Discontinued The Grasshopper

[JCat]

I just paid $45 for priority shipping for my RMA return (ie. free for standard shipping that is $20-$25 and no discount on priority!!!!)

Since they sent back my SS Hopper back from RMA for a 2nd time not working and they've had my Ti for 8 days tomorrow, I had to have it shipped back priority if I want a chance at a working Hopper for the week I am gone out of town for work. I think they were delayed because of the Ti PFEs! So if they had sent it out last week without PFEs I could have used standard shipping on both and saved $25 ... and had my Hopper back around the same time ... I guess in this case I wouldn't have paid the RMA return shipping for them I suppose though!

I wish I didn't love this vaporizer so much when it works because I really feel like a sucker with my RMAs and the amount of money I'm spending. (I can see it now ... it would make a funny skit with the service department just fucking it up worse or doing nothing while laughing at the poor idiot customer that just keeps handing money over and over ....!)

I'm at about $200 CAD in shipping expense for RMAs!!! (Actually I think it's more like $180 or so ... but close enough )

 

[duff]

You're Lucy @JCat and HL is Ethel

 

[biohacker]

It comes back with more scratches than it went in with and it will go in again and again.

You too?? These guys can do whatever they want, just like the government!

I'm at about $200 CAD in shipping expense for RMAs!!! (Actually I think it's more like $180 or so ... but close enough )

I'm starting a poll!!! When will @JCat draw the line?! Hmmmmmm..... At least you're not alone?

I so can't wait until your Ti comes back! I really want you to have a proper functioning GH like I did for several months until shit started hitting the fan with all the newer backends.

Straight to blue is like a dream to me now in comparison to sketchy inconsistent performance and scorching back ends.

I love their QA video though, too bad it doesn't mean squat in the real world. Does anyone even read the Reddit GH thread here??

 

[Hjalmark]

I only rma ones but probably again in the fall but from a Scandinavian country I currently practice my evil illegal trade from it only cost me 6 dollars

Think the "strip all insides out" theory is invalid if some people can have so many damn returns with same unit

My other theory and yeah sorry to be a jerk but people are leaving it in bongs and water splash back pushes hot air into heater

 

[Hogni]

Hoppering since 6 months. Balance up to now:

- died charger
- died frontend

Not bad so far I guess.

Hopper worked well all the time but backend was ever pretty "warm" after a long hit. But now it's getting really hot. Heat tolerance of my fingers is very high but now, after two long draws without a break for cooling I can't touch it anymore for longer than a few seconds.
Anyway will fire the beloved beast until it breaks.
Will not happen so far in the future I fear...

But actually Verdampftnochmal has no part of hopper in stock anymore...really nothing.
Did they capitulate and really quit their buisiness with GHL?? Would be the worst for me.
Or don't they get really nothing from GHL since they got no new hoppers and batteries from them since dec '16(!!) - although they are the general importer for GH in Germany??

 

[biohacker]

Did they capitulate and really quit their buisiness with GHL??

It would not surprise me as I have heard reports of another retailer doing the same. At some point it just doesn't make business sense, when the failure rate is 100% on a long/short enough timeline with this device IMO.

 

[Hogni]

It's less reliabitity in the product than reliability in CS and CC of GHL with their retailers. A few weeks ago when I last spoke with them they were already very pissed-off by that. But I dont know. Will visit the shop again within the next two weeks.

 

[biohacker]

Customer service is everything in this day and age where it seems it's lacking so much with many companies as there are so many people and customers out there. The companies that survive and thrive have impeccable CS. S&B and Puffitup come to mind.... nothing makes a customer more loyal than a company that goes above and beyond.

@JCat example is a good one, he is a loyal, patient customer that has had to shell out $$$$ and HL doesn't seem to want to "make him happy". It's almost as if they simply don't give a fuck? Personally, I think they are stupid, because people will rant and rave about their own personal experiences. Look at PIU's thread and show me an unhappy customer? That dude knows how to run a biz. S&B simply send out a brand new product with no fuss, and if HL can't fix and RMA properly, they're done IMO.

 

[JCat]

And it wouldn't take much to make me happy ... yet I seem to get nothing but longer wait times, less communication, and increased costs! (Batting 0/2 for RMA's so far ... hoping to be 1/3 soon ... then we'll see if we can make that 50% after I send in my SS one for a 3rd time in a row! Who knows. To go from 0/2 to 2/4 would be a hell of a come-back! )

Be nice if they threw in a free priority shipping (or even discounted one!) somewhere along the line ... but that just gets worse ... and would be nice if they even threw in a t-shirt, or offered to pay for the shipping from me to them considering the triple RMA, but I know none of this is going to happen, because I've asked multiple times, and have gotten absolutely nowhere. I've almost given up. Relegated to making occasional off-handed comments/requests and statements that highlight just how bad their service track record has been ...

