FDA So where is the outcry from the vendors?

[KODIAK (TM)]

Hey vendors (and sanctioned ECF suppliers)... after perusing a lot of sites, it looks like "business as usual".

Where are the links to the FDA proposals (on your MAIN pages)?

<crickets chirping>

Thanks ECBlends

Have you explained to your loyal customer base how this might affect you?

<tumbleweeds rolling>

Why should I support you if you won't support me?

<owls hooting>

Tell me again why I need to fight your part of this battle and why you deserve my money?


Yes folks, an itty-bitty rant but if it's not true then please (please) tell me differently. In all fairness, There's a thread here from some time ago mentioning a B&M vendor that wrote a nice check to CASAA but I can't find it.

But basically, Holy Crap. It's like vendors are in "stand-by" mode waiting for us to sharpen the pitch forks and oil the torches FOR THEM. 8-o. I've even read somewhere here that a vaper is going to print fliers (at his expense) about the FDA and "ask" a local B&M if they would hand them out. Is this the mentality we've been reduced to?

I've sent no less than 20 emails out to different vendors basically asking them why I should continue to support them. No responses. Not one. Zip. Nada. Zilch.

 

[mynewtoy]

they are regular people just like you and me. i'm sure they are outraged. but are waiting for someone like CASAA to point them it the right direction. the stakes are to high here to make a mistake. i know thats what i'm doing. waiting on CASAA's call to action. and i can't hardly stand it

 

[Culinarytracker]

I understand the need to wait for guidance about public comment to the FDA, but we need to increase awareness!
There is no harm in letting every website visitor know what is going on. Make sure they know it is IMPORTANT and that it WILL affect them.
I am considering having some kind of card with the crucial info and links to hand out whenever I see someone vaping. I also make sure to ask B&M employees and owners if they are aware of what is going on.
Certainly we will wait before commenting to the FDA, but is there any harm in writing our representatives and raising as much awareness of the situation as possible? We need public outcry and media coverage. We need families talking about this in their homes. We need the public at large to know that there is a very real "other side" to the story. Hell we need the public at large to know there is even a story.
Is this the wrong way to be thinking?

 

[KODIAK (TM)]

they are regular people just like you and me.

No. One of us "sells", the other buys.

but are waiting for someone like CASAA to point them it the right direction.

Then they had better be helping financially for that advice and convincing me of that.

I EXPECT nothing less than a link to the FDA regulations on their main page. At the very least, consumers need to know "something" is abuzz.

But in reality, I think they are actually avoiding even bringing any kind of attention to this lest their customer base be told a government agency has deemed their products potentially unsafe. OMG! Understandable to a degree but preying on the ignorant is no way to make an honest living folks.

 

[mynewtoy]

yes but most people are not going to read the 200 page proposal and understand it they are going to wait and do what the lawyers that do understand the language tell them whats in it and exactly how its going to affect them. rather than rely on non experts like you and me

if your going to increase awareness you need to be able to tell people what they can do about it other than contact your congressman

i'm with you guys though we really need to get the public to use their own common sense on this and not the fear mongering media the FDA has been putting out

 

[Roger_Lafayette]

There are a few states (UT, OK, MN and CA among others) in which vendors have been organized and/or have gone to the trouble of getting people to plead their cases in the state legislatures. I hear a rumor that this has had a significant impact in at least one state (MN). And some serious bullets have been dodged in places like WA, UT, OR, and so forth, although in some of those cases vendors may not have played a role.

There are other states (which I won't mention) in which vendors have been disgracefully complacent.

CASAA has already issued a press release. Vendors have no excuse for not putting a linik to it on their web sites.

Count me in with The Bear on this one.

 

[Kent C]

I know of several vendors that are doing something. Some radio spots and emailing their representatives. Many don't post other than in their suppliers forums, since many have had deleted posts and/or infractions in posting elsewhere. And while the rules are 'that they don't promote their products', others' 'interpretations' of that have been used to restrict their communications and in one case, imo, an outright ban. Just because you don't hear from them here, doesn't mean they are silent.

In fact, see the last post by Bill G on the California issue about how 'if all the people that posted on that thread would have actually contacted their reps in California, he thinks the one bill that is now going to vote, wouldn't exist'. So 'seeing posts' from users, also doesn't mean they've actually done anything (many exceptions noted).

