List of Online Sellers/Stores to Avoid

[The_Algebraist]

We've established a list of sellers, dealers, resellers and stores that go above-and-beyond to provide their customers with EXCELLENT customer service. Some even offer FC members discounts to boot!

What we're lacking is a list of people to avoid. People who accepted payment from you and them go missing in action causing you, the customer, all kinds of headaches (calling credit card companies to dispute charges, the sending of emails, the confusion etc). Bad news is better than no news and sellers ignoring emails from paying customers, orders going missing, are totally unacceptable.

If you have a horror story or a seller to avoid, please list it here. Let's keep the trash-talk to an ABSOLUTE minimum. The site, name of the store, and what happened in your situation only. I'll edit this post as people suggest Sellers To Avoid (STA).

The vaping community is still quite small and we're spread out all over the world, so resources like this forum become invaluable and we can all work together to share knowledge and help to save each other money and headaches (and heart aches?)



AVOID THESE SELLERS

123vaporizers.com

Vaporoutlet.com was previously listed, but is under new management/ownership, and they have assured us that their customer service is now up to par.

 

[lwien]

VaporOutlet.

Ordered SpaceCase from site that said unit was in stock and I'd receive it in 2 to 3 days.
Did not receive in 3 days.
Sent out 10 emails over the period of 3 weeks.........no answer.
Site said grinder was in stock and guaranteed delivery in 2 to 3 days, but when I finally got a hold of them, they said it was on backorder. Site STILL said it was in stock while I was on phone with them being told it was on backorder.
Waited for 2 weeks..........No grinder. Was promised return phone call on 3 occasions. No returned phone calls. Requested a refund. Was promised one right away.
Waited a week for refund. No refund. Emailed.....no answer. Called......would not answer phones.

It took approx. 1 month to resolve this issue on an item that was supposed to be shipped out in 2 days.

 

[StonedSinceNam]

Thanks SO much for this particular thread. As we know, we are a vulnerable set of consumers. So we MUST make each other aware of the 'bad' guys out there, as there is no one to turn to if we've been sold a bill of goods ....

Recently, I have been burned by Vapor Outlet with a new V Tower purchased from them that had a faulty power supply. I found their 'backline' phone number and asked what could be done. They said to send back the power supply (at my expense) and they'd repair it. After doing this, I never heard from them again. No response to emails nor will they answer my calls. I DID email Arizer, and they immediately sent me a new unit, no questions asked. And GREAT customer service. They DO make a great machine. As mentioned above, do NOT deal with vaporoutlet.com

I also bought a new grinder from 123Vaporizers. Paid too much for a 2.25" 4pc Chromium Crusher. They charged me for the postage (the ad said free shipping) AND they sent me their smallest (2" 3pc) grinder. I emailed them over a week ago about this (twice) and they don't respond either. I also strongly suggest NOT deal with 123vaporizers.com

Save yourself a lot of grief and money by avoiding dealers that would prey upon us. These are just 2 of them, and I'd like to see other's bad experiences here, if only to make vaping a better experience than it already is. This should be a highlighted thread that everyone should check out as well as the suggested vendors list.

My observation: Whenever and wherever possible, deal DIRECTLY with the manufacturer for your purchases. Do NOT deal with distributers ...

Thanks for letting me blow off some steam here too.

Happy Vaping

Mishugina in Arizone

 

[stickstones]

My observation: Whenever and wherever possible, deal DIRECTLY with the manufacturer for your purchases. Do NOT deal with distributers ...

We have a good distributors thread that has quite a list.

 

[StonedSinceNam]

:/

I saw that thread, and it's a good thread.

But I think the bad distributers need just as much publicity.

To avoid being ripped off is just as important as finding the right deal.

 

[max]

dealers that would prey upon us. These are just 2 of them

There are few bad dealers, and if you check our recommended list or ask on other forums, you'll hear the good ones-Gotvape, Vaporstore, Vapenow pretty much cover all the available vapes and they've been in business for years.

As for buying from the manufacturer being always better than from a dealer, it all depends on what you're buying. There's no need to buy an iolite from the maker. You'd just pay more. And some vapes you can't even get except from a reseller. OTOH buying an SSV from 7th Floor has advantages and options not available anywhere else.

