Do you and your little "cartel" of FSUSA haters realize that the you're sounding like nothing more than a bunch of adolescent schoolyard bullies trying to intimidate the "A" students?
It does sound like that, in a way...
But it also sounds like something else too...
The "Bullies" as you have called them (or us, I guess), have been asking questions that are being ignored. WE didn't start this discussion... FSUSA did... Instead of answers, the Hype coming from the FSUSA camp is starting to look a whole lot like a remake of the emperors new clothes, except the emperor is the one pulling the wool over the eyes of the townspeople.
The FSUSA fans are free to be fans... nobody is picking on you. They are asking one of your suppliers some questions that are important to them. The Bullies are not saying you shouldn't do business with whomever you so choose, and you're free to believe whatever you like as well, but there's a few sayings that come to mind here, and I think most of the bullies know this:
1) If it sounds too good to be true, the odds are, it is too good to be true.
2) The easiest way to get people to swallow a lie is to sandwich it between two truths. IE... "The Sky is blue, the world is flat, the grass is green" OK, so 33% of what I said there was a lie, but you KNOW I'm telling the truth on the other two... if you don't KNOW the second part is a lie, you assume it is true, because it is right there with the other KNOWN truth.
I don't want to sound like the spokesperson for this angry mob. I don't even REALLY want to be IN an angry mob at all, because I have never even purchased juice from FSUSA, and it's pretty clear I never will at this point. But when I see things being posted by the head of the company, being presented to folks that I KNOW cannot be true, based on knowledge I have, then if I do not speak up, then I instantly have become a part of the problem. There is no room for me to be benign... I wish I could be... it would be a whole lot easier.
In all fairness, there are MANY questions that have been asked have been flat-out ignored. The lack of transparency here is reason enough for a red flag.
So how did I come to join this unsavory lot? I mean, after all, I'm a pretty well educated guy, not gonna brag about that, but it is what it is... how did I end up with the bullies instead of the A students? For me... The first sign of trouble for me was the boasting about passing OSHA inspections. Why make a huge deal out of passing OSHA inspections? The only POSSIBLE reason for that is
to use a routine inspection, required by ALL businesses that have employees, as a marketing tool... Your corner gas station has passed OSHA inspections too. That in no way makes them more qualified to produce vaping products than the craft store that sells boondoggle supplies, as they too, have passed OSHA inspections.
So for me at least, that was cause for concern. I work for a business that has passed OSHA inspections too... I seriously doubt we should suddenly jump from the exciting world of Military High Tech transition into making e-Juice even though we ARE OSHA certified! I hope you folks reading us will let that sink in... The ROTO ROOTER MAN has to comply with OSHA guidelines too... perhaps you feel that the guy that snakes your drain or empties your septic tank is able to mix up a monster batch of RY4 just cuz he's been OSHA Certified... it's actually preposterous to use that to build credibility.
Going back to look at the thread, FSUSA states "OSHA is not all about safety for our employees,
trust me they were all about safety for the people we sell to. That was important to us." And there is the lie... deep in the thread... sandwiched in many truths.
OSHA is about OCCUPATIONAL safety... Not the customers safety, and OSHA inspections, required by law, are NOT, and should not be used as a marketing tool. If the doors are open, OSHA is satisfied... nothing more, nothing less.
But the A students all congratulated them, making assumptions about what it all means, all while FSUSA doesn't correct them.
But when questioned directly about it... FSUSA slips... and answers "occupational safety and health is exactly that. safety of our employees, safety of our product prep
for the public."
Well... kind of... OSHA will be concerned about the product prep area as a safety issue for the employees. He's twisting the truth here, he's wrapped up in it at this point, and has to support why he bragged about this, in public.
FSUSA: "These are important issues not just for our people but for who we sell to. They have no standards for eliquid but
they were rigorous on our msds for nicotine, and our additives. Their care and concern is us and our pulic sales."
