Japan Tobacco International [JTI]
Reviews and Complaints

Shop keepers do not tell you that they are not 20

The reason why they're reducing pack size is because the tax on tobacco went up in the recent budget so instead of pushing the price into say £7.50 or whatever it would be. Mind price varies between location and shop, they decided to take 1 out last year when again the budget announced a rise tobacco tax so they took another one out. If a Brand like sterling which where I am in Scotland costs almost £7 for a pack, without removing two it could be £7.50 or whatever which pushes people into a new psychological barrier of cost. Brand loyalty is gone in the tobacco market so people are going cheaper so they want to keep the price down and unfortunately since most of the price is tax in the UK they can't exactly cut into their own profits and they can't deny the government tax so they're forced to chose what to do.

Unfortunately with tobacco products being hidden now and no advertising on tobacco products other than online, you can't exactly blame anyone for no warning, only perhaps the checkout operator who failed to correct you when you asked for 19 or 20 pack of sterling menthol.

By the way I'm not affiliated with the company but I'm just using logic of what I've read online.

Absolutely disgusted bought a pack of 20 sterling fresh taste to find out there's 18 in the pack. However there was only 15 cigarettes with a fresh taste ball in it.
I payed £8 pound for a packet of 15 ###!

Absolutely disgusting!

I have had exactly the same problem. I have now decided I am going to open them in the shop in front of the cashier and if there is less then 20 in I am going to ask them to change them and I will continue opening them until the shop does something about it as they are the one's that are selling them as 20

The same things happened to me, I bought 3 packets of 19 to find 18 in one and 17 in the other. Thinking of changing brands, as this was also the case with someone else I was with. They went to the same shop at me (sainsbury) and also got 18 sterling for the price of 19. I know this also happens with other brands of cigarettes, and to be honest I think that's why the packets were cut from 20 to 19 so that there is a gap so if two were missing (giving 18 in the packet) you wouldn't really notice

yes i totally agree with you its the same as the rolling tobacco. Its either to moist or WAY too dry x'c i love sterling but may have to change brand... i may go for Golden Virginia but really don't want to.. they do need to get there act together.

There is nothing on the pack that indicates how many cigarettes are in the box. I have been tracking my cigarette intake for 6 months now due to medical reasons and all i do is at the end of the day i count how many are left in the box. Now, all of my hard work is ruined because who knows whether there was 17-20 cigarettes in the box? I will not be buying sterling anymore. Even though it was my favourite brand, i have only ever smoked sterling and have been smoking for 9 years. ONE UNHAPPY CUSTOMER!

19, 18 whats next, your taking liberties with your loyal customers. Sort yourselves out!
Wayne
Kent

I completely agree nearly ten pounds a packet and only 18 inside of a 19 packet its ridiculous I am changing brand.Just because there one of the cheapest doesn't mean you can rip us off as if the taxes ain't bad enough thanks sterling for ripping off loyal customers.Worst of all its a uk company and a joke.

The reason why they're reducing pack size is because the tax on tobacco went up in the recent budget so instead of pushing the price into say £7.50 or whatever it would be. Mind price varies between location and shop, they decided to take 1 out last year when again the budget announced a rise tobacco tax so they took another one out. If a Brand like sterling which where I am in Scotland costs almost £7 for a pack, without removing two it could be £7.50 or whatever which pushes people into a new psychological barrier of cost. Brand loyalty is gone in the tobacco market so people are going cheaper so they want to keep the price down and unfortunately since most of the price is tax in the UK they can't exactly cut into their own profits and they can't deny the government tax so they're forced to chose what to do.

Unfortunately with tobacco products being hidden now and no advertising on tobacco products other than online, you can't exactly blame anyone for no warning, only perhaps the checkout operator who failed to correct you when you asked for 19 or 20 pack of sterling menthol.

By the way I'm not affiliated with the company but I'm just using logic of what I've read online.

I went to Tesco's today only to be told that Sterling have now only 18 cigarettes in a pack..WHY they are the same price..well Ive just bought my last Im changing my brand of cigarettes...So now you'll lose £70 per week from me

When you buy a packet of cigarettes that cost 7 pound a packet that just have the fresh burst poppers in I expect there to be poppers in the cigarette very disappointed with them

I brought what i thought was 20 sterling super king cigarettes I noticed that they were 8p cheaper than normal when I got home I realised that there were only 19 cigarettes in the pack which wasn't a mistake because it said 19 on the side if the box I. Small writing and they aren't as strong as normal

I bought a packet of 20 Sterling Fresh Burst and 3 of the cigarettes had the picture of the button on the filter, but didn't actually have the button for the fresh burst.

