Focalecig ... A new Fasttech??

[Julie W]

I think it's only fair to give FC an opportunity to make things right first. I had an issue with something they sent and after receiving my pics, Doris had the problem solved for me and a replacement out in less than an hour. I did not have to return anything. This company definitely cares about customer service.

Can second this I bought a bunch of Mini X9s clearos & all but 3 turned up sans coils,after over 12 e -mails Doris has refunded me for all of them,she had a problem with the suppliers,but was really apologetic & couldn't wait to put the problem right.
Doris rocks!

 

[Nikkita6]

Aw I had a boo-boo with my Focale kayfun tonite I was sitting there imbibing the ol' red raspberry I put in there and thought hey my hand feels a bit wet and saw that the clear section had literally imploded and its like waaaah lol

Nevermind as I have plenty of steel sections lurking about and a couple packs of coloured glasses from FT coming in but I suspect this is what happened with my other KFL where the vacuum just got so heavy it broke the plastic, its weird as I ddn't put a citrus or a cinnamon in, must just be a design issue as after all its only a vanity thing and in full SS mode it works best I find anyways.

So, Nikkita will we see sharpie tags like "vape on people" and "Nikkita woz 'ere" all over the place? I'm afraid my only experience of America is really from the TV I do get nagged to go over there as an old friend owns a punk club in NYC and as another friend is moving over there to help manage it, I got two ppl nagging now lol

Oh dear ... and you're sure it wasn't the raspberry eliquid? I now that real raspberry is not really acidic, but perhaps the artificial flavoring used behaves like other citrus elquids? In any event, that sounds really messy Good thing you plenty to ss tank sections to patch things up.

and lol, I have never been one for graffiti, but if you run into anyone who "was there" I am sure they would remember me .. You should definitely to try make it to NYC for a visit, I am guessing your friends club is prolly downtown, either in/near Greenwich Village, or the Lower East side .. you would love it!

 

[Nikkita6]

Well... my Squape arrived today and it's DEFECTIVE!!!!!!!

The base deck where the coil mounts is shorting out internally. My ohms are jumping all over the place from 6.6 ohms to 0 ohms. It makes no difference regarding how I adjust the center screw on the 510 connection. In addition, the threads on the 510 connection have a couple of machining marks on them as if a drill or machining die rubbed against them gouging the threads.

I have an email into Doris as I type this... hopefully they'll stand behind their product. I DO NOT want to ship it back to China as that will be an expensive mailing from the USA. The least expensive method would be $23.50 via USPS International Shipping. That's more than I paid for the item.

This really sucks! Man, I was really looking forward to trying a Squape!

Oh well I'll wait and see what response I get from Doris at Focalecig.

In the meantime, c'est la vie!

Aww no! ... definitely sounds like a short. Well, you got the email into Doris, I have no doubt she will handle the situation properly, and make it right. But yeah, it still sucks to have waited for something you're really looking forward to, and its not up to snuff. Don't know about these Squape clones

 

[Nikkita6]

Thanks for the tips DelboyinDorset!

I received and email from Doris and she wants the order number (which I gave her in the original email) plus she wants photos?

How in the hell can one tell the unit is shorted by a photo? The only thing a photo will show is the muffed up threads on the 510 connection.

A website called bonanza.com has the HCigar model of the Squape, so I think I'll just order from them and hope that Focalecig refunds my PayPal account.

I won't hear anything from Doris until Monday now. Oh well... caveat emptor as always!

Addendum:
Also the product arrived in a wrapped in piece of bubble wrap. No box, or package.
This connotes to me that this is cheap piece of crap.
I can get the HCigar model from bonanza.com for $36.44 w/free shipping so that's what I doing after I finish this post.

I'm turning in a defective product request to PayPal to get the ball rolling on that too! ;-)

To demonstrate via photo that there is an internal short within the device, you photograph the Squape attached to an ohms meter, minus any build, and take a picture of the resistance reading.

They have to ask for photo verification of any defect, as does FT, its the only way for them to know that the claim is legitimate ... there are plenty of folks out there who try to con vendors (not saying you are one of them), so its necessary.

