B&M poor customer service.

[Rocketpunk]

Blame over-saturation of the market. B&M's are popping up everywhere. Smoke shops and head shops are now stocking vape gear and e-liquid (but those should not be considered "true" e-cig B&Ms).

It's competition, pure and simple. No one wants to be one-upped by the other guy, so they deny information in case someone is fishing and looking to under-cut. It's pathetic behavior, yes. But I can understand why no one wants to share pricing info over the phone. Me, personally? Yes, I do work in a B&M, and yes, we get fishing calls all the time (we have caller ID, they think they're calling anonymously), but we tell them the price anyway. We have absolutely zero fear of our local competitors.

 

[Oberon75]

Blame over-saturation of the market. B&M's are popping up everywhere. Smoke shops and head shops everywhere are now stocking vape gear and e-liquid (but those should not be considered "true" e-cig B&Ms).

It's competition, pure and simple. No one wants to be one-upped by the other guy, so they deny information in case someone is fishing and looking to under-cut. It's pathetic behavior, yes. But I can understand why no one wants to share pricing info over the phone. Me, personally? Yes, I do work in a B&M, and yes, we get fishing calls all the time (we have caller ID, hah hah, they think they're calling anonymously), but we tell them the price anyway. We have absolutely zero fear of our local competitors.

And I think I can understand their fear considering they want $4 for a single Nautilus BVC. I can't imagine what they want for an Atlantis BVC.

But yea. This B&M is in fact a smoke shop that is trying to transition into a vape shop. They are also the 7th largest tobacco retailer in the country.

And some of their practices are very shady. I've pretty much confirmed with Mister eLiquid on this board that this B&M is dilluting their juices since they sell them premix bottles for their vape bar.

The Mister E I have bought from them does not have the same flavor consistency as what I bought straight from the company. They have also by mistake filled some of their sample tanks with the flavorless base they are using to mix in place of zero nic base that Mister E sells them.

Sent from my HTC One M8 Harmon/Kardon edition

 

[Tangaroav]

I would not do business with a store refusing to give me the price of an item I want to buy. ( Where the law does not prohibit it). It is the behavior of someone not worthy of my trust.

 

[Rocketpunk]

It is the behavior of someone not worthy of my thrust.

Glorious auto-correct.

 

[NOVA jon]

Glorious auto-correct.

That.is.funny!

 

[Rocketpunk]

And I think I can understand their fear considering they want $4 for a single Nautilus BVC. I can't imagine what they want for an Atlantis BVC.

But yea. This B&M is in fact a smoke shop that is trying to transition into a vape shop. They are also the 7th largest tobacco retailer in the country.

And some of their practices are very shady. I've pretty much confirmed with Mister eLiquid on this board that this B&M is dilluting their juices since they sell them premix bottles for their vape bar.

The Mister E I have bought from them does not have the same flavor consistency as what I bought straight from the company. They have also by mistake filled some of their sample tanks with the flavorless base they are using to mix in place of zero nic base that Mister E sells them.

Sent from my HTC One M8 Harmon/Kardon edition

$4 for a Nautilus coil is actually pretty standard for a B&M. $5 for Atlantis coils also seems to be the norm.

I still cannot wrap my skull around the hate for B&M's on this forum. So, so, so, so much hate here. I just don't get it. I've been to many B&Ms across three states and I've never once had a bad encounter. And I even work in one. I still think a lot of the hate comes from people who don't have access to legit B&M's. They're confusing smoke shops (which have ALWAYS been shady, in my opinion) and head shops (they don't need to hide being shady, they wear it on their sleeves) with actual legitimate B&Ms.

By nature, an employee of a smoke or head shop knows blank all about e-cigs, tanks, etc., their quirks, how to fix them in a tight spot. They're not vapers, they don't care, they just sell the stuff and want to make an easy buck. People come into our B&M all the time blaming us for junk they bought from some dingy smoke or head shop, or a flea market booth, thinking WE made the stuff.

