My horrific customer service experience.

[TheJakeBailey]

goodNews, you never disappoint! That, is a LOT of words. lol I don't disagree with most of it, but man that is a LOT of words. But I have to say, I think you need to give some credit. Seems many vendors have been willing to work with you and send you replacements or freebies. A giant post like that should include some good with the bad.

To the OP, I wouldn't shop there again either. Money is earned, and that goes for mine as well as theirs.

 

[tj99959]

You need to explane to me what it is that you are calling a carto that costs $3.50. Off the top of my head I could probably name 50 places that sell them for $1.45/carto.

 

[zoiDman]

...

See, I totally understand why cartomizers have no warranty. It's the nature of the item. However.....if one is unusable straight out of the package due to an obvious manufacturer flaw, you shouldn't ding the customer for that, right?

When I used Cartomizers, I Expected there to be a Bad One once and awhile. They Crank out 100,000's of them and for te price I was paying, I Expected to get a Bad one Now and Again.

But with respect to a B&M who you bought them from not replacing it, that usually happens when they are the Only B&M in the immediate area.

 

[Katiecat]

It's for an Inferno tube tank. The cheapest you can get them is $2.69 online if you buy in bulk. Who knows, maybe they're cheaper elsewhere, but I've only ever bought them directly from Volcano.

Back when I used the kr808d-1 model, I often bought cartomizers on sale for $1.

You need to explane to me what it is that you are calling a carto that costs $3.50. Off the top of my head I could probably name 50 places that sell them for $1.45/carto.

 

[Nikkita6]

Shooooot ... you are much nicer than me. I would have left that store with a new carto that I didn't pay for, and a partial refund for the juice that I wasted on the faulty cartomizer. Hell hath no fury like a women scorned, or jipped out of her monthly vape budget, lol.

You are completely justified in your rejection of this vendor, and for $3.50 I sure hope that was an XL Mega 5ml carto.

 

[edyle]

I'm probably making this story a lot longer than it needs to be, but I want to explain the frame of mind I was in when it all went down. So bare with me for a minute.

After years of searching I finally found a setup and juice that I like. I'm a creature of habit, so once I found it, I stuck with it and had no desire to try anything else. Because it's the holidays, I've been broke as a joke for the past month. I ran out of my usual juice, so for about a week I had to vape something I had stuck in the back of a drawer that slightly tasted like soap. Yesterday was payday, so I went to the vape shop to get more of my usual juice, only to find they were out of the big bottle. I had to buy the smaller one, which was more expensive. I only bought the one bottle because they said they were expecting another shipment of supplies soon. I drove home (a 15 minute drive) and filled the cartomizer and tank, went to screw it in, and it wouldn't fit. There was something wrong with the threads. I was already irritated about having to pay more for a small bottle of juice, so you can imagine how upsetting it was to waste some of it on a cartomizer that didn't work. So I got in my car and drove the 15 minute trip back to the vape shop. I walked in and showed the woman behind the counter the problem. She immediately knew what was wrong with it. It was a faulty cartomizer. I asked if that was a common problem with their cartomizers, and she said yes. She reached behind the counter and handed me another one and told me to check and see if that one worked. It did. Yay! Hallelujah! Then she looked me square in the eye and said, "That'll be $3.50." That totally caught me off guard. I paid and left, and I am never going back.

See, I totally understand why cartomizers have no warranty. It's the nature of the item. However.....if one is unusable straight out of the package due to an obvious manufacturer flaw, you shouldn't ding the customer for that, right?

Well if:

She reached behind the counter and handed me another one and told me to check and see if that one worked. It did. Yay! Hallelujah!

Then next time you go for a few cartomizers, check EACH one before you pay !

 

[Ahoy]

That's pretty crappy man. You said the threading was wrong? So was it an 808 threading you were trying to fit on to a 510? or am I just lost and confused..lol sorry just woke up ^.^

 

[WillyZee]

That's pretty crappy man. You said the threading was wrong? So was it an 808 threading you were trying to fit on to a 510? or am I just lost and confused..lol sorry just woke up ^.^

from what I understood ... the threading was faulty and replaced with same product ... for greedy profit

 

[edyle]

Buy your carts on line you can get a box of 5 for what you are paying for 2 I thought it was kind of crappy if your a regular and they charge you the little bottle price.

I understand B&M cant compete with online but they can make up for it by making you feel like a valued customer. Id say scew them even most online vendors will honer a DOA cart of 510 atty.

That's right; a B&M's key advantages are they can know their repeat customers and give them incentive to return.

 

[edyle]

I agree that it is just good business to replace a defective part but it sounds as though the woman was a clerk who may not have had the option to ignore store policy or possibly didn't care about the business. Perhaps if you had asked to talk with the owner or management things would have worked out better. I'm just speculating but don't blame you for being upset.

I got that impression, too; that it was probably some young person who got a job to sell some stuff, and wasn't really experienced anyway. Less work for the sales person if the customer just bought a new one than to go through the process of tracking a defective part, because the boss is going to see a discrepancy if there is a missing carto.

 

[freeatlast!]

