I love this vendor. I love their business model, I love their customer service, I love their product, I love their communication efforts, and I love that they work with every single customer to find their preferences. And all of this for a decent price, I think.
I've had issues when ordering, but nothing too extreme compared to some places I hear about on the threads. I just make sure I am there at 8am, and I've not made it in time before, trying to order as early as 8:30am, only to get the "We're closed" sign. But, I think about it like this: There's a German bakery that makes the most outstanding breads and pastries. You have to get there early, and sometimes, they sell out of many items. Most of the time, they sell out of their most popular items. But, their products are divine, worth the line, the wait, and the inconvenience. Ahlusion is not wal-mart, they aren't a convenient store, and they protect the integrity of their product by not offering flavor shots, I think. Don't get me wrong, I like flavor shots, in some juices. But, not every juice can withstand that modification when we have no clue of the exact recipe and the tweaking that it took to create the well-balanced juices they sell. That's what they have - very well-balanced juices with ingredients working in harmony. But, they do, in an indirect way, offer the option of flavor shots with the personal flavor profile.
I know I have been frustrated too as a new, beginning customer. And I am still working my way through the choices, providing useful feedback, and understanding just what kind of vendor they are (my first purchase was in May, I believe).
It's worth it and I can't imagine anyone thinking it's not if they take the leap of faith and try them out. I read that someone had an issue with a wrong order that took a long time to arrive. I don't blame someone for their frustration there, but I truly have only heard of that happening one other time. Mistakes happen, that's part of life, right?
The best thing about them, I think, is that they don't cater to a small fan base while ignoring the new people who are also curious. I know this has been my experience anyway. I have heard of and seen and experienced first hand those vendors that will leave you out in the cold if you are not a part of that fan base. I really like this company. They are straight forward, honest, consistent for the most part, diligent, and not looking to be like many other vendors out there. I respect that.
Okay, I've ranted enough; sorry for all that, but I really like this vendor (in case it wasn't obvious).
* P.S. The only juice I have been disappointed in is the Ron Effect. I let it steep for a month, and now it's a completely different juice. Mango Lassi is truly manna from heaven, and Smooth Criminal knocks my socks off.
EDIT ~
I wanted to add their positives:
1) Great, well-balanced and complex flavors. Unique, but not bizarre flavors.
2) A changing menu so you don't get bored with their selections
3) A free 10ml sample with $20 purchased. As someone else mentioned, that size of a sample is rare and is more like a free bottle than a free sample. You choose your sample flavor, too. They don't just randomly toss in some unpopular flavor or one that was made however long ago and they are just getting rid of it that way.
4) They package their items well. This may not matter to some, but they do well in this area as well. They ship in a box, not a padded envelope. so your juices won't get destroyed in the shipping process. I like the Ahlusion sticker they put on the outside ziplock - okay, this is corny, but I like the added touch.
5) I love their website. It's easy to navigate for the most part, well thought out in design, the pictures match the flavors well and are aesthetically pleasing (another corny point, but I've seen some websites that provide a visual queue that makes me not want to order that particular flavor), they have the wish list option for future orders (This is a fabulous feature when you are trying to order - just create the list at your convenience, then click and pop those items in the cart when you are ready to order them), and if you create an account, you can put items in your cart and they stay there for a bit that I know of, at least - not sure how long). They also have the DIY mixing app which I hear is one of the best out there, though I can't attest to that since I am not at the DIY stage yet. My only wish here is that they would provide better flavor descriptions. Vague descriptions are difficult to interpret and make it less likely I will order that flavor unless I have a word-of-mouth recommendation.
6) They have useful information on their site about juices in general. As a newcomer to vaping, that has been helpful.
7) They offer the XPress line of pre-steeped juices. This is a huge plus to me.