The only piece of advice I can give is, just like a restaurant or anything else that may give sub-par service, don't go back there. Ever. For any reason. Why would you? I'm sorry if your town lacks a decent "true" B&M, but they are out there. But this forum, for whatever reason, just loves to hate on B&Ms. I still find it baffling.

And it can all be solved by simply not going there. Not paying their prices.

 

[RandyF]

I have been to all the shops in my area, but there is one, Offbeat and Unique, that is head and shoulders above the rest. Not only is it the most inviting, professionally set up shop I have walked into, but the husband and wife that run it are very knowledgeable and very helpful. They carry authentic gear and supplies for the same, or near the same, you pay online. Their ProVari's and VS rDNA40's are the same price you pay from the vendor. This place is a complete 180 degrees from anything I have seen. If you are in the Gilbert, AZ area I highly recommend you stop in and check them out. Anyone reading this that has a shop, or is thinking about opening one, this is how you do it. There are 4 shops closer to me, but I will go out of my way to give them my business.

 

[Oberon75]

$4 for a Nautilus coil is actually pretty standard for a B&M. $5 for Atlantis coils also seems to be the norm.

I still cannot wrap my skull around the hate for B&M's on this forum. So, so, so, so much hate here. I just don't get it. I've been to many B&Ms across three states and I've never once had a bad encounter. And I even work in one. I still think a lot of the hate comes from people who don't have access to legit B&M's. They're confusing smoke shops (which have ALWAYS been shady, in my opinion) and head shops (they don't need to hide being shady, they wear it on their sleeves) with actual legitimate B&Ms.

By nature, an employee of a smoke or head shop knows blank all about e-cigs, tanks, etc., their quirks, how to fix them in a tight spot. They're not vapers, they don't care, they just sell the stuff and want to make an easy buck. People come into our B&M all the time blaming us for junk they bought from some dingy smoke or head shop, or a flea market booth, thinking WE made the stuff.

The only piece of advice I can give is, just like a restaurant or anything else that may give sub-par service, don't go back there. Ever. For any reason. Why would you? I'm sorry if your town lacks a decent "true" B&M, but they are out there. But this forum, for whatever reason, just loves to hate on B&Ms. I still find it baffling.

And it can all be solved by simply not going there. Not paying their prices.

It shouldn't be baffling though because most of these B&M's do in fact suck.

Dilluting liquids while giving reputable juice companies a bad name.

Selling clones as Authentic

Talking brand new vapors who have never even used an eGo before into mechs while selling them shady batteries and telling them nothing about safety.

And then there is the liquor store type customer service.

People who have good ones should consider themselves lucky. It's even more pathetic that almost every time I'm there, I'm the one who ends up helping new vapors because the workers don't know what they are talking about. And the really sad thing is, I've only been doing this since Oct.

Sent from my HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon edition

 

[jonnychadootz]

That's a damn shame when I hear a B&M has ....e customer service (not very bright of them) To my local B&M's credit, their prices for hardware are what I would consider ridiculous. However, their service is rather excellent. With knowledgeable and courteous staff, a juice bar (to try all the juices they have) not to mention they have a gear repair shop (that I personally don't have need of) but it's still pretty cool and a nice place to hang for a bit and babble about vaping They are also open from 11am - 11pm (Mon - Sat) which is great if I run out of juice and didn't (for some various reason) order juice on the inter-tubes. They also have a house blend juice that I really like.

 

[Rocketpunk]

Sorry you've had bad experiences. What you've described are symptoms of fly-by-nights. They will fail, don't worry. Next year I bet they won't even be around. (If they're smoke shops, they'll still be around).

The ones that excel at customer service, provide an adequate or above adequate knowledge base, and actually know what they are talking about will survive.

 

[Oberon75]

Sorry you've had bad experiences. What you've described are symptoms of fly-by-nights. They will fail, don't worry. Next year I bet they won't even be around. (If they're smoke shops, they'll still be around).

The ones that excel at customer service, provide an adequate or above adequate knowledge base, and actually know what they are talking about will survive.

Here's the thing though. They are a very large tobacco chain as well and have more stores in my area then there are 7-11's.

