I can't help but wonder:"DO the people who bad mouth a retailer EVER pick up the TELEPHONE?"

[Don Robertson]

First off: Pardon my spelling error on the 'Subject Line'. I caught it too late and couldn't see how to correct it. I'm 87 years old, don't see too great and at times am half-senile! It just happened - sorry.

I'm no veteran of e-cigarettes. I learn every day about types, costs, good deals, bad deals, supposed ripoffs and in general agree with most of the long-term folks out here on ECF. HOWEVER, I can't help but wonder if the people who bash a retailer - be it online or a local shop - EVER pick up the telephone and call the establishment where they purchased "supposed junk"? I see the details as presented. I see some really bad things said about shops such as AquaVapor ( Electronic Cigarettes | cigarette Kits & liquids by Aqua Vapor Cig ) and recently read absolutely horrible things about their operation.

I see some members challenge anyone who defends a shop, be it AquaVapor or any of the others I see ripped apart. These folks are told they "have an ulterior motive" if they dare say they have had superb service for ANY SHOP that others tear apart. They are told, "you must be getting compensated for pushing their products" - "you must be a partner" or that they are "just lying". If one dares to stand up for these poor shop owners they are belittled to no end.

What I do NOT see very often is those people who have issues with ANY SHOP indicate they picked up a telephone and talked with the owner or other person in charge. They may send an e-mail - some even post a copy of their mail and it amazes me how poorly written, unclear, insulting and belligerent these "customers" start off when trying to resolve an issue. In fact - many do not appear to want to RESOLVE the issue they simply want to rip into the shop from their very first word! How can an issue be resolved when the first line is, "You LIED to me! You stole my money! You are crooks! You this and you that ..... all insults! If I were the shop owner I too would respond in a negative manner! Why be nice to people who won't speak to you in an intelligent, factual and reasonable tone of voice?

In the case of AquaVapor - I started with many of their items. They NEVER misled me! They never ripped-me-off! They spent more time on the TELEPHONE answering my questions, making suggestions, telling me a whole list of things to consider BEFORE I placed my order than ANY OTHER shop I called! When I had ONE ISSUE with a battery that would not hold charge - a replacement was sent out BEFORE I returned the defective one. They included a 10ml "sample" of a "juice" I had briefly mentioned in our TELEPHONE conversation to make up for the postage I would pay sending the defective battery back! they were reasonable, courteous and VERY FAIR!

Come on folks! Consider CALLING on the TELEPHONE and not simply sending off a hateful e-mail. In this day and age of "instant communication" it still applies to the TELEPHONE! Instant communication via the spoken word can be far better than an e-mail typed and sent in a moment of anger. THINK before speaking! Think how YOU would want to be addressed! Don't be like you sound out here on ECF and you just might get the results you desire.

From Senility Central in New Mexico ...... Don

 

[devauto]

I call AND email. That way I can speak to them and express myself, as well as have a written record of what was discussed.

 

[skoony]

i always check to see how long the complainer has been a member.
new member complaints where the complainer clearly has some knowledge
and experience are probably 90% bogus.
if you notice they always seem to have a recommendation for another vendor
who is so much better.
the competition is getting fierce as more and more new vendors are appearing.
this is a new market and there's not a lot of professional vendor organisations
or professional discipline out here yet.
i fear a lot of this derisive complaining is just cut throat competition.

regards
mike

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

In over 2 yrs I've only had issues with 2 Vendors- one was quickly resolved to my satisfaction via email and the other Vendor took 2 1/2 months to resolve; the only reason they came through was because I contacted my CC company and provided them with all correspondence....wasn't so much about the $$ but more so about the ethics.
We are dealing with an addiction and when things don't go right regarding delivery, new equipment, juice, accessories, etc I can fully understand BUT not condone certain behavior by some members.

 

[wonner]

Personal opinion:

Anyone who goes online for help with or to criticize a product or customer service, and does not simultaneously advise the vendor/manufacturer of same, is doing a disservice to both the retailer, the manufacturer, and the vaping community.

No one can fix what that are not aware of, and I doubt any company has the resources to monitor all of the various online forums and social media.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Dzaw]

Not here - but on other similar message boards / forums (non vape related) I have from time to time torn into a retailer for terrible service. I can be pretty merciless if I feel I've been burned.

