I Saw E-Cig Commercials On TV!!!!!!

[Michael Curry]

Yeah the cig is free but the carts are 89$ for 20! Which they "claim" last a month.
Although I think it is good that news is getting out about e- cigs and some consumers will do research before ordering.....

From Florida I see. I wonder what part? If you saw the ad I have been referring to and still think it's about the free/scams, then I guess we're all in more trouble here than we thought.

Why would the responsible and honest vendors bother running ads if everyone already knows they're only hawking the substandard wares at inflated prices?

 

[St. Nick]

Yeah, too bad it's the "Free Trial" crap, it gives the rest of us a bad taste in our mouths and really DOESN'T educate the public the right way, but at least something is out there that shows people there is an alternative to analogs. As I said before, 3 months ago I didn't know that e-cigs even existed, and I visited smoke shops to buy bulk tobacco for RYO regularly. Again, can these ads state that they contain nicotine, or is that illegal? I just started going to the FreedomSmokes store outside of Tucson (Marana), great store, friendly people, VERY helpful, & fair prices (even better with the 10% off coupons they gave me!). Reason I mentioned them, I didn't know they had ads and haven't seen them yet. I'll ask Mike next time I go in.

 

[The Duke]

!!! I tried & they was ...... I bought a real one! !!! They carry the NLA, real cheapo 510

I've done that as well, not so much to educate but to browse accessories. I think it was more threatened then mad. Their attitude definitely changes when I whip out a big bat model. I'm not quick to bash them though because they are supplying to what the consumer wants, something that looks, tastes, and feels just like a cigarette. I would make no sense for them to fill there shelves with big bats, mods, and exotic juice. Still too early.

 

[Michael Curry]

Getting people off such an established habit as tobacco isn't easy. It will take time, dedication, and a pretty good sum of money. What a pity that those who are trying to fight that uphill battle have to deal with the first line of resistance in the very community they are fighting to promote.

I tell people I have a local store that I can walk in to, and that it has knowledgeable staff, and they carry popular brands etc... And they say I'm lucky. I guess I am. But I don't vape enough to support it alone. So the store advertises on TV. Ah, but that lumps them into the same category then with the scammers.

The anti's don't have to do anything - the community will eat itself from within, same as so many others have done before and will no doubt do in the future.

 

[Mickydibble]

I had never seen a e cig commercial until last week.
It was for smokeassist.com

Just total crap IMO. Yeah the cig is free but the carts are 89$ for 20! Which they "claim" last a month.
Although I think it is good that news is getting out about e- cigs and some consumers will do research before ordering.
I worry about those that do not try because of the expense or those that try that crap and think that is what it is to use an e cig.

WTF cheeky fookin ##### can't believe it,that's nearly as bad as the money loan companies on tv over here with like "1889% apr" some even more !!

 

[paulsonlaw]

One stink shop told me they could only order what is in their catalog, so they have to order "the cheapo" brand. I call BS.

 

[GIMike]

Getting people off such an established habit as tobacco isn't easy. It will take time, dedication, and a pretty good sum of money. What a pity that those who are trying to fight that uphill battle have to deal with the first line of resistance in the very community they are fighting to promote.

I tell people I have a local store that I can walk in to, and that it has knowledgeable staff, and they carry popular brands etc... And they say I'm lucky. I guess I am. But I don't vape enough to support it alone. So the store advertises on TV. Ah, but that lumps them into the same category then with the scammers.

The anti's don't have to do anything - the community will eat itself from within, same as so many others have done before and will no doubt do in the future.

There's a big difference between the knock-offs and the good stuff. Once you've been here awhile, you'll learn the same thing. For those of us that know, we can tell what a commercial is selling and if it's real or not. I don't think anybody is really "lumping" ALL vendors who advertise into "it's all junk, don't ever buy from them". One main reason, I don't think any of us rely on TV ads to do our business. We rely on what we already know, or what we have found on here. We've all accepted the fact that the crap e-cigs probably bring us just as many new vaporers as people who haven't been scammed. We don't like how they found us, but we're glad they did so we can help them move onto a better product instead of having them give up.

 

[Beans]

Something that can help is if people go into their local tobacco stores and educate the owners.

