You put a lot of time, money and effort in this video to inform the cigar community about your experience and it is well appreciated. We all know about fake cigars but this takes it to a higher level. Please keep us informed about this outcome and thanks again!
@@habanonews Did the company give you a new box or something for your trouble if not then don't do business with them ever again it was there fault this happen not going to the shop to make sure there was no fakes out there the Company should give you something for your time and effort
This guy is legit! He’s not hurting for money he just wants Justice because a real cigar efficianado knows that it goes deeper than money. It’s about the protection of real vs. fake. And to sell fake cigars is outright wrong in our hobby. I love this guy!
The shops lawyer are waiting for me to say the name of the shop to sue me for defamation. Defamation is a crime. Selling fake cigars is not NOT unless you can prove that the shop keeper knew he was intentionally selling fakes...
This is absolutely foul. And i wish you would share the shop's name. There is a good chance that many of us have purchased or are currently purchasing from this shop. We spend thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars each year. And to have the possibility of having fake cigars from a reputable dealer in our collections is unsettling. They deserve to have a stain on their repution, especially if they are willing to refuse the reimbursement and accuse you of lying. You gave them the benefit of the doubt and opportunity to make the situation right. Now i believe their name should be known to protect other collectors and cigar enthusiasts... Shops will continue scamming, especially when prices have rose to the levels they are now, until patrons call them out and stop purchasing from them all together. I am truly disgusted by this story and i wish you find a satisfactory resolution in the end. Thank you for the lengths you have gone to bring awareness to the community.
I don't smoke and know absolutely nothing about Cigars but just came across the video. Very informative and interesting on how just elaborate scamming has become. Thanks for your insight and hope you can recover some of your losses.
First off let me say that I absolutely love your content. I learn a lot watching your videos. I have so much respect for you with the way you’ve dealt with this problem. I really hate to hear stories like this. Thank you for taking the time to tell your story and educate people on these issues. I hope the shop in question finally does the right thing by giving you a new authentic humidor of Cohiba Majestuosos 1966. Again thanks for sharing your story. Keep the phenomenal content coming.
@@habanonews Well I enjoy learning from experts like you. Cuban Cigars are something I’m extremely passionate about. I’m hoping one day I can turn my passion for Havana Cigars into a job some how. I truly look up to people like you. The knowledge you have pertaining to Cuban Cigars is absolutely amazing. Keep the phenomenal content coming because I’m extremely eager to learn.
Im sorry that happened to you. I would be so angry with the shop for refusing to accept the return at market value, they lied and most likely knew it was fake when they inspected it.
@@habanonews You would think legally speaking if you sell a fraudulent product it's irrelevant whether you do so knowingly or unknowingly as to whether you accept responsibility.
@@CigarSurgeon right, and considering there is only one distributor to the markets where it's legal, you then as a store owner can question the distributor.
Thats the reason i never have excitement to buy cohiba and a cuban. There is so many Cuban fakes cigars out there and thats even inculuding cheaper sticks. So annoying i hope you will get somehow your money or original box.
Imagine you buy 2 sets. One real and one fake without knowing it. Then you realize one is fake. You can be tempted to go to the shop where you bought the real one pretending they sold a fake set. Of course this is pure speculation. But I can understand the point of view of the shop’s owner. In your case, the fact that 3 years later he still has a fake set for sell is a life saver. I wish the best solving your case and I subscribe 👍🏼
Thanks you for sharing this. We should all be concerned that there could be so many Cuban fakes cigars out there. Good luck getting a real box for your collection.
This is a very informative video and sheds a light on an issue many people knew existed but maybe not to the extent that you have highlighted. I have a feeling the problem is bigger than we know and considering the affiliation China has with Habanos now they may have inadvertently made the problem worse. I hope that you were able to document your meetings with the relevant people in Cuba to corroborate the paper work you have in order to categorically rule out the shop saying that they don't believe you. Additionally, the shop need to divulge the source of where they obtained the humidor which would help up stream and narrow down the person(s) who made the fake available to the open market. Good luck.
Good move, it is a legendary shop. But not easy to find collection books and Portuguese regional editions when you are a collector. I have been going around the world for 23 years to build my collection, like most collectors.
