Local B&M employees rude

[Liquid9]

So I go to this local B&M shop I always go to when I'm in a bind. I needed more tank cartos and decided to try out a few of their eliquids. I tried Pina Colada and clove, the pina colada was pretty good. The clove was decent and I thought I tasted some cinnamon. I ask if any of the flavors they carry damage tanks. Keep in mind at this point I haven't slept for 36 hours and I'm sluggish and I'm sure I seemed a bit slow because I had a hard time concentrating. He asked what I was talking about and asked his co-worker if he had ever heard of this. He said no, how would the liquid even do that, I don't think that can happen and I've never heard of anything like that happening before. They started laughing when I told them yea I read on the internet that it is most common with cinnamon and some acidic flavors. I said I don't know why it happens, but google it and read about it. The reply was something like "yea, I'll google it...not" and continues to laugh. Two other shops are in my area, I think I will take my money elsewhere. They are over priced anyway. I didn't even want to ask if diacetyl was in any of their juices, they probably have never heard of it and would laugh at that too! I'm done ranting now.

 

[Trick]

I run into two types of people at B&M shops: The kind who blow me away with how much more they know than I do, and the kind who know absolutely nothing, but think they know everything.

Sounds like you ran into type 2.

 

[Hello World]

They started laughing when I told them yea I read on the internet that it is most common with cinnamon and some acidic flavors. I said I don't know why it happens, but google it and read about it. The reply was something like "yea, I'll google it...not" and continues to laugh.

It's their attitude toward the public they are serving, if they weren't stoned, or hot-knifing nic base-100 ...

They can obviously afford the loss of your business. It's been said 80% of new start-ups don't make it past the first 24 months, and by that measure well on their way to make that happen.

 

[zapped]

What was the name of the brick and mortar? Id be happy to call and give them an "edification" tomorrow.

 

[jimmyh]

I don't understand how any place would have employees that act this way. I work in the service industry and we as a company would never treat anyone this way. Our company is a family owned and ran business and we understand that if there is know customers there's no business.

 

[onry]

i to work in the service industry as an IT/networking person so customer service is just as important
as getting the wire pulled or pc fixed sometimes more so as the customer usually wants to know
why you had to do what you're doing or why you ran the wiring the way you did
and doesnt want to be made to feel like a ..... when you explain it to them

 

[worthatry]

That sucks and they shouldn't have treated you like that. They could have handled that better. However, I think you should have been more specific of where you read it. Not just say "the internet". Say ECF forums. Say some website of vendors actually say it, I think it was EC Blend or MT Baker, could be wrong though. I think that would have been a better response. But still no excuse to laugh at a customer or try to demean them. They could easily have just said that they haven't had any complaints of it from current customers.

 

[onry]

i can say i have actually seen it as it just happened to my neighbor just a couple of days ago.
I believe she had been vaping thug juice in her vivi nova and she sent me a pic of the tube in
2 pieces

 

[Bosco]

I bought a Kanger T2 at a B&M shop. After about a week I noticed it was getting hard to draw and seemed clogged. I was a total newbie then so I went on down to the shop to ask them about it.

First the guy looked at me like I was crazy. "Clogged"? Like nobody had ever heard of that before. Then, his only advice to me was to buy another brand of clearo - saying, in a snobby tone, "This is the only one I vape with".

So, now I'm like .. well, if the Kanger's don't clog and are so great - why the snobbery? If you *only* vape 1 brand and all others are crap - why'd you sell me the Kanger last week?

Anyway - some of the clerks at this particular shop remind me of employees at an organic grocery co-op. You know - the kind with tattoos and nose-rings who are bored to death with exotic fruit juices you've never even heard of. Bah . . .I'll take my money elsewhere.

 

[Rickajho]

It's their attitude toward the public they are serving, if they weren't stoned, or hot-knifing nic base-100 ...

They can obviously afford the loss of your business. It's been said 80% of new start-ups don't make it past the first 24 months, and by that measure well on their way to make that happen.

DOOM! The OP doesn't need to disclose the store here - I'm sure they told at least one other vaper in that area. So now that's two people not going to that store. And after that person tells someone else... What was I saying about that doom thing?

I see them downgrading to a mall kiosk in the very near future. This is the kind of place that develops only one type of customer: First time buyers... who then wise up and go somewhere else.

Purely rhetorical: Why is it some places can develop a reputation for such great customer service and, well, being so durned nice while doing it (For me that would be places & people like Vicki @ Cignot and Tony @ Liberty Flights) that people - like me - can't recommend them highly enough. And then there's this kind of place... Oh well. The e-cig industry is getting a bit crowded these days. Enough so that standing out as rude and arrogant is a sure fire way to weed your own business right out of the pack.

 

[Hello World]

I bought a Kanger T2 at a B&M shop. After about a week I noticed it was getting hard to draw and seemed clogged. I was a total newbie then so I went on down to the shop to ask them about it.

First the guy looked at me like I was crazy. "Clogged"? Like nobody had ever heard of that before. Then, his only advice to me was to buy another brand of clearo - saying, in a snobby tone, "This is the only one I vape with".

Sad. Many vendors don't feel any sense of responsibility for the products they sell and think it's limited to getting the product sold/shipped out to you. If they are indifferent or unconcerned about what they sell, no point pledging them your support. Sometimes one has to go through a whole stack of idiots before finding one who is really on the ball.

 

[Salt&PePPer]

I think most of us would be let down by the knowledge of most employees working at a B&M. Let's face it a lot of us are Here everyday and Most of us know more than some employees will. Just the fact that we take this as a hobby and 99% of us are up to date on the going's on of the Vape Scene.

