BluECigs = Nightmare

[jwcopley]

I recently ordered a starter kit from blu electronic cigarettes and after I did I was so excited to get the little tike...It was my first venture into the electronic cigarette world and I didn't know what I was getting into. I ordered on 6/7/09 for a full black kit with blue LED. 10 days went by...No Blu...decided to find another place to order from while waiting for Blu...I ordered from Ritesmoke.com...amazing customer service with priority shipping. I went through the starter carts, ordered a carton more of carts (I believe its a 306 that I have) but still no blu...as of 6/30 my order suddenly said shipped from blu. I waited a few days. Holiday weekend probably backed up mail a day or so...nothing...contacted customer service and they assured my that my product had been shipped. as of 7/8 no Blu...I checked my e-mail and suddenly I had a message stating Inventory Pending...CUSTOMER SERVICE LIED!!!!!I called to get more info and they didn't know when the shipment would arrive so I could get my Blu so I cancelled my order. Now I have a 306 from Ritesmoke, and its awesome. Then due to the overwhelming amount of praise from this board I have ordered a 510 from InnoVapor...Can't wait...the moral of the story is...blue sucks, don't order from a company that will not keep you up to date with progess then lie to you...

Allot of my chest for my first post...any similar instances from anyone else??? and also if anyone doesn't know...Ritesmoke rocks...

 

[surbitonPete]

Ahh goodie a new thread on the Blu....the last one had nearly left the first page of todays posts.... I hate it when No one is talking about the BLu.

 

[Elendil]

 

[originalhurt]

ive heard that they are really back ordered

 

[KreeL]

It appears that ritesmoke sucks:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/14258-ritesmoke-com.html

My advice is to buy from an established supplier.

 

[Xenogy]

I ordered mine on 6/15 cancelled today 7/11..

When I first placed my order they stated a 2 week back order. Then their website said 3 weeks. Now I'm hearing 4 weeks. I sent an email asking politely what the status was and got a generic copy/paste email 4 days later.

I chose Blu because it was my first introduction to ecigs. It looked like a cigarette, had all the accessories I needed with it. Warranty/moneyback guarantee. Youtube video reviews looked like it was great. In my quick research I heard of other brands and didn't want to mess with juices. Sounded great, couldn't wait to try e-smoking. Out came the credit card and wouldn't mind the 2 week wait since I'm getting what seemed the best e-cigarette there was.

After 3 weeks and an unanswered e-mail I got inpatient and googled Blu cig forum and found this place. After hearing of everyones experience and problems with Blu not lasting long and how long it would take to get refill cartridges I decided Blu was not for me and would be cancelling my order.

I spent all day doing research on what I wanted and decided to go with a 306 from Electro-Nic-Stix based on great reviews and fast shipping. I placed my order late last night and within an hour got an email from USPS stating they were expecting my package for shipment just like all the reviews I read. QUICK service!

While not optimal I really liked the size factor and auto battery of the 306. I figured it would be a good starter to get me into e-smoking. I figured later on I would probably end up ordering a manual switch 510.

One of the most confusing things was figuring out all the re-branding thats going on with e-cigs. I read reviews on the 510, Dura, Yeti, EVO, Intellicig, M401, M402, 306, 306a, and minifogger which is just 3 different e-cigs.

 

[Aleksus]

It appears that ritesmoke sucks:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/14258-ritesmoke-com.html

My advice is to buy from an established supplier.

I don't see where this user states his unsatisfaction with Ritesmoke.com. With the model, maybe, but not with the company. From what I can see they sent him another model as replacement, after which, he posted nothing.
I also ordered from Ritesmoke since they are local, and so far have nothing but good things to say about them. Yes, their Delight Model is rebranded Joye306, and IMHO this is one of the best mini-ecigs available on the market.
BTW, just checked their website, they have some 510s on clearance. I see more and more posts about this model. Will order next week when I get my paycheck .. he-he

 

[jj1257]

I had a very similar experience with blu. Put the order in on 6/4, waited and waited, then ordered a 510 kit from Altsmoke (that arrived in 3 days) and after a week of using the 510, cancelled my order with blu on 6/30. Love the 510 and haven't thought about that other company since!