Been there done that. They sell Rivas for $140 and could care less about learning anything new.

 

[Michael Curry]

There's a big difference between the knock-offs and the good stuff. Once you've been here awhile, you'll learn the same thing.

Yes, I realize that I have not been here in this forum all that long - but this may come a a shock to some - but the concept of 'knock-off' vs 'good stuff' is far from being unique to e-cigs.

I may not be a "Veteran" here, but over 50 years of experience in "Life" has taught a thing or two.

*smh*

 

[GIMike]

Yes, I realize that I have not been here in this forum all that long - but this may come a a shock to some - but the concept of 'knock-off' vs 'good stuff' is far from being unique to e-cigs.

I may not be a "Veteran" here, but over 50 years of experience in "Life" has taught a thing or two.

*smh*

You'd be surprised at how many people with 50 or more years of life experience fall for scams when it comes to technology they don't understand until they come here to ECF and realize what they really bought. After all, those companies make enough money to put commercials on TV, so surely they don't sucker only the dumb and stupid right? It happens to the best of us at some point, nothing to be ashamed of. Like I said before, those types of devices probably bring us just as many new users to ECF as other ways. Maybe even more than all other ways combined for all I know....

 

[Michael Curry]

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised at all. I deal with it, and trying to prevent/recover from it on a daily basis. It's not only technology they don't understand, it's often times a mindset they don't understand because they grew up in a different time.

But my initial point was that the overall tone here has been that if they are advertising on TV, they are scammers, or at least highly likely to be, and the typical "if you've seen one you've seen them all" mentality. It's particularly ironic that this outlook is so prevalent in this setting. After all, isn't it nothing more than making an uninformed decision at its core? Just like falling for a scam.

 

[Amraann]

From Florida I see. I wonder what part? If you saw the ad I have been referring to and still think it's about the free/scams, then I guess we're all in more trouble here than we thought.

Why would the responsible and honest vendors bother running ads if everyone already knows they're only hawking the substandard wares at inflated prices?

Hi! I do not think I saw the add you were talking about. I am in Bradenton.
I am referring to smoke assist. That is the ad they show here.
I do not believe that everyone knows they are hawking substandard wares. I am in no way implying that they are a responsible or honest vendor.
Maybe you misunderstood my post?

 

[allnightradio]

here is the local ad for FreedomSmokeUSA

 

[Michael Curry]

Hi! I do not think I saw the add you were talking about. I am in Bradenton.
I am referring to smoke assist. That is the ad they show here.
I do not believe that everyone knows they are hawking substandard wares. I am in no way implying that they are a responsible or honest vendor.
Maybe you misunderstood my post?

You probably haven't seen the same one - I'm pretty sure you're well outside the footprint of the local stations around here.

What I have a problem with isn't limited to one post - i'ts prevalent throughout the thread, and the rest of ECF for that matter. Part of that is the general tone either expressed or implied in this thread. The thread has an overall feel of "scammers advertise, therefore advertisers are scammers". I'm simply trying to say that the second half of that equation isn't necessarily true. It can be, of course, but it is far from a universal truth.

 

[dormouse]

I hate those EZsmoker commercials. Not only do they exaggerate, they tell people they can vape wherever they want, where smoking isn't allowed and show some guy being rude in a restaurant - vaping and then back talking the waiter who tries to stop him. And they try to rip people off by offering a free trial. In my mind, they are preying on people, people who may fail due to high subscription costs, false expectations, possible crappy product or poor support.

And then even if someone is smart enough to search the web first for more info, they are likely to get caught up in the upper layer of bs "name" sites, each or which is "rated best", with their "testimonials" and other bs. One can only hope the people will somehow end up with a decent model.

 

[Amraann]

You probably haven't seen the same one - I'm pretty sure you're well outside the footprint of the local stations around here.

What I have a problem with isn't limited to one post - i'ts prevalent throughout the thread, and the rest of ECF for that matter. Part of that is the general tone either expressed or implied in this thread. The thread has an overall feel of "scammers advertise, therefore advertisers are scammers". I'm simply trying to say that the second half of that equation isn't necessarily true. It can be, of course, but it is far from a universal truth.

