Bad Form, dietsmokes.com.

[mmkeebler]

My best friend and I were seriously looking into the idea of 510 carto's. This morning, I had linked her to the dietsmokes.com site and she asked a question. We were considering combining an order no matter what because we want to try them out. vaping is something we do together. So, we used the contact us button this morning:


The original 'contact us' question:
"I was all intrigued by your new 510 cartomizers...tossed a pack in the cart and went to calculate shipping. Um, where are you guys located that 5 cartomizers would ship to Florida for no less than 7.99?"


Paraphrased per ECF's rules the email went something like this:
A person from dietsmokes.com responded to the question by being abrupt and making sure we knew that they ran an actual storefront, the brick and mortar kind. They also let us know that it wasn't something run out of a garage.

In response we got a very unprofessional email while they claimed to be professional. I'll omit names but, the companies name is included.

I expected something a little nicer than that from a 'brick and mortar' store. I've had nicer responses from those 'garage' stores.

Not only does this make dietsmokes.com look bad, but now I am also wondering if I should bother with the other person who also worked on the 510 cartos. Will the experience be the same?

I've run a business myself. Flat rate shipping has always been my *go to* but, I've never given a response that pretty much said "Look, we upcharge shipping to cover the cost of our building." Hell, even if I had, it would have been nicer than what we got back.

We did respond to that email and we were promptly responded to. Their opinion was that it wasn't snarky at all. Just frustrated now. If he had sent the first email to begin with, it might have been okay.

So, I call bad form on you, dietsmokes.com and that's atleast 5 people that I know personally who will not be ordering from you. For one response.

 

[Mr. Mom]

Hi there,

I apologize if our shipping costs seem high. We use UPS and that's generally what it costs to ship a product. I know it would be cheaper to use a first class envelope or even priority mail in some cases but due to the volume of orders we ship, it is most efficient to use one shipping service. Yes, UPS is a bit more, but it is faster and it includes a great tracking system as well as insurance should something happen to an order along the way.

Thanks for your feedback. Let me know if you have any other questions about dietsmokes products or services.

Best regards,

John

 

[robw]

Ya, and for UPS that is an average cost.
Let me also say that USPS is also around $5. The cheapest method is around $2 which is first class, but when it comes to the ability to prove delivery nothing beats UPS. So from a suppliers point of view, there are more dishonest customers than dishonest suppliers. If a customer sees there was no proof of delivery they can dispute the charges and get their money back. So if it were not for all the customers using this to scam the suppliers you might get cheaper shipping. Just feel lucky they dont make you pay by money order like it used to be before people started to rip off suppliers.

 

[shanobi187]

the cost isn't what would have offended me out of that message, the lack of tact is what would have annoyed me. There is no reason to be rude about it. They simply could have said that the rate they charged for shipping is the average cost of a UPS shipment and left it at that. There was no need for that garage statement.

 

[mmkeebler]

Hi there,

I apologize if our shipping costs seem high. We use UPS and that's generally what it costs to ship a product. I know it would be cheaper to use a first class envelope or even priority mail in some cases but due to the volume of orders we ship, it is most efficient to use one shipping service. Yes, UPS is a bit more, but it is faster and it includes a great tracking system as well as insurance should something happen to an order along the way.

Thanks for your feedback. Let me know if you have any other questions about dietsmokes products or services.

Best regards,

John

Directly from your site, sir under the "calculate shipping":
Calculate Shipping & Handling Shipping Method Price USPS PRIORITY MAIL $7.99 UPS GROUND (1-4 Days) $7.99 UPS 3 DAY SELECT $12.95 UPS 2nd DAY AIR $17.95 UPS OVERNIGHT DELIVERY $26.50




My zipcode is 32333. This form says you do offer USPS at the same cost as UPS. I believe this is where a problem may lie as well.

If you had responded to the email with that explanation, we would have kindly responded that the site says you offer USPS. Instead, ... we got what we did.

 

[River]

The way to solve problems like this is to buy from the guys that give you free shipping. Yeah I know it's not possible in every case (damn you Tornado!!) but when it is possible that is the retailer that I go with.

Do I resent retailers that do not provide free shipping? Hell no cause retail is a tough gig and you need to recoup costs and offset overhead in any way you can to survive.

