139 replies to this topic

[mmburtch]

I'm not pulling into shore until everyone is all smiles and happy.

That include you?

[Fyodor]

Please Pete, say it ain't so!

[Swissy]

I'm not pulling into shore until everyone is all smiles and happy.

That include you?

You kiddin' me? If I had these two guys on board it's take a jackhammer to get the smile offa my face!

[mmburtch]

I'm not pulling into shore until everyone is all smiles and happy.

That include you?

You kiddin' me? If I had these two guys on board it's take a jackhammer to get the smile offa my face!

Just checkin', you have been rather grumpems lately

[Rod]

Pete, you and Al should talk, one on one, reseller to manufacturer, and settle this for the good of all.

I just checked and I have five boxes of Tatuaje smokes in my cabinet, and would consider myself an enthusiastic customer. Al is one of the good guys, and I can't believe that with some open and frank discussion you guys couldn't settle this to the satisfaction of all.

No one wants to see your business hurt, but Al is a great reseller and I for one don't want to see him disparaged in any way. I'm not picking sides here but you have to admit that travel or not, you guys haven't made the connection required to put this mess to bed once and for all.

It's a shame to see a guy I respect and a guy with a great product in such a bad state. My hope is that good can come of this and we all can get back to enjoying some great smokes from a retailer we all respect and patronize. We all win, if that could be the case.

My best to you both - B.B.S.

Well put, Tom.

I think it's pertinent this is dealt with and resolved over the phone. I'm going to be 100% honest... Al has done a lot for this community. He doesn't sell cigars at a set low price all the time. He simply posts specials on CP once in awhile, and allows people to try cigars they wouldn't otherwise be able to purchase. The specials that Al posts on CP are not his regular in-store prices. They are offered on occasion and for a very limited time period, or only on so many boxes. Again, and I'm sure most would agree with me, this encourages people to try brands they wouldn't otherwise get to try. If Al had an online e-commerce site running with prices well below what they should be, I could understand why other retailers would be concerned. As a consumer, I appreciate what Al does.

Pete sells some fine cigars, and has a ton of fans. At the local herfs, Tatuaje is always one of the cigars people trade/gift, and rave over. Pete has a good thing going with Pepin, and it's definitely one of the top lines out there.

We have two great empires, if you will, battling one another. I say settle this, put it behind you, and join forces. I hate drama, and I hope this can be resolved very soon. I'd like to see Pete and Al work this out over the phone. People screw up, I don't believe in holding grudges, we're all human. Get it settled.

[puffstuff]

Pete, I have a great solution to this. Tomorrow I'll have Steve call in an $8000 or $10,000 order to you. You let it go through and get me whatever you have. I'll then run a huge one day Tatuaje/Cigarpass appreciation day sale. Shit' I'll violate board policy and delete my threads, say I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings and you can do the same. We do business as normal and cease fire until we talk in person, then if we decide we can't do business fine. In the best interest of the community, What say you?

Al





Edited because I couldn't spell my own name right

Edited by puffstuff, 13 March 2008 - 01:06 AM.

[Fyodor]

Pete, I have a great solution to this. Tomorrow I'll have Steve call in an $8000 or $10,000 order to you. You let it go through and get me whatever you have. I'll then run a huge one day Tatuaje/Cigarpass appreciation day sale. Shit' I'll violate board policy and delete my threads, say I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings and you can do the same. We do business as normal and cease fire until we talk in person, then if we decide we can't do business fine. In the best interest of the community, What say you?

Al





Edited because I couldn't spell my own name right

Come on Pete. Be a swell guy and accept these terms.

[Swissy]

Pete, I have a great solution to this. Tomorrow I'll have Steve call in an $8000 or $10,000 order to you. You let it go through and get me whatever you have. I'll then run a huge one day Tatuaje/Cigarpass appreciation day sale. Shit' I'll violate board policy and delete my threads, say I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings and you can do the same. We do business as normal and cease fire until we talk in person, then if we decide we can't do business fine. In the best interest of the community, What say you?

