Desert Vapes - Defective or wrong product issue : Garemlin

[Garemlin]

Company name

Desert Vapes​

Date of your initial complaint to the supplier.

9 April 2014​

How did you contact the supplier

Telephone​

Ticket number (if you were issued one)

RMA 0024​

General nature of complaint

Defective or wrong product​

Briefly describe your problem or issue

I bought a Kumiho -iTank from Desert Vapes on April 4th, 2014. When I received it I filled it up and the thing leaked like crazy. Took it apart and made sure the head was tight. It was. I set it on a beauty ring on a paper towel. Came back and the tank was empty. There was almost 3ml of juice lost. So I called them and spoke to Sandy. They suggested that I try another head which I did. This time I filled it with water. It didn't leak immediately but eventually the whole thing emptied out on to the paper towel. I called them back and they had me send it in so they could check it out. Well I got another one in the mail. I filled it up and after about an hour it started leaking too. Lost almost half a tank. I called them up again and again talked to Sandy and she said they would only replace it once. Wow!!! What difference does it make if it the 1st one or 5th one. Apparently something is wrong with them. So I am out the $14 (shipping cost included), as well as 4ml of juice. I guess they have no problem losing a customer over this. I just started buying from them last month but have made several orders and referred many people to them. Well because of this I will not be a return customer, nor will I refer anyone. Pretty sad they are willing to lose a customer over a $10 clearomizer.

I also posted a comment on their Facebook page that was not remotely nast about this issue which they promptly deleted. Several others have also posted on their Facebook page requesting that they resolve the issue or they would not deal with them and those comments were also deleted.​

 

[Garemlin]

Follow-up. They replied to one of the posts on their page:

Your friend filled his clearomizer with water to test for leaks which voids the warranty. We wanted to see if we could save it for him so we replaced the coil and vaped it for 12-15 with no leaks. However it tasted horrible because the water had worked its way inside the base. We decided to replace it with a brand new clearomizer. Now he is having the exact same problem and wants a refund. I am sorry but we can not replace a replacement that was voided by warranty. We would love to help your friend figure out what is causing the leak. Vaping can be a very frustrating hobby.

Funny thing is I asked if I should fill it with water the second time so I didn't waste anymore of my juice. They didn't say not to. And how would filling with water void the warranty anyway. That is how most of us clean them. E-liquid is a liquid. Water is a liquid. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. And I never asked for a refund. I would have been more than happy with store credit.

Avoid these people like the the plague. All they are trying to do is trying to cover up a bad business decision by trying to point the blame to me.

 

[dshack]

DesertVapes Response:

Customer above returned an iTank to us complaining about constant leaking. Told him if the he felt is was defective to send it back and we would be happy to take a look at it and would replace it if it was in fact defective.

Funny thing is I asked if I should fill it with water the second time so I didn't waste anymore of my juice. They didn't say not to.

He did not ask us about filling the tank full of water to check for leaks. True, we DID NOT tell him NOT TO fill it with water. But we DID NOT tell him NOT to fill it with gasoline either which is also a liquid.
How is NOT telling someone NOT to do something make it OK???
Clean your "Tank" with water, not fill it with water and close is up so it can get into the electrical parts.
Anyway,
After replacing the trashed, water-logged coil, the i-tank works fine with zero leaks over 12 hours of use.
Felt bad for this guy so we sent him a brand new tank even though he had voided the manufactures warranty.
Calls again and wants us to replace the replacement of a 3-day Non-DOA part that is now over a week old.
Then goes nuts writing what can only be call Manifestos about how we screwed him, he'll never buy from us again, he's going to put us out of business, etc, etc, etc....
Starts spamming our Facebook page with trash talk, plus gets his friends to go in on it.
We block his account so he creates a new one solely to start trash talking our Facebook page again.

After all of this, we refunded 100% of his money, including shipping costs and told him to keep the iTank for his trouble

And STILL he goes about writing BS stories about us.

Four years in business, 1 customer like you. Sadly some people you can not please. Replaced for free with free shipping, then a full refund. Don't know what else we could have done. We take very good care of our customers and have for 4 yrs.

We wanted to help, you wanted to scream and shout over a simple issue. Enough said.

 

[dshack]

This is the full conversation we had with a friend of this guy. Just for the record.

