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CB Smoking and Tobacco Thompson Cigar I will never be a customer of thompson's again!
Thompson Cigar

Thompson Cigar review: I will never be a customer of thompson's again! 82

M
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12:00 am EDT
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I tried to order two boxes of cigars today and when it came to check out, what a customer service nightmare. The CSR tried to sell me everything from the Cigar club to expedited shipping. I told her repeatedly that I just wanted my cigars. She then told me that she would be sending out a free $25.00 Visa card to me. Then, out of nowhere, she said that if I didn't want to join, I could cancel and I would not be charged the $1.95 per month. I asked her for what. She couldn't answer me. I asked her to transfer me to a supervisor.

When I spoke to the supervisor, she informed me that I had said "Yes" to the e-super saver club. I had no idea what she was talking about. She told me it was for the monthly savings club. I explained to her, I never said yes to anything and I just want to order cigars. She told me I would not be charged and they would get my cigars out.

I will never be a customer of Thompson's again. And all it cost them was $1.95.

Sincerely frustrated,
Mark Boyd

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82 comments
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Neil Block
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Jul 14, 2008 10:44 am EDT

I ordered from these clowns and recieved my cigars. First they tried for 10 mins. to sell me on the cigar club I told them No I just want my order. When I got my cigars I had 7 stale. They refused to replace them and were rude to me on the phone I hate these creeps and buy local now

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Spencer
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Jul 05, 2008 6:34 pm EDT

Absolutely inexcusable. I ordered a box of cigars over 4 months ago and they never arrived! I asked for a refund and never got it, and somehow they signed me up on this stupid club and they claim that I owe them $155! Their customer service is incompetent, pushy, and annoying. I told them no repeatedly but they ended up calling me about a dozen times before. AVOID THIS COMPANY LIKE THE PLAGUE!

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Richard California
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Jul 04, 2008 1:13 pm EDT

I purchased several times from Thomson and each time I got t he wrong order or less quality cigars for the same price as the more expensive cigar when I called to complain they made excuse after excuse why they could not refund my money or return the cigars that I did not order back to them. I will never buy anything from this company again there a rip off and scam.

Richard not a happy camper:(

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MERRILL LANDRY
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Jul 02, 2008 2:51 pm EDT

thompson cigar claims iowe them 50 bucks.yep they are pushy.after iclear my deal with thompson cigar iwill not do business with them ever again.may be some dayill give thompson cigar try.

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Keith Schefer
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Jun 20, 2008 7:35 am EDT

I accepted the offer to join the cigar club in April of 2007, mostly because i wanted the free humidor. Some time passed and I forgot all about it. Eight months later, for Christmas, my wife bought me one. Now in June of 2008, 14 months later, Thompsons charges my debit card for $82 for this cigar club, putting my account in the negative and causing me over $90.00 in bounced check fees from my bank. That number can go up, as I hear from the companies who received the bounced checks. I am trying to get Thompson's to credit my account but I am getting the run-around. Their customer service is a nightmare. So far this "free humidor" has cost $165+ and counting. Avoid Thompson's at all cost.

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ROBERT CRAWFORD
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Jun 12, 2008 1:11 pm EDT

I HAVE BEEN A THOMPSON CUSTOMER FOR YEARS AND TRIED CANCELING MY CLUB MEMBERSHIP WHAT A MESS IF YOU CALL TO PLACE AN ORDER THEY ANSWER WITHIN 30 SECONDS BUT WHEN YOU TRY TO CANCELL IT TAKES AN HOUR AND SEVERAL TRIES DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THOMPSON CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NOT AT THIS COMPANY

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LJ
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Jun 09, 2008 7:59 pm EDT

I also am having a nightmare experience and I'm afraid it's not over yet. I got the phone call for the cigar club and then later another call claiming that they couldn't verify my age. They finally did and I wish they hadn't. I also was signed up for some reservation rewards program at $12.00 dollars a month which I would never use. I called to cancel and am still waiting for a cancelation confirmation by email. I'm not sure how they got my credit card info. I will cause as much trouble for these people as I can. I've never had this kind of experience with an internet purchase before.

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Charlie
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Jun 07, 2008 3:50 pm EDT

JR Cigars are no better. I ordered coronas by phone and got robustos. I called customer service and the woman insisted the order said robustos. She said she could send a shipping label so I could drive to a UPS store and send them back. Then they would ship the right product. When I complained having to waste my time and gas finding a UPS store, she hung up on me.

