Nostalgia Nights... What was your first post?

[leaford]

I'm sitting back drinking a cold one, and having a little nostalgic fun doing vanity searches for my old posts. I haven't found my very first post yet, but here's the earliest one I could find, and I'm pretty sure it's the first thread I ever started:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ussion/787-failure-rate-customer-service.html

(Ironic topic, no? )

Well, it's been said before here that there's a high failure rate, and they weren't kidding.

In the month since I came across my first sight of e-cigarettes, on e-bay while googling smokeless ashtrays, I've tried 5 different models, and five different sellers.

Out of those 5 only 2 had no defective parts. And even those two had a small flaw each. A couple of these were brand names, the rest knockoffs. But they're all coming from the same factories, or pretty much anyway. Lesson being, it really doesn't matter who you buy from, expect that a high number of units and parts will be defective.

SO, a warranty, quality of customer service, and ease of returns is pretty darn important, right?
The cheapest way to get these things is straight from China, no doubt about it. BUt in the long run, that $20 or $30 dollars you save won't be worth it when you've got a bad battery and have to send back the bad unit then wait for a new one, with 4-6 weeks roundtrip.

I just got an E-Cigarette from Crown7, and while all the parts were functional, and actually the best functioning one I've tried yet, both batteries and the atomizer had minor defects. I hesitated about trying to return it at all, because in one day of use I had become hooked and didn't want to be without it even for a couple weeks. But Ron fixed me up and will sendout the replacements without waiting for my original to be sent back.

Contrast that to my Super-Mini E-Cig from an Ebay seller in China, where one battery had gone bad in the first 3 days. I was given the option of either sending back the bad one at my own expense, which would take 2-3 weeks, THEN they'd send out the replacement, which would take another 2-3 weeks. Or, buying two new batteries for $20 including shipping. And would still take 2-3 weeks.

I'll do longer reviews of Crown7 and all my other experiences for later when SJ approves me for posting in the Review section, but my main point here is just that every newbie out there eying the china cheapies ought to reconsider. Buy from someone local, if at all possible. When, not if but when, your units fail or are flawed, you will be glad you paid a bit more for the local service and ease of return or exchange.
My two cents.

I remember how thrilled and proud I felt when Smokey Joe and Tropical Bob themselves replied approvingly. TB was MY e-cig guru way back then.

 

[Newme]

I actually got in a little trouble on my first post. In the title I put " I ordered the Bloog Maxx Fusion and now I’m scared ****"
There was actually a word at the end that was kind of a swear word. But I put #$% in the middle of it. I was told you can't do that according to the rules, got some type of warning or something from the mod, and they changed the title to what you see now below. I copied and pasted it below.


I ordered the Bloog Maxx Fusion and now I’m scared!

Hello!

At the beginning of the week, a friend who was a heavy smoker told me she quit using
e-cigs. After listening to her I was convinced that this could be something that could work for me.

I have never ever tried to quit smoking….ever. I have smoked anywhere from 2 packs to a 1 1/2 packs a day for the past 35 years. I smoke Kool Mild 100’s. Used to smoke B&H Menthol 100’s.

I have been lurking on the forums all week. Reading as much as I can. A couple of days ago I ordered the Bloog Maxx Fusion Ultimate Starter Kit and 25 extra menthol cartomizers in the 24 mg nicotine. I was sure I could do this.

Today I’ve read a lot about withdrawal symptoms, which really have me scared. First of all I HATE health problems! I’m the biggest baby when it comes to them. Also, I’m a high stressed, Type A personality, heavy coffee drinker, who just started a job Monday. Not to mention my youngest is moving across the country in about a week and a half.

And now I’m starting to freak a bit. Ok, maybe more than a bit. This probably wasn’t the best time to start this, but I don’t want to back down now. If for nothing else, than my husband would probably be super mad because he is not and has never been a smoker. Besides I really am sick of being stuffed up and coughing all the time.

Is there a way to ease into this? Maybe don’t quit the cigs cold turkey? Any suggestions would be seriously appreciated!


Thanks!

 

[redempti0N]

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/147660-new-posting.html

Even a few familiar faces there. and the reason in that thread I said 5 months and here I say 2 is well I cheated and had a few analogs but now I dont crave them.

 

[leaford]

Well, I still can't find my first post. All my searches under my username keep giving me just my own threads. And searching for my name as a keyword doesn't go back far enough.

But I did find an older thread: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-anyone-tried-aeros-smokeless-cigarettes.html

It has one of my first (and funniest) reviews:

Harsh? HARSH? This ain't just harsh, it's gargling fiberglass dust harsh! It's deep-throating sandpaper phalluses harsh! It's ... OK, I ran out of steam on that. Anyone else have any more to suggest?