What happens normally in my case is I end up adding $20 to $30 in extras in order to hit that magic number I need to hit to get my free shipping.

The retailer moves more goods and i get a feeling of added value.

It's a win-win situation that I wish more suppliers would figure out.

 

[mmkeebler]

Actually, I was ordering Cartos for my Tornado.. or wanted to anyhow ;o)

We were looking for an explanation like: Oh, we're located in Canada so shipping to the US can be a little pricey. That would have been very acceptable.

Shanobi hit the nail on the head pretty much. It was just a quick, abrupt answer with no tact IMHO. It wasn't that it costs 7.99 to ship. I've paid more. We were simply asking why it was so much to ship. A basic inquiry that required only a basic answer "Oh, the website is wrong. We apologize. We no longer ship via USPS and for some reason, it's borking and still saying we do. We do use UPS. This allows us to track YOUR shipments better. That way, if your neighbor signs for your package, we know. And then you can hunt him down for your cartos ;o)"

Things like this, a little patience. A little more pleasant on the people skills. I am all about spending money on these e-cigs and accessories right now. Really, really. So,buying in bulk to get free shipping isn't usually an ordeal. However, I just wanted to *try* them first. Before I went and placed a larger order if I did indeed like them (Cartos that is). Just disappointing that's all.

 

[Blaze]

This is actually a good point, I've done business with vendors that seem like their going the extra mile, tell you they'll do something, and then you don't hear from them again. If you have no intention, don't blow sunshine up my ...., simply tell me "no". There is no reason a vendor (especially one that wants to stay in business) can't take a few extra seconds to be "nice".

 

[RIMP]

Actually, I was ordering Cartos for my Tornado.. or wanted to anyhow ;o)

We were looking for an explanation like: Oh, we're located in Canada so shipping to the US can be a little pricey. That would have been very acceptable.

Shanobi hit the nail on the head pretty much. It was just a quick, abrupt answer with no tact IMHO. It wasn't that it costs 7.99 to ship. I've paid more. We were simply asking why it was so much to ship. A basic inquiry that required only a basic answer "Oh, the website is wrong. We apologize. We no longer ship via USPS and for some reason, it's borking and still saying we do. We do use UPS. This allows us to track YOUR shipments better. That way, if your neighbor signs for your package, we know. And then you can hunt him down for your cartos ;o)"

Things like this, a little patience. A little more pleasant on the people skills. I am all about spending money on these e-cigs and accessories right now. Really, really. So,buying in bulk to get free shipping isn't usually an ordeal. However, I just wanted to *try* them first. Before I went and placed a larger order if I did indeed like them (Cartos that is). Just disappointing that's all.

www.liquidxpress.com has 510 cartomizers and EXCELLENT customer service I've prev sent a couple e-mails to dietsmokes with no reply so...I don't deal with them. There's other fish out there
RIMP

 

[mmkeebler]

OOo, looks like I need to paraphrase what was sent in the email. I'll get on that so it doesn't look like I'm a raving lunatic all the time. My apologies about that.

Blaze, I've been in the retail world long enough to know that "No" is totally an acceptable answer to things as well. As well as "I don't know." Usually it can seem a lot better if there is some small explanation. No, I'm not owed one. But, it does help with the people skills. When I shipped things out (eBay seller at one time), I would flat out tell my customers "Okay, it's glass, so, I've added an extra dollar to shipping costs to cover all the bubble wrap because it's very fragile. I don't want you to get it, and it be broken." ... things like this. Blowing smoke up someone's tutu isn't the greatest way to do biz either. Annnyyyhow.. Not trying to beat a dead horse. I have placed an order ... wiiithhhhh liquidxpress.com.

Thanks, RIMP ) I did place my order there. From what I understand though, the two companies split an order of these cartos. As for my best friend, she also placed an order there. And I am positive those other five will as well if I tell them "Hey these... yeps, awesome!" Which, I am really really hoping that this is my reaction to them.

 

[Mr. Mom]

mmkeebler,

I apologize for the confusion regarding our shipping methods and pricing and I will certainly take your comments into consideration and pass them along to the rest of the dietsmokes team. I'm aware that paying flat rate shipping on a single, inexpensive item can add a bit to the cost but calculating shipping for each individual product is a difficult prospect when dealing with a high volume of orders. Please keep in mind that we value your feedback and truly appreciate your business.

