Mods by Chels - mini-ecig
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It's very nice to "meet" you, Eugenia, as it's always nice to humanize those we do business with.
I've got a marginal interest in your new MiniTank, and will be watching it over the next few months, to see what kind of feedback it receives. If it appears to be performing well, with little or no issues, it's possible that I will invest in a couple or few.
Thanks for coming back in and introducing yourself. I'm sure I speak for many when I say that we appreciate it.
Dave
Nice to know who you are Eugenia.
I hope the "MiniEcig Support Team" will use a name in emails too.
Yes, thank you, Eugenia. A pleasure to meet you. I really did think you were Chels.
My mistake!
My apologies that I didn't sign my name. I didn't think of it from that point.
We are going to make a video with the MiniTank and I'll show it here.
Eugenia,
I have to tell you that I am very disappointed with the customer experience I have had with mini-ecig. My order for the XvoStickis Mod was placed on November 1, 2015 after I inquired about lead time on your website. I was told 2 to 2.5 weeks and if it took longer I would be informed. When I placed my order the receipt confirmed two weeks.
It's now 40 days later and I am being told I may have to wait another 30 days to receive the device, that it is stuck in the postal service. Additionally the tracking information only confirms that a label has been produced but has not been tendered to the postal service. After some research I have found that the message in the track service provided is one that is given at the point you create the mailing label but doesn't necessarily mean the package has been tendered to the postal service.
Because of the delays and prior to my mod shipping (Nov 20, 2015) I requested by e-mail that the shipping service be upgraded to expedited, that request was ignored.
In the beginning I believed the information that was provided to me, I had not seen the company reviews yet. After reading the reviews here, reddit and on youtube this appears to be a long standing issue. Consumer confidense is important and right now I have very little.
I have sent an e-mail to your customer service department and I am hopeful I receive a prompt reply.
I have to tell you that I am very disappointed with the customer experience I have had with mini-ecig. My order for the XvoStickis Mod was placed on November 1, 2015 after I inquired about lead time on your website. I was told 2 to 2.5 weeks and if it took longer I would be informed. When I placed my order the receipt confirmed two weeks.
It's now 40 days later and I am being told I may have to wait another 30 days to receive the device, that it is stuck in the postal service. Additionally the tracking information only confirms that a label has been produced but has not been tendered to the postal service. After some research I have found that the message in the track service provided is one that is given at the point you create the mailing label but doesn't necessarily mean the package has been tendered to the postal service.
Because of the delays and prior to my mod shipping (Nov 20, 2015) I requested by e-mail that the shipping service be upgraded to expedited, that request was ignored.
In the beginning I believed the information that was provided to me, I had not seen the company reviews yet. After reading the reviews here, reddit and on youtube this appears to be a long standing issue. Consumer confidense is important and right now I have very little.
I have sent an e-mail to your customer service department and I am hopeful I receive a prompt reply.
I received a response to my e-mail and all I can say about this supplier is buyer beware. Supposedly my device shipped on Nov 23rd and now I am being told that the holiday is most likely have impact and causing delays.
What? If the parcel shipped on the 23rd of November it should already be in the states. In their response they state that they put new rules in place and the new tracking numbers can't be tracked. Interesting, I was not told of the new rules and why send tracking information for something that can not be tracked. Shouldn't you also convey on your website the policy and service you will be using for delivery and most important, it's not trackable?
They also said Shipping takes time, normally we wait for a 1.5 month since the last track update before sending the replacement parcel. Wait a minute, you just told me you changed your service, packages can't be tracked, now you wait 1.5 months to file a claim based on tracking information.
Which one is it, do we track or don't we?
I can't post the e-mail response due to policy but I would gladly forward it to anyone that wants to validate that I am not BS'ing in my statements.
If my package shipped as conveyed on the 23rd of November then the Christmas holiday package increase would have had no impact. Some of you may ask "how in the hell would you know"? Because I am myself in distribution operations and ship all over the world. Ocean freight, a container to Yemen takes 50 days by sea, you do the math on what they are conveying to me on the total time to get my mod.
Purchase's from Germany, the Ukraine and China have all been fine, some received faster then domestic shipments (eXvape rocks).
Very disappointing!
What? If the parcel shipped on the 23rd of November it should already be in the states. In their response they state that they put new rules in place and the new tracking numbers can't be tracked. Interesting, I was not told of the new rules and why send tracking information for something that can not be tracked. Shouldn't you also convey on your website the policy and service you will be using for delivery and most important, it's not trackable?