I'm so sorry to see your story. It's a horrible feeling to get ripped off like this. I know I felt really bad a few years ago just spending a few hundred pounds on what turned out to be a fake box of D4s so nothing in comparison to your losses. I hope you get compensation and justice in the end. Wishing you all the best.
Thank you for this video...Great personality,although I think we all need to say the names of the shops that sold fakes, as shops have responsibilities and if they are chasing money, we need to hold them accountable. Thank you again,consider saying the name of the shop so other people are aware.
As a person who has diagnosed spelling learning disability I find this hilarious. The amount of time I put into spell checking so I don't look dumb.. and all the work they put into this fake and they have spelling mistakes!
I'm assuming the owner did not know it was a fake. He did try to give you your money back. You are going to throw away a 25 year relationship away to be greedy. You where fooled in the same way the owner was. Why would you think he owes you more money then you paid? I think he was fare in offering you all your money back for it and I would have took it and called it a day. You win some you loos some. Good luck in court, You most probably wont win and be stuck with a $7500 worthless box of cigars, a lost 25 year relationship and out lawyer fees.
Thank you very much for your very fine attention. Fortunately it was a very good return to the United Arab Emirates, Italy and the Republic of Malta. I have marveled at your exquisite and well-documented explanation. I hope I can treat you more and see you again at the AMICIGAR event in Nashville. Strong embrace of smoke and long ashes with legitimate cigars ❤
What a story! Thank you very much for sharing and educating us about these fakes. I feel sorry for your loss. Seems like you not only lost the money, but also the joy of owning and one day smoking some of the supposedly best cigars in the world. I hope you will get justice after all these efforts.
Shame on then what a cheap owner for treating you like that after 25 years of business!! Go forth and sue the shop/owner immediately my friend don’t hesitate and make him a lesson to every “big” shops out there.
This is why I only buy Cubans in the U.K. from the English Market Selection that have been checked by Hunters & Frankau. Look for the EMS sticker when in the U.K. If u get a box from there that is fake, then the shop owner or owners are definitely in on it because only they know where the box or boxes are coming from. If they are only purchasing from Hunters and Frankau like theyre supposed to, you can be sure theyre real. I recommend going to Davidoff of London or the Sahakian lounge at the Burberry hotel in London. The Sahakians would never risk their reputation by selling fakes nor would they need to as Im sure they make plenty selling real ones. So much so it would be foolish to risk selling fakes and losing customers they make thousands of dollars on everytime they visit.
I understand wanting the box replaced with the genuine thing. However, considering the limited nature of the collection I think the store owner was more than fair. They offered to refund the money you paid years after. I don’t understand why you would spend that much money and not inspect the item within a timely manner upon arrival to make sure everything arrived in pristine condition. You probably could have caught this sooner. Now you are expecting the store to provide you a replacement box that would be more than triple the amount you actually paid for the fake. How exactly does that make sense?
The issue is the shop has offered to give him a refund... But he wants a replacement thats many times the refund value... You could argue he didnt loose the value of a real box because he never owned one in the first place... Was his original outlay the going price for a real box ? Clearly he has been agrieved but so may have the shop been as well.
Here's my take, while it's disgusting people would do this it's only able to be done because the collectors have made it possible and have on a grand scale raised all cigars to the point of pricing everyday smokers out. Cigars are made to be smoked and I'm sorry but you are a part of the problem.
Hello Anthony and thank you for your comment. You are probably right in a way. I used to buy 2 or 3 boxes of limited editions and always smoked one or 2 and keep one. I have been smoking 3 to 5 cigars a day for more than 30 years so I smoke more than I collect but I guess that collectors are a part of the problem we see with scarcity and high price because it creates high demand.
@@habanonews I understand, I've been smoking over 40 years at an average of 4 a day. I'm American and smoke some very good cigars and honestly there isn't a cigar worth $100 the problem even in my market is with collecting it's allowed companies to come out with all these L.E.'s pushing the market up. Your budget is obviously higher than mine (about $500 a month) and since we smoke about 1400 a year it's expensive. I have a couple hundred on hand and do keep a few on the side for special events but we never know when our last day will come so I do not intend to leave them for the kids to trash or give away, they're for my enjoyment. Good Luck to you.