John

 

[mmkeebler]

Mr. Mom,
It truly wasn't about the shipping costs in the first place. I mean, the original question was yes, why is shipping so high. But the response we got was not kind. That's the point. Yours so far have been. I am going to assume that Parked is the owner of the company. He lost my business today as well as 6 other people's due to his attitude alone. I am sorry to say that. Especially with having a brand new product available and being one of two places that does have the 510 cartomizers.

You have been kind. Taken the time to compose a message rather than just shoot any old reply back. Thank you for that.
) You're an asset to the company that you work for.

 

[yanks21]

A person from dietsmokes.com responded to the question by being abrupt and making sure we knew that they ran an actual storefront, the brick and mortar kind.

Their site clearly states:

NO InStore local Sales we are a .COM shop only

That is NOT what is considered a "Brick and Mortar store"

 

[mmkeebler]

See, even for things like that, ... things change. I get that part. Truly. Maybe they haven't had a chance to update the site. Which is fine. But say /that/ instead of what they did say.

"Hey there, I'm so very sorry. We have been in the process of getting our brick and mortar store up and have not had time to update things on the site. We currently only ship via UPS now. The site will be updated soon though to reflect this. Our apologies for any confusion this may have caused. If you have any other questions, please do let us know!"

That took me maybe thirty seconds to type. ;o)

 

[Dredbull]

Hey first I am not defending nor condoning in any fashion..

I do front line retail in a B&M store and have to multitask like no one's business. I have been accused of doing some just wrong stuff like intentional damage, being rude and not paying attention.

We all have our off days, my regular customers understand the frustration level and are patient with it...

Stuff happens, short emails get sent or not responded to and it could be an off bad day for em..

 

[mode72]

I had a bad experience with Dietsmokes due to delivery issues. A few months back, it took a week to get a package Parked had shipped USPS. No fault of his, just a bad delivery on the part of the Postal service, particularly since it's literally 20 miles between my shop and Dietsmokes'. After that, I always chose UPS, and shortly thereafter I noticed that the USPS wasn't even a shipping option on the website.
A little over a month ago, I ordered an Ego set, and chose UPS (and paid for it!), yet my package was shipped USPS. After not receiving the package for a few days, I emailed Parked about the shipping snafu, and still haven't received a response from him. I had to spend hours on the phone with the manager of the post office, since they lost the package and it took them a few days to find it, and again it took me a week to get what I paid for. I consider myself a good customer, particularly when I've spent over $750 in 6 months at his store, and to just ignore a complaint like that is unacceptable.
I won't be giving Dietsmokes and more of my business. If they can ignore me, I can do likewise.

 

[doots]

liquidxpress has great service and sells these 510s cartos as well..

 

[markarich159]

Hell no cause retail is a tough gig and you need to recoup costs and offset overhead in any way you can to survive.

You've obviously never seen a Joyetech wholesale price list(just as one example). I have. Believe me, there's more then enough cost and overhead "recouping" being done well before any shipping charges are added. As the gentlemen mentioned previously, I ONLY order from suppliers who offer free shipping(knowing what the retail markup on these items actually is) - two specifically who also have the lowest prices I've seen. Even if wholesale shipping from China is factored in, we're still talking about triple digit gross profit margin percentages across the entire product line. This isn't a knock on any particular supplier or vendor, they are all doing it to a somewhat obscene extent(some more than others - I would assume to offset a perceived lack of sales volume). I can't speak for vendors who supply only non-Chinese origin products , however. Luckily, analog cigarettes are so expensive, there is still a savings and, obviously, the assumed health benefits.

 

[karmatized]

Honestly i see where both parties come from on this, but you have to factor in what kind of handling are you receiving. For example. I at times charge a buck more for shipping. But i can say that from the time i get the order its in usps system out of my hands within the hour.

Some people may take a day or two before they handle the orders, some are on top of it immediately.

As a buyer id pay a buck or so more for that kind of service.

Just if thats what they are trying to charge more for it should be changed and mentioned as t handling. or Expedition handling charge. or something along those lines.

 

[karmatized]

also all jokes aside but tape and labels cost money. the flat rate stuff is free though.