They also said Shipping takes time, normally we wait for a 1.5 month since the last track update before sending the replacement parcel. Wait a minute, you just told me you changed your service, packages can't be tracked, now you wait 1.5 months to file a claim based on tracking information.
Which one is it, do we track or don't we?
I can't post the e-mail response due to policy but I would gladly forward it to anyone that wants to validate that I am not BS'ing in my statements.
If my package shipped as conveyed on the 23rd of November then the Christmas holiday package increase would have had no impact. Some of you may ask "how in the hell would you know"? Because I am myself in distribution operations and ship all over the world. Ocean freight, a container to Yemen takes 50 days by sea, you do the math on what they are conveying to me on the total time to get my mod.
Purchase's from Germany, the Ukraine and China have all been fine, some received faster then domestic shipments (eXvape rocks).
Very disappointing!
@LittleDonkey, since you've introduced yourself here, and participated in this thread, would you please be so kind as to address Marc's posts? And Woofer's too?
This is VERY disturbing, to say the least!
This is VERY disturbing, to say the least!
So i got a reply to my support request saying "We check threads with special instruments and they are standard. If you can screw the MiniDrip into other mod it looks that the thread is OK.
In fact, there are standards of threads that can slightly differ for different mod makers. Also, it is possible that the thread in your mod was damaged during the usage"
First the threads on my mod are in perfect condition and second every other tank/dripper i have tried all fit. I haven't seen anyone else ever say they had problems screwing a tank onto the SMY and yes it fits my backup MVP3 but even that is a slightly tight fit. Not really happy with the outcome and dont feel like arguing with them so i wont be trying again and just accept it for what it is.
Its to bad too because i like the thing but im not going to buy another mod just for the MiniDrip, I like having one mod i can use all my stuff on and whos to say it will fit what i might have bought. Glad i didn't buy a $100 Merkava, I would be ...... if i spent any more money then i did and had this problem. Rant over.
Damn shame SVrider but the customer service and support are lacking with this group. I feel that they believe they can tell you whatever they please because they are out of arms reach and there is virtually no recourse for the consumer.
I am not pleased with my one experience with them and will not purchase from them again. It seems to me like they always have a story (excuse) for failure.
I am not pleased with my one experience with them and will not purchase from them again. It seems to me like they always have a story (excuse) for failure.
@LittleDonkey, since you've introduced yourself here, and participated in this thread, would you please be so kind as to address Marc's posts? And Woofer's too?
This is VERY disturbing, to say the least!
This is one of those company whom I know Kat & I would normally love to get behind and support. But we're simply unable to do so with issues such as these continually popping up. It's very sad, and I feel absolutely terrible for you two, along with Woofer, and everyone else who has not received service in line with the costs paid.
Companies like ProVape, Billet Box Vapor, Atmistique, EPM Mods, and many others could surely give lessons in handling service-related issues. And it is companies such as those that I find myself so often turning to, when considering my next purchases. At least I know that they'll be there for me if called upon. Nobody should have to wrestle with someone they willingly spent their money with.
The value of having repeat customers cannot be overstated. I wonder how many of those Mini might have if they approached their business model from a different angle.
First of all, we as a company never tried to offence anybody. And never lied. I take it very seriously and personnaly.
Seriously would it be ever possible to build a business if one ever lies to the customers? No, never.
That doesn't mean that I can't be ever wrong. And sometimes we can misunderstand each other. Things like that happen. I'm pretty sure that you can't name any big company who never had faulty items and sometimes we have the too. The customer survice should take care of this, right?
And that's what I'm trying to do.
So let me list the principles we follow when work with our customers:
1. never lie
2. if an item is lost, we ship a replacement (another thing is when to consider that the item is lost)
3. if an item is faulty, we have several options depending on severity: help with repairing, compensation, repairing at the factory or replacement
Now let me describe the worst possible scenarios which (here you're right) are cuased by the fact that we are a remote factory.
Lost packages and tracking info
Shipping takes time. The problem is definitely not in the fact that the country itself is far from US. Processing and customs take time.
We ship with standard mail service with tracking number. USPS handles these packages within US. Only 2 months ago we could see how items are going through the customs in US and sometimes it took up to 3-4 weeks! That long just at US customs. These happens to a small part of packages. Maybe they are somehow examined. I don't really know how US customs work. All that I know is that parcels are stuck sometimes within US customs.
About 2 months ago, USPS stopped updating tracking information for standard packages. Which means that after export from Israel to US, we can't see them.
From my experience I can say, that less than 1% of packages were lost (we had lost packages though, so this number is not 0). So now we can only hope that all packages will arrive.