Point being, this thing is NASTY, with a capital N.

OK, first, a discription. The Aeros is a white plastic flattened cylinder, slightly pinched together in the middle, and sealed on both ends. You have to cut off both ends with scissors, and inside is a folded papery substance, I presume to be tobacco laced with some chemical delivery system. You just inhale through it, and the air somehow picks up the nicotine as it passes. You keep puffing on it as long and often as you want. If you deplete the nicotine, let it rest, and it'll recharge somehow, and you can puff away again for a while. It's supposed to last for up to 3 days, depending on use.

I used to smoke lights or ultra-lights, so my tolerance is lower than most, so YMMV, but I can feel the hit fairly well. It feels about like the medium strength e-liquid, or so. And the menthol flavour is also strong, almost overpowering. Without the visible smoke, the experience is somewhat lacking, but it would do fine for an airplane or restaurant, for example. If the rush and the taste were the whole sensation.

But the strongest sensation is not the rush, or the taste, but the horrible burning in the back of the mouth and the throat. If you just take one or two hits, it's OK. A bit of a stinging feeling like strong mouthwash. Or a bit too much e-smoke. But too many hits, and it gets worse, untill it feels like your throat's being scoured with steel wool. And it keeps on stinging each time you breathe.

Now, they send you a letter which says, paraphrased, that it takes some time to get used to smoking it, and you should give it at least THREE PACKS to get used to it!! B' F'ing ....!! I am not, say again, NOT, gonna PAY to be tortured like this two more times, and at $27 plus shipping and tax, each, no less.

I'll keep taking an occasional puff or two a few times a day, and if it gets better by the end of the pack, I'll consider buying another, because i really want it to work, so I'll have an option for times and places where even the e-cig isn't allowed. But that's it. If this burning doesn't stop, Aeros is out.

 

[leaford]

And this was my first e-cig review ever: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/electronic-cigarette-reviews/792-crown7-review.html

That's a piece of HISTORY right there!

Crown7 review
You may recall the horrible review that was posted by, as it turned out, some troll, and the owner's reply:

Originally Posted by Crown7
I own Crown7 and the post is false. Yes, We get some defective units, but we reply to every email within 3 days and replace every defective unit for free.Thank You,
Ron MacDonald
President
Crown7
Well, Ron lived up to his promise.

I got his E-cig Friday, and have really enjoyed it overall. It's a standard black pen-style model, the same design as E-Cig.

It has a nice easy draw, the smoothest of the five e-cigs I've tried so far. Harder than a real cigarette, of course, but much easier than I had expected.

It produces a good volume of smoke without needing to puff on it, or prime the atomizer, and if you do, you can get a LOT of smoke.

The batteries and the cartridges have, on two occasions so far, both lasted me over 24 hours before being changed or refilled, but I have to admit the smoke was getting a bit thin by then.

I only got one flavour, Cherry, but they have about a dozen, and I'm getting more from them now. The Cherry flavour was stronger, and tastier than e-cig's Cherry, which surprised me, since I'd expected it to be the same. But it was still stronger on the tobacco flavour than the cherry.

There were two flaws in the product; the connector on the atomizer was crooked, so the batteries connected at a slight angle, and the auto cut-off, which is normally set at 5 seconds, was set at 3 seconds, on both batteries.

Now, I hesitated to even mentionit, let alone return it. The crooked connector was cosmetic more than anything, and 3 seconds was about how long I usually draw on it anyway. Even with those flaws, I'd have given it a 'B,' maybe even a 'B+'. And I didn't want to have to give it up long enough to send it back and wait for a replacement.

When I finally decided to send Ron an e-mail, it was past midnight on Saturday, so I didn't expect to even recieve a reply until Monday morning. But within a half hour I had an e-mail inviting me to call his cell to talk about it directly! At half past midnight! On a Saturday! He's not only checking his customer service e-mail account, but is willing to take calls.

Of course, I don't think that's a regular thing, I got lucky. But it illustrated Ron's whole attitude; he just wants his customers to be happy with his product, his service, and with him, and he will do anything reasonable to do that.

And the service got even better from there. I now have a new atomizer and two new batteries coming, and can return the flawed ones after the new ones arrive, so I won't have to go without. Now that's 'A++' service!

What's more, Ron himself is a great guy, and good to talk to.

Like I said in another post, the thing to remember on these new toys of ours is that they're still new tech, and we're early adopters. Early adopters always pay a price, and ours is a high failure rate. Since all the e-cigs come from a handful of factories, everyone is in the same boat failure wise, so what sets one seller apart from another is SERVICE. And Ron gets that.

