Do Not Order "Free Trials"!!!

[3volve]

Also sank my teeth into one of those offer... thanks for the info!

 

[Skyhawk721]

To all new members that are thinking about getting into the world of PV's (e-cigs)...

Do not order "free trial" offers. Most of these companies offering so-called free trials are thought of as scams by most members of this forum.
I use the word 'scam' loosely, as they are operating under all the policies and conditions laid out in the fine print of their contract, so they are a legal operation. However, the shady practices they use qualify them as scams to me.

They will suck you in with the offer of free goods. Then, once they have your credit card number, you're hooked. After the 'trial period' expires they will charge your card for the device. Usually charging way more than the device is selling for elsewhere.

They will also start you on a plan to send you a supply of prefilled carts each month and automatically charge your account.

Many of these are selling inferior models at triple (or more) the cost that they can be purchased from one of the many suppliers listed on this forum. Do some research on this forum, and determine what model suits your needs best. Then make an informed purchase from a reputable supplier.

If you have already purchased and received one of these 'free-trial' offers, return it immediately! The trial period typically starts when they ship the product not when you receive it, so you don't have much time to act once it's in your hands.

Moderators: Can we get a sticky on this subject? It doesn't have to be this post, but this warning should be one of the first things prospective new users see. These scammers are giving the whole industry a bad name.

Edit Note: To anyone wishing to reply to this post and share their experiences, that will be helpful to others as well. However, please refrain from calling out any company by name. I would hate to see this much needed information have to be taken down due to posts that break any forum rules. I think just mentioning a company as a "free-trial supplier" is enough to cover all such companies. There are many of these companies out there now, and some even seem to change their name on a regular basis. The one that advertises on my local radio station has altered their name twice in the last 6-8 months, yet have the exact same script in their commercial (with just the name changed).

I had this similar experience with other companies and their products, so I steer clear these days, but this was some much needed info for the untainted consumer!

 

[JZacharias]

ty for the info

 

[Volgot]

Thanks for your help!

 

[darvin]

I was lucky enough to order a 510 and DIY juice kit to start.

 

[LiquidLover]

Good to know.....I would suppose this applies to free shipping as well.....

 

[V8p4Life]

hello everyone quick question here i ordered a hello 016 starter kit from cigparts.com for $69.98 Kit includes 2 batteries, 2 atomizers, 5 cartridges, wall charger, USB charger, 10 ml bottle of refill juice and juice injector now i seen many hello 16 kits that ran for 40 and 50 dollars but only included one battery... now for my question did i get a good deal on this kit or not so much...?

 

[DC2]

You got a very nice deal.

 

[highping]

Good to know.....I would suppose this applies to free shipping as well.....

I wouldn't say that... there are lots of reputable suppliers that offer free shipping with purchase.
It's the offers of free products where you "just pay shipping and handling" that you have to watch out for. They use the shipping fee to get your CC then you get surprise charges later when your "free trial" period ends, and the monthly purchases (you unknowingly committed to) start coming.

... now for my question did i get a good deal on this kit or not so much...?

Don't know much about that model (looks a little like an ego/tornado), but just add what the other site were charging for an extra batt to the 40-50 dollars they were charging for the kit and you would probably be in the same ballpark.

 

[V8p4Life]

don't know much about that model (looks a little like an ego/tornado), but just add what the other site were charging for an extra batt to the 40-50 dollars they were charging for the kit and you would probably be in the same ballpark.

okay so i did the homework and a hello 016 "spare" battery costs on average 20 dollars also doing some reasearch i did not find any kits that also came with juice and refill syringe although i have plenty never hurts to have more so im thinking i did get away with a pretty good deal! also highping the difference i found is hello 016 has a 1300 mah where ego (correct me if im wrong) has 700 mah all the reviews ive read about the hello have been pretty impressive with reviews stating heavy vaping ALL day long now going from a blu with 510 cartomizers and having to switch batteries every 30 minutes anythings an improvment. he he Now onto my next question i did read somewhere that this should be used with LR attys/cartos and i have all NR as of now will this be a problem using the NR attys and cartos with it?

and Dc2 i thought so too! and since almost every sight i checked were out of stock i hopped on these quicker then a fat kid on cake ( sorry for the horrible analogy ) but considering everything im a pretty happy camper!

P.S. anyone with any information on the hello 016 i should know or expect would be grateful since this will be my only ecig ive tried other then the blu Thanks eceryone and Dc2 and Highping

 

[DC2]

Now onto my next question i did read somewhere that this should be used with LR attys/cartos and i have all NR as of now will this be a problem using the NR attys and cartos with it?

You can use any 510 threaded atomizer.

Using a lower resistance atomizer is something a lot of people prefer.
They run hotter than a higher resistance atomizer so it you get a bigger hit more quickly.

Some people (like me) don't like them because it makes their juice taste kinda burnt sometimes.
But some people say it makes a lot of their juices taste better.

 

[ABS]

Love my LR atty's.... great throat hit and tones of vapor... why they work on my 5v mod though?

 

[DC2]

Love my LR atty's.... great throat hit and tones of vapor... why they work on my 5v mod though?

They will work, but it's too much power and it will almost certainly make your juice taste burnt.
And it's also too much power such that it will be very easy to blow your atomizer.

Check out this chart, noting that any resistance/voltage combination that falls into the red area is bad...

 

[adam1113]

I can totally confirm this. I ordered a free trial from GreenPuffer a few weeks back. I sent them an email explicitly stating that I did not want to be enrolled in any kind of membership, etc... they wrote me back and assured me it would not be a problem. Sure enough, I get hit for $49.95 yesterday. So I send them another email and they tell me that they will refund the membership fee but I have to pay $100 for the kit. So now I'm gonna have to eat 100 bucks for what's essentially nothing more than a crappy version of the 51. The cartos for this thing only last about a week before they taste like garbage and cannot be reused. What a bummer.

 

[Mance]

How about the banner ads on this forum site?

 

[Trips1103]

A scam just got me recently, but luckily I quickly caught on. Called the company, got an RMA number, and sent the kit back right away. Unfortunately, I had already tried it, and it most certainly was an inferior product. Terrible. Awful.

I didn't feel comfortable with the company not processing a charge on my bank card, so I contacted my bank to place a stop payment. I had already paid the shipping cost. I did not want the full price of the unit to be charged. Interestingly enough, these scammers are starting to hide behind bank paperwork, making it difficult to trace or track what they do. Usually a bank can place a stop payment on an electronic charge, but the scam companies are leaving out key company details that enable the banks to track them.

Sucks bad man.

Perhaps this company will agree not to charge me. If they DO, I will have the bank investigate and have the money returned to me. (the bank will do this for you)

 

[GaryC]

Thanks for the info, i found out the hard way.

 

[BTM]

I saw ads on TV last night for 2 different e-cig companies...both aired during "High Stakes Poker". Went to their sites this morning...basically the same. You get 20 "long-lasting" cartomizers for $99 and you get a "free" starter kit (1 battery, 1 USB charger, & 1 storage case). What a deal!! You also automatically agree to receive 20 cartomizers per month, and will be billed at a "discounted" rate of $79.99 per month on your credit card.

 

[ledouxmike]

I sure am glad I found this forum. Much useful information.

 

[xg4bx]

I've been seeing a commercial for a new trial offer company, the smokers ally. I took a peek at their site, $50 each for a pack of 5 of the older style blu cartridges.

I'm glad that e-cigs are getting out there but damn, why does it always have to be such unmitigated rip-off brands doing the advertising?