How is MV's custonmer service when tested?

[hoogie76]

Great Feedback folks. Again, we're trying really hard to still have the best CS but sometimes it gets a little tricky.

For example, our carto policy is for DOA's only, yet prior, we had tons and tons of cartos returns, some weeks we were sending out several hundred because they claimed to be DOA. We started asking for them back. 99% of the ones we received back (that were ours and not someone elses), worked just fine and it was connection issues. It was costing us a fortune to send replacements and things were geting taken advantage of a little bit. So unfortunately, the no carto warranty policy was created. As you all know, there are so many variables with cartos -- resistances, voltages, e-liquid, filling, connections, etc.. So the DOA policy makes sense.

I've got a ton of cool excuses for why we mess up but believe me, none of it is intentional. Of course we're a business and need to make money but we're not trying to pay our rent on each sale.

We ran an experiment a while back and that was with eGo batteries. We ordered 1000 black, no logo eGo batteries and 1000 gold eGo batteries. At the time nobody else was carrying gold batteries. We tracked tickets over a few months or so and got tickets on about 30% of the black batteries and only about 2% of the gold batteries. These were the exact same batteries except for the color. When we had an easier replacement policy, we'd just send a battery out but it got to be too much so when we went to a policy of getting the battery back, we'd get this huge mix of batteries, some that looked as though they were many months old with paint scraped off and beat to crap. It's why you see now that we have a logo on most the batteries we sell. Our policies are not to prevent warranties and returns but to make sure that we aren't getting taken advantage of either.

It's easy to look at one side of the coin, and unfortunately, sometimes we're wrong in the choices we make with taking care of things but it doesn't mean we don't care. What we try and do is look at the products we receive and make sure they are quality products. We had a good amount of products here that didn't make the cut and we use them internally or for give aways or other things, but don't sell them.

30 day warranty is a real sticky subject for me but can you imagine what a battery or a passthrough could possible be exposed to after 30 days? It's impossible to warranty items that aren't like a toaster where it's intended purpose can't be modified. Again, lr atties, tanks, leaking, etc. There's only so much responsibility we can take for products that have a potential for suck a variety of uses. Are there DOA's and premature failures, absolutely but after a month of use, it's a real tough call.


Andy D, I'm looking into what happened with the problem on your roughsdtack kit and how it happened.

Grim, the answer you got should have been a little more verbose, like explaining that we've been getting our VG from the same source for over 2 years and that it is made from different crops and that the viscocity can vary from time to time. Does it make a difference?, not sure, but I hope so

hoog

 

[Striker911]

hoogie76 I get what your saying. Really it seems like people take advantage of loose policy and you had to tighten it up. My only hope is that vendors find a better way cause good people are now taking the hit. Passing the buck is not the way to go about fixing that. It only works for you and its not fair when people give money for product that does not work.

I have had no problem with MV and id like to buy from you guys exclusively but if I have doubts about the service after the sale id be stupid to do that. Plain and simple. You have to know im not the only one that feels that way and your bottom line is hurting because of that. If I spent $75 on an order and a $10 item was defective then your not out much by replacing said item at your cost. Keeping a happy customer should be the top priority so they keep spending money and chances are you wont have to replace things every time that person makes an order.

Its not hard to use your judgment when problems come up. If I have a problem with an item I just got in the mail then chances are the problem is real. On the other hand if a product looks abused and the time the customer has had the item is long then why not make the judgment call to deny warranty. You might have a mad customer but if they tried to scam you then who cares if they come back or not. What you should be worried about are the good ones your running off in the mean time. The bad customers may also still come back after they realize your in the rite and they are just .... heads. They should just know in the end that MV is not a push over. To punish 100% of us on the other hand is not the best idea IMO.

 

[siouxsie]

I'm with the vendors on the DOA policy on cartos. Most of the time it's noobs not knowing to let the carto saturate before using (bad taste) or either the carto pin or battery pin not making contact (both customer fixable). However, with Smoktech these days you are in a lottery with what quality they are making and shipping. And don't get me started on 3 hole punched cartos.

What I will say with MV service reps is that they are very curt when a little bit more thorough and professional answer would be best (ticket). I understand the volume you must be dealing with but it makes so much more of a better impression when reps sound friendly, intelligent (complete, coherent sentences), and knowledgeable rather than sounding like you're interfering with their text messaging convo with their girlfriend or boyfriend.

