Expert: James Yee - 5/4/2008

Question
You give a negative review on a company you have never bought a single cigar from. Are you such an expert that based on touchy-feely things you can base an opinion????


Answer
Mark,

Just to let you know, you are incorrect.  I have never reviewed any company or mailorder website through this website or any other website.  When someone emails me a question about the authenticity of a company/website and I have not ordered from them, I will provide honest information gathered from multiple, unbiased sources, that I have spoken with, and has experience with the company in question.  I also don't just rely on one source when discussing mailorder companies.  Instead, I will gather multiple opinions and determine the average consensus.  If 95% of the people I ask about a certain company says the cigars are fake, the service is bad, and has proof to back up their claims (which I usually like to see because I like examining counterfeit cigars), it's most very likely true.  I will ask colleagues, friends, cigar store/lounge acquaintances, tobacconist staff, people on numerous cigar forums, internet message boards and even authorized Habanos distributors (their contact info is directly accessible from Habanos SA) for advice and feedback regarding mailorder companies.  The reply I give people is based on their experiences and not mine (I do mention this in my email replies).  If I have no experience ordering with a particular company, I will not confirm or cite anything as a confirmed fact and I always ask people to consider all this before placing an order with a questionable company.

I will also encourage people (who email me) that if they are still unsure and concerned about a questionable company, then they should thoroughly research the websites/companies themselves through the Internet search engines (ie: google) as well as word-of-mouth through friends, online cigar forums and people at cigar stores/lounges who may have extensive experience with online mailordering.  

Ordering cigars via mailorder without thoroughly researching everything can backfire on a person and hurt them financially which is why I always tell people to double-check everything and not to quickly jump on impulsive purchases.  Researching is the first step to protecting yourself as a mailorder customer.

Regards,
James