We still have a policy that if a package is lost, we simply ship a replacement. But since the package might get stuck and we can't say if it's lost or not, then the only way for us to make sure that it's lost - is to wait.
I understand that it's not convenient. If you have proposals about shipping methods - definitely we're open to proposals.
Currently standard shipping is $12 and EMS is $35 for an envelop up to 500 gr. EMS is tracked well but it's expensive.
We offer our customers a choice, but most of them select standard shipping.
I guess everybody would be happy with fast chip reliable shipping method with clear tracking information.
This would save a lot of efforts and make ervybody happy. Maybe somebody have a good proposal about it?
Items shipped to be repaired
That's another big problem for us and again it's related to shipping and customs.
Israel has quite simple rules about imported items. All EMS items, all ensured items, all expensive items are subject to customs and taxes.
All items which are delcared as electronics must have documents explaining their safety, licensing, etc. There are simply many papers to be provided to get a chance to get such an item from the customs.
It doesn't matter if they are shipped to be repaired or not. Every item which goes to customs is a problem, because we have to pay at least $30 to get an item (which is actually quite a lot) and what is even worse - we have to go to another city to fill in the papers and get an item.
The factory is located in Karmiel. The customs are in Tel-Aviv which makes 1 hr of driving in each direction.
And all that means that if an item goes to customs we can't get it. After some time an item is shipped back since it's not claimed.
We spent hours arguing with the customs, trying to fetch items which should be repaired, but it's really hard. Customs are indeed out of our control.
The only acceptable solution which we found so far is to ship and item exactly as we request to skip the customs.
I don't see a problem to declare a faulty item with low value, since it can't have a full price while it's broken, right?
And even if it gets lost, we'll ship a replacement. So there is no need to worry about insurance or about declared cost.
This post is getting too long, so I'll continue in the next one.
Seriously would it be ever possible to build a business if one ever lies to the customers? No, never.
That doesn't mean that I can't be ever wrong. And sometimes we can misunderstand each other. Things like that happen. I'm pretty sure that you can't name any big company who never had faulty items and sometimes we have the too. The customer survice should take care of this, right?
And that's what I'm trying to do.
So let me list the principles we follow when work with our customers:
1. never lie
2. if an item is lost, we ship a replacement (another thing is when to consider that the item is lost)
3. if an item is faulty, we have several options depending on severity: help with repairing, compensation, repairing at the factory or replacement
Now let me describe the worst possible scenarios which (here you're right) are cuased by the fact that we are a remote factory.
Lost packages and tracking info
Shipping takes time. The problem is definitely not in the fact that the country itself is far from US. Processing and customs take time.
We ship with standard mail service with tracking number. USPS handles these packages within US. Only 2 months ago we could see how items are going through the customs in US and sometimes it took up to 3-4 weeks! That long just at US customs. These happens to a small part of packages. Maybe they are somehow examined. I don't really know how US customs work. All that I know is that parcels are stuck sometimes within US customs.
About 2 months ago, USPS stopped updating tracking information for standard packages. Which means that after export from Israel to US, we can't see them.
From my experience I can say, that less than 1% of packages were lost (we had lost packages though, so this number is not 0). So now we can only hope that all packages will arrive.
We still have a policy that if a package is lost, we simply ship a replacement. But since the package might get stuck and we can't say if it's lost or not, then the only way for us to make sure that it's lost - is to wait.
I understand that it's not convenient. If you have proposals about shipping methods - definitely we're open to proposals.
Currently standard shipping is $12 and EMS is $35 for an envelop up to 500 gr. EMS is tracked well but it's expensive.
We offer our customers a choice, but most of them select standard shipping.
I guess everybody would be happy with fast chip reliable shipping method with clear tracking information.
This would save a lot of efforts and make ervybody happy. Maybe somebody have a good proposal about it?
Items shipped to be repaired
That's another big problem for us and again it's related to shipping and customs.
Israel has quite simple rules about imported items. All EMS items, all ensured items, all expensive items are subject to customs and taxes.
All items which are delcared as electronics must have documents explaining their safety, licensing, etc. There are simply many papers to be provided to get a chance to get such an item from the customs.
It doesn't matter if they are shipped to be repaired or not. Every item which goes to customs is a problem, because we have to pay at least $30 to get an item (which is actually quite a lot) and what is even worse - we have to go to another city to fill in the papers and get an item.
The factory is located in Karmiel. The customs are in Tel-Aviv which makes 1 hr of driving in each direction.
And all that means that if an item goes to customs we can't get it. After some time an item is shipped back since it's not claimed.
