Vaping I need answers!

[skinny]

So I started vaping on 11/16/09, and I love it, but get frustrated with it at times. Tell me if you guys have the same issues.
Thanks.

1. I wish I could walk into a store and buy what I need. I hate waiting for mail. Not to mention the convenience.

2. It seems these carts last way less than what is said--no way a cart lasts = to a pack of smokes...maybe 1/2 pack.

3. Carts seem to very greatly in how long they last, even dry from the box at times. To me it is quality control that is the culprit. I've received carts that are machined wrong as well--or is it the battery that's wrong.

4. I think V4L is "the" best E-cig company I've found, They have great stock, good prices, and the service is the best. I love how they put in freebies as well!

5. Is it me or do 99.9% of these companies not want to deal with us? Why in the world would you launch a company and not add ph# and location to a web-page? I hate that, and makes me not want to deal with them!

6. With this FDA thing over our heads, I feel impending doom, and we will loose our hobby. I do not like the idea of loosing something that has got me off cigarettes, and I tried it all...dam FDA! Do you think E-Cigs will be "totally" band?

Just wanted to get this off my chest, and hopefully get some answers and insight to the wonderful world of vaping

 

[Belletrist]

i think one reason carts don't last as long as 1/2-3/4 of a pack is that we end up vaping more than we might realize. so far i've found the quality of the carts to be exceptional; i do know there was an issue with the labels being placed over the airholes which has been fixed now, but that a few cartons slipped through--you may have gotten some of those.

yes, it will be fantastic when there are V4L shops... until then, the inconvenience of mailing simply will have to be okay.

V4L's # isn't on the site, no--i think because 1, they're still working on the site, and 2, they're still working out logistics. i imagine they'll have a # eventually on the site; mark's number is on the business cards you receive with your order, and you can also email him or PM him here.

i think the FDA and Big Tobacco are working at cross purposes to one another and until they hammer out something we're safe... but who knows.

 

[Iris]

1. I actually prefer internet shopping. I hated going to the store for smokes.

2. I smoked a pack a day. I vape a cart a day. Seems about right to me.

3. Haven't noticed, but I haven't been vaping as long as you. Did get one bad cart that wouldn't screw onto a battery or the PT, but hey - the freebies they send make up for the duds, eh?

4. Agreed!

5. I figure a company that doesn't provide a phone number and physical location is hiding, probably for a good reason. Red flag - don't send them money.

6. I haven't been following that. But if they can no longer be sold as e-cigs, they can be sold as batteries, and the carts or juice can be sold as air fresheners or something. If we want it, the sellers will find a way to get it to us

 

[keyzygirl]

You have to order before you run low.Some carts are drier,quality control should improve.leafords in china.I think 1/2 to 3/4 is about right.I vape more than I smoked.

 

[StaceyM]

1. I wish I could walk into a store and buy what I need. I hate waiting for mail. Not to mention the convenience: Me too. It's a pain in the .... I was calling smokes shops all over asking if they sell "e-juice", you know, in case of emergency. I didn't get any yeses.

2. It seems these carts last way less than what is said--no way a cart lasts = to a pack of smokes...maybe 1/2 pack: I completely agree. In fact I'd say half a pack, tops.

3. Carts seem to very greatly in how long they last, even dry from the box at times. To me it is quality control that is the culprit. I've received carts that are machined wrong as well--or is it the battery that's wrong: Again, been there! While I haven't received completely "dry" carts, a few have lasted about 10 minutes total. I also had some Carmel Mocha Frap carts with the stickers completely covering the air holes. (I wreslted them suckers right off)

4. I think V4L is "the" best E-cig company I've found, They have great stock, good prices, and the service is the best. I love how they put in freebies as well! We're 4 for 4 here, as ITA with this as well.

5. Is it me or do 99.9% of these companies not want to deal with us? Why in the world would you launch a company and not add ph# and location to a web-page? I hate that, and makes me not want to deal with them: Haven't had that experience, as I haven't been doing this for very long, but I too would not deal with any company that was inaccessible to me.

