:-)...Hugh, I think you're making a mountain out of a mole hill myself, and simply jumping to conclusions that could of been avoided if you'd simply called Boswell's and placed an order.

Boswells has appeared to me to be a down home laid back type of B&M operation, with backwoods country personality. They're easy going folks. This is a type of business that requires a "telephone call" to place an order. It appears to me that you "mailed" your order with payment, and assumed everything would be taking care of for you. Did you call or mail your order to Boswells?

It further appears that you ordered approximately 19 aromatic type blends (this translates to 38oz of pipe tobacco at $2.50 per oz). The total amount for these blends comes out to $95.00. That doesn't leave too much room for shipping costs out of the $100 check you sent Boswells (they do ship UPS). Did you include a home and cell telephone number for Boswells to call in order to resolve any issues that may arise? Did you include a note to Boswells to please call you if your check will not fully cover your order and shipping?

To date, I've never had a problem with any order that I've placed over the telephone with Boswells during that last two and three quarter years. I know that they keep a "card catalog" with customers names, addresses, telephone numbers, and credit card numbers (I don't know if they've transferred this to computer yet).

I think I would let by gones be by gones and give them a big thumbs-up for having your order to you in a timely manner. And, you should place your next order with Boswells via a telephone call. Its always great to speak one on one with one of your fellow human beings. You learn quite a bit about life, and that's what I enjoy about smoking a pipe with others:-)

Have a good one my brother...
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I dont see how reason and sensibility should factor into this at all

now where did I put that pitchfork?
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I guess i see both sides to this story:

1. If this order was just made through the mail, based upon the website list, then I think the purchaser made a risk by just writing a check for $100.00 assuming that would cover the cost of shipping (I hope I read the posts right).

2. I think Boswell should have attempted a phone call (if a number was included in the order- was it?). Boswell should have verified the best course of action- maybe the purchaser would have sent some extra money to cover everything.

3. The Boswell site does not make any indication that they would accept mail orders, or even accept checks. They describe the tobacco blends, pipes, and how they ship, but give no cost for shipping. I think the risk was on the purchaser if he did not call in the order. Still, Boswell should have called (if they had a return number to call).

I ordered the CA Club Pipe last year from Boswell and had a great experience with them. They are not a online powerhouse, and do not do online orders. Like I said before, I can see both sides on this issue.
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Not gonna weigh in on the customer service issue, but I will say this... While they don't quote you a specific price for shipping on that page, they do tell you your parcel will be shipped UPS ground... it's just taken me about 2 minutes to determine that a parcel from Boswell's to Hugh's, shipped UPS ground, weighing 2lbs, and shipped in a UPS box, pre-paid, dropped off to a UPS location, would cost just over $14 to ship. I don't know exactly how many 2oz blends Hugh ordered, but 2lbs gives him 16 different blends.

I'm not saying that the way they've handled this is right, but it should be fairly easy to work out the shipping cost from the information they've put on that page :-)
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I did mail in the order. I did include my business card with my telephone number. I ordered nine 2 oz packets, totaling $45. I sent in a check for $50. I apologize, I incorrectly stated the total as $100 in my op. I double-checked my register and it showed a fifty dollar check to them.

So, you can fault me for not calling them.(God forbid one should use the US Mail while placing a mail order!) You can fault me for being so brazen as to not include ten bucks for shipping when I know that a USPS FCM box would run about five bucks. You can fault me for not paying attention to the fact that they only ship UPS, which is more expensive for small parcels. You can fault me for being miffed that they decided to short me a flavor to make up for missing postage. You can fault me for deciding not to purchase from them again. You can fault me for posting my displeasure on this forum.

You can fault me for all of the above. Yet, I stand by my feelings of displeasure at poor customer service and lack of communication by Boswells.
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And, in the end, all that really should matter to Boswells is that they provided poor service to one of there customers. Since you provided a telephone number, I believe they should have called you to ask what you wanted done.
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AHA! I knew it, lol. Hugh is so used to Flat rate boxes (thanks btw) that he thinks this price is standard. Well, actually it is
high on a Med box, considering standard business shipping seems to hover in the 8 dollar area. So were I estimating this
deal, I would have added 8 instead of five bucks for shipping. But water under the bridge for the most part. What happens
from here on out is your choice.
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tough break.
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I have to agree with Hugh; Boswell's has been in business for a long time and I would think they should be able to contact a dissatisfied customer.

But, having learned the hard way, when I order something online I make sure of the final cost. And even then, I've been burned - I ordered some merchandise from "Europe", not realizing that I would be charged a fee for the exchange rate between dollars and euros :-) That wouldn't have too bad, but because of a delay in shipping and 2 charges against my credit card, I got hit with a couple of overdraft fees from my bank.

I won't order pipe tobacco from JR's, because of their screwy shipping charges - so much per tin plus shipping costs.

What surprises me is that Boswell's doesn't have anything regarding shipping charges. I can understand that some places don't want the expense of building in a shipping rate calculator, but there is no excuse for them to not have something besides "whatever it costs" on their webpage. Even a small place like Sterling Tobacco has a flat fee, based on the dollar amount of the order: Under $25=x / $25-$150=x / Over $150=free.

Sorry, Hugh, it doesn't look as if you are going to get any satisfaction from them. I guess you'll have to take this one as a lesson learned. :-)

Charlie
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I've never cared for the Boswells. IMHO their pipes are cheap, and I don't smoke aro's. I called once to ask the size of their draft hole, and the son answered, and he acted like he was doing me a favor to ask his dad. I also find Boswell Sr. extremely opinionated, and on the topic we discussed, wrong.
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Concur. You really should speak to them first. Usually better to fix a bad plank than dynamite the whole bridge.
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Ive never ordered from them, hell, I dont even smoke a pipe but Hugh is my friend. This is from their site:
http://www.boswellpipes.com/customer.html

Now, is this all:-) ,perhaps. But I would still make a call Hugh and tell them about your dissatisfaction.
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Yesterdays news, Chas.

JR now has good tobacco prices plus

UPS ground or USPS • $8.95 flat rate per order
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I would still call them Hugh. :-)
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This month they have also cut that rate in half, which for them must be viewed as really sumpthin.
They do not have a WHOLE lot in stock usually, but they always have something that makes your
eyebrows go up that A.) they have it and B.) the price is not too bad.
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