Volcano Ecig review

[Dunkin717]

I ordered one from Volcano on Feb 1st, was hoping to have it by Friday/Sat (5th or 6th) but because of a storm rolling threw PA... It was delayed. It's early AM on the 8th, so I'm so hoping it appears in the mailbox today.

I've ordered stuff for this from several other sites, ALTSmoke has an adapter 510-KS808D for the battery that will let you use cartomizers... so I ordered the adapter and some blanks, and a few different e-fluids from other sites. I've received everything except the e-cig, and stuff from ALTSmoke (Only ordered on Friday tho... ).

Rob from altsmoke wasn't sure if the adapter I ordered was the right one, and called me to discuss the order. This is what I call TOP NOTCH customer support. I highly recommend ALTSmoke. I am considering getting the Silver Bullet via ALTSmoke... I've read nothing but great reviews... will have to see how the volcano performs.

 

[StatesideAussie]

Dunkin ... you said the package was delayed because of the storm in PA. Is that just something you assumed, or is it what Volcano told you? The reason I ask is that my stuff was ordered before yours and hasn't shipped yet, but the reasons given by Volcano are entirely different. They told me they have no stock. Their web site attributes this to the recent relocation of their shipping department, as well as overwhelming demand, and they are still waiting on shipments from China.

So far I've been prepared to take them on their word, but if they are telling different stories to different customers, that would be a cause for concern.

 

[StatesideAussie]

A slight correction to my previous post ... their web site says the delay is caused by the recent move of their shipping department plus an enormous increase in demand. It gives the impression that the only problem is a logistical issue of their own. It doesn't actually say they have no stock, and it doesn't mention China. Those two pieces of information came from emails with their customer support, not from the web site itself.

 

[Dunkin717]

I dunno, have tried calling multiple times today, tells me 'number currently unavailable'

no response to either email I've sent in the last two days.

if I had the extra cash... I'd order one from somewhere else... Sadly I see AltSmoke is out of the SB's and BB's...

 

[StatesideAussie]

Yeah, I also get "number is temporarily unavailable". I had email responses from them on Friday when I emailed to find out when the shipment would be here. At that point, they offered me a refund if I requested it. For whatever reason, I did not request it until the next day, and I have heard nothing from them since then. I am starting to think the worst.

 

[StatesideAussie]

Yeah, I also get "number is temporarily unavailable". I had email responses from them on Friday when I emailed to find out when the shipment would be here. At that point, they offered me a refund if I requested it. For whatever reason, I did not request it until the next day, and I have heard nothing from them since then. I am starting to think the worst.

I just realized they are in Hawaii. According to their web site their office hours are 8am to 5pm Hawaii time, so they wouldn't have been open when I called earlier. I don't have time to call them now but will try later. Hopefully, they just had their number turned off over the weekend.

 

[StatesideAussie]

I tried the phone number. Now it answers but goes to voicemail. There's either no-one there or they're too busy to take the call. I'll post an update if/when I speak to them or get a response to my weekend email.

 

[swift]

I tried the phone number. Now it answers but goes to voicemail. There's either no-one there or they're too busy to take the call. I'll post an update if/when I speak to them or get a response to my weekend email.

Volcano is located in Hawaii. Try calling back during normal Hawaii Standard time business hours.

 

[swift]

Didn't read your previous quote. Try leaving a voicemail, they will call you back.

 

[Dunkin717]

nope, done with Volcano.

Ordered on the 1st, website sends me confirmation it was shipped... 7 days and 3 emails later to get this response...

"Thank you for your email, and your order.
Your order has not been shipped as we are completely out of atomizers. I am very sorry about this. I know you ordered on the first which is the one day we had no shipment delays, but we ran out of atomizers. There was suppose to be a shipment of them that day, as normally we have a nice flow of stock coming from our manufacturer, but with the Chinese New Year coming up, every company in the world that deals with China has mass ordered since China basically closes for the entire month of Feb.
This has caused shipments to get delayed, which backlashes all the way down to our customers who now have to endure a small wait before we can send their orders out."

They couldn't contact me... I had to email them three times to find out what was going on.

Just... wrong.

 

[StatesideAussie]

I got a similar email. Note that in yours, they imply this was a problem with stuff ordered on Feb 1, but mine was ordered before that. In the email to me, they said their web site had a notice about the delays ... that's true, but it wasn't posted until after I ordered. On the day I ordered, they had a notice (dated 1/27) about shipping delays, but it said those issues had been resolved.

They promised a refund to me on Friday night if I asked for it. I asked for it on Saturday. I have heard nothing since. I really wanted the ecigs for a business trip I am making next week. I thought i was allowing plenty of time by ordering 2 weeks in advance of the trip. I don't want to spend more money ordering from another site until I know if I will get a refund from Volcano. Now I don't have time to order from anyone else anyway.

Like you, they accepted my order, charged my credit card, sent a shipping confirmation note, marked the order "Complete" on My Account page ... and all the time they didn't even have any stock! And now they are not responding to email or phone. You're right, it is just wrong.

 

[StatesideAussie]

OK, so i called my credit card provider and filed a dispute. They say it will take 30 days (oh joy -- not!). If it is not resolved by then, they will cancel the charge. If Volcano ship in the meantime, I can call and cancel the dispute. Except I don't want the stuff now anyway. What a pain in the .....

 

[jadeeyedgirl]

They aren't open on Saturday or Sunday. I contacted them about a missing battery on Saturday and heard back tonight and they are going to ship. You can't expect them to respond back on a weekend.