I could have saved a few bucks ordering the same product from E-cig, and if theirs had the same defects, I'd either have to live with them, or pay to ship it back, wait 2-3 weeks for the defective unit to get back to China, and another 2-3 weeks for the new one to get to me. With Ron, I'll have one on it's way first thing Monday.

For this reason, my number one advice to any newbie would be to buy from a local supplier, even if it's a comparative premium. It's abso-f*&%ing-lutely worth it WHEN, not IF, your shiny new unit fails. Oh, and it's just good karma to support a local business anyway.

And my number two advice would be to make that local supplier Crown7 (if you're in the US and like his models, that is). The service is absolutly first rate, and then some. Not only does he honor his warranty, he does it eagerly, and doesn't put any burden or inconvenience on you.

Man, it's embarrassing to remember how much I liked that piece of crap. Well in my defense, it was the best of the first three pieces of crap I bought.

 

[leaford]

Still looking for my very first post, but I found this old one which made me laugh: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo.../780-newbie-traditionally-geek.html#post12992

Another poster had linked to a babelfish translation of a dutch e-cig forum with amusing results.

Oh, that's HYSTERICAL!!! I love Babel fish!

This thread has me a little worried:
"Age and slaughtered of e smokers "

As does this:
"Appraisal taste and liquid manure "

That thread contains the following scintillating comment:
"I want gladly know how peter assesses the taste and the liquid manure," and, "Already I have been aroused curiosity still to your personal taste - and liquid manure perception." And I must say, I am not a bit curious how Peter assesses the liquid manure.

 

[leaford]

Well, darn it. I'm pretty sure I found my first post EVER on ECF, and it's a bit of a let down: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/law-e-cigarette/734-customs-3.html#post12896 04-30-2008 08:32 PM

Hey, TB, what is the other forum you mentioned?

I didn't introduce myself, didn't tell my story, didn't even ask an interesting question. Man I SUCK at first posts.

 

[Gardner808]

As you would expect, my first post was in the new members area:

New Vaper Here

Hello! Just wanted to introduce myself

Been reading these forums for a while but I have only been vaping, this time, for about 4 weeks. Wish I had found these boards before I bought from blucigs. I have learned alot, found better vendors and better products. Thanks to all of you who post here.

 

[DeeLeeKay]

Here is my first post.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/148438-course-im-noob-2.html#post2382083

I am very proud of her she is doing really well.

 

[shooter59]

Not much exciting on this one either....

"After 40 years of smoking my body took a little time to adjust.
I went from 2 packs a day to totally Blooging in 48 hours.
Haven't seen any noticeable down side accept a little of the detox "acne"... "

Didn't even introduce myself til 4 posts later...Lol

 

[n00b]

My First post would have been over 2 years ago. I have no idea what is was. But you try searching with a user name like n00b. I get 25,765,499 hits and they are not me.

 

[leaford]

My First post would have been over 2 years ago. I have no idea what is was. But you try searching with a user name like n00b. I get 25,765,499 hits and they are not me.

Challenge...... ACCEPTED!!

 

[leaford]

Hmmm...

I begin to appreciate the difficulty:

Search:
Type: Posts; User: HopelessN00b or n00b or N00bx7 or n0n00b or NadaN00b or v4Ln00b or VAP3n00b or vaporn00b; Date is Before 03-31-2010

And when I restrict it to exact name only:

Message
Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.

Sorry, n00b, I guess you have no posts.

 

[n00b]

Cool love to find out what it was. Probably me being dumb. But it would have been Nov 2008 I think.

 

[pmos69]

My First post would have been over 2 years ago. I have no idea what is was. But you try searching with a user name like n00b. I get 25,765,499 hits and they are not me.

Your oldest post (in the system) is this: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/168681-back-again.html

 

[n00b]

Yeah that was like 3 weeks ago. I think earlier ones from 2008 are long gone.

 

[pmos69]

Yeah that was like 3 weeks ago. I think earlier ones from 2008 are long gone.

Yes, assuming you kept the same username, they are definitely gone.
Unless you used a close name (HopelessN00b or n00b or N00bx7 or n0n00b or NadaN00b or v4Ln00b or VAP3n00b or vaporn00b are in the system)

 

[n00b]

Im the same n00b I was back in 2008

 

[leaford]

Yeah that was like 3 weeks ago. I think earlier ones from 2008 are long gone.

Wierd. All mine are still there. You're a man without a past! But with a hat, so there's that...

 

[n00b]

At least I still have an ECF Veteran badge. I guess thats cool.