Read 101Vape vs. ViperVape - Part 1 first.
In my last message to 101Vape, I said I got no tracking number from ViperVape but later in the day, I got an email from ViperVape saying my order was now Shipped with a USPS tracking number...
But 7 days after I placed the order! and it was nothing unusual, a battery, a Kanger Mini Protank 3 and a couple extra replacement coils. All of that was In Stock when I ordered. So 7 days to put the package together and mail it?
I'm a patient and forgiving person. And I'm sure many of you have had a great experience with ViperVape with great customer service. But from the point of view of a brand new vaper, there's LOTS of businesses,all supplying the same stuff and all with competitive prices.
What makes the difference between ordering from one business or another?
Picture a guy sitting at his computer, late evening, looking at his egos and realizing, it's time to move up.
I need more power, Scotty! And I need it NOW!
In my case, the difference in ordering a Nemesis clone between fasttech and 101Vape was a few dollars more from 101Vape but it came down to transit time: days from 101Vape vs. weeks or a month or longer from fasttech.
That decision was easy.
I said in my back and forth with 101Vape that I used to sell stuff I made on Ebay. I also sold on Etsy and off my own website. For around a year I sold just enough to not become homeless - a tough period.
Go to http://www.ebay.com/usr/devilchasnme then click on the 76 by my name and you'll see my reviews. (My pages at Etsy don't exist anymore and I took my own website down because I had to sell my domain name.)
You'll see from the comments from my Ebay buyers I know a little bit about customer service from the business side.
So what makes the difference?
After you've gone through the biggies - Quality, Availability, Price (and shipping costs), and Transit Time (the biggies are usually all similar among businesses) - the difference comes down to many little things, but for this discussion, I'll focus on the all-encompassing - Customer Service.
You read my experience with 101Vape. Excellent in all respects!
Now ViperVape:
I didn't realize that 101Vape and ViperVape are both in Carlsbad, CA.So transit time is same-same. They probably know each other, maybe hang out together, it may even be the same company with different names for all I know.
April 2, late evening: I order from 101Vape and ViperVape
April 3: I receive email order confirmations from both
April 4: 101Vape emails and says my order's been shipped along with a USPS tracking number
April 5: Waiting...
April 6: Waiting...
April 7: My 101Vape package arrives (5 days in transit)
April 8: Nothing yet from ViperVape
April 9: I do the back and forth with the friendly 101Vape Support Team, then later in the day I get an email from ViperVape saying my order has shipped and a USPS tracking number (7 days to ship)
This is when the little things really matter.
If I had gotten an email from ViperVape back on April 4 or 5 saying "We're really busy" or even "Our dog ate your customer information," then not a big deal, I understand, I've been there, but at least I know it'll be some time. But nothing until Day 7?
If there's a delay for any reason, they've got my email, they've got my phone number, you bite the bullet and service the customer.
Here are the steps to complete the order:
1. Print the receipt.
2. Drop the stuff and the receipt in an envelope.
3. Weigh the completed envelope.
4. Print the mailing label and stick it on the envelope. You need the weight to figure the postage. As I recall, if you print the mailing label from the USPS site, you can get the tracking number at the same time.
5. Put the envelope in your box where all the other orders are that your friendly mail carrier will pick up when he or she drops off your incoming mail.
6. Email the info to your customer.
7. Have a relaxing vape.
And if it was my business, at step 2, I would have tossed in a free, plastic, cheapie drip tip (anything really - maybe a notecard with my famous chili recipe). And I'd do it with every order. Just because it's the little things that matter.
I got some juice from somewhere recently and there were a couple tootsie rolls in the pack. Another juice company had a handwritten note on the receipt saying "Have a good vape!" It's personal and it shows me they care. Pennies spent in this way will bring back dollars.
So there it is. I'm not upset about it. And I may give ViperVape another chance because sh-t happens. But you online companies out there - what's the saying - You only get one chance to make a first impression. Few customers will give you a second chance.
Please comment with your experiences with 101Vape or ViperVape or any others, good or bad. Because I'm just one guy with one experience.
Thanks for hanging in and reading to the end.
------------------------------
!Update 4/11/2014 on my ViperVape order:
It was shipped on 4/9 and arrived on 4/11. They didn't enclose a receipt- disappointing because I save receipts and note arrival date and anything else of interest, maybe how it was packaged... For example, I also got an order from Mount Baker Vapor (MBV) today and noted that it came one day later than it should have because of a USPS snafu (it arrived at the post office and was out for delivery yesterday but arrived today).
So to recap the ViperVape timeline:
April 2, late evening: order placed
April 3: email order confirmation
April 4: nothing
April 5: nothing
April 6: nothing
April 7: nothing
April 8: nothing
April 9: email saying my order has shipped with a USPS tracking number
April 10: waiting
April 11: arrives
ViperVape took 9 days from order to arrival. As a comparison, that MBV order took 3 days from order to arrival.
Again,not upset, but every other vape company (so far) has been next-day shipping.