 

[biohacker]

@JCat how about if someone (anyone!) could just make a simple phone call to you and offer an explanation? It probably would be BS, but at least you could articulate your experiences, and it would definitely help them in their future troubleshooting and QA.

I wonder how their "shake testing" is going? Back to reading Reddit, and seeing if they have made comments there again... this shit is better than my wife's Y&theR soap opera addiction!

 

[slcbdco]

Why are we still practicing all these old fashion superstitious behavior with something that is proclaimed NASA advance? Why are we not given proper tips on proper practices that may help prolong the longevity of our units? This is insane we all have no idea what really helps and what doesn't meanwhile HL is lurking and not giving out info.

I think the the superstition is more a result of misinformation on this thread. For example with the charger, the charger DOES NOT cause device failure. Many people on here have said that and HL themselves have said that.

Some chargers fail, some devices fail, neither the old or the new style charger cause failure. I have both types of chargers and use them all the time.

 

[vinhale]

Not trying to bitch at all but I just want to register that another double-hopper setup has proven insufficient to problem-free vaping: both are back at HL right now with some variety of sensor issues.

I am amazed at my patience; it is explained by the quality of the working product but this does seem like a "This is Fine" moment.

 

[biohacker]

@JCat, was just reading on Reddit, and some dude had his car broken into and his Haze vape stolen. HL chimed in and said for him to PM them his address and they would send him a FREE GH as a late 4/20 gift!?

Great marketing! Too bad they aren't giving you similar love with shipping? They must have a stockpile of refurbs!

 

[JCat]

Don't know whether to like or dislike that!

Fuck HL and shipping free Hoppers out! (At least charge them $45 in shipping!)

 

[Hoey420]

I would say good luck to him!

 

[MoltenTiger]

Does anyone have the Ti PFE yet?
(just checked reddit, and nope, no one does. Still out of stock, expected in the next fortnight)

...

I finally got around to posting my hoppers away.
Through AusPost it cost $30.45AUD (about 23 USD) to send three with another 3 spare bodies, a front and back end.
I don't think it was weighed at all, so anything that could fit in that packet would cost the same (so basically up to 10 RMA'd hoppers).
Doesn't include tracking, that was an additional $15, but it's insured.
Base cost was about $15.50.

I'll report how it plays out from here.
Apparently it'll take 6 days to get to them, so that means 2+ weeks probably, then HL'll have it for a week or so, and send it back with a 2 week transit. So that's 5+ weeks, so I should have them by mid June.

 

[biohacker]

I would say good luck to him!

haha, you think HL is bullshitting?

Doesn't include tracking, that was an additional $15, but it's insured.

That's odd, you can insure it without tracking? Tracking delivered confirmation is how the insurance works here.

 

[MoltenTiger]

That's odd, you can insure it without tracking? Tracking delivered confirmation is how the insurance works here.

Yeah, it is a bit. I didn't enquire about it, just decided to get it so hopefully it's worth something haha

 

[Roland Blaze]

Well to me it looks like Verdampftnochmal still deal with GHL as the link is still up, you can even get a reminder when they are back in stock
https://verdampftnochmal.de/products/en/Grasshopper-Vaporizer_7

 

[Hogni]

Sure, this state is nearly the same as in Dec '16.
Would you as a retailer be longer interested in distributing items which doens't come from the manufacturer over months while every 'normal' cusomer get his order within a few days?
They don't so. Hope as a customer of VDNM their patience will stay longer.

 

[JCat]

So another update ... pretty pissed off actually about this one, and this one HL better make right (although I don't know what I'll do about it ... since I really don't have any options ... I can choose to throw out both my Hoppers ... I can't sell them as I can't get them fixed, and I can't sell them broken ... probably going to cost me in excess of the cost of a Hopper in shipping to get a working one ... if even that makes that happen ... anyways ... guess they've got me by the balls ... I'll I can do is whine to no effect ... sigh ...)

On Friday, I sent a message to HL about my Ti Hopper, as they had it since Tuesday, and it was still in repair and testing; knowing that it takes 2 weeks shipping, and I was leaving town in 2 weeks, and I really wanted it back prior to then, I reached out to make sure this would happen. Sent a second message Monday, outlining that if it wasn't sent out that day, it would not make it to me in time, and I really wanted it back on time; seems the least they can do is get it back to me considering all my RMA's and owning two and yet to have a fully functional one for more than a few days (my Ti one from @biohacker is the only one that worked almost properly ... worked properly 90% of the time for the first few days ...)