However, I don't do it without being a calm, rational, and reasonable dissatisfied customer first. I explain the nature of my complaint in person if possible, or on the phone, and often suggest what I consider to be an appropriate remedy (often a return for refund sort of arrangement). If the retailer isn't willing to play ball in any way shape or form, and they are clearly at fault, I will escalate pretty quickly from there.

On here though, you gotta remember that this is the wild west period if the vaping industry. There are a lot of bad actors trying to turn a quick profit through one scheme or another. A complaint without verification needs to be sifted through the bs meter, but also there -is- a lot of customer bribery and positive spin feeding going on too.

The winner will be known as the fastest public opinion in the west!

 

[patkin]

Frankly, I haven't seen any posts in "Negative Reviews" that weren't a last resort of sorts... meaning they DID contact the vendor without success or wasn't a timely response from the vendor. Usually those are resolved in a very short time after the thread is posted. I think I only saw one, rethinking it, in over a year where I considered them to have jumped the gun and did a negative review not giving the vendor what I would consider enough time to respond to email. In that case, I just considered it a matter of that person's personality and the same thing would happen with any vendor for vape gear or not. What I have seen, however, are fan boys jumping all over anyone who says anything they consider negative about their pet vendors... and, yes, I do suspect some of them to be informally "on the take"... receiving feebies from those vendors. This sort of thing happens in all areas of the forum and not just in the Negative Review area. That, to me, is much more irksome and does noobs such a disservice.

 

[_Lee]

I have had nothing but good experiences with AquaVapor. I WISH someone would give me vape gear for saying this! Same goes for Panda, MVS, litecig, 101vape and MBV! You all have my shipping address if you care to compensate me. I'm looking for a bionic cig-a-like. =)

Seriously, what did I miss?

 

[zacherychristopher]

I won one of Aqua Cig's contests and ordered some of their carto's to try...they were nice and very helpful...they were High resistance and I couldn't figure out how to refill them, but I wouldn't bad mouth them...I think they are a good starter company for sure...Nice, simple, not too many options. Their prefilled cartos are VG based and nic content isin't too high so you can try before you realize you ordered too strong....I have had a couple problems with a couple vendors but I won't air my dirty laundry publicly....if I do they have to had done something to harm me financially and I am trying to protect other consumers. The thing about it is even though I might have not liked my experience, other's might of had great experiences with a vendor and why would I ruin their shopping experience because I had a bad time?

Some of the angry emails I have sent I quickly apologize for because I have been known to have a "Happy Gilmore' approach to shopping and even one of my angry email starts turned out to be one of my favorite vendors and I have an more than one corespondenses that were on a first name basis. You have to be careful what and where you say things online because they can come back to haunt you.

I just realized that I was thinking of a different aqua cig when I wrote this....so many new comapnies so fast....whoops, my bad.

But I agree with K-Tech...I guess the reason I get so fired up and easily annoyed is because I am paid to not just be a "yes man" but to follow threw and keep that positive "nothing is a bother, I am happy to do this for you" attitude at work. And most of the time I am really happy, and easy going and don't mind going the extra mile (or 20) to make a customer happy. So I guess I just am always so thrown off guard with I get any kind of flack or negitive response from a business because if had given some of the responses in my line of work that some vendors have given to me I could literally have been fired for it. I was on one occasion and that is what has made me a changed man and take this point of view. So I guess I just expect the same from others that I would give myself...maybe my standards are too high?

 

[K_Tech]

Come on folks! Consider CALLING on the TELEPHONE and not simply sending off a hateful e-mail. In this day and age of "instant communication" it still applies to the TELEPHONE! Instant communication via the spoken word can be far better than an e-mail typed and sent in a moment of anger. THINK before speaking! Think how YOU would want to be addressed! Don't be like you sound out here on ECF and you just might get the results you desire.

In my position I have to occasionally interface with both customers and suppliers. I HAVE to be courteous and professional because it reflects on my company and my job.

I also apply that to my personal life. Although I've been fortunate in that I can count on one hand the negative experiences I've had purchasing things on line over the years, I've never been let down by the results of a courteous telephone (or email) exchange.

I'd be willing to say that 90% of the time if you come across as cheerful and polite, people will be more likely to give you a hand.