But I'm just one guy and this has been one experience.
In my last message to 101Vape, I said I got no tracking number from ViperVape but later in the day, I got an email from ViperVape saying my order was now Shipped with a USPS tracking number...
But 7 days after I placed the order! and it was nothing unusual, a battery, a Kanger Mini Protank 3 and a couple extra replacement coils. All of that was In Stock when I ordered. So 7 days to put the package together and mail it?
I'm a patient and forgiving person. And I'm sure many of you have had a great experience with ViperVape with great customer service. But from the point of view of a brand new vaper, there's LOTS of businesses,all supplying the same stuff and all with competitive prices.
What makes the difference between ordering from one business or another?
Picture a guy sitting at his computer, late evening, looking at his egos and realizing, it's time to move up.
I need more power, Scotty! And I need it NOW!
In my case, the difference in ordering a Nemesis clone between fasttech and 101Vape was a few dollars more from 101Vape but it came down to transit time: days from 101Vape vs. weeks or a month or longer from fasttech.
That decision was easy.
I said in my back and forth with 101Vape that I used to sell stuff I made on Ebay. I also sold on Etsy and off my own website. For around a year I sold just enough to not become homeless - a tough period.
Go to http://www.ebay.com/usr/devilchasnme then click on the 76 by my name and you'll see my reviews. (My pages at Etsy don't exist anymore and I took my own website down because I had to sell my domain name.)
You'll see from the comments from my Ebay buyers I know a little bit about customer service from the business side.
So what makes the difference?
After you've gone through the biggies - Quality, Availability, Price (and shipping costs), and Transit Time (the biggies are usually all similar among businesses) - the difference comes down to many little things, but for this discussion, I'll focus on the all-encompassing - Customer Service.
You read my experience with 101Vape. Excellent in all respects!
Now ViperVape:
I didn't realize that 101Vape and ViperVape are both in Carlsbad, CA.So transit time is same-same. They probably know each other, maybe hang out together, it may even be the same company with different names for all I know.
April 2, late evening: I order from 101Vape and ViperVape
April 3: I receive email order confirmations from both
April 4: 101Vape emails and says my order's been shipped along with a USPS tracking number
April 5: Waiting...
April 6: Waiting...
April 7: My 101Vape package arrives (5 days in transit)
April 8: Nothing yet from ViperVape
April 9: I do the back and forth with the friendly 101Vape Support Team, then later in the day I get an email from ViperVape saying my order has shipped and a USPS tracking number (7 days to ship)
This is when the little things really matter.
If I had gotten an email from ViperVape back on April 4 or 5 saying "We're really busy" or even "Our dog ate your customer information," then not a big deal, I understand, I've been there, but at least I know it'll be some time. But nothing until Day 7?
If there's a delay for any reason, they've got my email, they've got my phone number, you bite the bullet and service the customer.
Here are the steps to complete the order:
1. Print the receipt.
2. Drop the stuff and the receipt in an envelope.
3. Weigh the completed envelope.
4. Print the mailing label and stick it on the envelope. You need the weight to figure the postage. As I recall, if you print the mailing label from the USPS site, you can get the tracking number at the same time.
5. Put the envelope in your box where all the other orders are that your friendly mail carrier will pick up when he or she drops off your incoming mail.
6. Email the info to your customer.
7. Have a relaxing vape.
And if it was my business, at step 2, I would have tossed in a free, plastic, cheapie drip tip (anything really - maybe a notecard with my famous chili recipe). And I'd do it with every order. Just because it's the little things that matter.
I got some juice from somewhere recently and there were a couple tootsie rolls in the pack. Another juice company had a handwritten note on the receipt saying "Have a good vape!" It's personal and it shows me they care. Pennies spent in this way will bring back dollars.
So there it is. I'm not upset about it. And I may give ViperVape another chance because sh-t happens. But you online companies out there - what's the saying - You only get one chance to make a first impression. Few customers will give you a second chance.
Please comment with your experiences with 101Vape or ViperVape or any others, good or bad. Because I'm just one guy with one experience.
Thanks for hanging in and reading to the end.
------------------------------
!Update 4/11/2014 on my ViperVape order:
It was shipped on 4/9 and arrived on 4/11. They didn't enclose a receipt- disappointing because I save receipts and note arrival date and anything else of interest, maybe how it was packaged... For example, I also got an order from Mount Baker Vapor (MBV) today and noted that it came one day later than it should have because of a USPS snafu (it arrived at the post office and was out for delivery yesterday but arrived today).
So to recap the ViperVape timeline:
April 2, late evening: order placed
April 3: email order confirmation
April 4: nothing
April 5: nothing
April 6: nothing
April 7: nothing
April 8: nothing
April 9: email saying my order has shipped with a USPS tracking number
April 10: waiting
April 11: arrives
ViperVape took 9 days from order to arrival. As a comparison, that MBV order took 3 days from order to arrival.
Again,not upset, but every other vape company (so far) has been next-day shipping.
But I'm just one guy and this has been one experience.