ETA: I agree with Delboy ... in filing a Paypal dispute you take the ability to resolve the issue out of the vendors hands, and they have to wait for a Paypal decision before they can refund you because the transaction funds become frozen until resolved by Paypal.

The other downside is that you now guaranteed that you will have to pay to ship the item back, as would be required by Paypal in order to refund you via a dispute, so essentially you will come out with nothing going this route ... so its really best to NOT file a Paypal unless a vendor is not cooperating.

If you had just let Doris handle it, she would have either sent you a replacement free of charge, or refunded your monies without asking for the device back, and so the only thing lost would have been "time spent".

 

[DelboyinDorset]

Oh dear ... and you're sure it wasn't the raspberry eliquid? I now that real raspberry is not really acidic, but perhaps the artificial flavoring used behaves like other citrus elquids? In any event, that sounds really messy Good thing you plenty to ss tank sections to patch things up.

and lol, I have never been one for graffiti, but if you run into anyone who "was there" I am sure they would remember me .. You should definitely to try make it to NYC for a visit, I am guessing your friends club is prolly downtown, either in/near Greenwich Village, or the Lower East side .. you would love it!

My youngest was born at the other Greenwich over here, I have no idea at all of the localities in NYC and its urbs, maybe when things are more settled I might wander over and see the country by train as I have heard the cross nation train services are like hotels on wheels

 

[Nibiru2012]

To demonstrate via photo that there is an internal short within the device, you photograph the Squape attached to an ohms meter, minus any build, and take a picture of the resistance reading.

Doris sent me an email and I do NOT have to send them a picture. The first email was from their "automated email" system and she apologized since it did p*** me off and she could tell by my reply email.

They have to ask for photo verification of any defect, as does FT, its the only way for them to know that the claim is legitimate ... there are plenty of folks out there who try to con vendors (not saying you are one of them), so its necessary.

Your point is moot since I do not have to send a photo now.

ETA: I agree with Delboy ... in filing a Paypal dispute you take the ability to resolve the issue out of the vendors hands, and they have to wait for a Paypal decision before they can refund you because the transaction funds become frozen until resolved by Paypal.

The other downside is that you now guaranteed that you will have to pay to ship the item back, as would be required by Paypal in order to refund you via a dispute, so essentially you will come out with nothing going this route ... so its really best to NOT file a Paypal unless a vendor is not cooperating.

I opened a case in the Resolution Center at PayPal... not a claim. When an individual opens a dispute case it is worked out between the vendor and the customer. PayPal DOES NOT become involved unless no resolution is reached, which at that time the customer may choose to file a "Claim" then PayPal becomes involved and makes a decision. Apparently you and Delboy have never read the process at PayPal to take care of a situation such as this. I have, and have used their Resolution Center several times, all of which ended satisfactorily for me. Only twice did I ever have to file a claim after no satisfactory resolution was reached and both time I received FULL refunds!

If you had just let Doris handle it, she would have either sent you a replacement free of charge, or refunded your monies without asking for the device back, and so the only thing lost would have been "time spent".

I am letting Doris handle it. It just wise to ensure that all the bases are covered. That is why I opened a case with PayPal's Resolution Center.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Progress of emails as follows:
1. Original Email:

To Whom It May Concern:

I just received today a Squape Atomizer from your company.

The base where the coil mounts is apparently defective. It is shorting out internally.
Ohms resistance is jumping all over the scale from 6.6 ohms to dead short, regardless of how tight the bottom center 510 connection pin is screwed in. The coil should read 1.5-1.6 ohms as I have built this type of coil dozens of times. In addition. the threads on the 510 connection look as if a drill or machining tool cut into them.

I paid for a good product that should work. What do I do now?
Mailing it back will be very costly to say the least.

Reference: Order Information Q31316738
Created on 3/1/2014 3:01:47 AM

What do you propose to do regarding this defective product?

Sincerely Yours,

First Email Reply From Focalecig (the automated one):

Hello, Sir/Madam,

Thanks for reaching us!