Well, I'd go back there and tell them that when you were charged for the replacement for the faulty carto, you were so shocked you just paid and left; and that you wonder if they really meant to charge you for it. And if you're a regular customer, remind them so; even let them know that you'd like to support them because they're local. THEN, if they still think you should have paid for faulty item, don't go back....

Faulty item that can't be used should NOT be charged for!

Personally, it is my opinion that everybody deserves a 2nd chance, and that angry, aggressive confrontation is a poor way to go about things unless you are dealing with someone who has repeatedly tried to use/abuse you in some way. But that's just my opinion.

 

[edyle]

It's for an Inferno tube tank. The cheapest you can get them is $2.69 online if you buy in bulk. Who knows, maybe they're cheaper elsewhere, but I've only ever bought them directly from Volcano.

Back when I used the kr808d-1 model, I often bought cartomizers on sale for $1.

If that tank takes an odd carto, maybe you should change tank?

 

[Ed_C]

That's what I was thinking. There's plenty of great carto tanks that use standard cartos. Standard cartos cost much less than $2.69. I know you're a creature of habit, but maybe it's time to change the habit.

If that tank takes an odd carto, maybe you should change tank?

 

[Katiecat]

I'm open to suggestions. What would you recommend? Also, how exactly would you use a standard carto on a tube tank? Would I have to drill holes in it or something?

That's what I was thinking. There's plenty of great carto tanks that use standard cartos. Standard cartos cost much less than $2.69. I know you're a creature of habit, but maybe it's time to change the habit.

 

[Ed_C]

Well I'm hardly an expert, but I went with a tank from IBTanked. These are very popular around here and I've seen numbers of recommendations for these. Baditude is a big proponent of IBTanked products and I imagine in ten minutes or less he'll pop in and post his recommendations. In the meantime I'll post his review and a link to the IBTanked website. As for the cartos, yes you can buy them pre-drilled for about $1.50 per.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/baditude/3318-3-ibtanked-pyrex-glass-tanks-review.html
IBTanked - Get Tanked With Us!

 

[TruSound]

It's called customer service Jarbs, and really...for the $1.50 that the Store paid for it don't you think it's worth a $1.50 to keep that customer happy.

 

[Ed_C]

Apparently any XL carto will work with your Inferno tube tank. It looks like you don't need to pay for the overpriced Inferno cartos. I'm thinking they might just be re-branded.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/e-cigarette-suppliers-forum/240661-4ml-7ml-tube-tanks-now-available-volcanoecigs-2.html

 

[vjc0628]

In most cases with bad cartomizers it is on us because that's the nature of them
its a known thing that you get bad ones here and there

however they are usually a lot cheaper
when I used them with carto tanks I got packs of 5 for like $7
if I got a bad one every couple of packs not a big deal

another thing with vaping we are dependent on our supplies
should always make sure you have enough if something goes wrong

the last thing you want to happen is have an issue late at night or on a Sunday
and have the only alternative to be an analog

 

[OCD]

$3.50 for one cartomizer is reason enough not to patronize a B&M. You can get a 5 pack for under $5 bucks.

I don't get all the support for B&M's and the vaping industry. It's a poor business model.

"We have to charge 200% markup to stay open. We can't offer warranties because it would put us out of business."

Well then, that's the way the cookie crumbles; shut up shop or figure out your internet presence to broaden your sales beyond your community to properly compete and exist in the current vaping industry.

When the fat lady sings it is going to be the B&Ms that are left. Everyone should understand it takes more to run a brick and mortar than an online store. A small premium for this is to be expected, going beyond this premium makes for bad business on the part of the operator but doesnt make the whole idea bad.

With a B&M you should be able to go into the store and if not try out things at least be able to hold and inspect them. That is far more than you can get from a web page right there. Most often you can taste liquids, a huge bonus.

Like I said, when the fat lady sings and something like age verification comes to your town who are you going to turn to? The one thing BT has over vaping is a distribution network, 10,000 stores across the nation ready to sell you a pack of smokes or a blu. Who do you want to support?

If the store is charging an unrealistic markup on something then point it out to them, give them a supplier that they can cover their own bottom line with and still be able to provide you with the quality products you want to be able to go into their store and purchase. I have a feeling 2014 is going to be very interesting for all of us on both sides of the fence,

Oh, and a warranty on a cartomizer will never happen. The fact is that the end user will 99% of the time ruin a good cartomizer before a defect will appear. You have to learn how to use them is that is going to be the device of your delivery just the same as with any other device.

 

[KjAthena]

I am sorry you were treated so poorly....I have at least 7 B&M shops within 5 miles of home....One I visit often as they have a small but well stocked shop with a small tasting bar and helpful staff.....one I will visit upon occasion to see any sparkly charms and taste some of their new e-juices, it is decorated nice but higher priced......one is dirty and sells blister packs and dekang...never again. the other 4 sell rebranded ego/evod knockoffs...rebranded protank knockoffs and Chinese juice in simple flavors at prices WAY too HIGH.

If any shop treated me like that even my favorite...... I would find a new shop doing it right and they would never see me again