Clarification needed

[Inthacup]

My reason for making this post is for purposes of clarification. I'm not trying to point any fingers or call anyone out, so please bear that in mind when reading this post.

Recently, Rod made a welcome post for a new CP sponsor, Cuban Lou's. In that thread, I asked this question:

Does CP do any kind of checks for authenticity before they accept a new sponsor, or is it buyer beware?

This was not a veiled shot at Cuban Lou's, it is a question that pertains to all CP vendors, and is in the interests of all CP members. However, since Cuban Lou's is the newest sponsor, and the topic of recent discussion, I will focus on them.

I didn't get any clarification in that the thread, so I sent admin a PM with a cut and paste of the question. The only reply I received in the thread was this post by Moki:

I'm not aware of any vetting process for advertisers, but I'm going to give CubanLou's a shot on my next order. Will let you know how it goes.

Aside from that, I received no replies from CP admin either in public or private. I'm assuming that all the other people that posted in the Cuban Lou's thread also don't know the answer or they would have replied to it. Since this is the only answer I received, I will continue under the premise that CP does not check for authenticity before accepting a new sponsor.

At the top of the forum, under the banner ad, there is this text link: Reputable Online Cigar Retailers (click here)

On this page is this intro paragraph:

The online cigar retailers listed below are some of the most trusted and respected cigar shops in the world. Whether you're looking for Cubans or Dominicans, these guys are all great to deal with, and every one of them is trustworthy. You can rest assured you will receive the product you ordered. We are extremely selective when placing the below retailers on this page.

Cuban Lou's is one of the vendors that is listed on that page. I would really like to think that Moki is misinformed and that CP has researched Cuban Lou's enough to know that they are indeed trustworthy. If this is the case, then I will be deeply appreciative to CP admin for watching out for its members. However, if this is not the case, then I think we, as CP members deserve to know.

At this point, all I'm asking for is clarification. I think I have made my points civilly, and I hope a reasonable discussion ensues.


Cup

 

[moki]

I'm curious if there is any kind of vetting process done as well.

I think it may be unreasonable to expect Rod to do a complete check on an advertiser -- it's not done for magazines, for example... anyone with the cash can buy an ad -- but it'd be nice to know where things stand.

 

[cohibasurfer]

I would post... but Rod will just yank it down. He's been in the yankin mood as of late.


Ohh the hell with it...


What ever happened to the FIGHT CLUB RULE. Are you guys just... nothingnevermind...

 

[Swissy]

I myself, being the n00b I am, will only buy from sources that are recommended to me by those more knowlegable them myself (damn near anyone)- to me word of mouth is the most powerful form or advertising... as long as it come from those I trust!

I agree that a check of new vendors would be nice, so I could get those recommendations, but it is a daunting task - I'm sure Rod is busy enough! Maybe some sort of CP user rating system could be used? something were we, the CP public, could leave comments or just leave a rating?

just an idea...

 

[mrjinglesusa]

Rating systems have been disussed and the consensus was that they were not a good idea. As far as CP advertisers go, if you have been here awhile and "know" some people around here, chances are you can PM and find out about several of them. I have no problem relating my experience with vendors through PM as long as the person questioning is the one that names the vendor (i.e. I will not answer the question "Who should I use" but will relate my experience, if any, if asked "Have you dealt with XXXX? How were they?").

I feel that the problems that come up in threads is when people openly ask questions and name vendors in threads that were a) not started by that vendor or b) not started by Rod about a vendor (i.e. Cuban Lou's). Things have been a bit lax regarding discussing sources openly in the forum - as many have said, take it to PM if you have questions regarding a CP advertiser. I'm sure someone can help out.

 

[smokelaw1]

Cup--
I had plenty of well informed, thought out responses. Then I stared at your signature for 15 minutes, and now I can't remember much.

Sorry for the hijack.

 

[cigardawg]

What ever happened to the FIGHT CLUB RULE. Are you guys just... nothingnevermind...

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Been wondering the same thing myself lately.

 

[cvmfour]

I vote no for a rating system...That was a horrible disaster at CW if anyone remembers that!

You bring up some good points Herb...

 

[tone-ny]

Rule one there is no fight club!

Rule two Caveat Emptor!

Other than that what more can you expect anyone else to do for us?

This site is a great resource for all things cigar. I have made some great contacts who share info freely. I suggest you ask the more savy members in private message, you'll be suprised by what you could learn.

I learned early in my experience at Cigar Pass and other forums that I belong to, type less and read more they are great words to live by, especially when you are dealing with anything that has to do with special cigars their locations and pricing.