 

[karmakatie]

Ya know, I look at the industry and try to put it in perspective, I never got a warranty on a cig lighter and can't tell you how many I wouold nab from a gas station and it go to chit the nexty day, or get a carton of cigs and have a bunch of smokes that had stemmy tobacco and holes in the paper....one of the last cartons I purchased must have set in a warehouse forever, can we say STALE...well I didn't open it for 2 days, they do not refund or exchange PERIOD, once cigs leave the store they are yours, including if you accidently picked up the wrong kind, hubby found that out the hard way on several occasions, I have even picked up a carton once that was supposed to be menthol, oh the packaging and all was all coreect, but what was inside was a doozy, again no warranty or exchange policy.

Folks want thier ecig parts and pieces to last a long time for the money they spent, what do you have to show for burning up all those cigs...not a dang thang and niether do I except they cost me a pretty penny for what it did to my health!!

Ok...stepping off my soap box

 

[Striker911]

Ya know, I look at the industry and try to put it in perspective, I never got a warranty on a cig lighter and can't tell you how many I wouold nab from a gas station and it go to chit the nexty day, or get a carton of cigs and have a bunch of smokes that had stemmy tobacco and holes in the paper....one of the last cartons I purchased must have set in a warehouse forever, can we say STALE...well I didn't open it for 2 days, they do not refund or exchange PERIOD, once cigs leave the store they are yours, including if you accidently picked up the wrong kind, hubby found that out the hard way on several occasions, I have even picked up a carton once that was supposed to be menthol, oh the packaging and all was all coreect, but what was inside was a doozy, again no warranty or exchange policy.

Folks want thier ecig parts and pieces to last a long time for the money they spent, what do you have to show for burning up all those cigs...not a dang thang and niether do I except they cost me a pretty penny for what it did to my health!!

Ok...stepping off my soap box

I have bought tobacco that was stale and complained about it. You get results. Its the same with everything a person can buy. You get good after the sale service or you dont. No other way to put it and be accurate. I bought a pack of cigar cigs that cost $12 and they where stale. I called to complain and they sent me 5 packs, a pen, a hat, and a pack of matches in a collector box. My lighters where all bic and ive never had trouble with one other then it ran out of gas. If you never tested the service then stop making accusations. Like ive said. Your way of thinking is exactly the way a vendor wants it.

 

[karmakatie]

I have bought tobacco that was stale and complained about it. You get results. Its the same with everything a person can buy. You get good after the sale service or you dont. No other way to put it and be accurate. I bought a pack of cigar cigs that cost $12 and they where stale. I called to complain and they sent me 5 packs, a pen, a hat, and a pack of matches in a collector box. My lighters where all bic and ive never had trouble with one other then it ran out of gas. If you never tested the service then stop making accusations. Like ive said. Your way of thinking is exactly the way a vendor wants it.

First of all no reason to be rude, what accusations are you talking about?? I was simply stating how "I" deal with it plain and simple how you read an accusation in there is beyond me...

I have in fact had a couple instances to test the customer service as stated earlier in this thread, and last I know of no brick and morter smoke shop that takes return on anything tobacco related.

 

[Striker911]

I speak from the heart from time to time not the back of my throat. But when I do people always think im being rude. What can I do about that? Crawl in the corner and huddle in a ball, bow down and tell you your rite? I just dont like that way of thinking and its the reason most vendors that sell anything all over the world get away with what they do. Its the new standard and ya im tired of it. Not everything is easy so if I ruffle some feathers then so be it. Not my intention but people only want to hear what they want. Its hard to do that unless your the worm type IMO. No one has to agree with me. Im not running for office. I will however apologize if I was not the way you thought I should be or said something in a way that you thought I should not have. How ridiculous does that sound in a country with free speech? But its a genuine apology none the less, and I do appreciate everyone's input when its on topic and least seems true.

 

[D. Waterhouse]

If you are that concerned about your feelings perhaps you could take other peoples feeling into consideration before you post.

 

[Striker911]

If you are that concerned about your feelings perhaps you could take other peoples feeling into consideration before you post.

Was this directed at me? If so I apologized what more do you want? Want my first born? My facts are backed up with proof and if a person is posting things that are stated to be facts then sure I feel I should speak up if I know better and have proof to back it up. Thats the reason I even started this thread. Fact seeking. The herd is angry at me now? Anyways. This thread has run its course and im not about to keep adding to the drama. No point to it. Thanks to everyone that helped. Vape on, unless your product is broken lol.