For order status: link
For package status if you have tracking number : link
No order number, please be patient, we will send you after receiving your request.

For product problems, please send pictures or video to better describe the problem so that we can shorter processing time after we back to work.

Please rest assured we will get back to you once we back to work on Monday.

Wish you enjoy your weekend!

My second email to them in reply to the automated one:

You have my order number and such. I have received the product and it's defective!

Pictures WILL NOT show a defective base with internal shorts!

Sincerely Yours,

P.S.
I am a Sir... in case you need to know.

Their reply email from Doris I accidentally trash canned... so I can't post a copy here. Basically she apologized for the confusion and could tell I was upset as shown in my reply email directly above.

This is the last email I received from her today... and they're admitting that they have had issues with some of these units:

Dear ,

Sorry for late reply. It is weekend in China, i can not reach my work computer during the day.

Regarding the problem, we should apologize for it. We assume this problem happened in a batch.

To be honest, we have gotten few feedback about this imperfect product last week. We are gathering exact problem of this item and negotiating with the supplier. We will give you a solution after we get back to work.

Please rest assured, we will solve the problem for you.

With Kindest Regards,
Doris

So as you can observe, nothing I have done has 'soured' the vendor relationship here and it appears as if they're going to resolve this in a timely positive professional manner.

I will await their response on Monday or so, as soon as I receive it I will post it here.

 

[mvroman]

Just an update from my previous post, these two are a great pair! Maraxus clone and v12 RDA, took about 2 weeks after I ordered to get to my house here in Texas. I will definitely keep buying from these guys!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

[DelboyinDorset]

I have used paypal dispute and resolution services many times over the years since 1997 or 1998 when I got my PP account, the issue with Vaporbreak is that they told Paypal that I was "fibbing" and that they supplied a tracking number and it had all arrived ticketyboo, Paypal didn't press them on this and refused to take it further despite my sending them a screenshot of Vaporbreak's own email AND in site statement that customs had immediately returned the items I had paid for, Vaporbreak closed down my account in the process and Paypal's advice was to email Vaporbreak and basically ask nicely.

I don't particularly care now as I have possibly cost them far more in lost sales than the pathetic $23 they stole from me but the way they went about it really rankles

 

[Cranky99]

I have used paypal dispute and resolution services many times over the years since 1997 or 1998 when I got my PP account, the issue with Vaporbreak is that they told Paypal that I was "fibbing" and that they supplied a tracking number and it had all arrived ticketyboo, Paypal didn't press them on this and refused to take it further despite my sending them a screenshot of Vaporbreak's own email AND in site statement that customs had immediately returned the items I had paid for, Vaporbreak closed down my account in the process and Paypal's advice was to email Vaporbreak and basically ask nicely.

I don't particularly care now as I have possibly cost them far more in lost sales than the pathetic $23 they stole from me but the way they went about it really rankles

I really don't count on PayPal to resolve things fairly. I think they just do what is easy most of the time. That or they have hired many people who can't read or evaluate a situation using common sense. Sucks that you lost money, but I'm sure you're right about them losing more in the end. I surely would never buy from them after reading your experience.

 

[ScandaLeX]

Just an update from my previous post, these two are a great pair! Maraxus clone and v12 RDA, took about 2 weeks after I ordered to get to my house here in Texas. I will definitely keep buying from these guys!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

That looks like the Trident RDA.

Sent from a BIG phone.....Galaxy Note 3

 

[Laylel]

Just an update from my previous post, these two are a great pair! Maraxus clone and v12 RDA, took about 2 weeks after I ordered to get to my house here in Texas. I will definitely keep buying from these guys!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

I so so so love look of this... oh boy, my credit card...

 

[mvroman]

I so so so love look of this... oh boy, my credit card...

It was less than $30 with their 15% off code!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

[Laylel]

You are killing me))) I just placed order and have no idea about coupon

 

[mvroman]

Let me see if I can find the place with all the vapor related coupon codes.


http://gotsmok.com/vendor-coupon-codes/

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

[Nikkita6]

Doris sent me an email and I do NOT have to send them a picture. The first email was from their "automated email" system and she apologized since it did p*** me off and she could tell by my reply email.


