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Cigars International


revkev

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I placed an order with CI last Friday. The status is still pending. While it hasn't cleared my credit card the current available credit is reduced by the amount of my purchase. I've called four or five times and been on hold for as long as half an hour without reaching anyone. I've also sent two emails with no replies.

 

Has anyone heard that they are in financial trouble?

 

I've never had a problem with them before.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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I had an order take a month to get.  I sent several email messages and never got an answer.  I did get them on the line - and after 45 minutes of hold I got no really good answers.  Cigars were backordered and they could not tell me when they were coming in.  It was such a good deal that I decided to just wait it out.

 

My first though was financial trouble.  Though there were blaming a lot of the delays on a new system that was not working properly, but they also said they had it corrected.  May be wise to steer clear for a while to see how things shake out.  Kind of a shame, up until that order I had nothing but great experiences with CI.

WITB:
Driver Ping Anser 8.5 deg Diamana 'ahina X
3 Wood Adams LS Stock S or TM 14 deg MiniDriver stock S
Irons Ben Hogan FW 15 KBS Tour V S
Wedges Ben Hogan TK 15 KBS Tour V S
Putter Nike Method Concept
Launch Monitor: SkyTrak

 

Play Right-handed

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I too, have had good luck with CI, but admittedly haven't placed an order for a while.  May well wait a lot longer now to see how this sorts itself out.  Lots of online options...

"Where'd it go?"  "Right in the Lumberyard..."

126422322_PXGLogo_2.png.74a339363ba3931cc4fc226a253621f8.png Gen 2  0811 XF 10.5*  Graphite Design Tour AD DI-6x

126422322_PXGLogo_2.png.74a339363ba3931cc4fc226a253621f8.png Gen 2 0211 15* 3W Mitsubishi Tensei Raw Blue 65-S
:bridgestone-small:  Tour B JGR 15*   Fairway UST ProForce V2 7F5 76g X-Flex

(These two are gonna fight it out in early "24 to see who stays in the bag...)


:bridgestone-small:  Tour B JGR 19* & 22* Hybrid UST ProForce V2 90g X-Flex
:bridgestone-small:  Tour B JGR HF-2 irons (5i - PW)  KBS Tour 130x

:cleveland-small: CBX Wedges (50, 54, 58)  TT Dynamic Gold 115 Wedge Shaft
MATI  Mamo Putter 33"  Super Stroke Football League 3.0 Slim
MX21TOURYLW_NOCOLOR_FRT.jpg.79e37b9c329b3d3a644cb61d2746a057.jpg

:ping-small: Hoofer Camo Stand Bag

:918457628_PrecisionPro: Precision Pro Nexus Rangefinder

:PuttOut:FAN!

1711524086_TheGrintlogo_text_1.png.c1eb3f656b10191d1fc9a14a0fd77f95.png PRO Member

 

 

 

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Yes I've never had a problem with them but this experience is identical to Mike's.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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Haven't had a cigar in 41/2 years miss it terribly.

Anyway J&R was always my go to cigar company. Had a customer in New Jersey years back and always stopped in to their store and over spent.

Did not use CI much but they were OK.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Rick

 

 

Left Hand, 

Driver; PXG 0311XF Cypher 50 gr Senior  
5 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr       
7 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr      
5 hybrid; Cally Steelhead, Hazardous R2     
Irons; Mizuno JPX 923HM 7-GW Recoil 460 F2
Wedges; Titleist S9 54*, Mizuno SW 56*

Putter; Waaay too many to list

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I see tons of complaints about them online so I'm guessing they went belly up or on their way out -

 

At least it wasn't that big an order. :( 

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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I live within 30 minutes of their main store and will be driving past one of their other stores today. I have no had an issue with them ever whether kts in person or online. I was going to stop and get some on my way by today I will stop in and ask some questions about the delays.

 

Sent from my LG-H820 using MyGolfSpy mobile app

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I live within 30 minutes of their main store and will be driving past one of their other stores today. I have no had an issue with them ever whether kts in person or online. I was going to stop and get some on my way by today I will stop in and ask some questions about the delays.

