Puresmoker have faulty products...there i said it.

[GlindaW]

i also had a very disappointing experience with a protege...first day couldn't get it to work consistently...and mine came with the mechanical switch NOT the old tack switch...so i fiddled with it for several hours and didn't get any better results....sent 3 emails before a response...i explained the problem i was having and asked them to send me a new switch...they replied with how to adjust it....i tried their suggestions and it stopped working completely...sent them another email telling them that and again asking them to send me another switch since the unit wasn't even a week old...apparently they thought i was a ..... because they told me they wanted me to mail it back to them at my expense so they could install the new switch...now bear in mind all this involves is unscrewing the top and putting the switch in the housing and screwing the top back on...so i got my dremel out and did a little grinding on it and got it working...my thought on this was i shouldn't have to modify a 100 dollar unit right out of the box just to get it to work...really ...... me off quite frankly...so the same day i got there last email i ordered a silver bullet from altsmoke...2 days later i received it and immediately found it to be a far superior product...much more sturdy and more importantly it have worked EVERY time i have pressed the button without have to rebuild it...the name says it all...it is a "protege" of a much better unit....back to the drawing board puresmoker

I'm with you Cadillac Man. I never got any satisfaction from Puresmoker in regards to my Prodigy and finally gave up and got a Silver Bullet. My Prodigy spent more time in the hands of the US Postal service then it ever did in mine. I have had my silver bullet for two months now and it is PERFECT. It requires no trouble shooting, no fiddling with, it's just works like you said, EVERYTIME I press the button. I also just got the BB and I love that too!

I rarely post, but I think it is only fair that customers get the whole picture. Puresmoker's forum is EDITED. Posts and whole threads are removed. While they are leaving more of the complaints up than I have seen them allow in the past, they are still removing posts they find objectionable, rather than giving their customers the option of forming their own opinion. I saw quite a few posts vanish today. They do not stand behind their product and point to "user error" rather than deal with their defective product, even when the item is still under warranty.

 

[star4024]

I am happy you have had such great experiences with PS. I am thrilled that your friends and fmaily find their customer service to be wonderful.
It doesn't ammmter if the product was overseas or not sinice the customer pays the shipping anyway. I am sorry i didn't return my pridigy the first week I had it and demanded a full refund. I thought their warranty was one they stod behind but anything that happenes will be blamed on the customer. You obviously know them and are throwing in a good word for them.. Great.. That is very helpful

 

[voltaire]

these are the replies i fought so long and hard in another post to remove from situations like this. This is not helpful to me or understanding of what happened in my situation.
If you have something helpful or constructive to say please add it as i would love to hear it?

I am happy you have had such great experiences with PS. I am thrilled that your friends and fmaily find their customer service to be wonderful.
It doesn't ammmter if the product was overseas or not sinice the customer pays the shipping anyway. I am sorry i didn't return my pridigy the first week I had it and demanded a full refund. I thought their warranty was one they stod behind but anything that happenes will be blamed on the customer. You obviously know them and are throwing in a good word for them.. Great.. That is very helpful

I think you're both being slightly unfair to New_World here. I didn't see anything dismissive or objectionable in New's two posts. In fact, he/she tried to give a little helpful info about a European distributor of PS products.

This is the Reviews of Suppliers forum, so there's nothing wrong with giving a positive review even if the OP's review is a negative one. As long as they aren't dismissing, accusing, or insulting those with different experiences, I don't see anything wrong with it. I don't think every post in this particular forum has to agree with the OP or try to help solve their issues. They just have to state their own experience in a manner respectful of the fact that others may have had opposite experiences - which is what I saw in New's two posts.

Also, since positive reviews provide a "bump" to the OP's negative review, it's sort of a built-in safeguard against posting to drown someone out.

Just my .02...

 

[mace bewley]

While I hate to hear of your problems with the device, the key fact in the story is that you purchased the unit SECOND HAND! There is probabley not one supplier on this forum that would warranty a USED item. Now as bad as I feel for you, that is the defining factor. If you buy a used car from someone do you expect a warranty? Especially if you take said product to a country that the company does not even ship to??

 

[jagsfanrick]

I have never ordered from this company and after reading this i never will. Customer Service has to be top priority for these companies to stay viable.

 

[Ken Mcp]

just reading ......

 

[voltaire]

While I hate to hear of your problems with the device, the key fact in the story is that you purchased the unit SECOND HAND! There is probabley not one supplier on this forum that would warranty a USED item. Now as bad as I feel for you, that is the defining factor. If you buy a used car from someone do you expect a warranty? Especially if you take said product to a country that the company does not even ship to??

Firstly, the unit had just been freshly back from service from PS and was still under warranty. I don't understand why what country it is in should matter, as long as the overseas customer is willing to pay the shipping costs.

Secondly, as the thread title suggests, the primary complaint isn't about customer service or warranty policies, it's mainly about sending out multiple defective, substandard, and/or ill-fitting switches.

