was going up on "my brand of cigars", that didn't bother me too much and I was eventually paying 85.00 per box per month on my CC bill. No problem.....then suddenly I stopped receiving my monthly fix of 858's. I called and was told that the supply of AF's was exhausted. I told them to change my selection to Excaliber #3. Great, then I get the catalog and low and behold AF cigars for sale. I call again and ask to change back. I am told that they can't do that because they can't ensure they will always have enough AF 858's. I asked why they could not simply hold 12 boxes in reserve for one of their loyal patrons and send them out to me monthly. A fair request (from my point of view anyway). Nope no way, no doin, ain't gonna happen brother, sorry. So I said good bye to Thompson's forever. I wrote a nastygram to the company expressing my feeling about the poor treatment of a longstanding customer. No reply. That is my experience with them and I think that says it all in a nutshell!

I ordered from Thompsons once over the phone and for five minutes I was badgered with Amway like persistence to join the cigar of the month club.It was such an unpleasant experience that I have taken a solemn oath never to deal with them again.And,their barrage of catalogs immediately find their way into the trash:(