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Aliana
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Jun 04, 2008 2:12 pm EDT

You are exactly right - they are laying off americans and senidng the jobs overseas - to the Phillipines.

If you want to support American jobs staying in America - boycot Thompson.

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RT Fischer
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Jun 03, 2008 5:28 pm EDT

6/3/08..Another Thompson's faithful customer frothing at the mouth, chewing the telephone receiver and generally ticked off at this shadow cigar company's aloof attitude towards customer service. I ordered my cigars after the voucher came in FEB. Six phone calls and 3 months later still no cigars. I will miss the cigar shipments showing up a month earlier than scheduled AND wrong quantities and brands. They will not be missed but I am ticked at myself over being a sucker to their come on. Back to my favorite cigar roller in Key West now !

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kEVIN
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May 31, 2008 12:40 am EDT

The customer service was a nighmare for me. I was overcharged and shipped the wrong size and wrapper cigars. I could not get anyone whom spoke good english.All they would say is " I cannot understand." I was told I would get a discount if you bought 4 bundles. I was charged the cost of a single bundle 4 times.

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ray pawlowski
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May 28, 2008 12:14 pm EDT

WHERE THE HELL ARE MY CIGARS THEY WERE SHIPPED 5/23 AND TODAY IS 5/28 I ORDERED THEM ON 5/18 CAN'T GET A HUMAN BEING ON PHONE JUST AN ### RECORDING AND THEN GOODBYE NO OPTIONS NEVER AGAIN I'LL TAKE MY BUSINESS TO CIGAR INTERNATIONAL I GOT MY ORDER THERE IN 4 DAYS YOU ALL SUCK!
i bet you can't even call me back

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Jay Treat
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May 28, 2008 8:37 am EDT

56 days ago I posted a complaint about Thompson. They just kept sending me cigars as a member of the club. I tried a number of times to cancel but had no luck. I think part of it was that whoever I talked to in India didn't understand English. Anyway, I got an e-mail from a lady there and she canceled my account I assume with success since I have had no new order now in two months. As a consolation she sent me some very nice cigars and tried to make restitution in a nice way. It is just to frustrating to order from them from people I can't understand and won't take no for an answer. Maybe I will try again and see if the person I talk to can speak English.

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jon utley
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Apr 15, 2008 11:13 am EDT

[protected] is phone # to Thompson in Tampa, FL... After trying to deal with their call center in India I finally looked them up on goggle maps and got an on shore phone... I don't know if they can fix problems but it sure frazzles them when you call and tell them about how bad their call center is... try it at least you can complain to an American that speaks English without a script!

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Harry
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Apr 10, 2008 10:50 am EDT

All the complaints are surprising, I have been ordering from them for 10 years. only one order mix-up and it was taken care of immediately. I have been offered the club membership a few times, always declined and that was it. Only one soliciting phone call and when I asked them not to call again, they have never called again.

Just placed another order today-we'll see how it goes, maybe their service has changed in the last few months.

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JAck Annoyed
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Apr 05, 2008 6:30 am EDT

My Girlfriend ordered me some cigars online from Thompson and they signed her up for some stupid 'reservation rewards' website that was charging her 12 dollars a month for 3 months before she realized it! THEY ARE HORRIBLE! I will never order cigars from them again. They are a joke.

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Joe Servello
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Apr 01, 2008 6:31 pm EDT

Thompson is the absolute worst. I will never order a thing from them. I have had everything happen from the non-stop calls to stale cigars and recieving the wrong cigars. I always had a feeling about them so i never gave credit card info... I always chose being billed so that I was not trapped into paying for bad service or cigars. I deal with JR cigars now and have had a great experience with them... much more trust worthy company with better quality cigars and faster service.

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Jay Treat
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Apr 01, 2008 12:58 pm EDT

I have tried to cancel a number of times and they just keep coming. Any Suggestions? I made the mistake of ordering with a credit card and they just keep sending and charching. I have two years supply of cigars since I smoke only once or twice a week.

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nick
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Mar 31, 2008 12:57 pm EDT

You guys got me freaked out man!
Iv'e ordered from them 5 times and the only problem was a non-functioning hygrometer in the lucky 7 humidor that was replaced in 3 days!
No high pressure sales of club memberships or offers of any kind were ever forced upon me.
The cigars have always been exactly as ordered and fresh!