 

Sent from my LG-H820 using MyGolfSpy mobile app

Let us know what you learned. I got notification that my order shipped and will arrive next week. Up until this time I've had good luck with them. The lack of response was very frustrating for me. I could live with your stuff is on back order. But no one answering phones or emails in inexcusable. I will be taking my business elsewhere going forward.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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I order from Thompson (mainly auctions), CI, Cigar.com, and JR.  Literally picked up a box of Undercrown Flying Pigs 2 weeks ago with an included sampler.  From order to doorstep was 4 days.  I have however ordered specials that were back ordered before and was displeased with the extensive delay.  But for me I would rather wait on a good deal than miss out on it :)

:ping-small: S57 DG S300 stiff

 

:taylormade-small:  M1 430 8.5 Matrix Black Tie 

 

:ping-small:  Tour Wedges stiff

 

:taylormade-small:  SLDR 16* mini driver Fuji Speeder stiff

 

:taylormade-small: SLDR 21* hybrid Fuji Speeder stiff

 

:cameron-small: Futura  Superstroke mid slim 2.0

 

:taylormade-small:  project (a) #7's

 

 

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While I would have been unhappy I would not have minded if they answered the phone or one of my emails and said, "We are sorry sir, your order is back ordered." They tell you whether the item is in stock or not when you order and both of mine were in stock.

 

I've ordered from Thompson. I live about half an hour from them. The bad news is that I pay tax when I order from there and I live how my order routes away from my house first to Orlando, then back to Tampa before coming to me.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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I finally got my order - I don't know if I will order from them again. It was disappointing that no one answered the phone or my emails but the cigars are great and at a tremendous price.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

Link to comment

I finally got my order - I don't know if I will order from them again. It was disappointing that no one answered the phone or my emails but the cigars are great and at a tremendous price.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Rev if you see something good let me know I will drive the 30 minutes and then ship it to you.

 

Sent from my LG-H820 using MyGolfSpy mobile app

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just received a $50 coupon from Cigars International good for my next order of in-stock cigars ($50 min so, in other words $50 of free cigars) along with an email from the President.  To me, this erases concerns about solvency.  I'm going to give them another try - but not for a little while.  I just stocked-up with some incredible buys from Thompson Cigar and I am out of humidor space.

 

In grand MGS tradition I know I will get many offers to help with my overstock problem.  So I make the offer:  Any MGS member who wants to come to Metro Detroit has a free cigar waiting for them!!

WITB:
Driver Ping Anser 8.5 deg Diamana 'ahina X
3 Wood Adams LS Stock S or TM 14 deg MiniDriver stock S
Irons Ben Hogan FW 15 KBS Tour V S
Wedges Ben Hogan TK 15 KBS Tour V S
Putter Nike Method Concept
Launch Monitor: SkyTrak

 

Play Right-handed

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  • 1 month later...

I just received a $50 coupon from Cigars International good for my next order of in-stock cigars ($50 min so, in other words $50 of free cigars) along with an email from the President. To me, this erases concerns about solvency. I'm going to give them another try - but not for a little while. I just stocked-up with some incredible buys from Thompson Cigar and I am out of humidor space.

 

In grand MGS tradition I know I will get many offers to help with my overstock problem. So I make the offer: Any MGS member who wants to come to Metro Detroit has a free cigar waiting for them!!

:)

 

I've given up on CI. I have to pay tax to buy from Thompson but they have a special Florida resident 10 percent "discount" that offsets the tax plus a little extra. Their five fer offer at 21.24 for a five pack of premium cigars suits me just fine. I ordered 25 cigars, paid 100 with my discount and got free shipping. They were in my humidor in three days.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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Knowing what I know about the industry (friend owns a cigar company) I'd never purchase from CI again

Driver  :ping-small: G425 9* Hzrdus Smoke Green Small batch 6.5 70g

Fairway Wood:   image.jpeg.b9b42744cb10f0524500549b74545dd7.jpegCobra Radspeed Big 3 Hzrdus Smoke Black 6.5

Hybrid:  image.jpeg.c5ec9f74aa563ad0246ab686b1c35eeb.jpegCobra Aerojet 5 Wood Hzrdus Smoke Black 6.5

Irons:     :titelist-small: T200 (4-AW) AMT Black Stiff Shafts 

Wedges:  :cleveland-small: Tour Rack 56* 60*

Putter:   :cameron-small: Scotty Cameron Golo 5

Right Handed 

Pittsburgh, PA

 

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I used Thompson when I could not get anything out of CI.  But I almost HAVE to use CI for my next order due to the coupon/bribe.  When I do, I will report back.  I can't blame you for giving up on them.  There are too many choices out there to put up with a bad experience.

