Is it worth paying for a guarantee?

[Kate]

I think the World Trade Centre atrocity changed the world for a lot of people, it certainly did for me and I'm from Belfast so am used to terrorism. I was overcome with anger for a long time about that and a few months later had some bad psychotic experiences, partly due to that anger and frustration.

We all bleed the same colour blood in the final analysis, there are good people worth knowing everywhere and of course there are some scallys. Unfortunately some issues taint entire nations and the real life people are usually held responsible. Things like colonialism, health scares, terrorism, oppression, it's not the fault of entire nations or groups of people but many innocents pay the price for the circumstances of their birth.

You've got me going all off topic now Trog, I'll blame you if I get into trouble ...

 

[trog100]

u wont kate.. a little "off topic" adds interest.. if the topic is of interest it soon comes back online.. if it aint the thread just dies..

trog

 

[SmokingInTexas]

Hmmmmm.

I think Kate and Trog are doing fine (IMO). When someone defends their thoughts/opinions strongly, it just shows a passion behind what they believe. When it turns bad is when those people start to get...well...."childish" and it becomes an insult battle. I personally like a spirited debate/discussion, and I think you learn a lot about people that way. But what I really respect is when the debator's realize they aren't going to convince/convert someone to their opinion and (I can't beleive I'm using this expression...) agree to disagree. I don't recall anyone here getting beligerant or (sincerealy) insulting, so...let the fun continue.

AND, (back on topic), my comments ARE U.S. biased. It's an unfortunate side effect of my current location. I am trying to only do business with US companies, because I am WAY to impatient to wait weeks for something that they have already taken my money for today. So anyway, I can't speak on a global basis.

 

[Kate]

I have to admit that I usually enjoy a little off topic interaction but it gets too much sometimes on forums where nothing ever gets anywhere because of distractions.

I think what you are saying is the same as Darcy, Tex. It's preferable to buy local where possible. You get faster service, no customs problems and easier returns.

 

[trog100]

from reading this place US buyers seem to place higher priority on "service with smile" than UK buyers do..

i havnt havnt spent much time in america but when the american waitress said "have a nice day".. she actually seemed to mean it..

when the british waitress says the same thing its bloody obvious its just something she has been ordered to say.. its false and it shows..

there is a country difference in how we see things.. i have my conclusions as to why but wont go into it.. off topic.. he he

trog

 

[phylo]

First off I would like to thank Kate and trog... I have had quite a few laughs and a moment of reflection while reading this post..

I started off asking myself about the warranty I give on the products I sell. I have been thinking about extending my warranty to 6 months as I have not seen a huge amount of warranty returns. To be honest I have been replacing atomizers and batteries as old as 3 or 4 months already so extending the warranty wont really make much of a difference. I personally think that with the current state of affairs that there are two ways to do business. Have a decent warranty and charge accordingly or have no warranty other than DOA and basically count on volume sales to make your money. I have spent allot of time and money researching products from the manufacturers in china and coming up with a branding scheme to differentiate myself from the generic resellers and to hopefully offer a better buying experience for my customers.

I just realized I was about to go off the deep end there so Ill stop now.. Obviously I think that a warranty is important given the quality control issues with the current stock of products.

Phil

 

[trog100]

thanks for the thanks phylo.. but there is alternative way to sell and lock in your customers plus give a good deal..

when they buy say twenty five carts from u chuck in some free hardware.. make this part of the deal when they sign up at the start.. work your prices out accordingly...

trog

 

[ismoke]

Hi Ismoke. How long is a 'reasonable' amount of time to expect an atomiser or battery to last do you think?

Hello Kate

This is a very good question and please accept my apologies for not replying sooner, although you have been answered to some degree by trog100.

I think a "reasonable" time is different for everybody. How long you expect a product to last is open to individual interpretation and based on what you purchased the product for, how long you want to use it for and what you paid for it.