That said, I'd encourage users and vendors to contact their reps, even though, as I have, you only get form letters in return. Responses are usually counted and, I don't know if this still holds true but by all accounts I've read from staffers, reps themselves and reporters, they figure 1 letter/email represents around 50 constituents that feel the same way.

 

[aikanae1]

There are a few states (UT, OK, MN and CA among others) in which vendors have been organized and/or have gone to the trouble of getting people to plead their cases in the state legislatures. I hear a rumor that this has had a significant impact in at least one state (MN). And some serious bullets have been dodged in places like WA, UT, OR, and so forth, although in some of those cases vendors may not have played a role.

There are other states (which I won't mention) in which vendors have been disgracefully complacent.

CASAA has already issued a press release. Vendors have no excuse for not putting a linik to it on their web sites.

Count me in with The Bear on this one.

Well if they have been advocating in those places, count me clueless.

Calif was on the 30th. 6 people showed up and ONE vendor - Njoy who seems quite comfortable representing all vendors in the state (not to disparage Njoy because they have been instrumental in keeping bans / restrictions / taxes out of Az). I got ALL CAPS EMAILS from several vendors in Calif announcing how urgent it was to take action and I know, for a fact, they recieved additional orders because of it. One of them was only 2 hours away... and NOTTA. Not even B&M's across the street showed up.

Good ol' Washington (born and raised there) has 2 promenent vendors. People made mad rush orders to avoid possible outcome of a 95% tax (originally proposed). The last 24 - 48 hours before the vote, I got (one guess ...) ALL CAPS EMAILS telling me, as a customer how important this was. HUH? What the _ _ _ _ (fill in the blank with your own word) did they expect anyone could do about it then!!! Where were they for the rally's, knocking on doors, funding, phone calls? That's BS!!! Local vendors do NOT deserve credit for that victory.

(Correct me if I'm wrong. I'd love to be wrong.)

To me these last minute emergency emails have become little more than marketing tools. I know I won't react the same way again, esp. not within the last week. I've been biting my tonque about sending my personal opinion to them in a couple of short, sharp paragraphs.

Right now, I think customers care more about their business than they do.

I see fund raisers on FB for animal shelters, single disease causes, which are all wonderful - but what about my right to vape and their (hopefully) right to be in a field of work that they enjoy?

I'm sorry, but posting a link to a poorly written petition from last year only demonstrates more of the same miserable incompetence. That isn't doing something to help.

All it took was Njoy's atty to say "maybe we can work out a deal" and they got face time with committee members. Average citizens can't get that response. It doesn't matter if that's right or wrong, that's the way it is. A business will be heard much easier.

These committees need lobbing in advance of a vote. Waiting the last week is a slap in the face to the people working hard to keep THEIR paychecks coming in. Maybe they could strain a little with a CASAA membership drive?

I could go on quite awhile with this. It's just a pattern that I am aware of happening way, way too often.

I've thought of starting a thread to make special mention of those few business' who have gone out of their way to support vaping. A little free advertising? Then again, it's sad that's what it takes.

 

[Rachel-E]

I know of one vender that I use that sent out e-mails for an FDA call to Action. It has links to comment on the proposal, read more about it at CASAA and a link to join CASAA. They also have the same information on the home page of their website.

 

[KODIAK (TM)]

I know of one vender that I use that sent out e-mails for an FDA call to Action. It has links to comment on the proposal, read more about it at CASAA and a link to join CASAA. They also have the same information on the home page of their website.

Who are they? I want to thank them.

ECBlends which is my primary vendor, posted some silly-assed and totally self-serving crap the day after the draft came out which basically praised the FDA but have since removed that nonsense. (And I'd like to think my spamming of their help desk had something to do with that. ) At least they have an FDA link on their home page now:

 

[Rachel-E]

Who are they? I want to thank them.

ECBlends which is my primary vendor, posted some silly-assed and totally self-serving crap the day after the draft came out which basically praised the FDA but have since removed that nonsense. (And I'd like to think my spamming of their help desk had something to do with that. ) At least they have an FDA link on their home page now:

View attachment 332004

The Vapor Room. One of the first Vendors I tried.