When it comes to misspelling, one thing that come to my mind is "CHINA" or "TAIWAN". I'm not saying this that they the one did it, but from my music CD experience in the past, the bootleg CD that I got and the information from other collectors, it tends to have the same error : TYPO or misspelling (and it came from those 2 countries). I feel sorry for this to happened to you, as collector I know it's hurts, I hope you will get your money back or the original one. Cheers.
If the shop offered to give you back the money you spent, I see you as being made whole. You can't expect them to pay you any kind of missed appreciation. Let's assume you bought them for 7500 and for some reason they went down to 1000. Would that be what he owes you or would you want the 7500?
I don’t agree in your desire to keep the shops name a secret. The appropriate action for a divulgative channel is to protect aficionados with less experience to stay away from scammers. This shop should not be allowed to continue business. Maybe they are in good faith but it shows incompetence and I don’t want to deal with incompetence.
I’m still thinking about Piñar del Rio 😂 As misspelling expert, you should know the capital of the region is PINAR DEL RÍO, due to the high trees in the area. The Pine Tree
In human history it rear to fine a person fallow the truth and delicately search for it . I wish there are many people think and act like you did in all the fields .
Thank you for the update, I have a question, how much did you pay for the entire process of verification (travelling to cuba, paying the tobacco institute, etc etc)... I want to see if its worth it to spend that much for few boxes that I have.
Hello Alex, I only pay for my trip + accommodation. From what I have heard this is the first time this has happened and I am very thankful to the distributor and to Habanos. I don't think that Habanos will analyse your boxes directly. I would recommend you contact your distributor with your receipts proving your purchase for assistance. Feel free to send me HD pictures. I have lined up a team of investigators around me now and I have purchased some special equipment and can help you remove some doubts in total confidentiality. habanonews@gmail.com.
It's a shame because this is a prime example of when a good business does the easy way. And easy way always backfires. This man is pissed off and he has every right to take this shop to court
Would be interesting to see how the bands (and seal) are performing under UV light. The legist bands are "lightning" up, the little white squares are glowing (i'm sure you know)This is a dead give away against the "high-end "fakes i personally saw.
I am preparing another video as I received a lot of messages and have learnt that there is a least another series of fakes which do not have the spelling mistake on the description sheet.
You said from the start that the sticker with the codes deleted should be a question mark at least. Maybe the shop owners themselves thought that the products they were selling were legit and not trying to scam their clients. You're to old to not have learned the simple rule to CUT YOUR LOSSES. You should have taken the refund and have it as a 'learned my lesson' monent when buying luxury items. Instead you went ahead and ploughed other thousands of dollars on the trip, the certificates(I doubt that they were free) and the lawyers who have every incentive to tell you that you have a winning case. YOU didn't do your homework before buying, so all the best to you in your quest.
@@habanonews "Cuban Rounds" are a cheapie Cohiba knock off produced by Ventura cigar Co. They copy the classic Cohiba white dot pattern on their packaging. They are NOT a premium long filler cigar, but they don't try to be. It's a cheap, albeit rather tasty copy of a classic cigar. One reason that I don't buy or smoke Cohibas is that getting real ones in the US is very difficult and I have heard many stories of fakes, such as this one.
Right off the bat, I could see that the "1966" on the box is crooked, both the side and the top. Cohiba would never allow this. They are super anal about that kinda stuff.
Bro i give you a tip..put the mic on the Collor of the outside jacket.. facing to your mouth.. you will get lesser fabriq rubbing agains your microfone
I have a question did the experts in Cuba say that just the cigars and paper work was fake? or did they say that the humidor pouch cigars box paperwork was all fake because if not I bet that humidor was manufactured along with the real Humidor
I don’t think asking for the projected price is right. The shop offered to give you back all of the money you put into it. How is that not fair? It’s not like the shop did this on purpose, it’s a very convincing fake
What an absolute nightmare...it's amazing how incredibly good some of these fake boxes can be. These counterfeiters are making a lot of money. Sorry you're going through this. - Giz
very interesting story. did they tell you how they know there is no cuban tobacco in the cigars? is there a scientific protocol, genetic sequencing or other? havn't cuban seeds been used in other geographic regions? i heard in cuba there are cigars diverted from real factories and/or real factory workers producing similar product outside the factory. even a fake cigar made in cuba is still a cuban cigar. what sucks is you paid market value for knockoffs. if there is a genetic sequencing then maybe habanos can say their real origin. they still might be produced in cuba? as far as possible spelling error let me say there was a video advertising campaign for the luggage brand :american tourister" that ran for several months on bangkok metro screens and the video actually said " american tourister, rusted around the world" instead of "trusted" i'd venture to guess many a no name street corner rolled cigar in cuba would be damn good even if it cost 2-3 euros. yes i do assume you saw this humidor as an investment.