 

[ckone180]

It sounds as though you have a habit of complaining. I can't help you on that. I'm telling you I've had many orders at MV with 0 problems so far. I'm not looking for a company that will fix problems that I haven't even had yet. And you do seem rude.

 

[Striker911]

It sounds as though you have a habit of complaining. I can't help you on that. I'm telling you I've had many orders at MV with 0 problems so far. I'm not looking for a company that will fix problems that I haven't even had yet. And you do seem rude.

Why the added drama with nothing constructive to add? I dont get why you could be mad that I am trying to help everyone including myself and MV. Im pushing for a positive change in an effort to fill a void in a industry that we all love. If im successful in that then maybe one day when u have a problem, that gets taken care of, you can thank me for it. In the mean time I think I should be uplifted with support form everyone. No one else is stepping up and saying anything at the moment, and I put my neck out here. What are you giving me in return? Im not mad cause it was somewhat expected but maybe you should think twice before bashing a guy for trying to help everyone that vapes or will vape in the future. Its good for everyone. How would you feel if you had a box full of items that you paid good money for that could not be used? it happens to someone every day yet the only one that pays is on the hook. Not fair IMO. It should go back to the guy that made it, and only then will more care be taken to get better product in your mail box and mine. I dont want to play russian roulette every time I order.

 

[MASTER0FDAMPF]

I do not wish to .... heads with anyone. Here are some facts.

I have earned and spent over 1200 rewards points in my "recent history". I am not doing the math to make that dollars...and will ultimately ignore how easy that math would be, as that would make me admit just how much I spent during that time period and I would then be sad. Today has been a rather happy day for me so far and I would like to keep that ball rolling.

I have only ever had a few issues with my orders. They were very frustrating (other than "I got exactally what I ordered and it was all 100% perfect", what isn't), but MadVapes has dealt with me very professionally and curteously. I have used the ticket system and phone calls to resolve my issues.

My complaints:
Item ordered was out of stock and a substitute was made. I did not like the replacement, but they DID offer to replace it with another from the catalog or refund it. They never asked me to ship it back at my cost. Biggest peeve was that the original product was never in stock again (nearly a year later).

My second order was a juice issue - they offered to replace it. I declined and just wanted them to know what my issue was. (it was not flavor or Nic level)

On another order I got a wrong charger. I got a mini usb cable instead of an eGo charger. They told me to keep it and sent me the correct one.

Another order, Item was left out of the box. They shipped it priority to me the same day with an appology.
(pre-barcode)

Another order an item was out of stock. They noted it on the packing slip, refunded the difference and gave me a few rewards points and an appology for the mishap.

All in all, they stand behind the products they sell, and they most certainly will work with you to resolve it. I have seen them break their own return policy in favor of the customer when they think it is a legit issue and possibly might affect other customers. They have "bargain Bin"'ed juice that a few customers said was an off batch and put up a warning to those people willing to risk it. I WILL reorder based on my experiences with their customer service team. Did I have to lift the pin on my roughstack? Sure, as there is no "standard" in the vaping world for pin depth...

This is not directed at anyone, but simply something I feel must be stated. They have a responsibility to offer us a product that is fully capable of delivering the promises made in relation to it. We, on the other hand, must learn to use those products and accept the fact that we are using a technology that is still relatively in its infancy. We also must understand that when the system fails, we must let them know. They can not correct a problem that they do not know about. One bad apple...well you know how it goes. If the CS fails then try a second ticket or address your ticket at a different employee. PM Hoogie and have him check it out if you feel it was not handled appropriately. I have seen them do everything they can to ensure a positive experience for their customers. After totally downing them in an irate tirade (we all lose it once in a while right....) they still took care of me, and didn't hold it against me.

If that does not alter your perception then perhaps this will...
They barcode every drip tip, carto, atty, younameit that they sell because there were too many mistakes of wrong items or missing items in orders. I have seen an accuracy increase in packing and stock monitoring to a marked degree. In my opinion, they work hard to consistently do what is in the best interest of the customer above a reasonable expectation, and this is coming from someone who believes in "oldschool" customer service.

 

[Bakseated1]

I just wanted to throw this out there because it is valuable to me. I was told about madvapes by my freind who got me into vaping. He said they had the best prices and good products. Almost a year later as crazy as this is to say I have ONLY ordered from them. My only e-cig is an e-power, my wife liked it and wanted to quit too so she got one. The buttons on this thing are junk and have been junk since the beginning from what I have read on here. At this point I think we have had 8 or 10 total buttons some paid for by me some replaced at no cost by them. Buttons keep dieing and they have been more than generous with me trying to make me happy. Honestly I should be the one cutting my loses and buying the VV mod that I want.