We spent hours arguing with the customs, trying to fetch items which should be repaired, but it's really hard. Customs are indeed out of our control.
The only acceptable solution which we found so far is to ship and item exactly as we request to skip the customs.
I don't see a problem to declare a faulty item with low value, since it can't have a full price while it's broken, right?
And even if it gets lost, we'll ship a replacement. So there is no need to worry about insurance or about declared cost.
This post is getting too long, so I'll continue in the next one.
I'm sorry but I would have to respectfully disagree. The complaints are fairly wide spread including reviewers that are respected in the industry. You can't continue to use misunderstanding or communications problems as an justification for issues overall poor business practices. You chose to do business globally so it is your responsibility to understand your client base.
SVrider has an issue with the threading of his device and the explanation amazes me. The 510 connection and threading is an industry standard. He shouldn't have any issues using it on any 510 mod.
Commitments need to be met without constant excuses, it has the appearance of being deceitful.
And for the record an items value does not change if there is a defect so the statement "I don't see a problem to declare a faulty item with low value" would be inaccurate. International requirements are that you declare the value of goods at the purchase price. I know this to be factual as I ship internationally daily. You must declare cost of goods.
If you release faulty items and they need to be returned it is your responsibility to obtain those items regardless of the two hour transit time to get to Tel-Aviv. It's the cost of producing defective items and what is required to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction.
SVrider has an issue with the threading of his device and the explanation amazes me. The 510 connection and threading is an industry standard. He shouldn't have any issues using it on any 510 mod.
Commitments need to be met without constant excuses, it has the appearance of being deceitful.
And for the record an items value does not change if there is a defect so the statement "I don't see a problem to declare a faulty item with low value" would be inaccurate. International requirements are that you declare the value of goods at the purchase price. I know this to be factual as I ship internationally daily. You must declare cost of goods.
If you release faulty items and they need to be returned it is your responsibility to obtain those items regardless of the two hour transit time to get to Tel-Aviv. It's the cost of producing defective items and what is required to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction.
Ok, let's consider the problems one by one now.
General: there were a bunch of angry posts. Don't really want to repeat them here.
So I'll answer all of them at once.
It's very sad that somebody might ever feel that we lied. Or that we don's care about our customers. Probably these people have a reason to thing bad about us. I'm sorry about that and all that I can say is that we'll try to fix it.
I really doubt that you'll find anybody who ordered from us more than 3 months ago and got nothing. Sometimes it takes time. I agree with that.
Sometimes an item might be faulty or lost, but we always make sure that the problem is solved.
I guess you all know that PayPal provides all customers their protection. The deadline is difference in different countries. Normally it's 30-45 days.
I don't really remember that number, because we do not limit our service to that time. If you order an item which is in production (sometimes we sell items with promised shipping date in 5 weeks or even more), then PayPal warranty might be not enough. But anyway we offer a full refund if an item is not shipped yet, even after PayPal warranty have expired.
Marc's problem
Well, what was promised is that we'll ship an item in 2 weeks. This is the time we expected items to get in stock from the production. Then we discussed and agreed that waiting a bit more is ok with you. We shipped an items as promised - 23/11.
We haven't changed the shiping method. Nothing has changed within Israel.
The difference is how USPS handles tracked envelopes within US. You say that you ship dozens of items and you can see in practice how USPS works.
Can you see any difference during the last time?
We ship an envelop with tracking information using Israel post. This is a standard method which we haven't changed.
These packages were tracked well within US for months and years and they are still tracked well within Russia, for example. Or in EU.
But something has changed in the way how USPS tracks them. They have the track but ignore it. I can see it when check tarcks for our packages.
I tried to find any official information about it but can't find anything. We got that information from one guy at Israel post. It's not official, but that matches what we see in tracking information for existing packages. Maybe you can find more information about it?
Obviously, sellers can't do anything about it. If PayPal will start making decisions to force a refund if tracking information is not updated within US, then it will be simply too risky to ship to US. Currently this is a huge problem for both us and US customers.
Proposals are more than welcome.
P.S. There are more problems, but it's late night here and I will try to answer the rest tomorrow.
General: there were a bunch of angry posts. Don't really want to repeat them here.
So I'll answer all of them at once.
It's very sad that somebody might ever feel that we lied. Or that we don's care about our customers. Probably these people have a reason to thing bad about us. I'm sorry about that and all that I can say is that we'll try to fix it.
I really doubt that you'll find anybody who ordered from us more than 3 months ago and got nothing. Sometimes it takes time. I agree with that.
Sometimes an item might be faulty or lost, but we always make sure that the problem is solved.