Iam cuban my cousin rolls cigars in cuba and let me tell you something even if you buy them direct in cuba you can be smoke anything when they for example my cousin make cigars for exportation most for Europe they don't band the cigars they put by what the demand is so you can be smoking a partagas whit a cohiba band also the government is deeply corrupt and the quality is extremely poor
This is really unbeliavable, You can’t see this so little details but It’s impossible if you trust anyone, really, that’s a so bad, I wish just justice for you😮
Hmm. I can see why the retailer didn't want to give more money back than you paid but i don't see why he would refute evidence that is obviously real. It makes me wonder is he selling these boxes intentionally. It has been hard times for everyone in the past couple of years, people might have become desperate.
Yeah this is exactly why I would never buy Cubans. I have never heard a considerable smoking difference and only seem to hear that if you bought a Cuban it's probably fake. I'm good with Nicaragua 👍
I am sorry for you, I know the feeling. I was in Istanbul recently and purchased a carton of Camels and unfortunately they turned out to be fake. I later spotted the difference because the "camel" on the carton had 2 humps instead of one.
I can guarantee that the fakers have already corrected those spelling mistakes in their next run of fake 50th anniversary sets. I am well versed in dealing with complicated fakes in another field and I can promise the fakers have watched your video and are correcting any "mistakes". The problem with fakes in any field is the more knowledge that is available to the public the better the fakes. Good luck on your legal fight and thank you for the excellent video!
You are totally right. I am going to make a video about fakes and cannot reveal everything I know for that simple reason that counterfeiters also use RU-vid.
The distributor for Germany is 5th Avenue. So you can be sure every habanos box you buy has the 5th Avenue sticker too and it's 100% legit. The thing is that 85% of the cuban cigars are not available in Germany since a year .
That is exactly how fake enter the system. Some shops want to offer special cigars and can only find them on the grey market. Some end up being fake...The question obviously is to find out if the shop knew that they were fake or not.
wow that was in-depth, well done. i hope that justice is served at the end. funny thing is that this looks like an extremely high level of faking (apart from that imbicle who didnt proof read the leaflet) and really some crazy amount of work must have gone in it. so i wouldnt be surprised if it was an inside job. i would also be curious how they actually taste...if they put the effort in tobbaco selection and rolling how they did with everything else....they might actually be pretty decent cigars (still faking should have zero place in the world of cigars)
Very sorry this happened to you. I would like your assistance with confirming the authenticity of a box of Behike I recently purchased. Would you be able to provide me with some guidance? Possibly a good contact?
The issue of counterfeited Cohibas is huge, Chinese are scared to buy Cohibas because of the fakes and this will put pressure on Habanos to come up with anti-fake technology.
This is indeed a very sad story. My sympathies to you brother of the leaf. As a cigar enthusiast. I've had my own personal encounter with fake cigars. You went all the way up the chain to the very top and discovered your box is fake. I hope everyone interested in cigars learns from situations like this. Do your homework, you may trust the seller but always verify. Ask direct questions and only accept direct answers. If even one thing is off. Walk away trust your instincts. There will be another rare box that will cross your path that is legitimate which you can then buy. Trust your instincts all. Happy smoke and Long ashes
Thank you very much for the message. I bought this box 4 years ago when the world of cigars was still looking honest around me. Now the world has changed and I have too. I have gone on an intensive course on ring checks and purchased microscopes. I hope it does not happen again. Unfortunately I received hundreds of messages and there are many more fake majestuosos than I thought out there...
