Advice on knock off purchase

[Angie Vapes]

Hi all,
Hoping this is the right place to post this and that it's an allowed question!
I'm a new member here, introduced myself a little bit ago.
I purchased an istick pico in desperation from a random smoke shop as I had dropped my ijust nex gen and broke the tank. I did want to upgrade the pen regardless.
I had quit smoking July 1st and was just a few weeks in. Very reliant on my little stick mod.
I'd been having issues with the pico for a bit, volts and ohms kept jumping all over, charge was wonky, dry hits, etc.
Took it into my original shop and he instantly tore open a brand new box for the pico and said "yup, you got a knock off, where the hell did you buy this thing?! It's dangerous" he showed me the differences in the lettering, the weight and even size is a bit off.
So I purchased a new mod from him, pico 25 (which I love!)
But I know when I go back to this other shop they're gonna brush me off.
I guess I'm honestly looking for some ammo to take in with me to state my case. Proper jargon and such?

It sucks and my biggest concern isn't necessarily over the money it's the danger in selling these to the public.
It would be nice though to get even half my money back. Or a credit, although I'm not sure I'd trust anything at all from them now..

Anyone had this experience offer any advice?

 

[suprtrkr]

(Sigh). You are not alone. Everybody has had that problem once or twice. Neither is there any sense in going there loaded for bear. They might not even know. Vape shops buy their stuff like that-- the low end stuff, I mean; not high-dollar custom rigs-- from Chinese-based "electronic malls;" that is websites who offer a quantity discount. There's no recourse for most of them; if you have a complaint they don't speak English any more. Most of them are just aggregators anyway, an advertising logo manned by hundreds or thousands of individual vendors who pay a fee to use the site and then sell God-knows-what to anybody with a computer and a credit card. FYI--and you can tell the shop this as well if you like-- the Pico is manufactured by eLeaf, a reputable firm if not exactly aimed at the high end of the market, and their products all come packaged in a box with an authenticity sticker you can check online.

I wish I had better news for you. By all means, go tell them the one you bought was a fake. If they're honorable people you might even get your money back. But your only real recourse is to become an informed consumer-- of some other shop.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

You should take it to the dealer who sold it to you. It's entirely possible that he was hoodwinked, too.

Show him this picture. Knockoff is on the left.

 

[Tonee N]

Angie, I would take the Clon-ico to the store where you bought it and show them it's a clone. 1- it's a huge safety issue to you and anyone else that has bought them, 2- The store needs to be aware that their supplier sold them clones.
Most stores are "all sales final" but you never know, they might give you store credit or the like.
Hth

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

 

[Angie Vapes]

I considered that maybe they didn't know.
It was in a display case open box. The box has the authenticity on it. My best case assumption was someone did purchase the real pico and then returned the fake unbeknownst to the shop..
But the longer I stare at this box the more bothered I get lol
The shop is shady at best, and I probably shouldn't have purchased there..

 

[rob33]

Angie, not to say all vape shops do this, but the owner of the shop knows the the difference from a authentic and a knockoff. It's reflected in his cost, and the shop should disclose if it is a knockoff. If they sold you a knockoff at authentic prices you have every right to get a full cash refund.

 

[Tonee N]

If possible try to buy backups so you won't need to purchase there. There are great online shops.(VapeNW, Eightvape, MVS, etc.)

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[Angie Vapes]

Thank you for the responses I appreciate the input and support!
I think I'll definitely go in at least to ensure they are aware.
I did pay full price for the mod and was very disappointed.
I was so stressed about not having a vape option with limited time to obtain one, I knew I'd buy cigarettes if I had to go without until the following day...

I do have an amazing local shop I normally go to, great helpful staff who go above and beyond. I'll definitely be sticking with them exclusively going forward!

 

[Angie Vapes]

You should take it to the dealer who sold it to you. It's entirely possible that he was hoodwinked, too.

Show him this picture. Knockoff is on the left.

Yah when my regular shop compared the two it was like your picture above, also the pico writing on the side of the mod was in bold where the other was thin.
Sorry this happened to you as well

 

[Winchester]

Hi Angie,
In 2012 there were no stickers to confirm the authenticity of the product you had to do a lot of research before you bought anything. Just like any other business you buy stuff from it is buyer beware. Always know what your buying.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

Yah when my regular shop compared the two it was like your picture above, also the pico writing on the side of the mod was in bold where the other was thin.
Sorry this happened to you as well

Heh... that wasn't my picture--that one's been going around the net.

I got taken a few years ago. Chalked it up to experience.

 

[NealBJr]

Not knowing the shop, not every shop owner is ran by a vaping enthusiast. He may just be wanting to get in on something he thinks he can make money on. He may not know. He could've been told it's authentic, and be sold to him as authentic.

I can't say, because I don't know the guy personally. As far as it's safety, it's a dice roll as to how well it is. IT could be fine, but it could be garbage. In either case, if you paid full price for it, then you shouldn't HAVE to worry. If you can get your money back, then do it.