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Gram
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Mar 29, 2008 7:15 am EDT

Boy! Am I glad I had the opportunity to read all the posted messages. And to think I was about to spend mega money at Thompson Cigars.
Thanks Guys

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Manny
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Mar 06, 2008 8:45 am EST

I have been purchasing from Thompson Cigar for quite some time and have found their products and customer service to be outstanding. This is a company that deseveres its longevity. When you choose to purchase from a cigar company that has been around since 1915, you know that have served a lot of customers and have seen it all. Club memberships have been around forever and I have been a club member, refused club memberships, canceled club memberships and have never had a problem after all these years.

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wiley
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Feb 23, 2008 1:59 pm EST

I agree with you guys about Thompsons customer no service. It is the worst experence I have ever had with trying to buy something .It is pittiful that theye just dont care ,I have written letters and tried to tell them about there poor service and they just dont care. I started using JR and I want to tell you they are awsome. Very polite ladies, you order will be there in a couple of days, every time. I have never been let down by them. If anyone thinks Thompsons suck please try JR. I rally wanted to be there customer because lord knows I loce a cigar and I like saving money but I will never , ever waist my time with them again.

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Elizabeth Stallo
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Feb 23, 2008 3:08 am EST

I understand that the company has been laying off employees and giving the jobs to people who make pennies in other countries like India. Another company that will bit the dust because of greed. Good Ole Capitalism is taking our country down the beaten path. Whoever owes this company does not care about America. Shame on you.

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Marty Tuttle
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Feb 13, 2008 12:21 pm EST

Wow! I ordered a few cigars from Thompson and recieved a call a few days later from a person that couldn't speak very well.

I told them at least three times I did not want to join the club. Well...you guessed it! I recieved a box of cigars in the mail and a gift. Enclosed was an invoice for $59.00. It also staed that my next shipment was scheduled for March.

I did not give them my credit card so I guess I might be safe there. I will pay the bill but that was the last straw for me.

Has anyone had luck cancelling the club deal?

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Ash
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Feb 10, 2008 4:07 pm EST

I have had the exact problem as everyone else on this site. After ordering a couple cigars on their website, I received a barrage of phone calls trying to persuade me to join their cigar club. Even though I politely declined their offer everytime, they still signed me up for the club! I came home one day to find a package with cigars and a $50 invoice. I followed their "simple" return policy only to have my credit card billed anyway. After more than 3 e-mails I finally got the charge off and will NEVER buy anything from their store again. There are much better places to purchase cigars without the hassle. (ie www.famous-smoke.com)

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Dennis Haft
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Feb 05, 2008 12:19 pm EST

I have been purchasing their products for some time. I called once because the wrapper was marked NA to find out what it was.The girl gave me a hard time about finding out and di so finally. I agreed to order some and when I checked on the order several days later, I found out that it never was placed. She had quoted me a special price and of course she was just messing with me.

I just ordered some more cigars and of course they called me and tried to get me to join the club. I told them I was already a member but I was not using the club since the cigars I bought didn't qualify. I asked if my order had shipped. He didn't know and wasn't interested in finding out. When I told him for the 3rd time I wasn't joining the club, he hung up on me.

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B K
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Jan 23, 2008 9:07 pm EST

I've ordered from Thompson about 6 times and have had a great experience each time. Their $39 humidor+25 cigar offer makes a great gift.
I've tried several of their house brands and think the La Paloma Vintage Reserve is a great cigar. I've also ordered commercial brands through Thompson and they've arrived in good condition.
I didn't find customer service to be bad, though I've not had to call them for any problems yet. They have made a couple of proactive calls several months after my purchase to see how things were going and ask if I'd like to reorder. I'd use them again.

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woodward 697
pgh, US
Jan 23, 2008 2:12 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Thompson cigars is worthless! They tried to sell me everything on the planet when i ordered my cigars. i paid for them 2 months ago and continue to receive the "out of stock" postcards in the mail. Time to cancel my order which should be an adventure in futility!

Mark

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JL Collins
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Jan 11, 2008 10:07 pm EST

I too have had a bad service with Thompson's. I ordered some cigars and after 4 weeks no show I called and the woman told me that they were shipped three weeks prior, That I should give them a few more days, that the mail was possibly slow. Five days later they came and they were post marked the day I called to find out where they were. Can you say LIER. Just tell you screwed up don't lie to me. Never again, now I drive down to JR Cigar.