 

[StatesideAussie]

Jadeeyedgirl > In my earlier post, I acknowledged that I understood they aren't open on weekends. But they have had all day today to respond and didn't (or not yet, anyway). The point is, they should have said on the web site that they were out of stock and the stuff was back-ordered. Sure, I would have taken my business elsewhere, but as it's turned out, I am going to do that anyway. It's not right for them to advertise "shipping in 24 hours", hide the fact that they have no stock, accept orders, take the money, send out shipping confirmations, and mark the order as "Complete", when they don't even have stock. And then, when customers call because their stuff hasn't arrived after a week, say "sorry but we're out of stock". It's not right.

All I'm asking is that they play by the generally accepted rules of online retailing. If an item is out of stock, tell people up-front on your web site. Pre-authorize the customer's credit card but don't actually charge it until the order is ready. When you send shipping confirmation, make it clear whether the stuff has actually shipped or not, and if it hasn't, include a note on the expected shipping date. And don't mark the order complete until you have actually shipped. Other sites do this, even small ones in the ecig business. Why can't they?

 

[StatesideAussie]

I heard back from Volcano custiomer support last night by email. The customer support rep said my request had been forwarded to the owner so that a refund could be approved and processed. I'll update here when it is done.

 

[Pyrox621]

I'm just going to be completely honest, but im kinda of a noobie at E cigs, but where are good reliable sites to get a 306 atomizers? could someone post a link for me cause now im really curious to try that on my volcano.

 

[StatesideAussie]

My saga with Volcano ended on a happy note. The customer service person was very helpful, apologetic and clearly embarrassed. I asked for the order to be canceled since I am out of town this week and needed the kit before I left. The order was canceled and a refund was processed. Then, due to some confusion, they shipped the package anyway and I did in fact receive it in time. So I certainly have no complaints about their honesty or integrity, and based on my interaction with the customer service rep, I am willing to accept that this was a one-time "out of stock" issue.

As for the kit itself, I am new to vaping, so I am still learning and getting used to it. I am pretty happy with the kit. I don't like the flavor of the regular carts but have not yet tried the menthol that I also ordered. The regular flavor isn't bad, and seems fairly close to tobacco, but I will try something else next time. It is good to be able to vape in my hotel room, instead of going outside all the time (especially since I am in Michigan and it's bloody freezing!). I vaped away quite a bit in my room. I am staying at a Marriott. For those who don't know, these guys are total anti-smoking Nazis, but I haven't had any complaints from them yet. I haven't tried vaping anywhere else where smoking is banned. I didn't try on the plane.

I will definitely stick with vaping and transition off analogs. Last night I found that after a few drinks, I did revert to analogs though.

The kit is attractive. It arrived with the batteries already partially charged. I like the carrying case which doubles as a charger and looks like a pack of regular smokes. It holds five carts, a spare battery (which can be charged in the case), and a fully assembled ecig. Unfortunately, the slot for the regular ecig is too tight. I am unable to get it all the way in, and it gets stuck in there. That's too bad -- a really unfortunate blemish on an otherwise excellent product. Volcano's prices on new carts also looks pretty good, though whether I stay with those or go for bottles, remains to be seen.

I got the deluxe kit. It comes with 2 batteries, 1 atty, the carrying/charging case, a USB charger for my laptop, and a wall charger (which charges the case and also accepts the USB battery charger). So there are plenty of charging options. It also comes with 25 carts (5 packs of 5), and you can choose which flavors and strengths you want. They have cheaper kits too, but I think the deluxe kit is good value at $70 and free shipping.

 

[jadeeyedgirl]

Glad to see your issue got sorted out! They were definitely having issues and from everything I'm seeing, they really care about their customers being happy.

I'm not sure why you are having issues with the V-Pack though. Mine can hold everything with no hitch whatsoever... that's really odd

I LOVE their menthol carts though. I've been mixing my own 0mg juices, but I think I'll keep buying their carts with a bit o' nicotine. I love the way they taste and its only like 4 bucks for a 5 pack.

 

[Blink182peps]

understand where you all are coming from let me give you some info.

 

[Blink182peps]

They gave me the same run around I had placed my order last month on a Thursday so I would hopefully get it on monday if not a day after.

Well they lied to me bla bla bla end of story I had to wait a total of 10 days to get it because it never shipped out when they said it did and the Atty shortage was a lie btw, they gave me the same story in an email, I called and got ahold of PELE who is really great person at the company and has helped me with all my issues. She told me they always have a back up supply of parts incause of an issue like this. " and they never run out"..

So I left it be and then finally on a Saturday the following week it showed up. I was extremly happy with it and the carts are not the best. I thought dipping/dripping was better until I started using the BlueFoamMod more and it works the best. I tryed the TeaBagMod but it was all shenanigans.

Over all the my experence is been a long road, I know it has only been a little over a week since I have been using it but my breathing has gotten alot better and taste to food and drinks has increasd 100%. Also not having bad smelling finger's or breath from nasty analogs is a HUGE PLUS.

The con's: The batteries do not last that long and I seem to have a habbit of keeping the unit in my ear and vaping all the time and that seems to kill the batteries faster of course. If you just let is sit and vape ever hour or so you are fine and they last a .... ton longer.

I recently just placed an order for my GF so she can start vaping with me, Its hard to quite when someone you live with is still smoking.

Vape on!