I am very disappointed as I smoke sterling every day 20 a day and this morning I brought 40 in a multipack and both the packets I opened only had 19 each ... I brought them from a co-op in Canterbury ! How do I make a complaint to sterling ?

THEIR FAKES...

It was a decision made by the tobacco company's to reduce the size of the pack from 20 to 19. It was either that or then price would go up, on balance they decided to reduce the pack size. Waitrose have nothing to do with it. The packs all clearly state 19 it is for the customer to double check.

Just bought Mayfair this morning and when I asked for 20 the assistant said they only come as 19 now, she couldn't tell me when they changed as I wasn't aware they had and at the top of the pack(on the side) there is a very small "19".
I checked a packet I bought yesterday and it doesn't have that number on it...sneaky but typical.

I bought these cigs last week for £5.99 a pack This week they were £7.99 a pack plus only 19 cigs in pack. What is going on ?

is anyone else having problems with mayfair cigarettes im fed up of the going out halfway and finding large pieces of wood like substance in them . they generally seem like a very cheap smoke that the price doesnt represent i thought it was just been the odd packet but its happening to others i know that smokes these !

Hole in one of the cigarettes half way up so couldn't get a smoke from it

On having asked for and paying for 20 Mayfair Smooth, I was astonished to find only 18. When this happened before I thought it was just a mistake, obviously not. I would appreciate the company getting back to me as I did not realise it is a lucky dip as to whether you receive what you have paid for. This is a disgrace. I would like to be refunded on my purchases. I will not be purchasing this brand again. In future I will open the pack when I purchase. It is fraud on a massive scale.

I buy 100 pack of cigarettes every week and I am paying for 20 cigarettes and am getting 19 cigarettes instead of 20. I think Mayfair cigarettes should have put a notice telling us costumes there are 19 cigarettes. I think it's a bad rip off. so what are you going to do about it.

when a light up a cigarette it keeps going out and have to re light it.

Stop buying that particular brand, find one that doesn't short change you. Been smoking Mayfair smooth superking for years, but not anymore. Let their profits go down and see how they like it.

They are all cheating us (Benson doing same) What would happen if petrol stations started supplying fuel in units of 0.95 litres instead of 1 litre and charged same price? It would have exactly the same effect on the receiver!

I bought today cigarettes Sterlings Superkings and in the box should be 20 cigarettes, but there were 19 cigarettes. If it's written on the box 20 cigarettes, I was sure, that there will be 20 cigarettes, not 19. Please reply me, what can you do for me. I paid for 20 cigarettes. Box with cigarettes was closed properly, so nobody from that shop couldn't take one. Thank you.

I have a pack of 20 (err 17) and so far i have smoked 6... out of those 6, 3 of them have tasted fruity...like blackcurrant maybe? Rather than mint

I'm worried theyre like poisonous or something?

i have always smoked sterling and have always got 20 in a pack. the last 2 packets i have brought have only had 17 in. has anyone else had this. this is out of order as it does not say anything on the packet.

now you only get 17 and save me money? Thats why im buying twice as many

I bought a pack of 20 cigarettes today when I opened the pack I noticed there was a lot of space, when I counted there were only 17! I have noticed this is a common complaint why is this still ongoing?!

I bought a packet of sterling fresh taste only to find that 2 of them didn't have the menthol ball, I only smoke this brand and always press the ball before I start smoking..so not only am I paying 20pack prices for 19 cigarettes but I coul smok 2 of them, not happy

there was no burst in 5 ciggarets and 2 of them didnt taste of mint when they did burts.
photos wouldnt help the situation as its hard to get an image of a non bursting ball in a ciggaret butt
kind regards

curtis windram

Thank you for clearing that up.

PPS The packs are also clearly labelled as 19s on the side of the upper flap.

Its due to licensing laws. If they issue a pack of 20 they encroach into another band of taxation, which has a minimum pricing enforced on it by the government. They are actually trying to save you money by giving you 19. Don't be so quick to have a go.
P.S. I work for Imperial Tobacco by the way.

This is the second time I have had 19 cigarettes in a packet. I expect to get what I pay for. You can't blame people for buying them abroad if this is what you get.