I am happy to share the details and context of my situation. I’ll leave it to you guys to judge whether I am being unreasonable or reasonable.
J
I was introduced to the cloud in this thread I made some weeks ago (link:
http://fuckcombustion.com/threads/medical-user-2y-extreme-q-user-need-change.8035/) in which I asked advice about getting a new vape. You can read it in full if you want, but the TL
R version is that I used to be a recreational user (Extreme Q) and now suffer from ulcerative colitis. I’m now a legal home grower in Canada as part of the Medical Marijuana Access Registry. So I wanted something better than my Extreme Q to consume my medicine, which works well for 180$ but gets dirty too quickly. I quickly narrowed it down to three choices then eventually chose the Cloud.
At the time I made my decision, most hydra tubes were out of stock. I figured that if I was going to be vaporizing 3-5 times a day for the rest of my life (or as long as it takes for the Imuran, Remicade, Prednisone and Mezalazine to put my colitis into remission) I should get the best: the swagger double looked terribly sexy, and the video on VapeXhale’s was appealing. There was zero documentation to rely on, but I figured the folks around FC would make up for it (and you guys did on many occasions, so thank you for that. This place is an amazing brotherhood of brothers who look out for each other).
As soon as the Swagger was in stock (I asked to be notified via e-mail) I RUSHED to the site. I kid you not. I trampled countless puppies, kittens and baby angels to get to my PC ASAP because I was so looking forward to ordering it.
Unfortunately the shopping cart reported an error when I entered a zip code and wouldn’t let me restart the procedure. I contacted VapeXhale on Twitter, who responded very quickly by sending me an e-mail to process the transaction manually. Great pre-sale customer service! They literally responded to my tweet in less than 15 minutes. Two thumbs up for sure.
I don’t really like to give my CC information via e-mail so the next day I cleared my cookies and tried to purchase the Swagger Double again. After two tries it went through, I was so happy! VapeXhale shipped it VERY quickly (another thumbs up) and I have nothing, absolutely NOTHING negative to say about their pre-sale support and expedite shipping.
When I received my Cloud, I open the box and find:
A. My cloud
B. My Swagger Double
C. Some foam mats to protect the merchandise
D. A single sheet of 8.5x11 paper that talks about the warranty
Absolutely no documentation available either in the box, or on their website, on how to use this product safely, correctly and efficiently. I have never used such a device. Perhaps VapeXhale think the Cloud is so simple it doesn’t even deserve that a one page PDF that would take 10 minutes to type in Word and be placed on their website is necessary, but as soon as I saw the cloud I wondered:
1. How do I fill this tube?
2. From the top or bottom?
3. How much water does it need?
4. How often should I replace the water?
5. What’s the best way to clean this glass efficiently?
6. There are no numbers on the temperature dial. How do I know which temperature to set it at? As a medical patient I know THC and CBD have different flash points and I want to make sure both CBD and THC are in my vapor because CBD is actually the molecule that has been demonstrated to exhibit medical properties due to its ability to bind with the millions of CB1 and CB2 receptors lined in our bowel, receptors that are also used to regulate all sorts of things like inflammatory processes. So is noon 200°F, or 500°F?
7. How long can I leave the Cloud on? Could the element burn? Is there an auto-shut off? What does the green or red light mean?
8. What that sticker thingy they included in the box? Oh, it’s a silicon sheet. Why do you need silicon sheet? When should I apply it? What is it for?
I don’t know about you, but I think all of these questions are perfectly reasonable questions any consumer could have when then open a box and see a product they have never used in their life.