Heather (Friend of Customer): Friend of mine bought a tank from you guys and it leaked - he complained the 2nd was the same.
Until you replace it or return it I suggest you stop blowing your own trumpet!!
May 2 at 9:55am

DesertVapes: Hi Heather! Your friend filled his clearomizer with water to test for leaks which voids the warranty. We wanted to see if we could save it for him so we replaced the coil and vaped it for 12-15 with no leaks. However it tasted horrible because the water had worked its way inside the base. We decided to replace it with a brand new clearomizer. Now he is having the exact same problem and wants a refund. I am sorry but we can not replace a replacement that was voided by warranty. We would love to help your friend figure out what is causing the leak. Vaping can be a very frustrating hobby.
May 2 at 10:46am

Heather: He asked you if he could do that so he didn't waste any more of my juice and they didn't say not to. How would filling with water void the warranty anyway??? That is how you clean them. Since he can't post could you please satisfy me with a reply - thanks
May 2 at 11:49am

DesertVapes: Heather, we never told him to fill his tank with water. It is my understanding after almost 5 years of Vaping that water + electrical parts like coils and bases do not take kindly to being dunked in water. The water gets down inside the connections and can cause a short. It was fortunate that this tank was still working but there was an undeniable taste in a coil when it has been cleaned with water. Like burnt wood or charcoal. True you can use water to clean tanks, drip tips, caps, cones and the like, but only use Alcohol like Vodka or Grain to clean coils and bases. Even then, it's not recommended and will void your factory warranty. In any case, a ecigs electrical parts such as coils, bases and batteries become factory void once they contact water. Same as your iPhone. Sorry about how your friend feels. It is America after all. We're all entitled to our opinions.
May 2 at 12:48pm

Heather: TBH For the sake of customer services and satisfaction surely it would just have been good policy to say "To hang with it" and just replace it with a final note that water wasn't advised and if it happened again it would be a null and void warranty.
Just a thought!
May 2 at 12:45pm

DesertVapes: Tell you what, I will be happy to refund his account $10. Please tell him to keep the iTank with our complements.
May 2 at 1:18pm

DesertVapes: Dear Heather, We have amended our warranty policy at checkout to explain, in writing, that contacting electrical parts such as batteries, coils, bases and all charging parts with water or alcohol will immediately void your warranty (per the manufacturer). This way, hopefully we can prevent this type of confusion in the future. Thank you for your input.
May 2 at 1:30pm

Heather: You are welcome
May 2 at 2:07pm

DesertVapes - Electronic Cigarettes: I'm glad your friend is happy now! We're here to please!
May 2 at 2:18pm

 

[Garemlin]

DesertVapes Response:

Customer above returned an iTank to us complaining about constant leaking. Told him if the he felt is was defective to send it back and we would be happy to take a look at it and would replace it if it was in fact defective.



He did not ask us about filling the tank full of water to check for leaks. True, we DID NOT tell him NOT TO fill it with water. But we DID NOT tell him NOT to fill it with gasoline either which is also a liquid.
How is NOT telling someone NOT to do something make it OK???
Clean your "Tank" with water, not fill it with water and close is up so it can get into the electrical parts.
Anyway,
After replacing the trashed, water-logged coil, the i-tank works fine with zero leaks over 12 hours of use.
Felt bad for this guy so we sent him a brand new tank even though he had voided the manufactures warranty.
Calls again and wants us to replace the replacement of a 3-day Non-DOA part that is now over a week old.
Then goes nuts writing what can only be call Manifestos about how we screwed him, he'll never buy from us again, he's going to put us out of business, etc, etc, etc....
Starts spamming our Facebook page with trash talk, plus gets his friends to go in on it.
We block his account so he creates a new one solely to start trash talking our Facebook page again.

After all of this, we refunded 100% of his money, including shipping costs and told him to keep the iTank for his trouble

And STILL he goes about writing BS stories about us.

Four years in business, 1 customer like you. Sadly some people you can not please. Replaced for free with free shipping, then a full refund. Don't know what else we could have done. We take very good care of our customers and have for 4 yrs.

We wanted to help, you wanted to scream and shout over a simple issue. Enough said.

I love it when a vendor cries victim.

First you said to try filling it again with a different head. I said I was going to use water instead of my liquid so I didn't waste any more. I had already lost almost 3ml. You said that was fine. Filling it with water did not ruin anything. If you think water ruins a tank or a head you obviously do not have very much product knowledge.