I have seen REAL boxes with fake cigars, also REAL boxes in which only the top 10 cigars are real, and the lower 10 in the bottom row are fake, sadly anything is possible in this day and age…
This sounds very similar to the fakes that Monte Fortuna was selling. Everything looked legit including the bands. The only thing they couldn’t get right was the warranty seal. These are definitely high end fakes.
The only 100% trustable place (at least) is HABANOS S.A. shop in the country you buy... of course there are other fine reputation shops selling habanos, even if you buy something so exclusive in a Habanos shop you ll have to know all legit checks (and check in place) to know youre not acquiring fakes. Sadly... im used to... (because of where i live). I wonder who paid the air tickets, hotel, meals and transportation in Cuba in order to do all that research. It seems it will all be solved in long term by the legal ways, including everything, and harms & fees. I just wish you the best. And thank you for this video you have a new suscriber.
I strongly suspect this happens in the wine industry as well, and there are fewer indicators of a fake on a single bottle of vintage than in this instance.
@@habanonewsAt least you have the experience to tell. Whilst some bottles’ labels may have a serial number, but how many of us really know what a particular vintage or even vineyard should taste like? Most people can’t tell the difference between Pepsi and Coca-Cola… I thought it was impressive that the Cubans could tell that even the tobacco was fake! Does tobacco have a DNA?
@@timbee71I think everything has a kinda "DNA" or is traceable to the source. I mean crime scene investigators can trace pretty much any material to the source with lab testing.
This is actually a pretty big deal. A legitemate retailer in Europe selling fake Cuban cigars is utrageus….please make an update on this ad it progressess
I also suspect that China is the origin of this elaborate fake effort. They would have the ability to have the humidors crafted, the printing on the bands with hologram and outer packaging. Also, they often make spelling mistakes in their printed instructions.
It is true that they are the number one suspects indeed but too often criticised to my liking. You are right about technology. Not many people have the ability to do that. But we might never know for sure...
Gutted for you sir, but what an admirable gentleman for sharing the episode, how you handled it and shared the knowledge. Thank you so much and if anything the community and me can do please send a PM. Cheers
Did the report say what kind of tobacco the cigars were made of. Maybe we can find the country of oragin that these fakes came from. It's a long shot but a possibility
I am sure I will be in the minority here, but I believe you are entitled to what you paid for the box; $7,500.00. No more, no less. If, at the time you bought the box, the going rate was $22-30k per box, and you bought this box for $7,500.00, then as they say, if it looks too good to be true, it probably isn't true. Then, you deserve your $7,500.00. On the other hand, if the going rate for a box was $7,500.00 at the time you bought the box was $7,500.00, you're entitled to a refund; of $7,500.00. That's the measure of your damages.
Wow. That is really scary and sad. Hope you get it resolved with the shop. I think if they are a reputable shop, they should stand their word and reimburse you the money. God knows whether they are selling other fakes. Good luck on you journey.
@@habanonews looks like you're more concerned about having a real box than having real cigars🤔 So you don't mind to smoke counterfeit cigars from whatever country they're made? You smoked some already? You opened one? Are they even longfillers? How did they taste?
I’m sorry about that, man. I bought a fake tin of 5s’ Romeo no. 2 from the Zagreb airport in Croatia and feel bad, I can’t even imagine what you are feeling. Hope everything sort out in the end, best of luck to you🤞🏽
I very much appreciate your video. It is hugely important. Not only because of fakes, but also because we have no real idea what could be inside the fake product. However - and I only say this with greatest respect - unless you and the tobacconist undertook an investment scheme to make profit via aging - then you have in American terms very little to recover damages. He offered to refund the money - many years later - by your own admission. Asking the seller to pay 8X (or whatever) or provide a replacement is not realistic or reasonable. Sometimes we have to just chock up adverse events and in your specific presentation a refund would seem fair. Lawyers and costs you probably won't recover - and if you do - well, was it worth it? That said your video is hugely beneficial and thanks for taking the time. Just my opinion and I wish you well.
Allways, but not only, cohibas are a problem. Lot's of people are smoking grass and don't realize that. I hole you get a way to solve your problem! Thanks for the informational content!