General questions are fair game in my opinion, I did make a suggestion that we have a Newbie Forum, that could help with the some of the questions ask repeatedly. I also know that you can't run a site like this for free, it has to be supported some how. So my closing statement is refer to rule one!

YMMV

 

[Rod]

Inthecup: I have not received a PM from you as of recent. I'm not saying you didn't PM me; I receive a ton of PM's everyday. So to ensure your questions are answered, please submit them through email. I have made several posts in the past stating to email me, not PM me.

Regarding your question about authenticity, as previously stated before, we have had potential sponsors try to advertise with us and we have turned them down as they did not pass the "background check". When accepting a new sponsor, we do our best to ensure they are reputable, and there are several things we check. I will not go into detail as to how exactly we perform the "background check" as that information is not neccessary to disclose publicly.

Even though we take MANY steps to ensure that our sponsors are reputable, if you personally have a bad experience with one of them, then let us know and we will try and work to resolve the issue. If it becomes a continuous problem, then we will terminate the sponsor. We have yet to do this, so I'd say we do a damn good job ensuring our sponsors are in fact reputable. We go above and beyond to ensure your dealings with CP Sponsors are safe.

Cohibasurfer: The reason your post was pulled yesterday was because of your ludicrous comment which insinuated all CP cares about is "$$$$$$$". The thread was beginning to take a turn for the worst, therefore your post was removed before it turned into a flamewar. So if you believe that I am in a "yankin' mood", then so be it. Every post pulled as of recent has been removed rightfully so.

I hope this answers your questions.

Regards,
Rod

EDIT: FURTHER CLARIFICATION

 

[Inthacup]

Edited. Rod posted a minute before me and cleared up the issue.

 

[Inthacup]

I have not received a PM from you as of recent.

That's odd. Maybe you had your moron filter on

When accepting a new sponsor, we do our best to ensure they are reputable, and there are several things we check. I will not go into detail as to how exactly we perform the "background check" as that information is not neccessary to disclose publicly.

I can respect that. Thanks for your reply.


Cup

 

[Rod]

I have not received a PM from you as of recent.

That's odd. Maybe you had your moron filter on

I'm sure by the amount of PM's I get everyday, yours was purged unintentionally.

Thanks,
Rod

 

[SamClemmons]

Rod has a mouse in his pocket.
...or thinks he's the Queen of England.

NA

 

[cigardawg]

Rod has a mouse in his pocket.
...or thinks he's the Queen of England.

NA

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Ahhh, you must be referring to the "royal" we.

 

[Gonz]

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who thought "the line" was crossed and some of the discussion about specific vendors perhaps could have been handled via PM.

It's also good to see that Rod is looking out for our best interest. I didn't doubt that he would just blindly accept advertising funds from anyone with a checkbook, and it's nice to see him back it up with his comments.

And I sent you a pm yesterday too Rod about my post that you edited. If your inbox was full or it was not read somehow, that's fine, since I was pissed when I wrote it.

 

[morenoloco]

That was a horrible disaster at CW if anyone remembers that!

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Cliff... CW = Horrible Disaster (in general)

 

[morenoloco]

Edited. Rod posted a minute before me and cleared up the issue.

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Herb... the only clarification that you need is the following:

You're sig tag or Avatar ROCKS!!!!!

 

[cohibasurfer]

Cohibasurfer: The reason your post was pulled yesterday was because of your ludicrous comment which insinuated all CP cares about is "$$$$$$$". The thread was beginning to take a turn for the worst, therefore your post was removed before it turned into a flamewar. So if you believe that I am in a "yankin' mood", then so be it. Every post pulled as of recent has been removed rightfully so.

I hope this answers your questions.

Regards,
Rod

EDIT: FURTHER CLARIFICATION

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Well THE "$$$$$" post was the second one pulled. The first post was me stating that the open discussion of sources should be stopped. Because "WE" have never condoned that sort of thing in the past. I'm all for advertising for CP sponsors, but come on.... you know some of those posts erase "our" Fight Club line on this topic. The posts that should have been pulled are still there. You yanked the wrong ones Rod (well ok.. my second post was yankable). Start from the top and check it out again.

And I do appologies for the second post ... "we" got mad ...

 

[Rod]

Cohiba - I will make a public announcement regarding discussion of sources, and that it should not be done on a public platform for all to read. The intent of this thread was merely to welcome a sponsor, not to disclose sources. Again, I'll post a reminder later today.

Thanks for the feedback,
Rod