I love my Vapcaps and the wonderful respected after market artists that make my Vapcaps unique. All of my experiences within the Dynaverse have been an absolute delight, except for my most recent experience, with the Simrell Collection.
My initial post about a three piece Simrell set I purchased last September was very positive. Unfortunately I now feel that that review is misleading.
I loved the stem, case and stash that I recieved, but after a short time my case and stash looked like this.
Each picture represents a different crack. One of the magnets fell out. The case lid became very loose while the stash lid became too tight to remove with my bare hands.
In November, Simrell promised to replace the stash and case. First he admitted that he used a flawed process, then later claimed that he's never had pieces crack before. Every few weeks I was told that he was busy with the holiday orders. This continued throughout December, January and February. It was always the excuse of being otherwise busy with a backlog and that he'll get to me. He'll get to me...
I asked him to make me another stem along with my replacement pieces and to ship them to me together.
I learned that he had been accepting and fulfilling orders all along. No backlog. Just giving me lip service. People had placed orders which were being made and shipped out in a few days. Then some pressure was applied and he finally sprang into action, claiming to grant me the favour of placing me at the top of the list....After waiting almost three months! He said he would step up his game and make me a wonderful set and that he was throwing the stem in for free.
When the parcel arrived, I was faced with more disappointment. The stash and case were made with a more simple design compared to the original. The finish, not as fine. The case was bigger while the stem is shorter and the stem didn't match my request as it was made in a different style and didn't have an integrated condenser, a detail which he confirmed it would have before he sent them and it had an air port which I did not want. Based on what I recieved, I would guess that I was sent some rejects that were laying around his workshop. Very disappointing.
I wish I had just requested a refund or better yet not purchased anything from him in the first place. His pieces are very expensive but don't carry the quality or consistency of any of the other after market artists. I feel that he is inexperienced with his craft and that it will be some time before he can offer the consistently high quality products and execute the great customer service that we have all come to expect in the Dynaverse. Very sad.
I love it when you buy something and it turns out better than expected and you get that tickle of joy in your belly and you congratulate yourself for your clever purchase. That's how I felt when I purchased my Vacaps and when I bought my
@phattpiggie and
@stardustsailor stems and
@Pipes IH. The Simrell experience was at the very other end of the customer service satisfaction spectrum.
He definitely did me a solid and I wasn’t expecting it. 