6. With this FDA thing over our heads, I feel impending doom, and we will loose our hobby. I do not like the idea of loosing something that has got me off cigarettes, and I tried it all...dam FDA! Do you think E-Cigs will be "totally" band?: I'm not afraid of them! I'd be super p*ssed & disappointed if anything like that were to happen, but my gut is saying "nah".

Just wanted to get this off my chest, and hopefully get some answers and insight to the wonderful world of vaping. Well it's nice to meet you! Glad you vented, because (obviously) I feel the same way about most of what you said.

 

[Pawpaw]

Leaford is in China right now, working on quality issues.

He did catch some of the workers filling the cartos inconsistently and got that changed. He's only been there for a month or two and we've been seeing the improvements for a couple of weeks now.

Yes, even our beloved VK still has some issues, but its still the best c-cig on the market. Steve & crew are dedicated to fixing all issues. Hang around and give them time. Nothing in any business changes over night.

 

[StaceyM]

Yes, even our beloved VK still has some issues, but its still the best c-cig on the market. Steve & crew are dedicated to fixing all issues. Hang around and give them time. Nothing in any business changes over night.

I have total confidence in that PawPaw. Despite my minor gripes, I'm keeping the faith. Too many pro's to let the cons get in the way.

 

[skinny]

WOW, fast answers, you guys rock, and one of the reasons I love V4L--by far the best company I've found, and the guys there are cool
I took a chance with them because y'all said such great stuff about them so I figured they were legit. Funny my first order came with a Biz card with a #, so I call for my questions that are not addressed on their site...but still?
I realize this is new Tech, and will improve, but if we don't say anything, how will it get better? Well it will, but takes more time...lol
As far as I know, V4L is the only company with a guy in China developing the product, and that speaks a lot to me. Someone has to do it, and since I can't (at least now), I'm glad V4L is doing it!
Anyone got a job opening for E-Cig company that needs a good guy to work on product?

 

[falsedichotomies]

I'll comment on #6.

I figure that if they do get banned by the FDA, then a base of operations would simply set up overseas and we'd just have to wait a little longer/pay a little more for shipping for our orders.

 

[callofthevapor]

A lot of good points was brought up. I want to comment on one thing though. My last order was miss filled. I got cowboy menthol instead of smilen vg menthol. I worked alot of stockroom and warehouse and I know how easy it is to slip and make a mistake. So I wasn't really worried about it I got the right amount of supplies so I wouldn't be out anything.

Anyways I shot them off an email today and I got a reply tonight. That is some customer service to get an email on a saturday night. Some products might not be up to snuff. Sometimes orders might be wrong. But my experience and what I've read here customer service isn't going to be. And if you have that the rest can be sorted out.

 

[Belletrist]

that's what does it for me, callofthevapor. there's always gonna be mistakes, malfunctions, plain bad luck... but steve, mark, leaford & V4L are so committed to making sure that the customer doesn't bear the brunt of it. it's truly admirable.

 

[skinny]

Amen to the last two posts, V4L has made up for any problems I've had by sending extra goodies in my order, they fixed the issue before it was an issue as far as I'm concerned....like the say "We Keep You Smilin"

THANKS V4L, keep doing what you're doing

 

[Pugzley]

As far as the number on the site, I like it when a number is on a website, too. But I know for sure that these guys have been super swamped and I have been super swamped on a website like they are now, in the past. I didn't have my phone number on there because I was too short staffed to be able to deal with phone orders or customers calling.

I had an easily accessible email contact there and instructions to email me with a request to call them back and include their phone number if they needed to talk to me or had any questions or problems. It wasn't ideal, but it worked until I could get situated and handle all that was happening. I've been through what these guys are doing right now and it's exciting and fun, but it's also unbelievably hard work and very difficult to fill that many orders accurately. I used to sit down and fall asleep where I landed. LOL 36 hour days were not uncommon. I know they are going through growing pains. Can you imagine being so busy that you don't have time to train your workers so you can't hire very many people at once? It does happen to businesses that take off like V4L has and mine did at that time.

I agree, there has been some quality control issues, as well, but they are paying attention and are handling it with grace and generocity that I've never seen from any other company.