And before getting into vaping, I was using RYO tobacco. I used to sit and BS with the owner of another tobacco store who was much more friendly and had far better prices. But because of their multiple stores and advertising, he had to close shop in under a year. We had a few discussions about this particular chain and he told me how impossible it was to compete.

Then there is another chain down the street which is great for tobacco but not so great with vaping products. I keep explaining to them they need to dump the Chinese juice line their distributor has them sucked into and go with some reputable vendors. They are slowly getting better products however their main line is still this really bad brand they seem to have invested heavily in.

Here's what's funny though. Not only does this other chain have a pretty big store right around the block but they also opened up a smaller store, less then a quarter mile down in the exact same strip mall this other store I was just talking about with the intention of putting them under.

Sent from my HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon edition

 

[Rocketpunk]

Eh, Seems like typical business owner behavior to me.

 

[inspects]

I called two different ones just to get a price on coils. Both refused to give me a price. Its due to competition, they claim. But what about customer service? That apparently doesn't matter in this market? And this is only one of many problems I've had with these B&M's

It's especially lame considering I have spent over $500 in the one store over the past three months. The one guy I talked to even recognised my voice but still claimed he was not allowed to give me a price.

Dealing with online vendors, I have received some of the best customer service ever which has even included personalized, hand written thank you notes for my purchase. And never do I need to build an order before knowing a price. But dealing with a B&M feels more like dealing with an arms dealer. Do they not realize that we are who keeps them in business? Instead they think they are doing us the favor. At least the ones I've dealt with anyway.

I hear you, I've experienced similar situations with the B&M shops, they need to get their acts straightened out, or few will remain in business.

Personally, I stopped going to the shop only a couple miles from my house, poor service, most common items out of stock, I have no idea how they make any money, even their juice is crappy.

 

[Feignix]

I just wanted to comment to the ones who seem to think just because you buy coils, and they're cheaper online than they are in a local retail shop, that you "need" or have to learn how to and rebuild your own coils. I DO know how to and used to rebuild my own coils and even occasionally do. I used to be much more vested in vaping not only as a way to quit smoking but as a hobby. Then ironically I was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, which then made it perfectly clear why I had been so exhausted and battling fatigue more and more the past few years. On top of that, I have 3 children, the youngest which just turned 2! While I enjoyed rebuilding coils when I had the time and energy, I didn't always have the time. However, beings as I preferred dripping, and the Kanger Aerotanks had long ago quit providing a satisfying enough vape, I wasn't left with a lot of options I cared for. Then came the newer generation tanks, namely the Aspire Atlantis, right about the time I was diagnosed. I had already pretty much switched over to using a regulated box mod most of the time, after getting a Fatbaby from Project-Subohm, (basically a Segelei 100 watt), as I really love the consistency of the vape and the longevity of the battery life. I also like being able to "fine tune" certain juices for the best flavor possible for that particular juice.

I digress though....my point is, while I'd love it if there was a decent local b&m closeby, (there isn't), there isn't many decent shops an hour away.....I don't always have the energy or well being to be able to go out and "shop around" nor build my own coils anymore. I'm sure there are plenty of arthritic and older vapers who don't want to mess with them either, and now they don't have to. I love my Aspire Atlantis! I agree, that it's bad business to not at least give an idea of what they're charging and if they don't, there's something shady about them, IMHO, charging different people different prices is what comes to mind! I mean think about all the stores that "price match" and it doesn't hurt their business, and with what these b&m's are "overcharging" in the first place....and yes, having successfully managed several small business I started up, I understand all about start-up, overhead, payroll, working capital, etc. Not telling someone the price over the phone isn't going to stop competitors from learning of their prices, they will just either go in person and find out or most likely send someone else to do it for them. Another b&m worker even said it on this thread, any decent shop is not going to fear competition, which in fact, can help a business, especially something like the vaping industry.

