I have recently had a very bad experience with a store which apparently is allowed to advertise here on this forum. That company is 2FDeal. I bought an Octopus squonk mod from them that does not work, plain and simple. First, my atomizer (Hadaly) doesn’t sit flush on the top of the mod. It hangs about 1-2mm from the top of the mod, unable to be screwed in any further. It looks absolutely ridiculous, but that’s not all. Regardless of what atty I use, or what battery is inside, the mod doesn’t fire. There’s no button or switch that prevents the mod from being fired, and I’ve checked all the contacts.
I wrote them asking for a refund, and they didn’t answer. So I wrote again, and they asked for a video of the same battery being used on two different mods. So I made this video and sent it to them. Then they wrote me that it’s my fault and that it’s user error, and that I should check the electrodes, so I did. Now they want another video using the same atomizer on two mods. I’m reluctant to make said video because it seems that when they receive a video, they just find another excuse not to refund my purchase.
People of ELR, do yourselves a favor and don’t be cheap like me. Just buy the REAL products and you’ll be fine. If you choose to save on prices and quality, find another retailer. Stay away from 2FDeal. They are not to be trusted, as they can’t answer a single question about a product which they shipped to me. And now I’m $25 in the hole sitting with a product that doesn’t work, and is unsafe to use! Be careful!
I’m not a content creator of any sort, so it’s not easy for me to film a video where I need to use both of my hands and have everything (neatly) in the shot. I’ll have to buy a phone holder or ask my wife for help. That’s a ton of work for €20. Seems to me that they just want me to get fed up and forget about it, and to be honest I’m quite close to doing so.
I just wanted to share MY bad experience, so that others would have an idea on what is to be expected if they send you something that doesn’t meet your expectations.
The last email I got said that the problem was my atomizer, and when I answered them on WHY it wasn’t, they basically responded with the same exact text as in the last reply. As far as customer service and product quality goes, stay away is all I can say.
I’ll comment here again to let y’all know if we figured this out, and how.
I think this is pretty much standard practice with these china companies. I had the same process with sourcemore with a mid that was defective. After like 5 videos sent they finally sent me a replacement. Annoying but since you cant return vaping products to china they prob get a lot of customers trying to scam them so they are extra vigilant trying to determine if its a legit claim
I have had trouble with vendor products before. This is standard operating procedure. Normally the seller doesn’t warrantee the product the manufacturer does. To prove defects they forward the video to whoever they bought from and get a credit from that company. Follow their directions and and most likely they will send you a new product. If it’s as bad as you described. It’s frustrating I know but remember you catch more flys with honey than with vinegar. Their not looking for perfection in the video. A simple show of defective product will do. Good luck.
Sounds like typical Chinese vendor procedure. If you do make the second video, show the two mods in the same shot. Show the working mod with the atty on it and fire it up. Then take the battery of the working mod out and place it in the non-working mod with the working atty on it and show them that you’re not using a dead battery or doing anything sneaky out of frame. This has worked for me in the past with Sourcemore. PITA, but if it’ll get you a refund, why not take the couple of minutes to do it?
Of course, they may ask you to ship it back to them at your cost, in which case you may just be screwed as the shipping could eat into your refund.
@IggyZ sorry to hear about your annoyance but I have to agree with what most people said here and @Lostmarbles video instructions. I’ve done my share of them and you don’t need to speak and explain things. A picture says a 1000 words. Of course, it’s your decision to pursue it. I have always dealt directly with the manufacturer with good results. I’ve found it better and more expedient to deal directly with the source. Plus they have a sense of pride and face to save when it comes to their own products. Keep it polite and cordial. They will want to please their customers because after all, it’s all about good business, good reputation and future sales. The Chinese seem to understand this well, a sense of honor. Good luck!
This is standard practice with the video request. I bought a higher end mod from Element Vape here in the US and the back light on the screen was faded and the screen would go black, but still fire. They requested a video. Definitely standard for many companies.
Sorry you are having to jump through near impossible hoops. Good luck!