Second know you facts. I had two FB accounts long before this incident. I made a simple post and question about your lack of ability to stand behind a product that you sell. You deleted it. I made another comment about you not liking being called out and you deleted it too. Nothing was mean, derogatory or spamming in any manner. I did not encourage anyone to post anything on your page. A few people saw my post on FB and decided to themselves. Nothing anyone ever posted was mean, insulting or anything of the kind. And far from spamming. I came on with my second account to answer the replies since you blocked my other account. And I think it is funny how you doctored everything up by deleting certain posts to make yourself look good. What you call trash talk was me defending myself. I never trash talked at all. I stated the truth and you didn't like it. Yup I have screen caps of everything that was posted.

And it took all of that back and forth BS for you to refund my money. Which by that point I didn't even want and didn't even realize was done for a few weeks. This does not have anything to do with the money. It is the principal of it. I was a fairly new customer of yours but in a months time made several orders and referred countless people to you. That apparently didn't count for anything. You said you wanted to help but basically said I was SOL.

I'm not going on about anything. As far as I am concerned this matter was done and over with. This post was made a month ago. I have not posted anything about this matter since.

Anyone is more than welcome to review my posts on a few groups on FB. Far from screaming or ranting. Exaggerate much???

 

[dshack]

Yes, I am the one exaggerating. I'm just trying to make a living here, not screw customers. 99% of which are thrilled with our customer service. But we can not be expected to replace tanks that people put water into and then do not exhibit any form of defect under testing! Get over it. You ruined your tank, we gave you a new one. We should have told you were SOL, but didn't want to piss off a what I thought was a good customer at the time. You called my employee a week later on the replacement product that only has a 3 day warranty and want another replacement for the same problem we did not find the first tank you sent back. What's the chance that your second new tank was defective with the exact same problem as the first tank that was found NOT to be defective? Before I could even get involved as an owner to try and resolve the issue, you're spewing trash all over our Facebook page and getting your friends involved too. Normal people do not act like that.

 

[Garemlin]

This is the full conversation we had with a friend of this guy. Just for the record.

What relevance this has to the issue is beyond me. That was an acquaintance in a vape group on FB. She took it upon herself to post. And again you let it drag out to all of this before you decided to refund my money.

And for the record why not post the other comments that others took it upon themselves to make. Nothing derogatory or negative. Just questioning your reasoning. Oh you can't because you deleted those too. SMH

 

[Garemlin]

Yes, I am the one exaggerating. I'm just trying to make a living here, not screw customers. 99% of which are thrilled with our customer service. But we can not be expected to replace tanks that people put water into and then do not exhibit any form of defect under testing! Get over it. You ruined your tank, we gave you a new one. We should have told you were SOL, but didn't want to piss off a what I thought was a good customer at the time. You called my employee a week later on the replacement product that only has a 3 day warranty and want another replacement for the same problem we did not find the first tank you sent back. What's the chance that your second new tank was defective with the exact same problem as the first tank that was found NOT to be defective? Before I could even get involved as an owner to try and resolve the issue, you're spewing trash all over our Facebook page and getting your friends involved too. Normal people do not act like that.

You are delusional. I didn't spew any trash. I stated the truth and had the proof to back it. You just didn't like the truth because it made you look bad. And I did not get anyone involved. The people who posted were members of various FB vape groups. I did not encourage anyone to do anything. READ MY POSTS. Never did I encourage anyone to post anything or contact you in any way.

And for the record I called TWO days after I received the tank. Not a week. On the day that it leaked. I was busy on the day it arrived and didn't have a chance to try it out.

And you really need to study up on the products that you sell. Water does not ruin tanks or heads. Geeze how many times do we have to go over that. And you employee was well aware of what I was doing because she was on the phone with me when I was getting ready to do it.

Also I am not the only one who had issues with this tank. There were several posts here (that for some reason got deleted) that stated the same issue. Also on one of the threads in a FB vape group. When someone has an issue with a product and vocalize it, sometimes others who were silent decide to speak up.

I am well over it. I have been. You brought it up again. You are the one that needs to "get over it". Sorry if the truth hurts. But you and your employee are the ones who are spewing trash and back peddling.

 

[dshack]

You are the craziest guy I've ever had do deal with in 4 years. Good luck to any one you buy from in the future.
PS. I will not be checking this thread again so go ahead and ramble on some more....

 

[Garemlin]

Your replies say quite a bit about your integrity and character. Resorting to insults. Real mature. You just continue to make yourself look like an ... in everything you post to. Kinda funny. Yet also pretty pathetic.

Tap'd from my LG G2