So I call the representative (the same Friday I got my unit) who tried to help me place an order when their website was malfunctioning. He was nice, polite and helpful. Unfortunately he had no idea what the min or max temps of the unit was. He said to put it a noon and go from there. He couldn’t tell me if noon was approximately 500C, 300, 400F… not even a ballpark. OK, a little annoying, but am I gonna make a fuss about it? No. I’ll just experiment. I’ll figure it out later. It another vapexhale rep who told me the min was 200F and the max was 500F and to start at 9’oclock instead. I cannot fathom why this information is not made readily available at the very least on their website, but that is neither here nor there. So I spent about 25 min on the phone with this polite gentleman, who explained how I should fill the swagger double from the top, then blow the water in the second chamber. He explained how to pack the bowl to have the most efficient vapor, what the silicon sheet is for, etc, etc.
Just before we’re about to wish each other a great week-end, he says (and I am paraphrasing because we all know how good our short term memories are):
“Sometimes with the Swagger if it gets wet it can get stuck. Make sure you keep it dry and if it happens just leave it there to dry a few minutes then gently swirl the swagger left and right until it lets go.”
If locks can happen and VapeXhale already is aware of it, why is there no warning anywhere? It would take perhaps thirty minutes for someone at VapeXhale to fire up Microsoft Word, type a few guidelines, tips and tricks and then print it on a laser printer. Then just include this sheet in every box. At the very, very least, put all that info on your website. A simple link to a PDF would do.
I have had this Cloud for about 9 days now. I have smoked between 60-70 bowls out of it. Out of those 70 bowls, I had the lock happen 3 or 4 times. Each time, I applied the technique the rep told me about.
1. Close the unit
2. Let it rest (a few minutes he said)
3. Gently twist (a few degrees, back and forth from left to right) to break the pressure lock
4. Gentlyyyyyy lift the swagger and put it on its stand
Except this time, the 5th lock, I did the same thing I was told to do and the bamboo broke. I employed the method prescribed by VapeXhale to undo such locks. It still broke the unit.
What else could I have done? It’s not like there’s a manual to fall back on, or a website filled with a FAQ, a knowledge base, or product specifications (all standard things for manufacturers in 2013). There is a black hole of information that is given on a case by case basis, unevenly. It’s not enough, especially not for a 650$ product. “RTFM” is a popular meme for a reason. Or is meme not the right word? Anyway
J
If you calculate the shipping (~50$), the duties and taxes I had to pay (~125$), I am well over 800$ in expenses paid for this vaporizer. Of course, shipping and duties are standard among all mail orders companies and it’s not fair to add that amount in the overall price of the unit when considering or comparing vaporizer models. However, it’s perfectly normal to account for those expenses when considering whether it would be best to cut your losses now. So if you take into account I have had this vaporizer for nine days, used it less than 100 times, and used it as prescribed over the phone, it’s not normal that it should break so quickly.
Where does that leave us now?
VapeXhale want me to ship this back at my expense (50$), pay 150$ to have the bamboo replaced, then pay another 50$ to have it shipped back to me. So, overall, 250$ to repair something I’ve had for 9 days. Not to mention the down time...
I’m a medical patient, I neither have the will, time or resources to deal with shit like this. I have my Extreme Q to fall back on at least, thank god. I wanted to buy a vaporizer that would give me the best vapor with the minimal amount of hassle when it comes to vaping. This is a LOT of hassle, imho. Is it unreasonable to expect a product not to break in 10 days when you’ve just been following the advice you were given by the manufacturer?
Is it unreasonable to be upset when we’re told we’ll have to pay 250$ to fix something you just received? A product you spent over 650$ (actual value) on, but that came with zero documentation or support on how to use it correctly? Then when you call and have specific questions, they will do their best to answer, but they don’t have answers to some of the most basic questions (such as temperature dial)?
Is it unreasonable to be angry when you receive a phonecall at 8:00 on a Saturday night from a company representative, while you’re at a family dinner, who tells you “I just got word from a sales rep that you had intentions to file a fraudulent chargeback claim and we intend to dispute it”? No apologies, no display of human understanding towards the upsetting situation. Just unleash the dragon. Fus-Ro-Da? Btw, I can ASSURE you all right now I will not be making any fraudulent claims of any kind. It’s not how I roll, and I found the insinuation to be extremely distasteful.