You should do your research on where to buy, as well as what to buy.

 

[vtac]

Definitely do your research before buying anything from any online store. With vaporizing gaining popularity we're going to see more stores popping up, so be wary of any new stores or too-good-to-be-true deals.

That said, please be tactful; any vendetta style posts will be deleted.

While I'm here I'd like to ask marijuanavaporizer.com to stop their spam campaign. I've deleted 5+ accounts originating from Indian IPs that have posted nothing but copy pasted text with a signature linking marijuanavaporizer.com (not an affiliate link) with 'herbal vaporizer' as the anchor text. Your prices suck too.

P.S. I unlinked all URLs, we don't need to give these sites traffic or backlinks.

 

[The_Algebraist]

Woops, good call. Sorry, my bad.

P.S. I unlinked all URLs, we don't need to give these sites traffic or backlinks.

 

[TeddyJackEddy]

Mix'n'Ball.com

Hate to add this manufacturer/retailer to the list, but have no choice.

My story.

Had ordered a grinder from MNB before with no problems. Dan even called me when I emailed him about a problem I had with the grinder. Based on that experience I ordered their deluxe presser v2.

Placed order on March 5, item listed as in stock. Payment cleared my credit card on March 6.
March 11 emailed Dan and asked if he had any shipping info. He replied that their stock was held up in customs but should "be cleared in a few days".
March 23 emailed Dan about my order, he replied that he would ship the presser "in a day or 2".
March 27 Dan emailed that the shipper told him it was shipped and I should get it in about 3 days.
Sent emails every few days asking for shipping info, no response.
April 10 Dan emails that he just got back to work and asked me IF I had received the presser.
Emailed several times telling him it had not arrived and to cancel my order, no response.
April 20 called the credit card and had the charge put in dispute.

Too bad. Like some of their products, but no excuse for not responding or refunding my money.

Ended up ordering the presser, for less $$, from headshopamerica.com yesterday. Sent me shipping info that afternoon and today the info shows it is on the way from San Diego.

Gee, that wasn't so hard after all. :/

 

[max]

Sorry you had a bad experience with MixnBall, but they don't qualify for the list. Even though you can buy from the site, it's a manufacturer, not a reseller. And my buying experience kind of cancels out yours. I've made a couple of purchases from them with no problems other than a delay on one order due to the product being out of stock. 'Out of stock' seems to be a frequent problem, so if anyone's in a hurry to get a MB grinder I recommend checking with Vaporstore. They carry all but the Triple Screen as far as grinders. Dieselvapors.com carries that one.

 

[TeddyJackEddy]

Yeah, it was too bad. Really enjoyed dealing with Dan the first time. Hopefully they will get it together.

I checked the MNB website and the deluxe presser went from $69 to $99. Wonder if that has anything to do with why I never had one shipped?

Checked my tracking info and the presser is here in Denver, so will be here soon. Ended up paying $59 with free shipping. Glad I didn't pay the new price.

 

[tuttle]

Sorry you had a bad experience with MixnBall, but they don't qualify for the list. Even though you can buy from the site, it's a manufacturer, not a reseller....'Out of stock' seems to be a frequent problem, so if anyone's in a hurry to get a MB grinder I recommend checking with Vaporstore.

I think they would exactly qualify for the list. They are a great manufacturer, but a terrible seller. I have had problems with them as well. If you want Mix'N'Ball, even you recommend, buy from some place like Vapesotre, not Mix'N'Ball.

 

[TeddyJackEddy]

Follow up. My MNB deluxe presser v2 just arrived.

Ordered it online on Monday and it arrived here in Denver on Wednesday. Wow, that is customer service. The place I ordered from, headshopamerica.com, is in CA. Sent regular first class mail. Have never used them before, but very pleased with the service received.

Guess I should be glad that mixnball.com failed to come through, since the one I got cost less than what I originally paid to MNB.

Can't wait till I collect more kief and give this baby a try. Looks really nice, like most MNB products, but wonder how well it will sell at the new price of $99.99. Glad I paid $40 less than that.