Al





Edited because I couldn't spell my own name right

please say yes...please say yes... please say yes...


Nice gesture Al.
BBS - I wish I had half the way with words you do!

[TexCigars]

Wooo.. Pete lives and Indyrob started an interesting thread.. Nice.

Well, since we're at it - Pete is referring to this:

"Pete Johnson & Tatuaje

In other news about us, we were trying to work with Pete Johnson from Tatuaje Cigars. He contacted us about 6 weeks ago and wanted us to setup an account because he got complaints from all the other retailers about our low prices. To make a long story short - Pete never did a single thing he promised or upheld a single part of the verbal agreement we made. So we're dropping our prices again on Tatuaje Cigars to more "competetive levels". More savings for our customers!"

I think Al simply ran into the same thing I did. In a business that's so competitive and tough - you expect a BOTL to shoot you straight. I did not contact Pete. He reached out to me in hopes that I'd go along with his pricing and if it weren't for the low prices I doubt he would have ever bothered calling me. I don't want any trouble or a bad name with ANYONE. Especially BOTLs. So what did I do when Pete called? I did exactly as he asked and raised my prices to his satisfactory levels and sent over my credentials so that he could get along with doing exactly what he said he would do. It's been about 2 months now and this is the first I've heard of him since we made the agreement other than an e-mail stating that he promised he wasn't jerking me around... well?

Look guys, I don't want to get a bad name because you guys are all obviously Tatuaje fans and I don't hold a candle to Pete. No matter what the facts are... But I don't want anyone to ignore the facts laid out above.

Pete, am I being dishonest in the least? Did I not immediately do as you asked me to do? I didn't outright call you a liar. I said you did not make good on a single thing we agreed on verbally - and you didn't. Flat out. But I'm a reasonable guy. Honestly. Perhaps you were too busy traveling? Perhaps you forgot? Perhaps my e-mails got caught by a spam filter? Who knows, man. I think this whole thing is incredibly out of control and silly and we're acting like a bunch of girls. However, I'm a man of my word and I stick by what I say and I think it was very unprofessional of you to contact me and then ignore me once I complied with my part of the deal. Whether or not we can work this out (and I'm happy to work with you if you're willing to)- you should stick by what you say and make good on it. If you want to talk you know my number. I'm looking forward to it.

Jarrod Smith
President of Tex Cigars Inc.

Edited by TexCigars, 13 March 2008 - 01:33 AM.

[BigJake6904]

From my POV, Al is a very respectable dealer, one with which I hope to do future business with. Pete, your cigars are awesome, I wish we were able to distribute them in this area for our store, as the demand is high, but we are the only shop, and a starting business.

However, this back and forth argument is nothing but fingerpointing and "he said she said" highschool drama. This is a community here where we all try to get along, and look out for eachother. You gentlemen (Pete and Al) have (or should have) a professional business relationship. You are grown men, settle things like men. Get together, grab a beer or some whiskey, a tatuaje cigar, and fix this relationship.

Pete is not the only one to look out for his product or do price regulation. Now, the extent to which it is done (personal transactions, such as forums) may be a bit much. However, I do know that the Cusano guys do the same (in retail (public) transactions, not private.) Price regulation is nothing new to the industry, as I have had my own personal experiences with.

Here, we are all members of CP, a brotherhood in it's own right. We need to get this relationship healed, so that Al can provide us with the great cigars that Pete makes. I do however love that idea of the sale Al

We are ALL BOTL's with a common passion, and we are all humans that make mistakes. Let us right the wrong, carry on, and make love to tatuaje cigars ALLLLLLLLL NIIIIIGHTTTTTT LOOOOOOOOONGGGG.

[Jsanzone23]

Al, I like your style!!!

[Mr_Wolf]

I stopped buying Tats when this story began. This is all the more reason to tell two friends.

Me too. It's a shame too, cause I like the Black Tats. But friends are more important.

However, I'm just curious if this really is Pete. I say that because of this. Linky .
There has been at least one other person using his account and posting here. Just wanna be 100% sure to whom were are talking to. I know that some vendors let others in the office use the account to posts specials and such, but I think this is a little different.

