Let's Talk Vendor Ethics

[KerryK]

Ok,

I'm not trying to beat up on vendors but I have to admit I'm getting tired of deception. All the "No guarantees, no refunds, no returns" language all over their sites. The WAY overpriced offerings from so many vendors, I mean 75% to 200% markups for old, dated versions of hardware or potentially defective hardware with no remorse or warning.

Examples:

1. The VAMO I just got, the vendor said NOTHING about the spring recall issue and it had problems as soon as I got it.
2. The Lava Tube I bought was on sale, it had missing paint on the cap, a sticky fire button and the 510 connection was offset, but no I could not exchange it due to it being a sale item.
3. The vendor who changed their juice formula but didn't tell the customers and I got f'd on a 50ml bottle thinking it was going to be the same stuff.
4. And all the ....ty cardos, clearos, leaky tanks, soft metal adapters etc that popped or broke just after I bought them, you know this dance I'm sure. But no exchanges or returns because they weren't DOA.

It really is buyer beware in this new market.

That is why I am so thankful there is ECF, such an invaluable resource!

End of Rant.

 

[mattiem]

I know it can be difficult at times to find a perfect vender. Fortunately, I have found one or two that have never done me wrong. At the very top of my list is DiscountVapers. Eric will tell you right up front if he thinks something you are wanting to buy has had problems reported. He will tell you both the good points and the bad points of anything he sells and he stands behind his products. He will never knowingly sell a bad product. Just this past week I purchased a 1300mAh ego battery for my sister. It stopped working in just a few days. Eric is replacing it. Just like that. He didn't have to. It wasn't his fault that it stopped working. He couldn't have known that this battery out of the 100's he sells would be a dud but he takes care of his customers. Give him a chance and you will see why discountvapers is my go to online vender.

End of praise

no, I don't work for Eric. I'm just a very satisfied customer.

 

[SissySpike]

100% agreed! Its our fault we buy every cheap non preforming sub standard copy available. I just don't get it people defend their reasons with passion about supporting the knock off market. This is what we get personally I will not buy something that says no exchange or refund. I think any body who dose is foolish.
We now seem to be in the clearo ViVi generation. I see so many threads complaining about how to make them work I do not want something I have to trick in to working!
I do not get the Vamo thing, yes its cheap but it really is not a great performer and the quality is pretty much non existent. I know people get what the vendors push especially when you first start. You are thinking why buy this for 100$ when you can buy this for 20$ In most cases you buy the 20$ item then turn around and buy the 100$ Item any way! So you really did not save anything.
I think the clone pushers and cheap product vendors are hurting us more than they help. They prey on unsuspecting newbies and take away from the Vendors who try to be legit!

 

[JaysonD]

The good thing is there is plenty of reviews and vendor feedback here on the forum... it's been a big help to me.

 

[denali_41]

I know it can be difficult at times to find a perfect vender. Fortunately, I have found one or two that have never done me wrong. At the very top of my list is DiscountVapers. Eric will tell you right up front if he thinks something you are wanting to buy has had problems reported. He will tell you both the good points and the bad points of anything he sells and he stands behind his products. He will never knowingly sell a bad product. Just this past week I purchased a 1300mAh ego battery for my sister. It stopped working in just a few days. Eric is replacing it. Just like that. He didn't have to. It wasn't his fault that it stopped working. He couldn't have known that this battery out of the 100's he sells would be a dud but he takes care of his customers. Give him a chance and you will see why discountvapers is my go to online vender.

End of praise

no, I don't work for Eric. I'm just a very satisfied customer.

+1, Eric gets all my business that his stock can support

 

[Faylool]

I noticed Hoosiers updates their sight with as much information as possible on their sight incli
Using quirks and characteristics and things to be careful with. This stuff is finicky stuff and that's why they put the no guarantee on a lot of it. Until the industry gets sharper, and it may not, I personally wouldn't want to be representing a lot of what is available out there. Look at vivi Nova. More than half the ecf community who uses it loves it and highly recommends it and the minority talks about the failures. I like how Hoosier does his site. It's called preventative. When I was a newbie that information would have been a little intimidating. But it's the right thing to do. I don't need a lot of stuff anymore and he doesn't carry some of what I need but when he does I will use his site because he is doing something a cut above so many out there.