Ahhh OK.. Now I get what you were saying.
To clarify.. IN NO WAY did I mean to imply that. Did not even occur to me. What I was trying to say (as I think were others) is that the only or majority of e-cig commercials are those scam ones.
I would love to see a commercial with an ego .. explaining it honestly without charging 100$ per month for crap pre-filled cartridges.
You know when you order your getting that "free" e cig and every month they will charge your credit card for their cartridges.
I just feel it does a disservice to legit vendors and to new vapers. A crappy e-cig that scams people can often put them off all together.

 

[Michael Curry]

You know when you order your getting that "free" e cig and every month they will charge your credit card for their cartridges.
I just feel it does a disservice to legit vendors and to new vapers. A crappy e-cig that scams people can often put them off all together.

Yeah - that whole thing just reeks. I have yet to buy anything from anywhere for anything that involves ongoing delivery/billing. I prefer to walk into the store, buy what I want or need, and walk back out. When I need more, I'll go back. I don't see it as a hardship at all.

 

[Mindfield]

Yeah - that whole thing just reeks. I have yet to buy anything from anywhere for anything that involves ongoing delivery/billing. I prefer to walk into the store, buy what I want or need, and walk back out. When I need more, I'll go back. I don't see it as a hardship at all.

I'd kill (a pack of smokes, with an axe) to have a brick and mortar vendor near me. Alas, I live in Canada. There is one, actually, but it's about an hour and a half away, and it's just a small selection (probably because he doesn't want to lose much if Health Canada comes a-knocking).

But yes, I believe that's kind of the general sentiment of cheap (yet overpriced) E-cigs. The quasi-scammers are imparting a bad taste on the E-cig world as a whole by their actions. This early in its life span is a bad time to give them a bad image. I think the reason everyone is so defensive is because E-cigs are profoundly effective in getting you off of cigarettes and on to something far better -- with the proper hardware and juice. It's why we're all here and all so eager to help people and share our experiences. They've been life-changing. We all want people to have the best experience they possibly can within their means so that they too can enjoy the incredible benefits we've gotten with all of our myriad PVs and accessories.

And that's not to say that there aren't semi-decent "cheap" E-cigs out there available at mall kiosks and gas stations and such. But those that offer "free trials" with scummy subscription packages, those that charge $250 for a starter kit you can get for $30-50 anywhere else and end up with something much better, they diminish the much larger world of E-cigs. Those that try them and don't like them are quite likely to think E-cigs in general are just cheap garbage that doesn't work -- when the reality is, they do work, and they work amazingly -- as long as you've got the right equipment and E-liquid.

 

[St. Nick]

I agree with you Mindfield, it is a shame that people will equate the rip-off company with what scores of vendors here in ECF our thousands of fellow posters, and the hundreds of thousands of family and friends we associate with who KNOW what real vapers buy and use. Meaning of course, the "Good Stuff". We won't let the bad apples spoil our barrel. We are the walking vaping advertisement that exposes more and more people daily to the right way of buying and using the right products. Not to get on a soapbox, but we are the Ambassadors for the cause, and every day I run into people interested in vaping. They are fascinated with my PV and want to learn more. Easiest way?........ give them ECF.com on a piece of paper. Problem solved. Everybody looks for a good Forum to hook up with. I still can't believe how lucky I was to be able to find you guys. Oh, great commercial, FreedomSmokes!! 22 days analog free and don't miss 'em a bit.

 

[paulsonlaw]

I agree with you Mindfield, it is a shame that people will equate the rip-off company with what scores of vendors here in ECF our thousands of fellow posters, and the hundreds of thousands of family and friends we associate with who KNOW what real vapers buy and use. Meaning of course, the "Good Stuff". We won't let the bad apples spoil our barrel. We are the walking vaping advertisement that exposes more and more people daily to the right way of buying and using the right products. Not to get on a soapbox, but we are the Ambassadors for the cause, and every day I run into people interested in vaping. They are fascinated with my PV and want to learn more. Easiest way?........ give them ECF.com on a piece of paper. Problem solved. Everybody looks for a good Forum to hook up with. I still can't believe how lucky I was to be able to find you guys. Oh, great commercial, FreedomSmokes!! 22 days analog free and don't miss 'em a bit.

We need ECF biz cards