Do Not Order "Free Trials"!!!

[erischilde]

good warning! thanks.

one should *always* be wary of free things involving your CC number... this applies to the world of PV's all the way to skittles.. always check the fine print for recurring costs. N*tflix, w*rld of w*rcr*ft, video rental companies.... your CC is your responsibilty, ever vigiliant!

 

[Brian Dortch]

thnakyou

10chars

 

[cheymike]

Thanks for the heads up on the free ads. I've already started getting them in my email and that is just from visiting a few sites and buying from one.
Now if I had just found this forum before I bought from a mall kiosk! LOL! (smoke 51 is an ok way to get started, but damned expensive considering what I've found since joining here)

 

[megacig]

Before finding the site i got mine from, my friend had fallen for 2 of those free starter kits, all recurring billing 39.99-69.99! for a handful of cartridges haha, wow he was angry. The kit that I got came with tons of stuff, one time payment, no complaints!

 

[AngeLsLuv]

Just gives e-ciggies a bad name...

 

[Hermione Fox]

Thanks for posting, I was planning to order free trials...Lucky find your words before the final decision.

 

[BertTheErt]

Hi there; I'm VERY new to vaping (like two weeks), and I'm glad of your post; I've noticed that over the last month or
so, there have been at least three PV's advertised on late-night television here (I live in Portland, OR), and two of those
are offering "free" e-cigs. When I was researching e-cigs, I'd make a note of their product name, then search it out. These
companies tend to have extremely vague websites; a lot of "testimonials", and if they mention the "free" offer at all, it's
generally along the lines of if you get the cartridges (upwards of $90.00 for 20 of them), they'll "give" you the PV. Oh, and don't
forget shipping (another ten-fifteen bucks or so, no matter where it's coming from). They say the PV is worth $130.00,
but the kit they'll offer is cheezy--only one battery/charger, and if you're lucky, a carrying (not portable charging) case. I'm
leery of ANY website that won't list prices and insists you call the toll-free number mentioned in their ads. Hard-sell for DAYS!
One operator browbeat me over being a smoker, when I told him I was just researching their product and didn't intend to make
a purchase just yet. Thanks for your post, and I too hope that folks benefit from the heads-up. I'm glad I found this site! ;oD

 

[xg4bx]

they're branching out, i heard an ad for one on opie&anthony on satellite radio yesterday.


anybody have any idea who funds these things? this media blitz requires a pretty big bank account.

 

[eagleshadow]

I hope I'm not breaking any rules here, but here's a link to something that looks too good to be true; like a fish, I ordered it, thinking it was only a promotion or something, and it may well be, but if others know anything about this, please let me know.
Health News Report - Electronic Cigarette Review
Thanks. (Ad is at the bottom of page)

 

[eagleshadow]

Yeah, that's exactly what it is. Link to their "Terms" below:
Directecig Electronic Cigarette Terms and Conditions

 

[DC2]

I hope I'm not breaking any rules here, but here's a link to something that looks too good to be true; like a fish, I ordered it, thinking it was only a promotion or something, and it may well be, but if others know anything about this, please let me know.
Health News Report - Electronic Cigarette Review
Thanks. (Ad is at the bottom of page)

That is EXACTLY the kind of scam this thread is about.

Read the terms and conditions on how to return it, and make sure you do it right or you'll get hit for even more money.
They are already going to charge you a $10 restocking fee, and $7.50 for each cartridge you open.

 

[parisbabe]

I fell for it just researching the idea to see if i could afford it. I tried it for one day and sent it back immediatley!!!! Not only was it inferior but it was costly!!! They were going to charge me $40 dollars a month for cartriage refills weather i needed them or not. When i called to get return info they tried to keep me by offering a $20 monthly plan. I rejected it thinking there was a great place like this that just sold the components. Glad i found MadVapes!!!!

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).

 

[leatherman]

Good advice. Everyone has heard this "nothing in life is free" and this is generally true.

 

[novice]

good info. since I am one of the few(only) people at my college that uses ecigs instead of real ones, i tend to be the go to guy. I have been asked multiple times by various people on what my opinion was on the ones they are offering for free on the tv ads. it wasnt until last week I actually seen the adds they were talking about. Tuned in with eagle eyes towards the screen, I watched the ad and quickly realised what a scam these people were running. Sure it may be "free" but you have to join their "community" by agreeing to a monthly membership that includes a monthly shipment of more cartriges. Which of course you are forced into automatically paying for them. It really gets under my skin because a recent add is advertising you can smoke them anywhere, including stores, resturaunts movie theaters ect. since there is no governing law against them. While this is true, their attitude towards it is going to be the downfall to the ecig community. Personally I do not vape inside of public buildings and i treat it just like a real cigarette because its not only respectful towards everyone around me, but if people start vapeing indoors and the complaints start racking up, the government will have no other choice other than to start regulating them.

 

[novice]

I fell for it just researching the idea to see if i could afford it. I tried it for one day and sent it back immediatley!!!! Not only was it inferior but it was costly!!! They were going to charge me $40 dollars a month for cartriage refills weather i needed them or not. When i called to get return info they tried to keep me by offering a $20 monthly plan. I rejected it thinking there was a great place like this that just sold the components. Glad i found MadVapes!!!!

even at 20$ monthly the price is insane, I have a large bottle of juice i have been using at a moderate to high level daily for 5months now that cost me 10$. tbh unless your chain vapeing or trying new flavors i dont see it even remotely possible to hit the 20$ a month mark for juice.

 

[parisbabe]

This is one of the scams to be careful of!!! Dont do it!!!!Sure they may charge just for the shipping but refer back to the lead-in post on this thread.

I hope I'm not breaking any rules here, but here's a link to something that looks too good to be true; like a fish, I ordered it, thinking it was only a promotion or something, and it may well be, but if others know anything about this, please let me know.
Health News Report - Electronic Cigarette Review
Thanks. (Ad is at the bottom of page)

 

[undertheradar]

They tried to do it to me, too. I saw this warning here a week after I ordered the "deal", returned everything, canceled my debit card, and they can't stick me for any more charges. Thanks so much!

 

[Jenn1181]

Those are typically a scam. Well, not a scam like the Brazilian bank scams or the "I need you to pick up my puppy at the airport, just wire me $500 to pay for the airfare" scam, but there is a catch. The catch is that you get a sub-par device for "free", but only when you consent to have them deduct an asinine sum of money from your bank account or charge your credit card for their "automatic cartridge refill program". My mom fell for the same scam by another brand. Thinking it was a legit news story she ordered one for my dad. His PV worked for thirty minutes and died. The cartos tasted like garbage and they're $80 a month for five.

 

[jbercegeay]

Basic rule of life, stay away from the words FREE OFFER

 

[mparker]

I agree, I have been seeing emails from a company called Prado that does exactly what is said on here and it gives legitimate resellers a bad name.

Never fall for that false advertising, be sure to read all the fine print before giving anyone your credit card information. I buy from a few really good online companies that I feel have Excellent Customer Service. Since almost every ecig is made and imported from China and then just rebranded I feel customer service is what will win in the end. I know it's important for me.