Seventeen in a pack, When i purchase sterling cigarettes abroad they are in a twenty packet,I will no longer be purchasing. I am so irate i have decided i will give up. Will you wish me luck in my pursuit of going smoke free
Yours disgusted
Tonbridge Wells

A couple of things to address here
1. The packets are now 17 as you well know but to 'hide' this you have put the number in the packet on the celefain not on the cardboard box as you used to
2. The price point of £6.99 on some packets is actually more expensive than when they are not price pointed at £6:88
3. It works out to be £8.20 for a pack of 20
4.thepack size has only fallen since the introduction of the doors on ciggarettes outlets .
In my opinion this has been done since it is such a taboo subject now days to talk about smoking and who is going to listen to smokers as they have no rights btw why do places like Wh smiths sell your product at £8.20 a pack when they are at a smaller size . You are no longer a cheaper brand but a charlatan and it is more down to a bait and switched Manover ,get people on to your brand then offer them smaller and smaller amounts for your money , shameful.

Went to my local One stop shop and asked for 20 Sterling cigarettes

Opened the packet to discover there were only 17 inside

Not only did the shop fail to inform me that there had been a change in how many would be inside but there is nothing on the packet to inform the customer of this and there has been NO advertisement to also inform the customer of this!

Well you've lost my custom from now on and hopefully many more will follow suit as the cost is near enough the same but for less cigarettes

Shambolic decision on Sterling's part!

I got my normal 20 pack of your brand like u have for the last 5 years to opean them n find only 12 in the pack I no your packs sum times have 19 or 17 cigs in them but 12 is a joke am relly angry that iv payed for 20 n got 12 it mite not sound like a lot to you but I smoke 20 a day so now I have to spend more money than I should have to for 8 more cigs please don't discard this with a sorry

First I thought it was an issue of quality control, then it became apparent that it was in fact just a gaping hole in the cigarette packet that was meant to be.

What a disgrace!! What are they playing at?! Talk about crapping on their own doorstep! I'm officially disgusted.

19 is just about acceptable; 18 used to be the rip off packets in pub vending machines (that once were) which you used to avoid at all costs unless absolutely departed. Since when has any company ever sold SEVENTEENS?! 

They haven't even attempted to disguise their underhandedness by shrinking the packets so it's not quite so blatantly obvious. Even the shops don't know what they're selling as when you ask for a packet of 20, they merrily serve you a pack of 17 without even blinking.

I am utterly disgusted, as it appears are many others, so it's a relief to know I'm not alone. Shocking is not even the word.

Hopefully the vast amount of us will demonstrate our displeasure by voting with our feet and binning them off in favour of a cigarette maker with some minor scruples, not looking to hack is customers right off! 

Vast amounts of consumer displeasure will not amount to equal amounts of profit...so well done Sterling...hopefully you've done yourselves right out of any 2016 bonuses.

Make sure you congratulate your marketing team wholeheartedly for that!! Not such a great strategy afterall eh?! Huge congratulations on your LOSS of custom. No really...Well done you!! Fantastic work!!

Just opened a new pack of sterling menthol and like so many others have found there were only 17 in the pack. Does anybody know where I can lodge a formal complaint ? It's obviously not a one off !! Disappointing.

Spitting mad that this company is treating their customers in such a manner!!!! We are NOT STUPID!!!! But as so many companies that get too big for their boots, their hierarchy are soooooo intent on their FATCAT WAGES & BONUSES that they think they can do what the heck they like.
Even before they started dropping the number of cigarettes in a pack, I had a suspicion that they had altered the size of each cigarette - or was it my imagination??!!!! Anyone care to comment?? I could swear SUPERKINGS were longer some years ago, than they are now!
Like many others who`ve commented here, I agree that surely this practise of selling LESS FOR THE SAME COST of ANY PRODUCT without openly advertising what has changed, should be looked into by Trading Standards!!!! Totally misleading consumers by `omitting` number content on the packet, as well as no warning or information regarding the content in any other way than a very un-obvious number printed on the top, side section of the CELLOPHANE that is automatically discarded on opening the packet!!
Us cigarette consumers no longer have the privilege of even perusing what choices there are on offer any more, either!!!! All shut behind metal sliding doors so we don`t even know what is available, or at what price! Do we have the right to ask the sales staff to slide those doors open wide so we can make an informed decision on what we spend our money on??
As an after-thought ...... has anyone ever wondered why things like this never seems to happen with the sale of alcohol????

Just bought a packet of sterling red and as soon as I opened them knew something wasn't right as usually the cigarettes are packed tight, unfortunately these ones moved to the touch.so unusually for me(because no one counts their cigarettes in a new packet)I counted them,17 for £6.99..no number anywhere on the box or complaint address/phone number. this I thought was meant to be on all cigarette products?! I usually smoke L+B for 20 is £8.60 or 43p per cigarette.. sterling red 17 is 41p per cigarette. I'll revert back to L+B..I thought I was getting 20 cigarettes(economising) not very truthful of yourselves.. people aren't naive when they open a packet with 17 in them.

If you are going to only put 17 in a pack then it should say so on the pack. As with others on here, I will be changing to another brand as I wonder what other areas in the production of these cigarettes you are cheating on. Gallaghers, I just cannot trust you!