Your point is moot since I do not have to send a photo now.



I opened a case in the Resolution Center at PayPal... not a claim. When an individual opens a dispute case it is worked out between the vendor and the customer. PayPal DOES NOT become involved unless no resolution is reached, which at that time the customer may choose to file a "Claim" then PayPal becomes involved and makes a decision. Apparently you and Delboy have never read the process at PayPal to take care of a situation such as this. I have, and have used their Resolution Center several times, all of which ended satisfactorily for me. Only twice did I ever have to file a claim after no satisfactory resolution was reached and both time I received FULL refunds!



I am letting Doris handle it. It just wise to ensure that all the bases are covered. That is why I opened a case with PayPal's Resolution Center.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Progress of emails as follows:
1. Original Email:


First Email Reply From Focalecig (the automated one):


My second email to them in reply to the automated one:


Their reply email from Doris I accidentally trash canned... so I can't post a copy here. Basically she apologized for the confusion and could tell I was upset as shown in my reply email directly above.

This is the last email I received from her today... and they're admitting that they have had issues with some of these units:


So as you can observe, nothing I have done has 'soured' the vendor relationship here and it appears as if they're going to resolve this in a timely positive professional manner.

I will await their response on Monday or so, as soon as I receive it I will post it here.

No one, including myself implied a "soured" relationship first off, I simply conveyed to you how the process of opening a dispute with Paypal in the resolution center works, ... so feel free to put a pause on your arrogant emotionality.

No where in your email did you indicate to Doris that you had already opened a dispute with Paypal "to cover your bases", and being that it is the weekend, she will not be aware of this (if you in fact carried through with it) until Monday. So your last reply, including your email quotes, and Doris's reply to you is a "moot point", most especially in direct response to me, and my prior comment to you.

Good thing for you Doris is honest and upstanding, and knows that there were problems with a few of the Squapes they have sold. You indicated in your email that there is no way to show photo proof of an internal short, but that is not true, you can, as I already described and explained.

My initial reply to you was not combative, it was informative however, you come off very smug, and pompous in all of your comments regarding this situation, and therefore I am not at all interested in hearing any further feedback from you regarding your situation with the Squape .. so please feel free to REFRAIN from posting anything further regarding your matter. I couldn't care less how your "situation" gets resolved.

Most of us here know full well how Doris/Focalecig handles, and promptly resolves all issues regarding defective merchandise ... Bye

 

[Nikkita6]

Just an update from my previous post, these two are a great pair! Maraxus clone and v12 RDA, took about 2 weeks after I ordered to get to my house here in Texas. I will definitely keep buying from these guys!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

That is a really good looking set up! I didn't realize that Focalecig had a two toned V12 ... you chose right my friend, they look made for each other.

 

[artv61]

I have ordered from them also and received my order in 2.5 wks to the east coast USA. going to order again

 

[Nikkita6]

I have ordered from them also and received my order in 2.5 wks to the east coast USA. going to order again

Well what goodies did you order?

 

[Nikkita6]

**** FYI update *******

The Squapes .... I have noticed that Fasttech has discontinued sale on one of the glass versions of the The Squape, it appears to be the result of several reports of internal shorts, and there have also been customer reports of internal shorts with the polycarbonate version that Fasttech sells as well ... with both version it was in some of them, not all of them. The customers that received a good functioning device, seemed to love the Squape.

So my point is, the issues with the Squape clones are not just with the batches that Focalecig carries, so it appears that both Focalecig, and Fasttech may have been receiving their stock from the same supplier, or at least the same manufacturer of these clones. It sucks when this happens because unfortunately it is the vendor who takes the heat for these defective devices, when it is the manufacturer of them who is really to blame.

That being said, it appears that Squape purchases are a bit risky at the moment ...

 

[Laylel]

Let me see if I can find the place with all the vapor related coupon codes.


eCig Vendor Coupon Code Master List | UPDATED DAILY

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Thank you, now sure will check before i buy anything