 

[FlamingoTutu]

DesertVapes Electronic Cigarettes and Supply has a pretty good one.

 

[aikanae1]

I know of one vender that I use that sent out e-mails for an FDA call to Action. It has links to comment on the proposal, read more about it at CASAA and a link to join CASAA. They also have the same information on the home page of their website.

I do too on my FB page. Big whoop. That is not enough.

 

[aikanae1]

DesertVapes Electronic Cigarettes and Supply has a pretty good one.

I know them. In Az. This is pretty active around here. I wish every community was like this. IMO it's still minimal. Owners do know each other at least. Yet no one objected to the county ban up north (and that's still in play - very rural and probably a test).

 

[coalyard]

Thank goodness I started to DIY. Nic liquid has become a very big priority for me now. That being said, I have joined CASAA, and I continue to do all I can do to fight the good fight here in NY. I have contacted local B&M owners and answered many FB posts from media outlets. I have called and written to local, county, and state legislators as well as those in WDC.

I can easily see the writing on the wall, so I guess it puzzles me too why vendors aren't joining the fight further. I can however, speak for myself in saying I will not be caught without a chair when the music stops, and I suggest that anyone who wishes to continue vaping (and afford it) plan accordingly.

 

[Gato del Jugo]

During Wednesday's "VP Live" radio show, one of Dimitri/vapingreek's guests (I believe somebody fairly visible/active in the vaping community) contacted like 325 vendors about this -- and only 25 responded to him...

https://soundcloud.com/#vp-live/smoke-free-radio-episode-2

 

[aikanae1]

When the "music stops" will kill millions of smokers. This "save my skin" approach is not working. I think vendors in Calif were reluctant to do anything when they thought the bill would not affect their little corner of the world. That's not advocacy, or outreach (Az has had "kick it" drives), that's not getting more members or encouraging contact with representatives. These bills need action BEFORE they are scheduled to vote; BEFORE they go to committee. Like I said, this has been a pet peeve of mine for awhile. My comments are not directed at any one person or shop. They are generalized and I should go now.

Something to think about; CASAA just cracked 15,000 members. Hooray! 2,000 were in the last few weeks. Yet there are an estimated 3-5 million vapers and to represent us all, they really should be at 100,000 members min. That will take a focused effort to achieve.

It'd be really great if vendors picked up on that. Almost any industry type membership I've got, came with a token discount or something. That's just an example.

These are my opinions only.

 

[Sundodger]

Being a CASAA member myself, I think that we have to remember that CASAA is for consumers of smoke free alternatives, not the vaping industry. It would be nice if they could join forces but that just isn't how at this time they are set up. If CASAA would in anyway show support or be supported by the vaping industry then they would lose credence of being independent of the industry itself. We need all the help we can get, I just don't see how CASAA could afford to get linked to the industry. If vendors or B&M's link to or show support (non monetary) for CASAA I think that's about as far as CASAA can allow. Maybe I'm wrong, just the way I see it.

 

[FlamingoTutu]

During Wednesday's "VP Live" radio show, one of Dimitri/vapingreek's guests (I believe somebody fairly visible/active in the vaping community) contacted like 325 vendors about this -- and only 25 responded to him...

https://soundcloud.com/#vp-live/smoke-free-radio-episode-2

Wrong link? Getting something about the world's sounds.

 

[aikanae1]

Being a CASAA member myself, I think that we have to remember that CASAA is for consumers of smoke free alternatives, not the vaping industry. It would be nice if they could join forces but that just isn't how at this time they are set up. If CASAA would in anyway show support or be supported by the vaping industry then they would lose credence of being independent of the industry itself. We need all the help we can get, I just don't see how CASAA could afford to get linked to the industry. If vendors or B&M's link to or show support (non monetary) for CASAA I think that's about as far as CASAA can allow. Maybe I'm wrong, just the way I see it.

Vendors can sign up customers. Give them a store card or token discount for being a member. I get a 30% discount at professional art stores because I'm a member of an art league. That sort of thing. It's not affiliated. That was only one idea.

If you read in the Calif. thread, some people were taking in store displays and CASAA business cards they printed and bought out of their pocket. Some of those ended up in the back room. All sorts of other things.