 

[Blue Falcon]

YUP. I was going to get a blu, but after reading the problems everyone was having with shipping, I decided against it. I wonder if blu's are so popular because the come in a pretty box and thats why they are back ordered.

 

[Scaralouche]

It's the same reason people buy Sony or some other huge name. They market the snot out out their names. I was first directed by google to smoking anywhere. Being the veteran e-shopper I am, I also found this place on the first page of my google search. I also did the same when I started drinking Absinthe. I went to the Wormwood Society and read up on the different brands, how to drink it (there is a process, you dont drink it straight, for the love of Pete), and most specifically, what to avoid. For electronics, I visit CNET or some other peer review sites. So far, because I do my research I have never wasted money or my time.

Chalk it up to a lesson learned, friend. There's always a different story to be told, and it is never on the company website. There is usually a group of people who talk about it somewhere, be it a forum or something else. But you want to hear from END USERS what their experiences with the product are. Then weigh that before you make a decision. Based on what I learned here in my first 30 minutes of surfing around, I ordered a JOYE 510 from e-smokey treats. Just wish he could keep his stock of 510 stuff up more.

 

[american]

ha something like this happened to me i have ordered from ebay fromsome suplier from china and once i got it he said it was an out dated model and he doesnt hav spares for this...and wen i said i want to return ..its been days i have seen him replyto my mails...i have got some thing like the older version of m401..dont buy from ebay

 

[ramblingrose]

It appears that ritesmoke sucks:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/14258-ritesmoke-com.html

My advice is to buy from an established supplier.

Why? I got 2 bad attys from e-smokey treats and a bad battery from MyVaporStore. Both are established suppliers with good reps. It happens; they were replaced; end of story. Unless there's more to Nicotine's story, what happened to him is no different.

New suppliers are turning up all the time. Most do everything they can to earn our business. I don't see any complaints posted about them - Why speak so negatively of this one?

 

[Fud]

I think I know what the problem is, I kept seeing ads for Blu on a bunch of sites over and over and out of curiosity clicked on it and checked it it out. Then it said 2 to 3 weeks back order. Forget that. Most things ship in about 3 days or so. Then i started looking around and settled on an american company Liberty Stix, fast service but some problems with the batterys and the carts. At least they have a 30 day warranty and reply right away. I still have some time to figure out the kinks like the carts not lasting as long as they say and the batteries running out fast and other issues so i'm going to pursue this and see if they send a replacement atomizer or batteries or whatever the problem is, They worked great for the first couple of days so i might try e-liquid to make them last longer first. The part i didn't like was the claim that a battery for an average smoker will last for a day, for some a few days? Nope couple hours or so from a pack and a half a day smoker then recharge again.

I don't get it if they are lithium batterys they should last a lot longer than that.

Also they claim that each cart is equal to about 15 cigs, not true from my experience anfter cleaning the contacts and all of tricks i read here.

I'm not going to badmouth Blu since i haven't tried it but why are they advertising so much when they can't keep up with demand?

 

[jwcopley]

I think they jumped into the business faster than their company can handle. Great appeal, sexy site, and dripping with customer service "Robots." (These people are told to say certain things and never to say anything bad.) Blu did one thing that I will thank it for forever and that is advertise enough that I saw and clicked on it. I will be changed forever.
GOD BLESS YOU BLU!!! (for showing me the way to ritesmoke, ecigaretteforum, innovapor, and loss of analog smoking...)