I guess you all know that PayPal provides all customers their protection. The deadline is difference in different countries. Normally it's 30-45 days.
I don't really remember that number, because we do not limit our service to that time. If you order an item which is in production (sometimes we sell items with promised shipping date in 5 weeks or even more), then PayPal warranty might be not enough. But anyway we offer a full refund if an item is not shipped yet, even after PayPal warranty have expired.
Marc's problem
Well, what was promised is that we'll ship an item in 2 weeks. This is the time we expected items to get in stock from the production. Then we discussed and agreed that waiting a bit more is ok with you. We shipped an items as promised - 23/11.
That was my fault. I misunderstood you and thought you're asking about a free upgrade since it's delayed. We never do this, because we try to provide equal and fair support to all our customers. If we have delays in production, it might impact dozens of orders. If we upgrade shipping method for one of the orders then we must do it for all orders. That would be fair. The problem is that EMS is quite expensive and we can't afford it. Your item was shipped about one day after that request. So at the moment of request most likely it was already packed. I'm sorry about that misunderstanding and I udnerstand that you would have received an item by now if it was shipped with EMS, which takes 2 weeks at most to US.
We haven't changed the shiping method. Nothing has changed within Israel.
The difference is how USPS handles tracked envelopes within US. You say that you ship dozens of items and you can see in practice how USPS works.
Can you see any difference during the last time?
We ship an envelop with tracking information using Israel post. This is a standard method which we haven't changed.
These packages were tracked well within US for months and years and they are still tracked well within Russia, for example. Or in EU.
But something has changed in the way how USPS tracks them. They have the track but ignore it. I can see it when check tarcks for our packages.
I tried to find any official information about it but can't find anything. We got that information from one guy at Israel post. It's not official, but that matches what we see in tracking information for existing packages. Maybe you can find more information about it?
Obviously, sellers can't do anything about it. If PayPal will start making decisions to force a refund if tracking information is not updated within US, then it will be simply too risky to ship to US. Currently this is a huge problem for both us and US customers.
Proposals are more than welcome.
P.S. There are more problems, but it's late night here and I will try to answer the rest tomorrow.
Answer all e-mails within 24 hours. The customer may not always like the answer but ignoring a customer that purchased from you is inappropriate. My customer service group is required to answer the customer with 24 business hours. No e-mail is ignored.
Shipping options, give the customer the opportunity to select a service with or without tracking. I did not know until after the fact that my package could not be tracked. If they want tracking or expedited service they will be willing to pay for it.
Be honest with your customers. I asked about availability of the Xvostick and was told 2 - 2.5 weeks. You could have told me that a US vendor was going to have them in stock before mine even went into production. Vapin Art received a shipment days after I placed my order. Be up front, post all the appropriate information on your website so that your customers have the knowledge needed prior to making the purchase.
And give reasonable responses to customers problems. SVrider should be able to use the Mindrip on any device with a 510 connection. Unless you stipulated in your description that the 510 may not work on all devices it's called deception.
I will back out of this thread now because there seems to be very little accountability, just justification.
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I must say, I agree with Marc, over and over again, in most everything he has said, @LittleDonkey.
You read posts here as "angry". That in itself is interesting. Of course they are angry about the lack of customer service, just as would you be if this was happening in reverse.
Proposals? Yes. Please stop explaining the problems you are having as an international business. Your customers do not need to know your problems. Your job and business simply require that we, as customers, are happy, and that we have REPEAT business with you.
Secondly, I propose that you (Mini E-Cig) consider wholesaling only. If you wholesale to US distributors (like VapinArt) who give at minimum a 7 day grace period on faulty products, this would help to create an atmosphere of trust for US buyers. As it stands now, not many here will RISK shopping from you directly.
Eugenia...... if you were a customer, having read reviews and posts concerning Mini E-Cig, would you have total confidence in the products and CS?
You read posts here as "angry". That in itself is interesting. Of course they are angry about the lack of customer service, just as would you be if this was happening in reverse.
Proposals? Yes. Please stop explaining the problems you are having as an international business. Your customers do not need to know your problems. Your job and business simply require that we, as customers, are happy, and that we have REPEAT business with you.
Secondly, I propose that you (Mini E-Cig) consider wholesaling only. If you wholesale to US distributors (like VapinArt) who give at minimum a 7 day grace period on faulty products, this would help to create an atmosphere of trust for US buyers. As it stands now, not many here will RISK shopping from you directly.
Eugenia...... if you were a customer, having read reviews and posts concerning Mini E-Cig, would you have total confidence in the products and CS?
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