Fumari

[mushrat]

This is for posting your PERSONAL experiences with www.fumari.com. Please restrict your comments to what you ordered, customer service, delivery, and over all satisfaction.

If you had a problem, was it resolved in a satisfactory way?

Please post here only AFTER your transaction is complete.
Comments and questions by others will be restricted to the regular discussion forum and deleted from this topic if posted here.

[tingjunkie]

I have been smoking hookah for a little over a year now, and have smoked Fumari shisha exclusively. That is all going to change.

I recently recieved a bad, dry, unsmokeable batch of their French Vanilla flavor, and here's what happened when I e-mailed and asked them to fix it...

_____________________________________________________________

Me: Hello,
I recently recieved my sampler pack order:
Transaction #: -----
Account #: -----

Unfortunately, the French Vanilla shisha you sent me was rather dry. When I tried smoking it, the flavor only lasted for about 15 minutes, then it became very harsh. I have tried this flavor before and really enjoyed it, so I know it was an issue with this particular batch, and not something I was doing with the Hookah set-up.

I am hoping that you can either send me a new juicy contaner of French Vanilla, or that you will credit my account for $4.50. Thank you.

Regards, M. V.

Fumari: Dear M,
I am sorry to learn that you did not enjoy our French Vanilla flavor. Unfortunately, we do not generally offer refunds or accept returns of our tobacco products. We recommend that our customers order the taster pack, as you did, to get a little bit of flavors they would like to test out to decide whether or not they like it. That way, if you love it, you know which one to order more of, and if you don't, you are not stuck with a ton of tobacco.

In reviewing your past purchases, I noticed that you usually order flavors that have a lot of juice. In comparison with flavors like Pina Colada, French Vanilla will seem to be less juicy.

Please let me know if you have any other questions or comments.

Thanks again,

Liz Akin | Customer Relations Manager | Fumari.com


Me: Hi Liz,
Thank you for the quick response. As I stated in my initial e-mail, I have used the Fumari French Vanilla flavor in the past and have enjoyed it very much. That batch was MUCH more juicy than my recent order. Perhaps you have changed your recipe?

I understand why you may not regularly offer refunds on tobacco purchases. Because I feel that my issue has more to do with quality control (not simply whether I like the flavor or not), I would hope that you can make an exception and refund the cost of the French Vanilla sample.

I have enjoyed your tobacco products in the past, and I almost exclusively use Fumari Shisha. However, my loyalties could be changed very quickly if I feel that a company isn't taking care of their customers the way they should. It may be a small amount of money, but I think the principle of the matter is far more important. Thanks for your understanding of the issue Liz.
Best Wishes, M

Fumari: M,
I can appreciate your opinion on this issue and am aware that there are a lot of variables involved that are beyond my control or yours. I assure you that we have not changed any recipes, but that the French Vanilla may have lost some of its "juice" in shipping. Sometimes our packages are mishandled and leak a bit as they travel toward their destination. [For the record, no juice or residue was found in the shipping box. It was just a crap batch.] Since you have been a loyal customer and we know that is the most important thing for any company, we would love to extend a token of our appreciation to you. On your next order, we would like to send you a free 100 gram container of my favorite flavor, Lemon Mint, in our new, unreleased packaging for you to test. When you place your order, please put a note in the special instructions section mentioning my offer. We will make sure we include it on the house.

Please feel free to contact our office with any other questions or comments. I hope you will continue to enjoy our flavors and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks again,

Liz Akin | Customer Relations Manager | Fumari.com

____________________________________________________________

Pretty lame, huh?

Gee, thanks for extending that "token of appreciation" Liz. If I had wanted Lemon Mint I would have ordered it. Oh, and thanks for making me order more product, and shell out more $, before I get my "token of appreciation." I know $4.50 is nothing, but that's not the issue. The issue is that it would have been SOOOOO easy for them to do the right thing and make me happy. Instead, they made me waste my time sending multiple e-mails, and still did not do what I asked in the end.

I am officially switching to the less expensive, but equally good, and more consistant Starbuzz. Take your Lemon Mint and shove it Fumari! You just lost a customer for good.

I hope sharing this will help others on this forum to make informed consumer choices.

Edited January 10, 2007 by tingjunkie