I'm not Smilin as much as i would like

[Drozd]

I think theres a line between private emails and PMs...and what's considered a customer service ticket delivered via e-mail...
I don't think you did anything wrong at all...

And fact of the matter is you got a response from V4L staff members and they didn't say anything about it...before a couple of people jumped you for doing such...strikes me as it not really being a problem and a few forum members just being whiney

 

[Sherrick]

Davo ~ seems to me a follow up email from you, saying something to the effect of: "I'm aware of your policy regarding returns and am not looking to return anything. I'm trying to determine if there has been a change in your products..., etc. etc." might have gone a long way to getting your question answered without taking it into a public forum where folks sometimes get excited.

I'm not saying you did anything wrong. I'm just not sure I see anything repulsive or unprofessional in the response you received. It seems more likely that the intent of your original email was misinterpreted. A simple follow-up by you to clarify might have prevented any further misunderstandings.

 

[Belletrist]

It seems like Val is probably being told to troubleshoot user error first--my mom recently had an unfortunate customer service exchange with V4L because of this reason (a battery that wasn't working correctly when she received it). I don't think it's Val being difficult, I think they're probably trying to institute a policy of troubleshooting before offering a replacement, which is in practice ending up with what feels like a long string of emails that 'blame the customer.' I understand the theory behind the practice, but their should be some way to shortcut that in the official policy for when a replacement (or just a closer look at possible product problems vs. user error) is warranted.

 

[Belletrist]

I think theres a line between private emails and PMs...and what's considered a customer service ticket delivered via e-mail...
I don't think you did anything wrong at all...

Totally agree.

 

[Nilius]

It seems like Val is probably being told to troubleshoot user error first

Belle is probably right here. Every major company in America tries to troubleshoot via phone/email before spending more money by replacing the product. Vapor4Life would never last in the long run if they didn't do the same

I don't think it's Val being difficult, I think they're probably trying to institute a policy of troubleshooting before offering a replacement, which is in practice ending up with what feels like a long string of emails that 'blame the customer.'

Ever been told to reboot your modem even though your phone/cable line is laying in the middle of the street? Stupid, right?
The rep on the phone makes you feel like screaming but it is something they HAVE to say to you. It does sound like the customer is at fault but everyone is told/asked to do the same thing. There is no blame cast, it just feels like it.

When they ask you to do something absolutely stupid, it is because 70% of the time, it works.

Keep in mind, most of the public does not bother to read or research. So, you are ahead of the game just by posting in this forum

/soapbox
coming at ya!

 

[Jeff78]

It seems like Val is probably being told to troubleshoot user error first--my mom recently had an unfortunate customer service exchange with V4L because of this reason (a battery that wasn't working correctly when she received it). I don't think it's Val being difficult, I think they're probably trying to institute a policy of troubleshooting before offering a replacement, which is in practice ending up with what feels like a long string of emails that 'blame the customer.' I understand the theory behind the practice, but their should be some way to shortcut that in the official policy for when a replacement (or just a closer look at possible product problems vs. user error) is warranted.

I see both sides of this as I am a consumer, but I also was a store manager and a district manager for 2 very well known retail companies.

Here is a scenerio, and mind you all of this was in person, not through email where a lot of emotion and body language is lost. A customer buys a cordless phone battery and is told at check out to charge the battery 12 to 24 hours before using the phone. The customer comes back the next day and says the battery doesn't work and they want a refund. Now I could easily just give them a refund and make my job a lot easier, but I start asking questions, such as did you charge it for 12-24 hours, when you plugged it in did it make the phone beep.

Sometimes the customer did all those things and just wants a refund or exchange, but I have to ask those questions in order to make sure that it wasn't something that they just over looked.

I understand that we all want resolution right now, and what I say is golden, but sometimes there is a few questions can resolve the problem without any need for replacement or refund. I have a problem with this myself sometimes, because I have no patience.

Just my .02

 

[Jeff78]

Dang you Nilius!!!

 

[Nilius]

Dang you Nilius!!!

@Davo
btw, you have a legit question. Do not take my post wrong, it's just...

When coming from China, the prefilled cartomizers can sit for over a month before you vape it. That may change the flavor. Most of us will not refill a blank cart and let it sit for that long

 

[timothy]

@Davo
btw, you have a legit question. Do not take my post wrong, it's just...