And BTW yes, if I buy a used car that's still under warranty I *do* expect a warranty - transferable warranties are standard in the auto industry. I understand this doesn't necessarily apply to all other warranties though.

 

[Silverthorn181]

While I hate to hear of your problems with the device, the key fact in the story is that you purchased the unit SECOND HAND! There is probabley not one supplier on this forum that would warranty a USED item. Now as bad as I feel for you, that is the defining factor. If you buy a used car from someone do you expect a warranty? Especially if you take said product to a country that the company does not even ship to??

If you read the OP she says

My protege was born in the second batch of proteges with tact switches. It was bought originally by a member here. When it arrived the tact switch was okay for an hour and began sticking. The member put the protege on classifieds and i purchased it from them. Before it got to me it took a journey to puresmoker for a new switch and was sent directly to me without ever being used. It arrived DOA. I paid $90 for it. I contacted steve who replied that he would send me a switch in the post.

If I'm not mistaken It went to Puresmoker to be repaired as necessary before being delivered that is a manufacturer refurbished item and should enjoy a warranty as such!! If not then they should at least warant the workmanship of the repair!!

 

[timothymass]

maybe if you actually bought the item through puresmoker you would have had better quality then with the used one you purchased used it was not faulty the majority of people i have talked to who have the protege and prodigy as i do have had very minimal problems with the pvs from ps and every time ive had to pm steve he has always been very accomidating i know one time i pm'd him at 12 am and he pm'd me back at 3 am and fixed my problem right off. So go through puresmoker directly you only saved 20 bucks buying it used. Im sorry ive had nothing but good service from puresmoker and will defend their product every other pv ive had has shat out on me in 2-3 months so ill keep supporting them. its made out of stainless steel and if he offered you a button.

 

[just-cass]

...for those who want to know how my issue was resolved...

By all means post a reply but I know alot of people are sighing out there with all the different threads going on about this so i will not aid this one in growing. Therefore I will not respond to any comments on this thread but I have no problem replying to pms should you wish to contact me personally.

I received a letter today from steve following a letter i sent him in an email. The message he sent back stated the limits of the puresmoker warranty. I got my answer and I agree he is within his rights to choose this course of action.

I do however wish to point out that in the letter he sent me he explains how the warranty puresmoker has is a "limited" warranty, he noted that a limited warranty is just that- limited.

Anywhere you see limited you should take note that it is at puresmokers discretion to deal with that product. Steve can absolve himself of honoring the warranty due to its "limited" status. If you have, or are worried about the validity of a warranty look at the fine print in the puresmoker warranties before purchasing. Also note that anything not written in the warranty should be considered not part of it as it is possible for any verbal understanding to be voided at any time eg. 2nd/3rd party warranty.


Steve said his warranty as it stands is flexible and as a company they are not obliged to honor any preconceived ideas with regard to their product. That they honour the passage of a warranty from one owner to the next tells me perhaps that it is up to their own personal judgement in deciding what they will and will not entertain.

This does not to me seem like good customer service and im sure people may disagree as they have had their warranties upheld, but that is not to say puresmoker are bound to doing this for everyone.

Even though I offered to pay the shippingcosts, Steve included shipping as the main reason he will not entertain the idea of an overseas warranty.

At this point, steve said he will not send me another switch. He asked that I wait for Simon(UK) to get mechanical switches in stock and purchase one when made available.

 

[SudokuGal]

maybe if you actually bought the item through puresmoker you would have had better quality then with the used one you purchased used it was not faulty the majority of people i have talked to who have the protege and prodigy as i do have had very minimal problems with the pvs from ps and every time ive had to pm steve he has always been very accomidating i know one time i pm'd him at 12 am and he pm'd me back at 3 am and fixed my problem right off. So go through puresmoker directly you only saved 20 bucks buying it used. Im sorry ive had nothing but good service from puresmoker and will defend their product every other pv ive had has shat out on me in 2-3 months so ill keep supporting them. its made out of stainless steel and if he offered you a button.

I've stayed away from this fray but feel compelled to speak up on this one. It's great you've had good customer service and no problems with your products from PS. But, others haven't been as lucky. I do think this whole situation makes it clear that people should read warranties (how many really do???).

I have the Prodigy V2, which I bought new. I'm getting ready to send it in for repair...because of the switch. I had problems right from the beginning but did try all the fiddlings as suggested on the forums and from email exchanges with PS...all which would get it working again for a short time. In hindsight, I should have sent it back immediately.

How upset am I? Not much, surprisingly...it's a NEW design...there are bound to be problems. I look forward to getting mine back and hope that PS's next generation will be fail-proof. They won't be able to do that if the "negative" reviews are dismissed.

 

[ZambucaLu]

The OP has been in contact with Steve and she has explained how the issue was addressed. No sense beating a dead horse so this thread is closed.

Thank you,
Lu