These guys have been so good to me, I really want them to succeed, I've never had a problem or an issue that wasn't handled wonderfully and for these reasons, I'll never stop being their customer.

The main thing is knowing they'll always take care of me and be glad to do it. There's nowhere else like it.

 

[pianoguy]

that's what does it for me, callofthevapor. there's always gonna be mistakes, malfunctions, plain bad luck... but steve, mark, leaford & V4L are so committed to making sure that the customer doesn't bear the brunt of it. it's truly admirable.

Exactly. This is an emerging technology, which always have some level of inconsistency and QA issues. The V4L crew consistently goes above and beyond to make things as painless for the customer as possible. And that's important, since it's hard enough to put down the analogs as it is.

On the flip side, even in the Marlboros I smoked, which have been manufactured for decades, I would occasionally get a pack that had a few cigs that tasted like old socks.

 

[callofthevapor]

In response to Belleltrist and others, exactly that's originally why I made vapor 4 life my choice to start vaporing. In my case I not going to go farther with it. I got the right amount of products and it was a similar product. To me the important part is they didn't give me the run around or try to bury it under a ton of excuses. To answer on a Saturday night, Mark you have to take a chill a bit. I don't think anyone expects an response over the weekend.

 

[ZorbaTheGreek]

1. I wish I could walk into a store and buy what I need. I hate waiting for mail. Not to mention the convenience. Stock up I'm afraid. I've got about a dozen bottles of juice, 1/2 dozen atomizers and 3 batteries. If any part fails, I'm ok till more get here. And plenty of juice to last me.

2. It seems these carts last way less than what is said--no way a cart lasts = to a pack of smokes...maybe 1/2 pack. Refilling is the way to go, totally. Saves way more money, and you can be sure when you grab a cartridge you know it's full

3. Carts seem to very greatly in how long they last, even dry from the box at times. To me it is quality control that is the culprit. I've received carts that are machined wrong as well--or is it the battery that's wrong. See above ^ Even the 808 cartomizers can be refilled, or bought empty and filled yourself.

4. I think V4L is "the" best E-cig company I've found, They have great stock, good prices, and the service is the best. I love how they put in freebies as well! Heard nothing but praise about them. I've sent a couple of friends their way and they've been happy.

5. Is it me or do 99.9% of these companies not want to deal with us? Why in the world would you launch a company and not add ph# and location to a web-page? I hate that, and makes me not want to deal with them! Some of these are very small shops. I'd guess plenty are done out of a garage. They don't really have the staff to devote to phone service . Yeah, it's a bummer, but just one of those things. I don't really hold it against them.

6. With this FDA thing over our heads, I feel impending doom, and we will loose our hobby. I do not like the idea of loosing something that has got me off cigarettes, and I tried it all...dam FDA! Do you think E-Cigs will be "totally" band? I'm not really worried about it at this point. I guess I wouldn't be shocked. But I don't really think it's coming. There is growing support for them and buzz. And any doctor with their head not in their a** could tell you vaping is far, far less dangerous than smoking. With the mod community on this site in full roar, there's pretty much nothing that hasn't been fabricated from scratch. It's not always easy (Seems like the atomizer could be the trickiest part). And extracting nicotine yourself would be tough too, but an option in a total ban scenario.

 

[W Axl Rose]

With every order I get a bunch of business cards with Steve or Mark's name on them, also with phone numbers. Mark has always been very helpful when I've spoken to him on the phone. Mark also answers his emails and PM.Just an FYI.

 

[antithesis]

i know there's no number on the site, but like said above, the shipments come with cards that have a number. they also answer their emails super fast (holiday and such aside), everytime i've mailed with questions i felt were silly, they've answered in a more timely fashion than most places have, and have been helpful each time.

 

[czycoot1318]

just stock up and the fda won't matter

 

[skinny]

You are correct Coot...LOL!
Still think companies large or small need contact #'s and addresses...no excuses, period!
AND on the front web page--not after the fact in your order or whatever. This is for all web sites not just for e-cigs...jeez if you guys knew the hassle I have to go through when I research for a story you would understand!