Thank you for the opportunity.
Hello everyone and thank you for the opportunity to post on your forum. First and foremost I'd like to publicly state for the record that I am a proud member of stogiechat. I came to SC when I first got hooked on cigars and quickly found friendship with a number of the botl there who offered good sound advice to further my enjoyment of the hobby. The same sound advice and comraderie which I'm sure you offer to new botl on your forum.
I respect and appreciate the comraderie and loyalty that is overwhelmingly evident amongst your membership. It is the same at sc for we all know (both sc and cs) and appreciate that a cigar by itself is enjoyable but when it is enjoyed amongst friends it takes on a whole other dimension. That is the reason that we have all turned to our respective forums -- to further our enjoyment of the hobby.
This is the central crux of my argument. I most likely do not know any of you folks personally but I am sure that were we to meet without the baggage of words said in anger or haste or allegiances to whatever forum, we could share a stick together and hopefully a few laughs and insights into the hobby. I am sure that this is the case with all of our respective memberships. Let's keep in mind that there are enough people in the world that don't have any regard for any of us, would do us harm and tell us that we deserve it. This is a simple unfortunate aspect of life, especially in this day and age. We'd all do best to band together bound by our common love of cigars.
Now as for the unfortunate set of circumstances that draw us together. I have personally conducted several transactions with TBS, all to my utmost of satisfaction. I am also a fan and customer of cbid, atlantic, dscigars, cheapercigars, famous, jr, and many others. Several other members of both of our forums have also conducted business successfully with all of these companies. Some have had problems. Unfortunately, one transaction with one customer is no indication of a transaction with another. Members on our boards have reported problems with cbid for example and jr. I have had no problem with either. It unfortunately is a risk that we take when we conduct business with an online merchant.
This being the case, I think it best not to judge any other's dealings with a company as indicative of how ours may be. Please understand that I am not saying to ignore others experiences but rather to consider them for what they are. One experience. Similar to EBAY where a 99.9% satisfaction rating is no guarantee of a satisfactory transaction a 88.7% rating is no guarantee of a doomed transaction.
Furthermore, please understand one thing about Eric's response to the incident. TBS is Eric's livlihood. He protects his business the same way we all would protect our children. Right or wrong we defend our children to the last as those of you who are parents can agree. Those of you who run, own or operate businesses can also testify to the number of times you have had to defend your business. It is a noble trait of any caring parent, owner, boss, etc..
With regard to the incident none of us have the complete set of facts. Obviously, a customer, or potential customer, felt slighted. This is between the merchant and the customer to rectify to the best of their respective abilities. For the rest of us on both sides to throw in based upon party lines and allegiances only makes an unfortunate circumstance worse by inflating it to superficial levels and robs us of the comraderie that makes this hobby so special. I ask you in what other hobby do members of a forum freely share without thought of recompense prized articles? Both our forums prize themselves in the bombing tradition. I believe it to be a lasting testament to the quality of folks at both establishments.
Furthermore, please understand one thing about Eric's response to the incident. TBS is Eric's livlihood. He protects his business the same way we all would protect our children. Right or wrong we defend our children to the last as those of you who are parents can agree. Those of you who run, own or operate businesses can also testify to the number of times you have had to defend your business. It is a noble trait of any caring parent, owner, boss, etc.. I'm sure he was just as angry as your member who felt slighted in the transaction. It's only natural to become upset and irate when we feel slighted on either side. The beauty is that just as easy as it is to get heated it is equally easy to calm one's self. In the end we must be just as quick to bury the hatchet as we are to draw it.
We are all free to make our own opinions. My opinion is biased but my logic is sound. If you really want to know what Eric is all about give him the opportunity to prove all of the negative things about him true or false. Buy a sampler from him. I think you just may be suprised. Check on the SC first grab thread or dealer special thread. He often has deals that cannot be beat on any other site. Then decide for yourself if he really is all of those things he has been accused of. With the same passion that you take in protecting your membership please invest the same effort in making your own conclussions based upon your own experiences.
As to the deleting of threads issue, I respect and adhere to your forum policy of no deletions. Your logic is sound and your argument for doing so is compelling. Unfortunately though we are all human as say things in haste or anger that we wish we could take back. I for one in my endless search for another joke have said things that were unintentionally insensitive and hurtful. Thankfully these threads can be deleted. This is sc policy and one that I am thankful and partial to. It doesn't make it right or wrong, simply a matter of law for the individual forum. It's only fair to abide by the rules of the forum if you enjoy participation therein.
I have asked on multiple occassions for Eric to delete the thread in question. Eric needed to start it because he had no other voice for his side of the story as he was squelched here. On your forum you have only one side. It only seems logical that on SC there is only one side too then. In all fairness I believe it highlights the worst in all of us on both sides. Furthermore, it stands as a baricade to others from joining your forum or for your members to join ours. Would you feel it fair to judge your establishment by this thread? Suppose a newbie saw this first. Would he make the effort to check out what you folks have to offer? Obviously, both lose in that argument. The same can be said for Eric and our forum. For whatever you have heard about TBS or SC please come and with an open mind experience it for yourself. There are several wonderful botl there whom you could benefit from knowing just as I'm sure you possess the same. It's not right to judge Parkster or TFIRE or any of us based upon this incident. These fellows are my friends and wonderful people. You would be well served to get to know them. Please come and look around. If you aren't happy you can always leave no questions or obligations.
If I may request of the member running the negative ad campaign against TBS to please also burry the hatchet. You made your point. Please do not actively seek to take food out of Eric and his family's mouth by advertising your dealing with TBS as indicative of all dealings with TBS. It is both unjust and immoral. As I said earlier, TBS is Eric's livlihood. He is forced to attempt to respond to your actions in order to circumvent the potential damage that you are doing to his firm. If you remove your ad the circle will be broken. I am sure you are a decent, reasonable person who can see the logic of my argument. If I may even be so bold -- talk to Eric directly. He is a good man. Voice your concerns. Work it out between yourselves as gentlemen. Not in the public arena of allegations and innuendo. You obvisouly both want to get to the bottom of this. Here is an opportunity to do so. To plead your contests in the public arena seeks not resolution but rather war.
I consider Eric to be my friend and a valued supplier the same as many of the other members of sc. I ask you to please put this matter in the past where it belongs and go forward to make your own individual conclussions. Try out sc. See if you like it for yourself. Not based upon the opinions of others. Try out tbs for yourself. Don't rely on the opinions of others. Life is too short and precious to devote so much of our lives to tearing others down. We would not appreciate it being done to us and the circular nature of karma often finds us reaping what we sow.
Thank you for you effort in reading this and hopefully for taking the opportunities I have brought to your attention. I remain Rob, the Long Island Cowboy and BOTL to all.
Originally Posted by Rob, The LI Cowboy
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