If you didn’t watch the video on youtube, you might have missed this message. Part of what VooPoo is saying is true then, but that doesn’t excuse them from this nasty way of doing “business”.
The pics on their facebook page make me laugh. Anybody remembers the Samsung/Apple fights in court? The resemblance back then was much bigger, yet they still lost their case.
NOTE: I’m told that Voopoo May not’ve “signed” a contract for the 40k boards, but there were many oral, email, and even an email directly to me stating they would deliver 40k boards to us. Also, when VV sent someone to that factory, they made them sit and wait for 3 hours then came out to say they couldn’t meet. But there was eventually a face to face where they agreed to provide the chips.
This video is not a review. It’s a story I’ve been wanting to tell y’all for some time now. If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been conspicuously quite about the Pulse 80w mod since after Chinese New Year. Well, there’s a very good reason for it, and I’ll explain it all in this video.
This video is based on my experience as the designer of this mod, and what has happened with using a third party vendor to supply the chip…which I thought was such a great idea! I guess I was wrong. You can blame the delays on me for making such a poor choice in business partners with Voopoo for the Gene Chip. If they had said “we’re not going to supply the chip”, that would be one thing. But that’s not how it happened.
Take it how you like, but if you know me, you know that I don’t just fly off the handle, make stuff up, or like to deal in Vape Drama. I simply wanted to tell the whole thing so you understand what happened.
I have no reason to doubt what’s said in the video. However, VooPoo makes a bold statement about demanding to see evidence to back up those claims. I don’t think that’s unreasonable. But then again, if there is a pending lawsuit then I can see keeping a lid on such things.
I figured as much but wasn’t sure. Fact is I don’t care enough about those big manufacturers to look into it. That said, it would be poetic justice if VV can produce the proof. Plaster it all over the webz.
I could careless about the Pulse 80w, not my style. That being said, I feel bad for Tony. I’ve had a few dealings with him and he seems like a genuine guy who just got trampled over by big business.
Lets just look at this with a clear head shall we:
No contract was ever signed between Vandy Vape (VV) and VooPoo (VP). Tony B initially claimed or thought there was, but he now admits there is no such contract.
As long as there is no contract VP has every right to bail out for whatever reason they have, in fact it is quite common that business deals falls apart at the last minute simply because one part change their mind.
Tony B claims that VP raised their price several times and with 15-30%, VP claims they only raised it once and only with a few cents, and that it was because of international price fluctuations on certain components.
Without some kind of documentation, it is impossible to know who is telling the truth, but even if Tony B is correct, then it is not an uncommon practice, it is in fact an old sales trick. Start low to get their attention, and then raise the price when the real negotiations start. Unethical perhaps but not uncommon.
Tony B claims that VP was leading himself and VV on, kept assuring them that they could get the chips without any problems while delaying everything and not giving them anything concrete. He also claims that VP was acting in bad faith, and never intended to sell them the chips.
VP however claims that they were negotiating in good faith, and it was only when they saw how similar the Pulse would be to their own Drag, and how much VV was using the Gene chip as a selling point, that they decided to back out of the deal.
Again it is impossible to know whether VP was acting in good or bad faith, but I will concede that the timing from VP’s side is suspicious.
VV has both announced, promoted and (I believe) taken pre-orders from a product that they now can’t deliver as advertised, which has put them in a bit of a jam!
You could argue that VP deliberately put them in that jam, but you could also argue that it is VV and Tony B who are shifting the blame to avoid fallout from this themselves.
Either way, if there is one thing that is very clear here, then it is that they shouldn’t have announced that the Pulse would be using the Gene chip before they actually had a signed contract!
Regardless of how you read the whole situation, who is right and wrong, then I also think that Tony B overreacted and shouldn’t have made that video!
He could instead just have made a simple video where he explained that the deal they thought they had with VooPoo fell apart at the last minute, and that the Pulse would be released with another chip instead. No need to put all the blame on VooPoo, or make public accusations against them, especially not if he can’t provide any proof for those accusations.
The simple truth is that companies play dirty against each other all the time, not just Chinese companies or in the vaping industy, but in all industries all over the world. The only thing that makes this unusual is that a “civilian” got involved in this, and that the “civilian” happens to be a Youtuber who can rally a lot of public support and other Youtubers for his side.
I agree, especially with where you said that businesses play dirty like this across every industry, but I would add this from my perspective; any time I see any business act in a shady way like that I tend to avoid what they sell at all costs! As consumers we truly have power over these companies, but people don’t seem to use that power or think it will make a difference. Take what I say with a grain of salt though, I will stand in line for 10 min at the grocery store with two items just to avoid using the self checkout. I love it when the manager walks by and points out that the self checkout is open, so I can point out that I don’t work for the grocery store lol. If I was voopoo I would be flattered that their chip was a big selling point, and to me pulling out due to the pulse being similar to their new mod shows a lack of confidence in their own product. The actual full truth behind what happened will probably never come out, but after all this I’m sure Vandy Vape won’t be announcing anything without a contract set in stone and product actually in hand, there are lessons in this exchange for both companies, it’s just who is gonna learn from it the best now…
That actually was at least $7.53 Really, well thought out counterpoints. I tend to believe Tony simply for the fact he has a good history of shooting straight with people. Now while the absence of a contract wouldn’t hold up in a court of law, a verbal agreement often bears out in the court of public opinion. Most of us don’t need to see an iron clad contract to acknowledge when two parties have struck an accord. But as far as this situation is concerned, it appears the burden of proof is on VVs side. So long as they won’t even publicize those verbal (email) agreements, it’s his word against VPs. That’s actually quite weak.
I would like to know also, I would like think it would be pretty good, but there is some serious competition out there , just make it good. we dont need any half as----bullsh–. the stakes are high now and we need updates, we need things that are built to last. Good TCR, Good screen, good 510 that sits a 30mm, Set the bar high and tack on a few bucks, keep it real and prove that the product offered is well worth it. without worry 6 months from now it will be in a 9.00 special that don’t sell. While I agree bringing it to the masses cheap works. it also has to have staying power like the evic mini ( still a favorite of many years now) Times have changed a lot since 2007.
One guy says something and a lot of people are ready to take up action based on that. These people are no different than those chanting “Burn the witch!” in medieval Europe simply because a priest said she was. Where is the common sense?
My head is swimming on this one. How this could have ever gotten this far with out at least a purchase order placed and accepted is beyond my comprehension. I have no idea how that is done. Bizarre!
I think to a large degree “these people” are ones who have grown to trust Tony over the years. But clearly the burden of proof is on his and VVs side. I think they should go ahead and reveal the evidence there was a deal. Because it’s not just a business reputation on the line, but Tony’s reputation as a person. At the same time, VVs business and ability to provide low cost vape gear is wholly reliant on Chinese companies. So any persecution of a Chinese company could possibly blow back on VV indefinitely, which is why we’ll probably never see said evidence and why Tony may live to regret the video.
Really, well thought out counterpoints. I tend to believe Tony simply for the fact he has a good history of shooting straight with people. Now while the absence of a contract wouldn’t hold up in a court of law, a verbal agreement often bears out in the court of public opinion. Most of us don’t need to see an iron clad contract to acknowledge when two parties have struck an accord. But as far as this situation is concerned, it appears the burden of proof is on VVs side. So long as they won’t even publicize those verbal (email) agreements, it’s his word against VPs. That’s actually quite weak.