Just goes to show, sometimes things work out for the best after all.

 

[max]

Even if we include manufacturers MB is only to be avoided if you're in a hurry for your product. He does deliver but the products are shipped from another location, which makes it harder for him to give accurate shipping info. He even threw in a free 2 piece grinder for me when my Triple Screen took a really long time to get in stock and ship. We'd have to get a lot of complaints (and more than just slow delivery) to label them as a seller to avoid.

People are free to read your complaint (and TeddyJackEddy's) and decide for themselves, but we'll be cautious about listing sellers at the top. The two there now have had many complaints. I can't get an email reply from either. :/

We're not going to list just any dealer that delivers as a recommended seller either. Vaporizer Giant and Legalbuds.com sell a wide range of vapes, but they don't give discounts or have great customer svc. so there's no reason to recommend them.

I do recommend Vaporstore for MB grinders because you can verify that they have stock and the 'vapormovement' coupon gets you 10% off anything (except for the Volcano).

The place I ordered from, headshopamerica.com, is in CA.

Nice to know there's another option for MB pressers.

 

[TeddyJackEddy]

They also carry some of the MNB grinders as well. Prices look okay, but didn't really check that much.

He has some vapes on the site as well, but I am not familiar with any them. But then again, there a lot of vapes out them I've never used. I'll let someone who knows a lot more than me address that.

At least it is another source for a lot of the MNB products. Very pleased with the first transaction and amazed how quickly the press arrived.

 

[stickstones]

max, I see your point about the reseller vs seller, but after re-reading the OP I don't see this spelled out. Would you like to update the OP and thread name, or am I too fucked up right now to see it?

 

[ZachintheGreen]

I am pretty happy I found this forum to begin with. I've been looking at purchasing my first vaporizer for a bit now and am pretty sure I'll be ordering the V-Tower Extreme (this forum helped). I was also looking for information about one of the dealers, vaporizersales.com. It seems to me that vaporoutlet.com operates under vaporizersales.com & justvaporizers.com as well. They were one of my dealer options when I found the 10% off discount they offered but I think I'll steer clear after reading around the forums.

Thank you all for your help and I hope to be vaporizing soon!

 

[max]

Welcome ZachintheGreen. Hope you enjoy the forum. You are 100% correct on the 2 aliases for vaporoutlet.com. Same phone # for all three. I've added those two at the top.

You should check with dieselvapors.com for a good deal on a brand new 2nd generation Extreme. There's no difference between it and the current version 3 except for the location of the temp sensor. Your display will simply show a different number vs. gen 3.

 

[Sistersoldia]

Got my extreme-(new version 3)- from Vaporoutlet.com . I wish i had seen the coupon codes for Dieselvapor before i ordered, but was lured in by the 10% off code. All in all i did finally get my Extreme at a great price but THEY LIE so stay away - i spent many a sleepless night waiting , expecting them to send an empty box or something. 1 week went by with no contact - i called the phone # and they said "just got our shipment in today - will ship tomorrow" - 3 days later and no tracking # was sent ....oh by the way none of their email links work - all returned undeliverable. So I called back and they sent me a tracking # "from a couple days ago" That turned out to be just genererated minutes after i called. 3 days LATER i did finally receive my Vape in good shape. Alls well that ends well but i'd keep them on the DO NOT ORDER list

 

[max]

Welcome Sistersoldia. Sorry you had a stressful buying experience, but thanks for the details. I think Vaporoutlet will be the first inductee into our 'Hall of Shame'.

 

[umpnum14]

Got my extreme-(new version 3)- from Vaporoutlet.com . I wish i had seen the coupon codes for Dieselvapor before i ordered, but was lured in by the 10% off code. All in all i did finally get my Extreme at a great price but THEY LIE so stay away - i spent many a sleepless night waiting , expecting them to send an empty box or something. 1 week went by with no contact - i called the phone # and they said "just got our shipment in today - will ship tomorrow" - 3 days later and no tracking # was sent ....oh by the way none of their email links work - all returned undeliverable. So I called back and they sent me a tracking # "from a couple days ago" That turned out to be just generated minutes after i called. 3 days LATER i did finally receive my Vape in good shape. Alls well that ends well but i'd keep them on the DO NOT ORDER list