Of the two b&m's I've went into, I've known more about vaping then both of the employees I spoke too, even the first time, when I was only a few months into vaping. This last time, when I went a few weeks ago, I accidentally set down a more expensive wooden mech box mod I own while I was checking out some of the gear, and ended up walking out and leaving it. We went from there to Walmart, which the vape shop happened to be in a strip mall on the outskirts of Walmart's parking lot and spent approx an hour and a half in there. I didn't notice that it was missing until we started out towards home and went back to the shop to see if it was there and it was thankfully. Here's what bothers me most though, because the service and selection of this one was actually pretty decent, compared to the other shop in that town, the only other one I'd been to. The employee informed me of and signed me up with one of their loyalty/rewards program at no charge, and even aside from that, just from making a purchase asked me for my phone number to look me up in the system, so they had it for that reason, as well as for the loyalty program registration. The first thing he said to me as he got up from eating his lunch behind the counter was, "I was just fixing to call you.", as he went to retrieve my mod. I can't help but wonder if he ever would have, had I not returned. Sorry for the long post, but that is my experience and thoughts on the subject and then some. The bottom line is we have to send a message with our money, and by posting to forums like this and leaving reviews.

To the people who think it unnecessary, why's is that?? Isn't this forum for all things "vape related" and to be able to share vape experiences with other vapers?? While leaving messages on a shops FB or reviews online might be much more productive, that's not always an option. Either way, I don't see anything wrong with another vaper sharing their experience, if you don't like the thread or find it necessary wouldn't it be easier to just "keep passing by" rather than comment so, just saying...

 

[Ablonz]

I guess I am one of the lucky people of many in my area to have such a great local B&M. It's nice being able to go there and bs for a while, rebuild some coils, get tips on what to use and they even help building and tweaking for my own liking. I have one that went to work at the other location that I went to on a sunday just because he was working there and bought some stuff (batteries, coil jig and wire) because of his wonderful customer service at the location he normally works at. He really appreciated that I actually showed up like I said I was going to because I could have easily just purchased the item at his main location while I was there.I can call and ask prices but I am sure it is because they have a website up with the prices already there. Just by not being next to my computer to look them up, sometimes I need to call. Sorry to hear of your experience though. I myself am a window shopper and like to go to the physical location and check em out even though they are on the internet.

 

[leong jenny]

I called two different ones just to get a price on coils. Both refused to give me a price. Its due to competition, they claim. But what about customer service? That apparently doesn't matter in this market? And this is only one of many problems I've had with these B&M's

It's especially lame considering I have spent over $500 in the one store over the past three months. The one guy I talked to even recognised my voice but still claimed he was not allowed to give me a price.

Dealing with online vendors, I have received some of the best customer service ever which has even included personalized, hand written thank you notes for my purchase. And never do I need to build an order before knowing a price. But dealing with a B&M feels more like dealing with an arms dealer. Do they not realize that we are who keeps them in business? Instead they think they are doing us the favor. At least the ones I've dealt with anyway.

Sad for them. How could they not realize customer service is one of the key factor for their success??

 

[BUDDY10]

I have been noticing a decline in customer service at a few of our local shops. Two in paticular. The employees have attitudes and are not friendly. With 10 shops within a 3 mile radius, great customer service is going to be the difference in which shops last and which ones don't.

 

[Oberon75]

Ok. So I kind of blew off this little mishap only to get screwed over on liquid last night that was on sale. I thought the bottle look a tad bit small but the coupon I had said 30ml and the guy working assured me it was 30ml. I took his word for it assuming the bottle was just a thinner plastic. After comparing it to other 30ml bottles I own, it is in fact less then 30ml.

It would have been easier for me to tell however the bottle isn't at all transparent and the size isn't displayed anywhere on the bottle. I also didn't compare it to the other bottles until I noticed it's rather light after only 6 fills in my Atlantis.

It's the bottle in the middle. That definitely looks like 20ml.

Sent from my HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon edition

 

[Oberon75]

And I did finally get a price on Atlantis coils. $7.99 each. lol.

Sent from my HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon edition

 

[Amraann]

Oberon, I just wanted to say that I agree with your original post. Their reply about competition is ridiculious.

Competition would simply walk in there and find out the price. All they are doing by not telling a potential customer over the phone is annoying that customer.