Take it for what its worth. My opinion, its a new industry that alot of inexperienced business people have jumped into. They are buying cheap products from china. Time will weed out the bad businessmen and products from china with our buying habits and communication like is happening on this website.

All I know is I will be putting in another order with them in the next week and I wont be smoking an analog between now and then.

 

[Joye Camel]

I feel like about 90% of my posts on this board are in praise of MV in some way, and I worry that I come across as a shill at times. But I feel that threads like this merit some counter examples. I'm sure the folks with complaints did indeed have a bad experience and that can leave a bad taste in your mouth with a vendor. For me, though, Madvapes is not only my favorite ecig vendor but one of the best e-commerce companies I have ever done business with. I think they are the Amazon of ecigs -- good products, good selection, good prices, good service. They have earned the bulk of my business over the years.

Three examples spring to mind from the last 6 months or so. When I ordered my e-power kit, before ordering, I asked if I could substitute the atomizers with a pack of cartomizers. I didn't know at the time the atomizers were factory-included. When I got the order, no cartos. I thought it was fair -- I knew then the atomizers were packed in with the kit from the manufacturer -- but I was in a bad mood and sent a ticket complaining that, although I understand now and think it's fair, I was a little disappointed that I was told beforehand that I could substitute and would have ordered a pack if I knew I couldn't. And what do you know, in the mail the next day is a pack of cartomizers. I consider that above and beyond.

Second e-power related issue was that the battery in the kit ran out right at the warranty expiration. Like right in that questionable period -- I think it would have expired if you counted from when they shipped it, but was still valid while shipping and when I received. No questions asked -- a replacement battery was sent to me.

Final thing is something that was in no way related to anything Madvapes had done. The USPS had screwed up my mail service somehow and flagged my box with a "resident no longer lives here" notice, meaning that mail was getting returned to sender. I had been out of town and this had been going on for a week or so, and I didn't even notice until a MV order showed up in tracking as being returned to sender. It was a headache to fix with the USPS, unsurprisingly. But Madvapes again went above and beyond. I sent them a ticket explaining the situation and offering to pay for re-shipping. But they re-shipped it to me for free.

There have been a few other similar stories over the couple of years I have ordered from them, sometimes mostly on me, sometimes on them. When it's the latter, they really go out of their way. I remember once receiving a pack of cartomizers with the wrong threading. Ticketed, and they sent me TWO packs with the right threading and a pre-paid envelope to send the others back.

I always hate seeing these bad reviews, because I believe them to be true, but I wonder then if there was some kind of miscommunication along the way that could have solved the problem. Because it has always been my experience that Madvapes goes out of their way to please the customer. The ticket system isn't always great, and sometimes you have to be a little persistent with it, but I can't think of a single problem caused by me or by them that hasn't been resolved to my satisfaction.

 

[Kimmers]

Here's how my experience has and is still going with them. My husband has had good experiences with them. It's just been this one on going issue that's been going on for over 2 months now. This is our first negative experience with them, but the problem is it keeps getting worse and not better.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/reviews-suppliers-negative/273883-madvapes.html

 

[okwithit]

I've been ordering from MV for almost 2 years and only had one small problem.
In my order I had 3 prewired 510 bat connecters with the negative wires that
was off, most likely from shipping. Told MV about it and they gave me a 10% off
coupon code good for my next order. More than I was expecting so I have I nothing
bad to say about MV.

help me understand this. they sent you 3 defective batteries and gave you 10% off your next order? i would want 3 new batteries. is this what your saying?

 

[D. Waterhouse]

help me understand this. they sent you 3 defective batteries and gave you 10% off your next order? i would want 3 new batteries. is this what your saying?

He had prewired battery connector that he could easily fix himself. All he had to do was solder the wire back on the outside of the connector.

 

[okwithit]

well, i guess if he is ok with it, why should i care.

 

[Striker911]

He had prewired battery connector that he could easily fix himself. All he had to do was solder the wire back on the outside of the connector.

Not everyone knows how or is willing to solder or also willing to buy tools. For me I would have no problem breaking out the solder gun. Not everyone is like me though. just sayin.

 

[AzPlumber]

I agree, you buy something pre soldered you should not have to resolder it just because it's easier on the vendor to give a discount.