And before all the groupies and newbies start throwing their panties on the stage, please READ all the facts and old threads about this situation BEFORE all the "I don't know Al but love Tatuaje" posts start.

[Brickhouse]

Pete, I have a great solution to this. Tomorrow I'll have Steve call in an $8000 or $10,000 order to you. You let it go through and get me whatever you have. I'll then run a huge one day Tatuaje/Cigarpass appreciation day sale. Shit' I'll violate board policy and delete my threads, say I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings and you can do the same. We do business as normal and cease fire until we talk in person, then if we decide we can't do business fine. In the best interest of the community, What say you?

Al





Edited because I couldn't spell my own name right

I believe that's called a win (Al), win (Pete), and win (CP) scenario. Nice way to offer to first step towards getting this back on the right track.

[MindRiot]

I am not going to get into this dog fight however I can say I have known Pete for around 4 years and he has been nothing but a stand up guy. Hell I just recently had a entire box of verocu replaced because of damage caused by shipping, no questions just emailed or called and they sent another box the same day. I know a lot of people on this board and other cigar boards and talk to Pete on a weekly basis, I would consider him a friend and honestly he has NEVER said a bad thing about another retailer to me.

I have known Pete since before Tatuaje was a huge success and I can honestly say he is the same person now as he was before with one exception, he is so busy he barely has time to eat and sleep. Pete has never once lied to me mislead me or talked trash to me about anyone or anything. All this needs to be hashed out in private but before everyone jumps to one side with out all the info and start piling on I had to post my views on the situation and defend a person I consider more of a friend than manufacturer. If that alienates me then so be it but my past experience with Pete does not reflect ANY of this banter.

I would also like to add as a person that has his filter broke sometimes and can't restrain himself from making comments that he shouldn't, I in no way shape or form would do business with someone that did this to me. Honestly Al, if this did happen (I am not saying it didn't) why the hell would you want to do business again with him or any one else. If it happened to me, I would not spend a penny again with the person and a few choice words on the phone would be uttered and then the product dropped. That is just me, if you wrong me I am not going to support anything ever again by that company. Especially with the details posted above. my 2 cents on everything. but mostly do what others have suggested before everyone chooses sides and it hurts both businesses. Hash this shit out then hug it out bitches ( sorry entourage) quote.

Kevin

[BrewMeister]

Pete, I have a great solution to this. Tomorrow I'll have Steve call in an $8000 or $10,000 order to you. You let it go through and get me whatever you have. I'll then run a huge one day Tatuaje/Cigarpass appreciation day sale. Shit' I'll violate board policy and delete my threads, say I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings and you can do the same. We do business as normal and cease fire until we talk in person, then if we decide we can't do business fine. In the best interest of the community, What say you?

Al





Edited because I couldn't spell my own name right

I quit buying Tatuaje cigars when Pete joined this board for the sole purpose of monitoring the vendors. Contributing exactly what to the CP community? I do not know.

It appears to me, Al is looking for a solution and Tatuaje (supposedly Pete, but who knows) is looking for excuses. And what the hell is heavy headed? And how does it prevent a businessman with a business relationship with a vendor from calling him for 7 months? I don't begin to understand that situation. I think it is safe to say that no one, and I mean no one, can accept the "I been busy" excuse for 7 months. Sounds to me more like a "leave him twist in the wind" policy was in play.

All that being said, Al has always conducted himself as a fine BOTL here on CP. Always stepping up and contributing to this community.

And Pete? Not so much.


Just my

[cookie_1978]

Pete, I have a great solution to this. Tomorrow I'll have Steve call in an $8000 or $10,000 order to you. You let it go through and get me whatever you have. I'll then run a huge one day Tatuaje/Cigarpass appreciation day sale. Shit' I'll violate board policy and delete my threads, say I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings and you can do the same. We do business as normal and cease fire until we talk in person, then if we decide we can't do business fine. In the best interest of the community, What say you?