Lithium Ion battery technology still has to mature and improvements are being made all the time. However, quality materials and manufacturing processes will determine how many charge cycles it can take and how long it will last.

I would fully expect a battery to last for at least 300 charge-cycles and this is why we offer the warranty that we do. If a product fails, which they can, then we replace it without fuss.

Does it matter to a customer that they receive their original battery back, or is it sufficient that they have a working battery for as long as the warranty period? This puts me in mind of an Only Fools and Horses sketch, where Trigger received a medal from the local council for owning the same broom for twenty years. It turns out that it had only had 17 new heads and 14 new handles in that time...

Atomiser technology, at least for electronic cigarettes, is newer still and in this developmental and improvement stage, we accept that it will cost us more to build loyalty and maintain customer satisfaction. Material selection, manufacturing processes and economies of scale will all contribute to the continuing improvement of atomisers and it is in the manufacturers best interests to make the best products that they can.

Once again, we will stand by our warranty period and will repair or replace faulty products free of charge for any defect attributable to faulty material or workmanship used in manufacture for the length of our warranty, provided certain conditions are met.

I would like to point out that I am not being evasive regarding our warranty, but am concious that I should not promote our products on the forum, in accordance with the rules for suppliers.

The original question and purpose of the thread was to ascertain whether or not it was worth buying hardware with a warranty or not. I believe it is.

Your question to me was how long would I think is reasonable for a battery or atomiser to last and I would reply that we warrant those (and other) items for as long as the customer wants, up to the time limit of and subject to the conditions of our warranty.

 

[Kate]

Thanks for your reply Ismoke

 

[trog100]

I would fully expect a battery to last for at least 300 charge-cycles and this is why we offer the warranty that we do. If a product fails, which they can, then we replace it without fuss.

a lithium battery will last for the length of time u expect it to.. 300 charge/discharge cycles before reaching 80% of original capacity is the quoted norm..

but.. bigger but... and bigger but still... it has to operate within its design limitations.. if it isnt operated within these design limitations the 300 charge/discharge cycles goes out of the window..

i wont go into details i have said it before to deaf ears so many times its boring..

i accept your sincerity ismoke.. simply question your wisdom as regards offering a guarantee with so many built in long term problems for u..

trog

 

[ismoke]

I appreciate your concern trog, thank you. However, we have made this decision in order to differentiate our product and company. It is our belief that quality endures.

With regard to design limits, the atomisers and batteries are designed to work together. It should not be possible to stress the battery beyond it's limit if the product is used as it was designed to be used.

Of course, there are battery care tips that should be adhered too and these apply to Li-Ion technology as much as any other. Generally speaking, batteries live longer if treated in a gentle manner. High charge voltages, excessive charge rate and extreme load conditions will have a negative effect and shorten the battery life and the atomiser and charger are designed with this in mind.

Our philosophy is to do it right from the beginning, as it is often more costly to correct quality defects later, both in terms of internal quality and external quality - i.e. customer satisfaction.

 

[trog100]

let me just say 300 charge/discharge cycles to 80% of original capacity just isnt going to happen.. luckily they dont cost a deal to replace when bought in numbers..

trog

 

[phylo]

thanks for the thanks phylo.. but there is alternative way to sell and lock in your customers plus give a good deal..

when they buy say twenty five carts from u chuck in some free hardware.. make this part of the deal when they sign up at the start.. work your prices out accordingly...

trog

Thats a great idea trogg... I think Ill impliment that when my new site comes online... My current e-commerce solution is horrible and verry limited.

Phil

 

[trog100]

Thats a great idea trogg... I think Ill impliment that when my new site comes online... My current e-commerce solution is horrible and verry limited.

Phil

its an idea bigger fish than u will pick up on soon.. just make sure u work out the pricing correctly..

trog

 

[UncleMidriff]

I chose the third option.

