Is Safari Juice bust but still charging credit cards?

[tedigram]

Posting this in the general to increase exposure.

Ordered from Safari juice earlier this week, was expecting delivery today then realized the order hasn't even been fulfilled. Very unusual, they've shipped within 48 business hours every time I've ordered from them for the last two years. They rarely run sales, and are not running any sort of holiday sale that might lead to giant volume or anything.

I've also found two posts on other discussion forums with people missing orders and having zero contact within the last month, with no apparent resolution. I've sent a support email myself but haven't received an automated response from their support platform, which is unusual in itself, and not a great sign. Their social media accounts all appear to have gone dead this spring or summer. Though I did order from them about 90 days ago with no issue and the usual fulfillment time.

Has anybody else ordered from Safari juice within the last 30 days, or tried to contact them, and what was your result? It's starting to feel like I should be initiating a chargeback here, and these guys are either going out in a blaze of credit card fraud, or have literally fallen off the face of the earth and didn't even care enough to stop the site from taking orders.

 

[stols001]

Haven't ordered from them but this all does not sound good. Hope you get it resolved.

Anna

 

[JCinFLA]

Since they're located in Canada, yet they say on their website that they ship from the US and Canada...perhaps there have been some problems with shipping regulations or customs, that they haven't made customers aware of? If emailing didn't get a response, I'd try texting a message or phoning them at the following found on their website:
Text us
(647) 749 2599

Saying something like..."I've emailed you about the status of my order, #_____ that I placed on __________, and have received no response to it yet. If I do not receive my order, nor an update on it, within 24 hours...I'll have no option but to persue a chargeback with my CC company."

That will usually get a prompt response, in my experience with companies. They don't want a chargeback for the cost of your order plus the approx. $50 fee some CC companies charge them, too, for a chargeback.

If you try to do the above, and the phone is disconnected, or it gives some message indicating no more messages are being accepted...I'd just do an immediate chargeback in that case.

 

[tedigram]

Yeah I've texted the phone number listed on their site with no response so far. Bahhh dealing with a chargeback is just not on my Christmas list. vaping tasty juice WAS.

It's not a customs or shipping issue because the damn thing hasn't even shipped. Or entered any stage of processing beyond charging my #%$%^& credit card.

 

[tedigram]

Getting multiple confirmations in a reddit thread I posted to expand the net. It's not looking good. Seems all but certain that they stopped fulfilling orders sometime in late November, with no announcement and without deactivating the site.

I 100% would recommend not ordering from Safari Juice unless you see different, for sure. I'm gonna give them the weekend to get back to me, since I didn't actually contact them until yesterday. But I'm completely expecting to be initiating a chargeback at that point.

Shady ...., tell you what.

 

[ScottP]

Getting multiple confirmations in a reddit thread I posted to expand the net. It's not looking good. Seems all but certain that they stopped fulfilling orders sometime in late November, with no announcement and without deactivating the site.

I 100% would recommend not ordering from Safari Juice unless you see different, for sure. I'm gonna give them the weekend to get back to me, since I didn't actually contact them until yesterday. But I'm completely expecting to be initiating a chargeback at that point.

Just realize that "the weekend" will need to include Monday since that is Christmas day and getting in touch with anyone that day may prove difficult. Personally, I wouldn't wait. With numerous other people claiming the same issue, I highly doubt it will be resolved over Christmas weekend and you are just delaying the inevitable. JMHO

 

[tedigram]

Yeah, the holiday weekend I meant. And the same holds true for my card, so either way the chargeback process wouldn't start really kicking off until Tuesday regardless.

 

[mcclintock]

I've seen cases in the past (non-vaping) where a website kept working including payment, but the owner disappeared.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

I wouldn't hesitate to do the chargeback.

I would hesitate to call them "shady." A lot of these places are mom n' pop shops, and something may have happened to mom or pop.

It's still in your interest to get your money back and just let the business chips fall where they may.

 

[QcVaper]

If that shop is indeed in Canada and you're not somewhere in it there's a chance customs might have your package, as the law stands now vaping products are considered smoking products and therefore exporting and importing nicotine products is illegal. Not saying it's 100% sure they have it,but it's very well possible.

 

[ScottP]

If that shop is indeed in Canada and you're not somewhere in it there's a chance customs might have your package, as the law stands now vaping products are considered smoking products and therefore exporting and importing nicotine products is illegal. Not saying it's 100% sure they have it,but it's very well possible.

That might be true if he had received a shipping notice but he didn't so I doubt it is a customs issue.

 

[wwdragon]

I word of note. That shop is located in Toronto, they have Tuesday off as a STAT holiday for Boxing day so wait till Wednesday till you start the chargeback stuff

 

[tedigram]

Shipping is not yet involved because as far as I know they haven't even acknowledged my order. It is not boxed, it is not inventoried, it is nothing but charged to my credit card.

They're a small vendor but not a mom and pop. They purportedly had enough capital at one point to invest in a large-ish, professionally certified mechanical production facility since they work entirely off long-term, pre-steeped inventory with a small and fixed flavor selection, so.

This isn't like ordering from some pop-up "givin it a go in the garage" vendor. This was a well-established small business in operation for several years (who I've ordered from repeatedly with no issues in that time) who's now seemingly vanished but is still fraudulently charging customer's cards, in every indication I've found so far.

If I do have to initiate a chargeback on Tuesday and it's successful, I'm planning on reporting them to the AG here in New York, whatever the best equivalent is in Toronto, along with their webhost and credit card processor. Hopefully one of those (probably the credit card processor) will be able to step in and get them off the web and taking orders, at the very least.

 

[tedigram]

Chargeback is proceeding and so far unchallenged, because they are most definitely not in business any longer by every indication.

So, confirmed.

DO NOT ORDER FROM SAFARI, THEY ARE CHARGING CARDS BUT NOT SHIPPING.

I'll plan on writing them up in the review page once this process is complete, but hopefully their card processor or webhost will have forcibly taken their site offline by then.