Al





Edited because I couldn't spell my own name right

I quit buying Tatuaje cigars when Pete joined this board for the sole purpose of monitoring the vendors. Contributing exactly what to the CP community? I do not know.

It appears to me, Al is looking for a solution and Tatuaje (supposedly Pete, but who knows) is looking for excuses. And what the hell is heavy headed? And how does it prevent a businessman with a business relationship with a vendor from calling him for 7 months? I don't begin to understand that situation. I think it is safe to say that no one, and I mean no one, can accept the "I been busy" excuse for 7 months. Sounds to me more like a "leave him twist in the wind" policy was in play.

All that being said, Al has always conducted himself as a fine BOTL here on CP. Always stepping up and contributing to this community.

And Pete? Not so much.


Just my

Tim - I could not agree with you more. No one is that busy that they can't answer a email or phone call. My guess, Pete said screw Al, he needs me a lot more than I need him. I can tell you, that will kill a business as quick as anything. We will see what type of business man Pete is by how he handles Al's proposition. Al once again thanks for all you do for the CP community.

[BlindedByScience]

Pete, I have a great solution to this. Tomorrow I'll have Steve call in an $8000 or $10,000 order to you. You let it go through and get me whatever you have. I'll then run a huge one day Tatuaje/Cigarpass appreciation day sale. Shit' I'll violate board policy and delete my threads, say I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings and you can do the same. We do business as normal and cease fire until we talk in person, then if we decide we can't do business fine. In the best interest of the community, What say you?

Al





Edited because I couldn't spell my own name right

Way to go, Al....

[bfreebern]

I'm not pulling into shore until everyone is all smiles and happy.

That include you?

You kiddin' me? If I had these two guys on board it's take a jackhammer to get the smile offa my face!

I'll be there taking pictures!

[StinkiMonki]

Try 'chat'.

No, a record is much better

....and you don't think it's logged?

Yeah but when you post the transcript it will be full of links to pictures of doods with their sack hanging out and old (possibly very large) ladies in bikinis.

DenverDog is posting some serious risks in participating in the Chat Room.

[Satchmo]

Pete, I have a great solution to this. Tomorrow I'll have Steve call in an $8000 or $10,000 order to you. You let it go through and get me whatever you have. I'll then run a huge one day Tatuaje/Cigarpass appreciation day sale. Shit' I'll violate board policy and delete my threads, say I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings and you can do the same. We do business as normal and cease fire until we talk in person, then if we decide we can't do business fine. In the best interest of the community, What say you?

Al





Edited because I couldn't spell my own name right

I quit buying Tatuaje cigars when Pete joined this board for the sole purpose of monitoring the vendors. Contributing exactly what to the CP community? I do not know.

It appears to me, Al is looking for a solution and Tatuaje (supposedly Pete, but who knows) is looking for excuses. And what the hell is heavy headed? And how does it prevent a businessman with a business relationship with a vendor from calling him for 7 months? I don't begin to understand that situation. I think it is safe to say that no one, and I mean no one, can accept the "I been busy" excuse for 7 months. Sounds to me more like a "leave him twist in the wind" policy was in play.

All that being said, Al has always conducted himself as a fine BOTL here on CP. Always stepping up and contributing to this community.

And Pete? Not so much.


Just my

Tim - I could not agree with you more. No one is that busy that they can't answer a email or phone call. My guess, Pete said screw Al, he needs me a lot more than I need him. I can tell you, that will kill a business as quick as anything. We will see what type of business man Pete is by how he handles Al's proposition. Al once again thanks for all you do for the CP community.

Great posts. I could not think more highly of Al based on my experiences. Even if I am not quick to judge, it seems that ANOTHER vendor, TexCigars, has had a similar issues with Pete??

As pointed out, seems Al has tried to mend the relationship (and again in this thread). Pete seems to show up for damage control only.

I enjoy the Tatuaje line, but this news would really put a bad taste in my mouth if I'd ever light up a Tat again. Let's see how this plays out.

Seems that there is a master blender out there I've been hearing about that may be able to provide a few other smoking options if not......