When coming from China, the prefilled cartomizers can sit for over a month before you vape it. That may change the flavor. Most of us will not refill a blank cart and let it sit for that long

not me longest i let them sit is a week but lately its been fill and use

 

[rocks82]

Davo,

I'm more than happy to help you out. We do have 3 different juices that include the name "Parlament" though.

My initial reply was requesting the order # and what the exact parlament was that you were having issues with. I was hoping to find that it was our error so that we could easily fix it, but it seems that we did send you the correct juice and it was in an order placed over a month ago.

Vapor4Life has a very generous warranty/replacement plan. Unfortunately, the first report I'd heard from you about any issue with any product was well over a month after purchasing. The delay in reporting made it very difficult to figure out what (if anything) happened and where.

Due to the amount of time passed and the lack of issues reported during the ordering time with that particular flavor, and I was forced to default to the policy of no returns/exchanges on juice.

I'm sorry that our exchange made you unhappy. I really do the best I can to try to handle every customer issue thoroughly and in a way that will please the customer.

I see that you have been contacted by Mark and, hopefully, there will be a solution found outside of what I'm able to do (as this is a unique situation). I'm sorry again.

Valerie

 

[impcat]

I have had numerous occasions to have to contact Val at Customer Service for either a faulty battery (my first order at V4L contained two fauly batteries) or an item missing from my order.

I did take the time to FULLY explain the issues I was having so that there could be no misunderstandings about what I was trying to convey. Each time, Val was helpful, professional and courteous to me. I have only ever received an immediate helpful response to each and every one of my queries.

It seems that the OP could have written another more in-depth explanation so that his questions were fully answered, rather than bringing them here to the public forum. I am quite certain that Val would have happily attempted to rectify any issues, or to answer any further questions.

Also, each and every order I have ever received from V4L has contained several business cards. If writing an email is not getting your questions answered to your satisfaction, then why not utilize the phone number listed on the business card.

 

[Jeff78]

Davo,

I'm more than happy to help you out. We do have 3 different juices that include the name "Parlament" though.

My initial reply was requesting the order # and what the exact parlament was that you were having issues with. I was hoping to find that it was our error so that we could easily fix it, but it seems that we did send you the correct juice and it was in an order placed over a month ago.

Vapor4Life has a very generous warranty/replacement plan. Unfortunately, the first report I'd heard from you about any issue with any product was well over a month after purchasing. The delay in reporting made it very difficult to figure out what (if anything) happened and where.

Due to the amount of time passed and the lack of issues reported during the ordering time with that particular flavor, and I was forced to default to the policy of no returns/exchanges on juice.

I'm sorry that our exchange made you unhappy. I really do the best I can to try to handle every customer issue thoroughly and in a way that will please the customer.

I see that you have been contacted by Mark and, hopefully, there will be a solution found outside of what I'm able to do (as this is a unique situation). I'm sorry again.

Valerie

Val you know we all love ya, and we know you do a great job when we are so impatient to get our stuff fixed! Hats off to you! You do a wonderful service for all of us!

 

[volunteer vapor]

Each time, Val was helpful, professional and courteous to me. I have only ever received an immediate helpful response to each and every one of my queries.

Same with me...I think when you are sending email's and dont have that face to face contact sometimes it just comes across the wrong way.

 

[JLeigh]

It seems that the OP could have written another more in-depth explanation so that his questions were fully answered, rather than bringing them here to the public forum. I am quite certain that Val would have happily attempted to rectify any issues, or to answer any further questions.

I am in no way slamming V4L. This is just a general observation that I see a lot on the supplier forums (not just V4L). Why is so much of the burden for sticky customer service issues placed on the consumer? I see a lot of "well if X consumer had done this and that", or "well X consumer should have been clearer on this or that". Unless the customer is being an asbolute arsehat, the burden of successfully resolving customer issues falls upon the supplier. Not the customer. The supplier. Now Mark, Steve, and Val try very hard to provide great customer service, and I have been very happy with them. But comments like the above puzzle me (as a business owner myself) because a customer shouldn't have to feel like s/he has to jump through hoops to get a proper resolution.

Again, I'm not speaking strictly of this situation; it's a general observation.

 

[Sherrick]

I wrote very similar post as impcat a few hours ago and I think it makes sense. The OP didn't like the answer or non-answer he got to his question. It was pretty obvious to me that had he simply re-phrased the question indicating what he really wanted to know, he might very well have gotten the answer he needed and wanted. Instead he came to a public forum, which to me is like grabbing the intercom at Walmart to complain that the cashier doesn't understand your question. Does everyone in the store really need to know? Perhaps not.