I can see why OSHA would be concerned by an MSDS... From wikipedia: "A material safety data sheet (MSDS) is a form with data regarding the properties of a particular substance. An important component of product stewardship and workplace safety, it is intended to provide workers and emergency personnel with procedures for handling or working with that substance in a safe manner, and includes information such as physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point, etc.), toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill-handling procedures. MSDS formats can vary from source to source within a country depending on national requirements."
You see, OSHA needs to be sure these are all on file, so if there is an issue in dealing with deadly toxins, such as nicotine, the emergency workers can perform the right treatment. In NO WAY is this for the public safety... as OSHA is concerned with OCCUPATIONAL safety...
FSUSA: "We welcomed them to come view our entire company."... Sounds good... but they had absolutely no choice in the matter.
FSUSA: "We are the first e-cig juice supplier in the U.S. to withstand such a rigorous inspection. This is good for you, and us..."
Are you really? I wonder if Johnson Creek has OSHA inspections? They seem to be on the FDA radar, I'm guessing they may have been inspected as well... I don't know... but even if it IS true , It is ENTIRELY about the safety of the workers... the A students do not benefit from this inspection .
And in that SAME thread... he states that now that they have been through the rigourous inspections of OSHA, theyare going to have "spectro-analysis of our liquids from an independent research firm so that is our next step in this industry."
That's all well and good, if the test he is having done even exists... I can't say it does or doesn't, but I have never seen that term, and if he WAS doing testing to see whats in the stuff, the correct test would be called "Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry"... Now, those in the know have suggested it could also be LC/MS, but I feel that GC is a better choice, because they should test what is present in the vapor... not the juice, and Liquid Chromatography would be a better use for Liquids... In either case... none of these terms should be called "spectro-analysis"...
And it doesn't actually matter, because any lab he hires to do the testing is on HIS payroll, and though I cannot speak for the FDA, I can absolutely say they will respect the work of a Federal Lab, and since Federal Labs ARE available for hire... why not use one of them? In fact, why not tell us the name of the lab he has hired to perform these tests with the suspicious name?
In my opinion, these tests may very well be the lie in the truth sandwich, and this is all too good to be true.
Do I question that tests will be done? Nah, I believe they will have the stuff tested, in some way. At this point, even the A students will demand it.
Do I believe that these tests will be certifiable in such a way as to benefit FSUSA in the eyes of the FDA? Nope to that too...
Do I believe this is being brought to light as a marketing tool? Well... yeah... I do, and I don't actually have a problem with that portion of it... let them market in anyway they want to! That's what these commercial labs are FOR! To be able to make cleverly worded safety statements that they can say are true!
And to help out the A students here, just because ARSENIC contains no Diacetyl, doesn't man you can run right out and vape it, but they sure as heck can put CONTAINS NO DIACETYL on the bottle!
No, I'm not part of this angry mob and I have nothing against the A students, other than I wish I could be one of them, But unfortunately I stand alone as a mob of one that is personally insulted by marketing tactics such as this, and I feel that it is absolutely irresponsible to market safety messages that hide the truth about other, more serious issues.
I feel that FSUSA is walking a fine line here, and behavior such as this only serves to draw the attention of the FDA.
Now, for the benefit of the A students, I have a few things to state, if you've read this far...
I APPLAUD FSUSA for opening a vaping lounge and expanding vaping to a larger market.
I APPLAUD them for building a business that has grown to the degree where they CAN expand their business.
And I Absolutely APPLAUD them for creating JOBS in a RECESSION... These are ALL good things. Incredible things! Things of which they SHOULD be proud...
But seriously... To FSUSA: Cut the crap! The A Students ALREADY buy your products because they love you. You're not making friends by advertising like this.
And as a final thought, I'll stand down if the questions eventually get answered and they plan on using a federal lab for the testing... I will absolutely respect THOSE results
I will ALSO stand down if the test known as "Spectro-analysis" actually exists, and it is a real term used by real labs, and not some self-coined marketing tool. Like I said, I've never heard of it, but I sure as heck don't know everything!
And beyond that, This mob of one, has said his piece...
If anybody wants to make this a larger mob... say AYE.. If that doesn't happen, I'm content to be the schoolyard bully, and the A students can call the principal on me for daring to speak my singular mind.