:)

I've given up on CI. I have to pay tax to buy from Thompson but they have a special Florida resident 10 percent "discount" that offsets the tax plus a little extra. Their five fer offer at 21.24 for a five pack of premium cigars suits me just fine. I ordered 25 cigars, paid 100 with my discount and got free shipping. They were in my humidor in three days.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

WITB:
Driver Ping Anser 8.5 deg Diamana 'ahina X
3 Wood Adams LS Stock S or TM 14 deg MiniDriver stock S
Irons Ben Hogan FW 15 KBS Tour V S
Wedges Ben Hogan TK 15 KBS Tour V S
Putter Nike Method Concept
Launch Monitor: SkyTrak

 

Play Right-handed

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Please elaborate...

 

Knowing what I know about the industry (friend owns a cigar company) I'd never purchase from CI again

WITB:
Driver Ping Anser 8.5 deg Diamana 'ahina X
3 Wood Adams LS Stock S or TM 14 deg MiniDriver stock S
Irons Ben Hogan FW 15 KBS Tour V S
Wedges Ben Hogan TK 15 KBS Tour V S
Putter Nike Method Concept
Launch Monitor: SkyTrak

 

Play Right-handed

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I've used CI in the past with decent results. Call customer service they will make things right.

JR Cigars is great for Fuente stuff and their house blends

Cigar.com is just and expensive sister store to CI, I tend to avoid them

CigarBid.com is the Ebay side of CI and you can get some smoking deals on there, just be careful its addictive

CigarPage.com- Great prices, but limited selection

Atlantic Cigar.com- Great selection, but a bit pricey and no discounts 

Thompsons- Not if they were the last cigar shop on earth!

 

While I will buy some mass market stuff from the shops above, I've gravitated more toward boutique blends and prefer these shops.

 

Small Batch Cigar - Great people, great brands, great deals. Sign-up for the e-mail list and the daily discounts you will get are sick!!!! They also throw in freebies all the time and not cheap stuff, really nice sticks! And they ship FREE no matter the size of your order.

 

Egars.com- Best place to get single cigars if you just want to try one before investing in a 5pk or box. 

 

Cigar hustler.com- They carry a nice line up including their own house blends that are excellent and a few exclusive blends from RoMa Craft that will knock your socks off.

Driver: :cobra-small: Speed Zone 9* HZRDUS Smoke Yellow Shaft

3 Wood: :cobra-small: King Speedzone 13.5* HZRDUS Smoke Black Shaft

2 & 3 Hybrids: :cobra-small: Speedzone Recoil 480 ESX Shaft

Irons: :cobra-small: Speedzone 5-GW Recoil 460 ESX Shafts

Wedges::callaway-logo-1: PM Grind 54* & 58*

Putter: :odyssey-small: Dual Force Rossi II

Ball: Whatever I find in the woods

:Arccos:

HCP:18

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  • 1 month later...

Just reporting back - ordered and used the coupon.  Got 2 great deals (coupon was good sale cigars, too)  and it worked out at half the price.

 

Order was shipped the next day and arrived on-time and in good condition.  In my mind they made things right by me, so I will shop again with confidence. 

 

Not trying to sway anyone's thinking here, its just that when I voice a complaint, I feel compelled to follow-up with the rest of the story (when there is one) so that the whole picture is out there.

WITB:
Driver Ping Anser 8.5 deg Diamana 'ahina X
3 Wood Adams LS Stock S or TM 14 deg MiniDriver stock S
Irons Ben Hogan FW 15 KBS Tour V S
Wedges Ben Hogan TK 15 KBS Tour V S
Putter Nike Method Concept
Launch Monitor: SkyTrak

 

Play Right-handed

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  • SPY VIP

Just placed and order with Neptune Cigars. Needed a Xikar 12th Man cutter for a gift and they had one in stock. Added two Honduran 5-stick samplers too. Will keep you posted when they arrive.