 

[JLeigh]

Instead he came to a public forum, which to me is like grabbing the intercom at Walmart to complain that the cashier doesn't understand your question. Does everyone in the store really need to know? Perhaps not.

Yes, I do see your point, but that kind of thing comes with the territory. When a public forum is an extension of your (general your) business, you are going to get the yays AND the nays posted on your forum. There isn't any way around that, short of deleting all the 'nays' (which makes the company look really bad). The bright side of nays being posted publicly is that it gives V4L the opportunity to show everyone how hard they work to keep their customers happy.

I'll say this: when I see a company forum that is full of nothing but 'yays', I instantly get suspicious because I know darn well that no company has nothing but 100% happy customers 100% of the time. I'm much more impressed with seeing good customer service resolution in action, something V4L shines at.

 

[Sherrick]

Yep, JLeigh I agree completely with the entirety of your post. In this specific situation, it just seemed to me that the only real issue was a communication issue, more than likely because of the format we're working and writing in, i.e. the internet. I tend to think that there's always time to get good and upset once there's a real reason to be. I'm just not so sure that this instance required quite so much hollering from the mountain-top.

Remember the old perfume commercial? "If you want to get someone's attention...Whisper...." Until, of course, it's time to yell.

 

[the4thpower3]

This may be trivial on my part but V4L Customer Service has let me down and I can't get any satisfaction. On my last order I purchased 2 30 ml bottles of Parlament Nobacco juice... I really like the flavor (in the pre-filled carts that is)! But the stuff I received tastes like cardboard (or worse). I've been vapin' for about 6 months and I know your taste buds get wacked up from time to time... so I gave it awhile and refilled some more carts, the same nasty taste.

So, I e-mailed V4L customer service simply asking was there still a problem with the flavors in the larger containers. I knew there was a problem in the past with juice flavors in the larger quantities not being the same as the 5 ml bottles and/or the factory filled carts. The first response I received asked specifically what I had ordered... sounds logical and I responded with a copy of my order details. The next response I received, I actually find repulsive and an insult.
******************************************************
V4l ticket # 271-5950

When refilling cartomizers, it's best to let the cartomizers sit overnight before using them in order to get a taste close to the ones that are professionally filled. Vapor4Life cannot issue refunds or accept exchanges or returns for Nobacco Juice or any type of cartomizer, unless the customer does not receive the flavor or nicotine strength requested. This policy is dictated by the company's high standards of cleanliness and quality control.

Valerie
*************************************************************
Furthermore, I never asked for a product replacement, I simply wanted to know if there is a problem with the flavor in the 30 ml bottles so I could order something that was like the original Parlament flavor. “Quality Control”, give me a break. I don’t mean to bad mouth V4L, I’ve liked there product from day 1, but dang… can’t I get a straight answer?

Customer Service is NOT easy.

Would you have been happy if Val's original response (to your undisclosed - original email) was:

Thank you for your interest and purchase of our product. No, we do not have any such known issues with our Nobacco juices. Please be aware, refilling of our disposable carts may not produce flavors consistent with originally, professionally, factory fill carts. We currently offer 3 Parlament flavor variations in varying sizes and nicotine levels.
Please feel free to purchase and try each one!

 

[ontheroadtoquitting]

dont feel bad i got treated the same way by her, i only got one reply from her and it was as if was my fault. i ened up throwin away my last order becuase it was usable.


i thought the had the best customer service, well not of lately...

..its been well over a week sionce my last email. zero reply

..but yet the manage to make sure they send me discount coupon emails. give me a break.

I'm feeling you on this one. I've been having some battery issues. The last email I received made it out to be that they don't work correctly because I don't clean them.........not the case. Oh well.
I mean, if they're overwhelmed, I can give some understanding, but it's not like I'm trying to rip them off or anything. I send back all the defective one's that stop working or go rogue on me. And they're really good about replacing them. Commend Vapor4Life on customer satisfaction!

I work in retail....that's not the way to overcome an objective by making it out to be the consumers fault....just saying. Because that's not always the case.

 

[deadman31299]

which to me is like grabbing the intercom at Walmart to complain that the cashier doesn't understand your question. Does everyone in the store really need to know? Perhaps not.

Very well said.