 

[Thompson]

Its a problem when the people they hire have no actual interest in the vaping world. Happens all the time with another of my collection/hobbys. They think it'll be cool to work there, and thats where the interest stops.

What really worries me is the stuff they'll be pushing on an inexperienced first time vaper. Between shoddy gear and horrible info, it could really turn somebody back to cigs.

Rude uninformed sales reps, lack of stock and increased prices generally drive me away from B&M. But there aren't any in my immediate area anyways.

 

[NocVision]

So I go to this local B&M shop I always go to when I'm in a bind. I needed more tank cartos and decided to try out a few of their eliquids. I tried Pina Colada and clove, the pina colada was pretty good. The clove was decent and I thought I tasted some cinnamon. I ask if any of the flavors they carry damage tanks. Keep in mind at this point I haven't slept for 36 hours and I'm sluggish and I'm sure I seemed a bit slow because I had a hard time concentrating. He asked what I was talking about and asked his co-worker if he had ever heard of this. He said no, how would the liquid even do that, I don't think that can happen and I've never heard of anything like that happening before. They started laughing when I told them yea I read on the internet that it is most common with cinnamon and some acidic flavors. I said I don't know why it happens, but google it and read about it. The reply was something like "yea, I'll google it...not" and continues to laugh. Two other shops are in my area, I think I will take my money elsewhere. They are over priced anyway. I didn't even want to ask if diacetyl was in any of their juices, they probably have never heard of it and would laugh at that too! I'm done ranting now.

That's a bummer bro. I hate it when customer service, especially in physical form, is not up to par.

I've been to a few local shops & have asked about Vegetable Glycerin (VG) & Propylene Glycol (PG) relating to their juices & they just give me a puzzled stare & question me.

Lol I could understand that if it was some kid hired at a mom & pop shop, but jeez I think e-liquid & e-cig vendor shops would know this stuff!

Instead of looking like a vaping nerd by speaking of such liquid-based mumbo-jumbo, I quietly browse their products now.
I'm not saying that not knowing about the products a seller sells is rude, but it gives me a sense that the seller is not really interested in their goods as much as you think they would be & it would just help out tremendously if they did know this information. It's always nice to talk vape-talk with someone in real life.

Cheers.

-Noc

 

[Bimini Twist]

Liquid9, I notice you're in Panama City. If that's the same store that has a branch in Destin, I'm very surprised. I can vouch for the Destin branch by noting that they've been VERY helpful - answering all questions with enthusiasm when they know the answers. They may not be as knowledgeable as many ECF regulars, but they certainly don't scoff at things they don't know. Friendly, helpful, and honest when stumped.

If it wasn't the store I'm thinking of, you might want to give them a try.

 

[BHam]

Sorry to hear about this experience! I remember being a young kid and thinking I knew everything, but maybe that BM should realize that you need the right people in these shops to properly educate users. God know what they are saying to new vapers who haven't venture to ECF.

 

[tidegirl]

PM sent... I want to know who did this too. I don't want to give them my money.

 

[Gink]

That sucks and they shouldn't have treated you like that. They could have handled that better. However, I think you should have been more specific of where you read it. Not just say "the internet". Say ECF forums. Say some website of vendors actually say it, I think it was EC Blend or MT Baker, could be wrong though. I think that would have been a better response. But still no excuse to laugh at a customer or try to demean them. They could easily have just said that they haven't had any complaints of it from current customers.

I know Mt. Baker points out that some flavors damage tanks, pretty sure it's on their site... maybe even noted on specific flavors that are known to, it's definitely on the paper they send with their juices. I was pretty impressed that they took the time to warn folks about it. So yeah, there are definitely juice vendors one can point to that acknowledge it as a "known issue"

We don't have any B&M shops that I've been able to locate around here, but I know I'd be pretty irked by that sort of treatment, especially after the great personal service I've received from online vendors. If those companies can treat customers well in the "impersonal" setting of electronic transactions then you'd think decent face to face customer service would be a given.

 

[grandmato5]

I think many people here on ECF would be surprised by how many of our ECF approved vendors have limited knowledge about the vaping world as a whole. I'd had conversations with vendors that were pretty much clueless about battery safety even though they sold batteries for the APV's they built themselves and sold. Other's I've spoken to had never seen in person or tried an APV beyond the cig-a-like batteries they sold. These were very nice people but totally clueless when it came to much about our vaping toys that many of us would just assume they would have learned before becoming vendors. I had an employee of a respected vendor here on ECF tell me to try charging a battery to see if it would charge when I wrote reguarding a new battery I received in a shipment that was metering as zero and corroded on the nipple end. Ummmm no, I wasn't putting that battery on a charger but three times the employee told me to charge it because I'd probably find it would work just find once I'd charged it

Just because one owns or works in a vaping store, either online or a brick and morter, does not mean they know the things about vaping that they should know.

 

[Rocketpunk]

I'm blessed with a B&M store (Vaporcast) that is owned, ran, and staffed with hardcore vapers. Every time I go in, I'm amazed at the knowledge they give to me and to other vapers, especially noobs. They are very patient and very informative.

For example, I brought in a friend who only smoked when he drank. He wasn't addicted-addicted like a lot of us. Instead of suggesting an eGo (which I actually suggested), the owner asked my friend how often he smoked. When my friend said, "Not a lot, only when I drink" the owner suggested a Volt kit instead. Quite a bit less expensive than the eGo he could've sold. Less money, but better customer service. I have a feeling Vaporcast will make major waves in the next year or so. Their juice is super premium. Thick, thick clouds, and tons of flavor.

EDIT: I forgot to mention... If I were in the situation where I obviously knew more about the product than the salesman, I'd ask to see his manager, and then ask for the salesman's job. ;-)