Volvo Intorqueo

All the cool kids follow me on twitter: @GolfspyDave

If you are not a cool kid, following me on twitter will make you cool...

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I've purchased several orders through CI, and it's sister co. cigarbid.com. Never had a problem receiving an order, but it's not always the fastest delivery. Very good deals to be found on cigarbid. Through the years, I've used many online cigar sites, but these days my 1st stop is cigarbid. CI ranks a distant 2nd.

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  • 4 months later...

Interesting article from Halfwheel that gives some insight into some of the challenges Cigars International experienced the last couple years.

 

 

For the most part, this was not a year of bold risks, massive capital expenditures or complete reboots. Instead, thanks to reasons FDA-related and not, it was pretty conservative. As such, there weren't many standouts for company of the year.

Problematically, the one that did stand out for the right reasons—General Cigar Co.—saw its sister company—Cigars International—stand out for all the wrong reasons. Despite a very public poor year for Cigars International, we still felt like the accomplishments of General Cigar Co. in 2017 were largely unparalleled.

 

As such, Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG), the parent of both General and CI, is the winner for company of the year.

First, the bad.

In April, Cigars International publicly acknowledged that an upgrade to its IT infrastructure had caused major issues, namely, the world's largest retailer was no longer able to fulfill orders. That led to STG, which is a publicly-traded company, to downgrade its financial guidance for the year from 1-3 percent growth to 4-8 in negative growth. STG never changed its guidance and acknowledged that it was having to spend money aggressively to retain customers.

On the positive side, Cigars International is coming to Texas. The company said it would spend $1 million in 2017 as part of a planned expansion to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 2018.

General's year was much different. The company, which sells brands like Cohiba, Macanudo and Partagas in the U.S., replaced much of its executive team between late 2015-2016. There's new life in General and it's showing.

 

Much to the behest of its competitors, General made a concerted effort in 2017 to acquire shelf space in retail humidors, something that will likely pay dividends for year's to company. It continued its extremely aggressive pricing strategy, for example only 1 of 29 new cigars at the trade show from General retails for over $9. It continues to try to introduce popular CI brands like Diesel and Humi-care into shelves, the latter of which could become a large player in that small space.

And General has been unafraid to trim its portfolio and get rid of brands, even new brands, that don't sell. And after years of trying, including that bizarre idea where General hired brokers, it appears the company has finally all but given up on Foundry.

 

But most importantly, the cigars have gotten a lot better. The CAO Amazon Trilogy is a bonafide hit, the company has cigars being made by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr. again—and they are good—and even General's affordable offerings are oftentimes good cigars.

Just two years ago, it seemed little General could do would work. Now, it has competitors legitimately concerned. There's still a pretty common belief amongst those competitors that the financial side of the turnaround isn't yet done, but from the outside looking in, the progress elsewhere has been remarkable.

Driver: :cobra-small: Speed Zone 9* HZRDUS Smoke Yellow Shaft

3 Wood: :cobra-small: King Speedzone 13.5* HZRDUS Smoke Black Shaft

2 & 3 Hybrids: :cobra-small: Speedzone Recoil 480 ESX Shaft

Irons: :cobra-small: Speedzone 5-GW Recoil 460 ESX Shafts

Wedges::callaway-logo-1: PM Grind 54* & 58*

Putter: :odyssey-small: Dual Force Rossi II

Ball: Whatever I find in the woods

:Arccos:

HCP:18

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  • 3 weeks later...

I saw last night that Scandinavian Tobacco, Owner of CI, Just bought Thompson Cigar. Hopefully they change the shady business practices that Thompson employed.

 

http://tools.euroland.com/tools/PressReleases/GetPressRelease/?ID=3425382&lang=en-GB&companycode=services

Driver: :cobra-small: Speed Zone 9* HZRDUS Smoke Yellow Shaft

3 Wood: :cobra-small: King Speedzone 13.5* HZRDUS Smoke Black Shaft

2 & 3 Hybrids: :cobra-small: Speedzone Recoil 480 ESX Shaft

Irons: :cobra-small: Speedzone 5-GW Recoil 460 ESX Shafts

Wedges::callaway-logo-1: PM Grind 54* & 58*

Putter: :odyssey-small: Dual Force Rossi II

Ball: Whatever I find in the woods

:Arccos:

HCP:18

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