@IggyZ I forgot to mention. One time Vaporesso sent me a DOA Armour (the first single 21700 mod, iirc). Not only did they want to see that it was completely dead in a video, they wanted me to take pics of all sides of the box, top and bottom and all the contents within the box. I didn’t even understand the use of all that but I just followed their directions to the T and they sent me a brand new replacement with an apology. I didn’t have to return anything. This was dealing directly with the manufacturer.
Yes since these places dont actually do the warranty themselves( the mod manufacturer does) they usually make you scratch off the code on the box as well as pics of the contents
Thanks for all your replies and suggestions, guys (and gals).
I’ve already made a video for them and it was extremely detailed. I showed two mods, and used the same battery as instructed. They then got back to me and said yet again that it’s a contact issue, and now I have to send them another video but now using different atties and different batteries. They blamed it on different atties having different screws on the bottom and the tops of those screws are supposedly all different lengths.
Then why is it that of all my atties and mods, it is only this mod that has a 2mm gap until the base of the atty starts? It’s with every atomizer I’ve tried on it: Hadaly x3 (clones from different brands), Citadel, Entheon, Wasp RDA, Wasp RTA, Recurve V1, Elder Dragon, Profile RDA, Profile RDTA, Gear RTA. It’s because they (or the manufacturer) used some wrongly measured part, and now they are trying to write it off as user error. It’s just a real PITA, but in reality I should have expected something like this for being cheap.
I have a day off tomorrow, so I’ll try to get this video done and send it over to them. I just have a bad feeling that im going to be asked to do even more, and already feel like I’ve wasted enough time trying.
It’s up to you, but I say NEVER GIVE UP !!! That’s prolly what they expect of most people. I guess they want to see that a number of different attys won’t work on that mod? You can do that, no problem. Just keep following their directions and throw in a little psychology. For instance, one time I said that I was really looking forward to doing a review on all the vaping forums I belong to and be able to recommend this mod to all the members. I would hate to disappoint everyone. (Heehee, get the picture?)
On the mod i had defective from siurcemore it had a internal battery and it wouldnt turn on and get red hot as soon as you put it on charge so eventually i was like im not taking a vid of it on the charger because one mod is not worth risking burning my house down and they finally were like ok we will just send a replacement.
Oh that’s good that they did that. Funny thing, I started a conversation with one of Sourcemore’s female managers and we ended up being pen pals. She sent me pics of one of her vacations in China and sometimes we would discuss our countries but I got the sense that she was being careful about what she said regarding her own country. Our emails started from her work account and then she switched to her personal email. The censorship is palpable, even to me, so I got the clue and never pushed her on it. Point is, after all these years we’re still in contact. She lives alone in Shenzen for her job, far from friends, family and home. China is such a huge country and she doesn’t get to see home often. She said she’s lonely but business is good and her job has improved after training some newbies. She travels with co-workers to Hong Kong for fun, about a half hour drive. Sounds like such a different work culture from ours but I enjoy our human to human bonds. In that sense, we’re one and the same.
Thats awesome. I know a couple people that work live in shenzen. That whole city is filled with workers with that same story. They usually only go home to their family during chinese new year. Thats a tough life.
Yes , you cant really say anything about the china govt. All emails are filtered
Even their private emails aren’t private? How about snail mail, letters, cards? They can’t possibly open all letters and cards, can they? Or do they just open suspicious (to them) letters? I feel sorry for the Chinese people. They deserve better. On that note, I feel sorry for us, we deserve better too. Or maybe we get what we deserve?
I dont know how deep it goes but i saw a lot that surprised ne how vigilant and deep the filtering is. I would bet anything that goes to the US in anyway gets screened
That’s prolly what they expect of most people. I guess they want to see that a number of different attys won’t work on that mod? You can do that, no problem. Just keep following their directions and throw in a little psychology. For instance, one time I said that I was really looking forward to doing a review on all the vaping forums I belong to and be able to recommend this mod to all the members. I would hate to disappoint everyone. (Heehee, get the picture?)