Ive dealt with them in purchasing my first vape. I dealt with Patrick and didnt really care for him the also added (without my permission) to their fivestarshine (car detailing and crap) email list. The had poor communication I ended up having to call them by looking up the number associated with paypal

 

[p1gswillfly]

I started a thread for this, but then it was suggested I move it here...so...here is a story of my experience w/VaporizerGiant.com

DO NOT BUY FROM VAPORIZER GIANT/Global Life(the backing company)

Tell your friends, family, everything, DO NOT BUY FROM VAPORIZER GIANT.

Now, here is my story.
In mid April, I finally came up with enough money to buy myself a vaporizer...I used this website and many others for research before deciding on a V-Tower Extreme. During my review search I found 2-3 websites that recommended VaporizerGiant.com, also, thier website looked very professional, and they were giving out free 2-day air, a grinder, and a free herb sample. They also had my vape at $299, what I found to be a pretty average price. So I took the big leap and bought the vape...

Now, I paid w/electronic check(I had lost my card that day and was feeling impatient), they said that when you do this, it will take 7-10 days for the money to clear thier bank, then they reserve 48 hours for shipment after payment has been recieved. I ordered my vape on April 21st...I expected delivery around the week of May 4-9th. On April 23rd, the money for the vape cleared my account! WOO HOO! I was so excited! The ball was rolling! The following tuesday...no UPS email telling me they sent out my package...I waited til thursday, April 30th to call(I had to call seven times over a two day period before I actually talked to someone), and ended up talking to someone that said it was still pending, but it should be through by tuesday(two full weeks after I ordered), and then they would send it out ASAP that, I was irritated but satified w/the response.

Well, I waited...No email. So I sent out an email to them on tuesday...no response. Called thursday, someone picked up the first call, immediately put me on hold and left me there until the hold machine hung up on me...5 minutes later. Tried emailing again friday...no response. On tuesday(three weeks after order), I call them again, have to call twice before I talk to someone. They tell me that thier electronic checks have been messed up and they haven't been telling them that they were posting in the account, and they only way they could possibly send me the product that I paid 300 dollars for three weeks earlier was if I emailed or faxed them a copy of my bank statement showing the money clearing my account. So, I took time off work to possibly open myself up to identity theft by sending copies of my bank statement to them, I sent the email at 10 AM. As of 3:30 I had no correspondence on whether they received it, logged it, nothing.(this was the 4th time total that I had emailed them w/no response, wasn't that suprised) I went ahead and gave them a call around 3:30 to see whats up. After calling three times someone picked up, immediately put me on hold, left me there for a few minutes, then came back. He then checked the email for the first time that day, found my file and put it in the right hands to get my vape on the way....but not til tomorrow...They waited til after the UPS guys came to check thier email, whatever, at least they are going to send it...right? This was Tues, May 12th...3 Weeks after I placed my order.

I get the UPS email the next day...about 4 O'Clock PM saying its on the way, 2-Day Air, scheduled for delivery to my front door on friday! Woo-Hoo! I was so excited, I was already trying to figure out how to get out of work friday so I could sit and wait...I wait...On Thursday night I checked the tracking...my package went from PA, to NJ, to TX, then...to NM??? What? The night before its supposed to be on a truck for delivery...(Mind you, I live in Stillwater, OK) Whatever, maybe its just how they route the packages. Well, I wake up friday, go to work for the AM, and check my tracking. My f*cking package was in Las Vegas, NV on a f*cking truck going "out for delivery" 1,189 miles from my house...I had a feeling they weren't going to drive it to my place from there. Well, that afternoon, they updated the status saying my package was an "exception", then said it would be another 4 days for delivery...a total of 6 days on a package that was originally "2 Day Air". I looked up a number to call the company and see whats up, there is NO number ANYWHERE on the UPS website that encourages you to talk to a Human...or even gives you the option. After calling a few times to listen and go through all the options menus I looked online for an alternative number and came across a website saying you could press "0" repeatedly to get a human, but be prepared to fight for it. Well, I call, press 0 immediately and the computer says, "I can let you talk to an operator, however, I can give you as up to date information as they can...please choose options...blah blah blah". Well, I want to talk to a human, press 0 again...same message. Press 0 again. Same Response. So I did it a 4th time, it worked, got through, talked to a nice lady that promised, since they messed up, they'd make a serious effort to get the package there by monday. Well, didn't arrive monday, finally came today(Four Full Weeks after I placed my order). I had the guy drop it off w/a buddy of mine because I couldn't miss work.. Got off work, ran to his place opened it up...