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Willliam P. Meisel
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Jan 07, 2008 7:13 am EST

Your website is absolutely useless when trying to track the status of an order. I know my order has been delayed which is okay. I even received a call from on of your reps which was okay also, but he tried to sell me something else. I said I would just wait. Seems like your customer service has quite a few complaints that should be easy to correct. I am considering going back to JR Cigar where I have never had any problems. Used to live within 20 miles.

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Ozzie Jaime
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Dec 31, 2007 5:35 am EST

everyone that has posted something about the experience with Thompson Cigar, I have to ditto their comments. I got coned into subscribing to that cigar club myself. I was told all I had to do is call or e-mail them that I wanted to discontinue, which I did. Come to find out that I just got charged for some cigars that I didn't want. I will never do business with these people again!

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Don Berry
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Dec 21, 2007 1:25 pm EST

I have been a member of the Thompson Cigar Club for several years. I looked online and found they were charging me $96 for a box of cigars offered for $65 by many online sites. Same cigar, size, and number. I cancelled my membership immediately!

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Joe Smith
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Dec 14, 2007 10:20 am EST

Same here. Ordering cigars from them once in a while has been successful for me. But I got a call from a lady who could not speak english very well. All I could understand was something about qualifying for free this and free that and 10% off this and would I like a free humidor. Next thing I know I am enrolled in a club membership that is shipping me cigars at regular intervals?
Cancelling the membership seemed easy. Hope it worked and I do not get charged for anything.

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Angela Warlock
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Dec 05, 2007 6:18 pm EST

I just ordered my husband some cigars from the catalog. The cigars came but one of the styles was the wrong one. The right cigar name brand , but the wrong style (guess that's how you call it)
I called and they where very rude. They did not care.. I will Never Order From Them Or Go To Their Store
EVER AGAIN.

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Bryan Carrier
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Nov 26, 2007 4:30 pm EST

I went to Thompsons today near Tampa airport to buy a Xmas gift for a co-worker. I know nothing about cigars but Thompson's was recommended to me by other people. After I explained what I wanted to the guy behind the counter all he did was point down an aisle. Never tried to help. He was useless. Its safe to say that I won't go back. I have other places to go to that have expert customer care right around my neighborhood. Even though I may not know anything about cigars I rely on the people in the business to steer me in the right direction. When I give the cigars as gifts the recipient knows weather they are good cigars or not. Thompson's obviously doesn't care!

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Dave Carrier
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Nov 26, 2007 4:17 pm EST

I sent my brother and sister in law to Your store by Tampa
Airport because the last time that I was there (which has to
be at least two years ago, I had a very nice experience.. not
knowing about cigars a friend and I from the airport were
looking for a gift for her father in law... the people there were
Very helpful to us.. we left happy) BUT today my brother and
sister in law.. who know nothing about cigars...wanted to buy a substantial gift box for a co worker... told the man behind
the counter this and he just pointed... never left the counter...
their was no one else in the place!... They wandered around
not knowing what they were looking at.. and finally left...
NO CUSTOMER SERVICE! We will never deal with Thompsons cigars again! That was embarrassing to me as
they drove from the other coast to visit that store!

David Carrier... and will tell others at TPA the same!

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Cliff
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Nov 26, 2007 11:57 am EST

I am surprised to hear about the problems everyone is having. I have been a Club member since '79 and never had any problems. I've always got what I ordered and in all that time only got one box of stale cigars and they replaced it at no charge without question. When I visited them in Tampa, I found the same level of friendly cooperative service.

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Bob
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Nov 23, 2007 11:51 am EST

I agree...I have ordered from Thompsons for a couple of years...I did not order from them for approx. 1 year and when I try to start ordering again I am refused the option of charging my cigars to my account as I have always done in the past. They claim that I did not pay a past bill of over $100... I have never not payed. There are way to many cigar stores both online and in the city to mess with Thompsons ever again.

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Frank Paxton
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Nov 09, 2007 5:49 am EST

The customer service is absolutely inexcusable. I was a member of their cigar club. I called and had my selection changed, and 'low and behold' the old selection came on the next shipment. They made absolutely no effort... unless I returned them at MY expense, plus no allowance the shipping I paid for the wrong cigars.

Never, ever again. And that goes for my cigar smoking friends as well.

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Deborah Pataky
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Nov 04, 2007 4:45 pm EST

I agree there customer service is awful. You email, you phone, I even wrote 3 letters, that was two months ago and I have still not got a answer. They are the worst.