 

[Big Screen D]

Yep, Eric is one of the good guys for sure.

I personally don't mind a no return policy IF the pricing reflects it, and it's clearly stated so I know the ground rules going in. I'm not going to bother sending back a DOA carto or two, and from the vendors standpoint, they have to protect themselves from abuse.

For example, I paid $65.00 for an Evic through a coop. If it had come to me DOA, I'm out $65.00. I was willing to take that risk rather than paying $20-$40 more for a limited vendor return policy. On the other hand, I did pay a premium for a Provari, and one of the justifications was the warranty, and repair-ability once out of warranty.

 

[cocacola31173]

I know it can be difficult at times to find a perfect vender. Fortunately, I have found one or two that have never done me wrong. At the very top of my list is DiscountVapers. Eric will tell you right up front if he thinks something you are wanting to buy has had problems reported. He will tell you both the good points and the bad points of anything he sells and he stands behind his products. He will never knowingly sell a bad product. Just this past week I purchased a 1300mAh ego battery for my sister. It stopped working in just a few days. Eric is replacing it. Just like that. He didn't have to. It wasn't his fault that it stopped working. He couldn't have known that this battery out of the 100's he sells would be a dud but he takes care of his customers. Give him a chance and you will see why discountvapers is my go to online vender.

End of praise

no, I don't work for Eric. I'm just a very satisfied customer.

I totally agree on this. I had ordered a charger but for some reason my battery wouldn't fit it even though it was identical to my old one. Emailed him and he sent me another the same day and the problem was solved!

Some vendors want you to send the defective product back usually at your expense before they send a replacement. Sometimes its just not worth the price of shipping. Im sure though if you complain a lot they will want the products back though.

 

[Orobas]

100% agreed! Its our fault we buy every cheap non preforming sub standard copy available. I just don't get it people defend their reasons with passion about supporting the knock off market. This is what we get personally I will not buy something that says no exchange or refund. I think any body who dose is foolish.
We now seem to be in the clearo ViVi generation. I see so many threads complaining about how to make them work I do not want something I have to trick in to working!
I do not get the Vamo thing, yes its cheap but it really is not a great performer and the quality is pretty much non existent. I know people get what the vendors push especially when you first start. You are thinking why buy this for 100$ when you can buy this for 20$ In most cases you buy the 20$ item then turn around and buy the 100$ Item any way! So you really did not save anything.
I think the clone pushers and cheap product vendors are hurting us more than they help. They prey on unsuspecting newbies and take away from the Vendors who try to be legit!

you're going a little overboard with your vendetta, dude. Seriously.

 

[J.R. Bob Dobbs]

100% agreed! Its our fault we buy every cheap non preforming sub standard copy available. I just don't get it people defend their reasons with passion about supporting the knock off market. This is what we get personally I will not buy something that says no exchange or refund. I think any body who dose is foolish.

except when a vendor calls the knockoff the real deal and uses a pic of the real deal and yo get a knockoff in the mail(unbelieveably common with ego batteries). Kinda too late by then. I also know of 1 or two vendors that have a listing for a product and a picture of a similar product in the same listing. A good example i have seen many times is a CE4 V2 (which is the long wich vision clearo) and the pic is of a short wick ce3. Makes ya wonder what your gonna get.

 

[SissySpike]

you're going a little overboard with your vendetta, dude. Seriously.

I will not rest until the evilcloners are stamped from the earth;-)

 

[Absintheur]

Busardo recently had a bit of a rant in one of his reviews that I agree with 100%. When I buy something I expect it to work without me having to make improvements on it. Would you buy a new car knowing it would require work just to run properly? Would you be happy with a brand new fridge that only worked if you constantly tweeked it? I wouldn't.