It was all there...except for the free grinder I was promised when I ordered...The free grinder was the entire reason that I ordered from this company to begin with...'DOH

On a lighter note, You guys are right, the V-Tower is amazing! Within 5 minutes out of the box I had a bag filled w/vapor...then another...then another...now here I am...so that explains the ranting nature of the above text.

Thanks for listening!

 

[rotax]

Got my extreme-(new version 3)- from Vaporoutlet.com . I wish i had seen the coupon codes for Dieselvapor before i ordered, but was lured in by the 10% off code. All in all i did finally get my Extreme at a great price but THEY LIE so stay away - i spent many a sleepless night waiting , expecting them to send an empty box or something. 1 week went by with no contact - i called the phone # and they said "just got our shipment in today - will ship tomorrow" - 3 days later and no tracking # was sent ....oh by the way none of their email links work - all returned undeliverable. So I called back and they sent me a tracking # "from a couple days ago" That turned out to be just genererated minutes after i called. 3 days LATER i did finally receive my Vape in good shape. Alls well that ends well but i'd keep them on the DO NOT ORDER list

I also got "suckered in" w/ a 10% off code I found for vaporizerstores dot com.
And of course just found a 12% off for dieselvapors that brings the DB under 140$, shipped.

oh well, sounds like at least they'll ship the product..144$ shipped was still a nice price, as long as it gets here, the manuf will do the warranties if need be.

btw, just for the hell of it i emailed asking about tracking # and weather i'd need to sign for a package. will see if there is a reply and update this after i see what else happens.


too little too late, but great info! both the GOOD and BAD lists..


EDIT: for what its worth, i got an email back already.

Hello Mr. <rotax>,
Michael here with VaporOutlet. First I would like
to tell you that you have made a great purchase. Da Buddha is one of our
highest quality products for that given price range. Now the answers
for your questions: the order will be shipped USPS, and once we have
shipped the product you will receive an automated e-mail containing a
tracking number. If there is anything else you need assistance with,
just give us a call here at VaporOutlet.


VaporOutlet
Michael

being a bit automated, its nice that i actually recieved a reply. so far, so good. will let ya know how it plays out.

 

[spaceman462]

Rollies.com doesn't sell vaporizers to my knowledge, but they are still a scam outfit. If you get your order at all, it will be MONTHS to receive it. I waited a couple months and after numerous attempts at contacting the site owner with no reply, I had to contact the payment processor to get my money back and then they acted like I was the asshole. I saw a number of other complaints about them when I finally looked them up via Google when I was getting fed up with waiting for my order and getting no response from any of the email addresses they listed.

Interestingly, the site owner did almost immediately respond to a thread about the site being a scam on the Grasscity forums. If it's not a complete scam site, it is at least the absolute worst online store I've ever dealt with.

 

[rotax]

An update on VaporizerSales.com....

<rotax> wrote:
> Hello, I'd just like to follow up on this order as I have not yet
> received an automated email with a tracking number or info that this
> has been shipped.
>
> Just want to be sure everything is in order.
>
> Thank you!

Hello,
The problem every vaporizer seller is having with the Da Buddha
product is that they are made from a small private business in California.
This business can't keep up with the amount that everyone is
needing. So currently, we are in line for the Da Buddhas.

Yeah..so, I'm quite skeptical now. Asked that my order be canceled.
I explained that their website DOES show that they are in stock (available). And if they really are un-available at this time, that I'd rather just cancel my order.

I didn't even mention the fact that I know this is not a Cali based company..and that they are either completely lying about it, or have nfc about their products..
Either way, want out of this ASAP now after that kinda reply.