I started out with NJoy, precisely because of their warranty. I was new to e-smoking and wanted some reassurance that the thing I was buying would last me for awhile. Yes, the generics were cheaper, but not enough so that I felt comfortable with the idea of having to buy new equipment twice a month.

The NJoy warranty has worked well so far. Whenever I have a problem, I shoot them an email and then they ship me a new atomizer or battery. They've never gotten an attitude with me about asking for replacements. They don't even ask questions; they just send out a new unit.

The problem is that I've had to use the warranty quite a bit. I've lost count of the number of atomizers and batteries I've had to have replaced. Each time something goes bad, I'm without an e-cig for the week (or more) it takes for them to ship me a new unit. Sure, I could buy another unit to have as a back up, but I don't feel like throwing down another $100+.

Then I found Puresmoker.com. The last time my NJoy atomizer went kaput, I ordered a couple cheap atomizers from Puresmoker. The same day (a Saturday) I ordered those atomizers, I sent NJoy an email about my broken atomizer. Puresmoker's atomizers were waiting for me in my mailbox when I got home from work on Monday. I didn't get an email response back from NJoy until Wednesday, and I still haven't got my NJoy replacement atomizer over a week later.

Also, Puresmoker's atomizers have so far put the NJoy atomizers to shame. These things are still smoking better than any new NJoy atomizer I've used. I have no idea why that is, but whatever the reason, I'm happy.

Another thing I like about generics: they are mine. I can do whatever the heck I want to with them without fear of voiding the warranty. When my atomizers go bad, I get an almost irresistible urge to figure out why. But, since I want to be able to get my free NJoy replacement, I'm hesitant to open up the broken one to have look around. With my Puresmoke atomizers, I own them; they're mine.

 

[Kimmiegrif]

A warranty is only as good as the customer service...speediness of replacement, no made up reasons that the part became defective by the user.

I can't see how companies can continue to replace parts over and over because this new tech has flaws, but I personally believe that a company that has a warranty and honors it, is worth paying a more premium price, esp for this new tech. thank you companies that have warranties and honor them.

 

[CaptainKauai]

A warranty is only as good as the customer service

I agree completely. I usually buy a product because it is a good value. However I am more likely to become a loyal consumer if the customer service is excellent. Because I don't use it often, I don't stay awake at night wondering about the warranty on my toaster. But with my e-cig I want to know that the company will stand behind there product.

 

[apachedug]

Interesting to read this stuff...a couple nights ago I was surprised when my sister (who I got into e-smoking) sent me an email that she was waiting for replacement atomizers from Smartfixx.

I said "you still buying from them?" and she said "no, but I bought the same hardware you did, back in July, and the stuff has gone bad."

My stuff went bad too, but I never thought to return them--I puff these things nonstop, & just chalked it up to hard use.

I've only returned something 1 time, a brand new atomizer that made a loud hissing noise the very first time I tried using it. (To MyECig)

Since then, I've only bought stuff from Puresmoker & esmokeytreats. I've had a couple of the Puresmoker atomizers go bad, but figured what the heck, he's cheap enough (and I own a dozen!) The atomizers I got from Phil (only 2) have needed washed a couple times, but always come back to life.

Unless something exploded on me the first time, it's just not worth the hassle of always sending stuff back...I'd rather have a bucket of cheap spares on hand!

 

[Kimmiegrif]

dug,
you should contact puresmoker and send them back, that is if you didn't wait too long. Being a member of this forum and particapating in reviews...to not contact them and tell them you have a problem is unfair to them, you and whoever is reading this.

But maybe since you use them excessively and know their lives aren't forever, you have chose not to hassle them with unfair returns. But I think if you have a product that is under warranty you must give the vendor a chance to remedy it or at least tell you what you are doing wrong to kill the part.

 

[smoking gnu]

Well I just received my new replacement atomizer from sedansa. I sent off the dead one last Monday it cost me 75p to post got my new one back today delivered by ups. I’m well pleased with that.