Along the same lines I should not be penalized for mistakes a vendor makes either. Recently a vendor sent me the wrong batteries on an order. This is a vendor I have been doing business with for some time and had made many orders with. The invoice showed the correct batteries had been ordered but the package contained the wrong batteries. I contacted the vendor and asked he ship the correct ones that day and I would ship the wrong back as well. I was told they would have to receive wrong batteries first before shipping replacements and that they would not refund my shipping costs for sending the batteries back. When I asked why we couldn't just each ship that day I was called a crook basically. I shipped the incorrect batteries back and it was 14 business days before I got the right one shipped back to me and then only after 2 e-mails asking where my batteries were. Needless to say I don't buy from them anymore even tho I did like their "Alpha" program.

 

[jkmtwo]

The knockoff market thrives for one reason and one reason only, supply and demand.

There wouldn't be a market for an Ody clone if the real Ody was able to be purchased, so on and so on.

One fact often overlooked in the knockoff market is the business it creates for the real thing, for all the Provari killers to come out of China, ProVape is alive and thriving, why do you think that is? Sure some of it is price based, but many of those people would never buy the real thing anyways.

Btw, these knockoff and clone rants are usually pointed at China, but how many US vendors are doing the same thing? NHALER just came out or is about to come out with the Curve, its a copy of the Titanride. Almost every single tank or genesis atty is a clone. But no one cares about any of that.

 

[2coils]

I guess the move is to stick with the couple of vendors you trust. I am lucky to have found 3 for supplies. I try not to stray too far from them. Every time I get lured into a sale somewhere else I get problems. I used to have an online business myself. Its really tuff to keep the product updated. If you are not 100% up to the task of maintaining it its probably not the best idea to have one.

 

[SissySpike]

I have not had a bad experience with a vendor Ive even ordered the wrong thing by mistake and they've sent the item I wanted same day and before receiving the returned Item. But I stick with vendors who back their products.
There is a big difference in copying a discontinued item or copying an Idea and making it better or putting your unique spin on it. Over putting out cheap look alikes that are crappy preforming poor quality junk! I say shame on any vendor who sell this stuff!

 

[denali_41]

except when a vendor calls the knockoff the real deal and uses a pic of the real deal and yo get a knockoff in the mail(unbelieveably common with ego batteries). Kinda too late by then. I also know of 1 or two vendors that have a listing for a product and a picture of a similar product in the same listing. A good example i have seen many times is a CE4 V2 (which is the long wich vision clearo) and the pic is of a short wick ce3. Makes ya wonder what your gonna get.

thats what i appreciate about Eric @ discount vapors,if it is a knock-off ,it is stated in the description,,check out the two different vivi novas he carrying right now

 

[SissySpike]

thats what i appreciate about Eric @ discount vapors,if it is a knock-off ,it is stated in the description,,check out the two different vivi novas he carrying right now

Yes but your a water owner so nobody cares what you think;-)

 

[denali_41]

Yes but your a water owner so nobody cares what you think;-)

Play nice now,,or i will drop a bunch of that frozen water on your head and city

 

[jkmtwo]

Did you just threaten to pee on someone?












AWESOME!!!!

 

[xanderxman]

Needless to say I don't buy from them anymore even tho I did like their "Alpha" program.

I got shafted by the same vendor, twice. The first was only my second ever online order. It didn't go down well and I refused to purchase from them ever again. The second was when I was helping my brother place an order, and against my better judgement, I helped him fill a cart at their site. Got the wrong item shipped and when we sent a ticket in we were told that we got what we supposedly ordered so deal with it. He now refuses to deal with them again and so do the other two vapers at work.

I have seen plenty of examples of poor customer service/treating customers like garbage but I have also seen (and experienced) vendors treating customers as they should be treated. It is truly a buyer beware scenario in the vaping market. And ECF makes that much easier.