This is a rather (personally) embarrassing and long story--one which does not shine particularly well upon myself. It does go to show, however, that in having a forgiving heart and the ability to overlook "growing pains," good things can happen.
When I first heard about V4L, I had already been somewhat burned by two other e-cig companies. Not only was I unsatisfied with the products that I had received (and for which I had been horrifically overcharged), I was very dismayed at the lack of concern in their customer service departments.
A friend suggested that I try V4L as she had been very pleased with her consumer experiences with them. I came to this sub-forum and read up a bit on the company and reviewed all of the positive comments. I decided to give V4L a try--I knew that my previously purchased products were already failing and I would need a replacement quckly.
Well, I placed my first order for two XL
batteries and a wall charger. I received my order in two days. Wow! I couldn't believe the shipping was SO fast! I sat down that evening with my shiny new
batteries and vaped till I couldn't vape any longer. The next morning, I put one battery on the charger and it wouldn't charge. I tried everything I had read about on the forum to ensure that there was a good connection between the charger and the battery, all to no avail.
I finally sat down with the other battery to vape away some of the stress. I had nothing but problems--I couldn't get a draw on that battery unless I lightly blew into the hole in the carto end and then inhaled, and then I couldn't get the battery to stop its connection until I lightly blew again into the carto hole. I was very unhappy, and thought I had been taken advantage of again.
I contacted who I later came to know as Val at customer service. She told me to make a comment in my next order so that they could send me replacements, or to let her know if I was not going to order for a while, and they would take care of it right away. Since my social security payday was only a few days away, I told her I would wait and just put a comment on my next order. Payday came around and I put the comment on my order--a few days later my order arrived with two new batteries. Sadly, one of the batteries also wouldn't charge and the threads on the second battery were such that I couldn't even get a carto screwed onto it. To top it all off, there was a stamped note on the bottom of my invoice asking me to return the defective batteries. (There is more to this story that I will touch on shortly.)
Needless to say, I was very perturbed by this point. I was also rather confused by my friend's insistence that this was a great company--how could this be so if the first 4 out of 5 products I had purchased were defective?!
I sent a not so nice PM to Steve and really railed on how it was extremely inconvenient for me to continue going through such hassles. I told him about being terminally ill and having to schedule trips out of the house to get to the post office, and that had I known I would need to return those defective batteries at my expense, I would have made other arrangements. I was embarrassingly rude to Steve. My behavior and attitude was totally out of line and inappropriate.
I felt so badly about having written in such an ugly manner that the next morning I wrote another private message to Steve--apologizing for my previous message. I sincerely felt, and still do feel, horribly for my outburst. I never received a response from Steve to either of my private messages. Frankly, if I had received a message like the first one that Steve received from me, I am not so sure that I would have responded either. I harbor no hard feelings for not having received a response--what I did/said was out of line.
I have never received any extra goodies thrown in with either of my small orders--even in support of the defective products that I had received. After my outburst to Steve, I am not surprised. I figured he had probably made a note on my account to not send me anything extra.
The only reason I bring this whole extras/surprises/goodies thing up, is because I want to clarify something--even with all of the issues that I had at first, and the inconveniences of having to mail back defective products, I have become a V4L'er for life. I love the products, and the visions that Steve apparently has for the future, keep me excited about what might be on the horizon for the
vaping community.
Steve's attention to detail, interest in producing the BEST products on the market, desire to keep his entire V4L "family" satisfied, have all caused me to re-evaluate what it is that I want in determining with which company I wish to become associated.
The most important thing that I look for in dealing with any of the dozens of doctors that I see every month, is whether or not my needs are being met, my questions answered and acknowledged, and my concerns dealt with appropriately. I expect nothing less in my dealings with a retail establishment--and i have found exactly that with V4L.
This has turned out to be an incredibly long post, so I will close for now. However, I do wish to say one last thing--publicly--to Steve.
Steve, I am VERY sorry for having gone off on such a tangent in my private message to you a few weeks ago. I should have given V4L, and especially you, the benefit of the doubt instead of automatically assuming that your company was just the same as so many others out there--including the two with whom I had such a horrible experience before finding V4L.
While I have no idea how long I might be around due to my failing health, until such time that I take my leave, I shall remain a sincere and devoted V4L'er. I wish only the best for V4L, for you and your family--both real and internet. I hope that someday you will be able to find it in your heart to fogive me for being so quick to jump the gun regarding my initial battery issues. I am so very sorry.
(ETA: I did send all four defective batteries back to V4L. They cannot address and correct problems/issues, if they do not know wherein lie the problems. Certainly that makes sense to me, as I would hope it makes sense to anyone who has ever received a defective product.)