-----------
Woot

 

[jdollhouses]

Actually I have been smoking the blu e-cig for about 6 mos. normally, I dont join forums or join in on blogging, but I noticed when I came here, that there was a user titled "dont buy blu" or something like that... I decided I would join bc I believe this site is for the experimentation of different e-cig brands am I correct? So how can someone sign up with a name that is predisposed to a bias? hmmmm...sounds like sabotage to me. Ok. So in all honesty, I really like my blu e-cigs. I have tried the smoking everywhere brand, and I couldnt stand the taste. I has any oily resin that comes out of the top of every brand new cartridge..yuck. But I enjoy my blu e-cig. I havent had the desire to try anything else. Seriously. Tastes great. I'm faithful to a menthol flavored cig. I doesn't have the "artificial taste" that the other one had. Its genuine..smooth. I noticed it has more of a gel type substance in the cartridge that produces vapors compared to "smoking everywhere brand". Blu really is a cool looking good tasting quality cig. I really like it~and its half the price of all the other ones! the only thing that could possibly be said about blu is their shipping takes a little while. they ship usps. thats all. they dont have fedex or expedited shipping options. so what. its worth the wait.

 

[jdollhouses]

I think they jumped into the business faster than their company can handle. Great appeal, sexy site, and dripping with customer service "Robots." (These people are told to say certain things and never to say anything bad.) Blu did one thing that I will thank it for forever and that is advertise enough that I saw and clicked on it. I will be changed forever.
GOD BLESS YOU BLU!!! (for showing me the way to ritesmoke, ecigaretteforum, innovapor, and loss of analog smoking...)

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Woot

So what does the fact that the have become quickly sucessful have anything to do with the quality of the product? more power too them! I am more patient, I guess. I wouldn't dog the brand just because the other ones come in the mail faster. I guess I will buy try this infamous Ritasmoke brand, just to see what the hype is. But overall, I really like my blu cig. Its okay to like more than one you know.

 

[dragonrand]

If you want a quality product and you want the best, you have to wait in line just like the rest of us. I ordered my blu on Oct 17th and I am still waiting Content and patiently) for the best quality product.
I have not spoken to a single user of this e-cig who has said anything bad about it. Actually I know more than several people who switched from an ecig that cost them over $100 just because the blu tasted better when they sampled it. I've tried my friends blu and it rocks.
Also you have to consider that they had a major recall on their recharging pack and have to catch back up. I have been smoking for 10 years so I dont think that a couple of months of waiting for a star product like blu is going to really make a significant difference.
People should quit their whining and take a freakin number.
**Just for the record Cnet does not review electronic cigarettes**

 

[tinstar15]

The problem most people seem to have (myself included) with Blu is the long wait and the lukewarm customer service. There are at least 3 or four other companies out there that sell the L88b model for the same price. A couple even sell them cheaper.

The Blu, the Volcano, the Eko, and a few others are just "branded" model L88b's. Same carts, attys, batts, PCCs etc.

So if you have multiple companies selling the exact same product, how do you choose one? Easy...go with the one who kisses your .... the most. I like Blu for their ad's. If not for the ads all over isohunt.com I would never have known about these e-cigs and would probably still be smoking analogs. I initially ordered a Blu but cancelled after finding this forum and an alternative supplier.

I went with Volcano for having the things I wanted, in stock. They shipped it out the same day by USPS priority mail and I had it in my hot little hands in three days. The cost was the same as Blu's for the most part, maybe a few bucks less. I liked it so much that I introduced my friends to it. They had theirs in hand and were vaping away in the time it would have taken Blu to send MY original order out.

Volcano also had referral bonuses that got you store credit for future purchases. They now have a points based discount program like Eastmall that gives you discounts on your next purchase. You get points for referred friends, purchases you make, and a few other ways. Check out their website for the details.

Do some reading around here and Blucigforum.com and you'll see that there are alternatives to waiting on Blu. Blu's product is great, it's just the service that needs tweaking. If they get the lead time down and start shipping faster, I would probably get supplies from them too.