...now, if I were to put myself in the Vendor's shoes.... If they don't remember you, it could be hard to return it. If they refuse to return it without them remembering you, then I wouldn't hold it against them. In their mind, they may think you're a customer trying to swap off a fake for one of their real ones. Customers do some pretty sneaky stuff, and they may just be looking out for themselves. Go in with your proof, and if they still sell the Pico, then show concern over the safety of their future customers. I like to try and stay optomistic if possible, but sometimes, you just run across a bad situation. Try to return it, try to inform the shop owner, and if neither of those work, then chalk it up to experience, and never shop there again.

 

[Eskie]

If you still have the receipt I'd go back and ask for a full refund. Selling counterfeit products is the seller's fault and they have an obligation to eat the loss if they got it on the cheap If they won't, and you paid with a credit card, I'd file a charge back with your credit card company. Selling counterfeit stuff is sorta illegal and you shouldn't eat the loss. Always check out the vendor before buying as there are all sorts of counterfeit stuff out there, particularly batteries, which can be a possible safety issue.

 

[stols001]

I agree with Eskie. And, I don't know WHY ON EARTH someone would be selling you something out of a display case, and I certainly wouldn't buy an unsealed product that had been on display, possibly returned (as you think may have happened) and fooled with by god knows how many people. That's just poor selling practice IMO. Whether the shop seller knew it or not, he sold you a DISPLAY product. Most vape shops will sell you the mod in a sealed box after you *examine* the display mod. I hope to hell he didn't let you vape it first, as god knows how many people may have vaped it prior, and you have NO IDEA what kind of hygiene practices that place uses, given that the guy did not know enough (maybe?) to sell you an inauthentic, or if he did know, it was deliberate.

I would certainly go back and be nice in asking for a refund, also noting that selling from display cases is not really kosher at all. But, if you get grief, I'd do a chargeback with whatever bank or card you used, and never frequent them again. I'm a fairly easygoing person and I will often forgive/work with mistakes, but if I buy something in good faith as advertised, and it's not what I got, I *may* become upset and then decide how many hassles I'm going to put up with before handing it over to my bank/CC company.

Best of luck, and I'm so glad you figured out your problem and now have a vape shop that you do trust!!

Anna

 

[Letitia]

The shops around here can't afford keeping an inventory of multiples gear wise. They need to sell a couple to replenish stock. To make their cabinets look inviting they have to open and display all gear. Buying gear unopened from a shop is privilege many vaper's do not have.

 

[Bonskibon]

You should take it to the dealer who sold it to you. It's entirely possible that he was hoodwinked, too.

Show him this picture. Knockoff is on the left.

Thanks for posting that. Had no idea there was a Pico clone and just checked all of mine. Thankfully mine are authentic as it's to late to return any that I have.

 

[Bonskibon]

@Angie Vapes I hope it all works out for you. Crummy when that happens.

 

[stols001]

Wow! Really @Leticia? I guess I'm lucky then, even the laundromats don't sell unsealed equipment around here, and none of the vape stores that are more reputable have tried to do that either, it's all sealed up and pleasant. With that being said, some shops are more limited in the amount of products that they stock, like selling mostly from one company, or something. Which is why I have purchased much stuff online (only partially financial, I'm as partial as the next person to the impulse buy if I really love something and want to walk out of there with it). Fortunately the vape shop I frequent most supplies only KT products, which I'm not a huge fan of, so I don't walk out of there with "extra" stuff. Of course, Tucson is the land of the vape shops (so it seems) they really are quite popular around here, with both the younger crowd, and the older crowd.

I've seen many a youth entering a laundromat *not* to purchase glassware, but e-cig stuff... It's kind of interesting and I wonder what legalization might have done for exposure of vaping around these parts... I'm trying to tread delicately here, but if you're looking for an incense diffuser or whatever one might call it, and vendors in those places are now stocking e-cig equipment, how it might pique someone's interest (smoking or not, we also have more Hookah bars than one might expect...) and they may get into vaping that way.

Now I'm feeling very lucky, because I would NOT buy something out of a display case unless it were heavily discounted or that vender were to not be selling that product anymore. Or be happy to come back once they were able to stock it in a box. I mean.... Would you buy a "display" cigar that had been handled, unwrapped, sniffed, maybe chewed on, etc? I wouldn't.

Well, there's always the internet. Not necessarily more reliable, but at least if I am buying an open display product, I don't know it, and I'll usually be paying less money... It's not hard to disassemble everything, put it back in the box, and then shrinkwrap it. I'm going to not think too closely about that idea right now...

Anna

 

[Angie Vapes]

Honestly I never considered the display having been tried out by customers. But I don't think that's the case as it wasn't assembled just opened. The tank was clean and coil was new for sure.
But lessons learned and I'm glad. As I am quickly becoming very much in love with vaping and it's stopped me from an analog habit I never thought I'd beat.
I have gained some experience and will definitely be better prepared going forward

 

[Carl2]

Well I wish you luck with the Pico 25 since I have one also, I hope you are able to get a refund on the knock off.