What is this all about.... I can find nothing on the box to indicate that there are only 17 in a box. I am paying the same price as 20 but receiving 3 less cigarettes. I appreciate this may be to encourage me to smoke less, but whatever the reason this product is completely misleading??? No one else would get away with this but as smoking is "frowned upon" we must just grin and bare it!!

I just noticed something quite interesting about the cigarettes I have,, already had a pack of supposed 20 cigs which is in actually fact only 19 as the pack was nearly finished I purchased another pack and this is when I noticed that the new pack had said on the front Sterling Green and only had 17 cigs inside the number is printed on the wrapper and not the actual pack whereas the nearly empty pack had Sterling Menthol with the number 19 cigs printed on the actually pack so what is the difference???,,, also being charged the same price for both packs feeling totally cheated and disgusted, is there a law against this ??

Just bout what I thought was 20 Sterling kingsize only to fins 17 in the pack
No comment on pack to say there are 17.
This is one big RIP OFF from streling.

SHAME ON YOU

you will be the losers in the end sterling

Bought a 20 deck smoked 2 cigs had a look in the packet only had 15 left, thought my mates has robbed me turns out your the thieving c*nts.

brought 20 sterling.

looks a bit empty, count them and there is 17.

not happy.

sterling can now jog on I will not be purchasing your over priced 17 pack of cigarettes.
your losing a lot of customers, thought you was being smart now you will have no money.

wan*ers

Opened a fresh box of cigarettes, noticed the box looked a little empty.. counted them & there was 3 missing.
What a let down, the brand has been bumping the price up a lot over the past few months already.. so you pay more & get less, no thanks, time to switch brand.

i always get the burst as not to strong but the cost is so expensive other bands too have this problem as my sister told me

It is illigal to sell less than 20 cigerrettes in a packet according to EU law which our govement agreed too.this law comes into effect this year. So why is sterling doing this? Also why are staff at shops not telling you about less in a packet. Now reading the link below BTW now are breaking EU Law. Rip off cigerettes

http://m.conveniencestore.co.uk/356948.article?mobilesite=enabled

Just brought a 20 box and there was only 17 in there

Just brought a box of 20 and there was only 17 in the box

I've just bought a pack of sterlings and paid for the price of twenty! so why, might I ask, is it that when I have just opened my pack there is only 16? There is nothing on the pack stating the amount. is this another money grabbing plan by the company? I am disgusted that companies such as these can get away with this B******s.

Disgusted with a higher price and 3 less cigarette's sterling have been my preferred brand for a number of year's, but I won't pay more for less to watch the big fat cats get fatter on my money,also the new 50g tobacco pouch comes without rolling papers another scam. Sorry sterling youre finished with me now.I'll buy another brand in future.it certainly won't be Sterling ever again.

Am so unhappy about your massive company wanting to rip ever one off with only 17 in a pack we all have been paying your salarys and you bonuses for years and this is how you repay us by taking our 3x fags you might as well come to my home and take cash out of my wallet I will only come back you your brand when your company takes us in mined we have stood by you so you need to stand up for us. A reply is allway wanted

Was 19….then 18....NOW 17 - DISGUSTING Practice, It Is NOT DIFFICULT to Let your Customer know the Changes!!........Won't STOP Smoking BUT will certainly Chooose Another Brand coz AT LEAST They'll TELL Me HOW MANY CIGGIES are in my packet!! IS IT LEGAL FOR CIGARETTE PACKETS TO NOT DISPLAY HOW MANY CIGARETTES ARE ACTUALLY IN THE BLOODY PACKET?!? xx

Well...
What do we have here?
Oh... 17 instead of 20.


Imagine the scene. I, dressed in my Friday best, wander bleary eyed into my local CO-OP ahead of another day of work.
I get to the counter to be confronted by the overly cheerful Gail (counter assistant).
"Good morning sir, how may I help you?"
"Morning Gail, 20 Sterling Red please. How are you today?" I reply.
"Oh yes. Good thank you. Lovely morning isn't it?! I was just saying the same to Mary!"
In my early morning fug (not yet had enough caffeine or nicotine) I muster up my most enthusiastic smile and nod with vigour.

Gail performs what can only be described as a "perfect serve". In one swoop she's scanned the pack, relieved me of £6.99, said goodbye and is onto the well versed and rehearsed greeting to the equally dazed chap behind me.

I step out into the fresh January morning already pulling at the plastic, eager for a "cheeky fag" (don't confuse cheeky fag for cheeky Nandos, you actually get what you order there).

Imagine my horror, my shock, my outrage when I look at the pack... 17 cigarettes.

I've been done. Gail, Gail the beacon of hope and cheery light has diddled me.
How can I trust this woman ever again?
Should I check my change from now on?
Should I avoid her happy service?
I'm in shock...

Being a reasonable man, I shake these thoughts of Gail betrayal and head to the Internet for some form of respite.

What do I see?
I see the same complaints... Good lordy!
Gails up and down the country are being accused of Highway Robbery.

But who is the real Highwayman here?
It's not Gail that's for sure.

Shame on you Players, Shame on you!

i have brought a pack of sterling and the cigarettes taste like chemicals that it physically made me sick and this is not the first time i have had this taste from this product they are sterling superkings red packet. i am not happy with this and i also cannot find a customer service number to speak to someone directly