Caroline answered on Monday later in the day, and indicated my Hopper was ready to go out, and they were just waiting for the Ti PFEs so everything would be ready to ship out tomorrow (Tuesday). I paid an additional $45 USD to have everything shipped out priority, as I really wanted it for my week out of town, so guess I had no choice. I even indicated (sort of jokingly) that it better come back fixed after the significant amount of money I just spent to get it here sooner!

So Tuesday night I send a message, as no shipping notice, again Wednesday I send a message, still no response, and then I get a shipping notice .... for UPS Mail Innovations!!!!!!!!!!!! So I flip out a little (I mean we are talking maybe 5-10 messages between my Ti and SS warranty claims, and I really emphasized how I wanted it here by the 12th absolute latest. This felt like a real slap in the face. Did she even read any of my e-mails? Did she even actually check on the status of my Hopper?

Because it gets better! I checked the shipping info, and it seems it shipped out LAST WEDNESDAY!!!! So she charged me $45USD to have something shipped priority on Monday, when it had already shipped 5 days prior!!!!!! They better refund me my $45. And if they've already shipped out my PFEs priority (not with the Hopper), I still expect that refund. I NEVER indicated I would like to have my Ti PFEs shipped priority on their own! It was always about the Hopper. Although it's a pain, if they don't want to issue a refund, I guess I'll at least get the ball rolling with the Better Business Bureau.

So I really have to ask this again, even though it's been asked before: Does Hopper Labs really care at all about it's customers? I wonder if they are spitting in the Hoppers before they send them out? They should really include a sticker with the Hopper that says something like ... "Sucker!" ... "What an idiot!" (let the customer interpret it themselves ... they'll understand well enough after they deal with customer service a couple times!

Looking forward to months more of bashing my head against a brick wall! (actually I think a brick wall has a lot more give ...!)

 

[MonkeyTime]

So another update ... pretty pissed off actually about this one, and this one HL better make right (although I don't know what I'll do about it ... since I really don't have any options ... I can choose to throw out both my Hoppers ... I can't sell them as I can't get them fixed, and I can't sell them broken ... probably going to cost me in excess of the cost of a Hopper in shipping to get a working one ... if even that makes that happen ... anyways ... guess they've got me by the balls ... I'll I can do is whine to no effect ... sigh ...)

On Friday, I sent a message to HL about my Ti Hopper, as they had it since Tuesday, and it was still in repair and testing; knowing that it takes 2 weeks shipping, and I was leaving town in 2 weeks, and I really wanted it back prior to then, I reached out to make sure this would happen. Sent a second message Monday, outlining that if it wasn't sent out that day, it would not make it to me in time, and I really wanted it back on time; seems the least they can do is get it back to me considering all my RMA's and owning two and yet to have a fully functional one for more than a few days (my Ti one from @biohacker is the only one that worked almost properly ... worked properly 90% of the time for the first few days ...)

Caroline answered on Monday later in the day, and indicated my Hopper was ready to go out, and they were just waiting for the Ti PFEs so everything would be ready to ship out tomorrow (Tuesday). I paid an additional $45 USD to have everything shipped out priority, as I really wanted it for my week out of town, so guess I had no choice. I even indicated (sort of jokingly) that it better come back fixed after the significant amount of money I just spent to get it here sooner!

So Tuesday night I send a message, as no shipping notice, again Wednesday I send a message, still no response, and then I get a shipping notice .... for UPS Mail Innovations!!!!!!!!!!!! So I flip out a little (I mean we are talking maybe 5-10 messages between my Ti and SS warranty claims, and I really emphasized how I wanted it here by the 12th absolute latest. This felt like a real slap in the face. Did she even read any of my e-mails? Did she even actually check on the status of my Hopper?

Because it gets better! I checked the shipping info, and it seems it shipped out LAST WEDNESDAY!!!! So she charged me $45USD to have something shipped priority on Monday, when it had already shipped 5 days prior!!!!!! They better refund me my $45. And if they've already shipped out my PFEs priority (not with the Hopper), I still expect that refund. I NEVER indicated I would like to have my Ti PFEs shipped priority on their own! It was always about the Hopper. Although it's a pain, if they don't want to issue a refund, I guess I'll at least get the ball rolling with the Better Business Bureau.

So I really have to ask this again, even though it's been asked before: Does Hopper Labs really care at all about it's customers? I wonder if they are spitting in the Hoppers before they send them out? They should really include a sticker with the Hopper that says something like ... "Sucker!" ... "What an idiot!" (let the customer interpret it themselves ... they'll understand well enough after they deal with customer service a couple times!

Looking forward to months more of bashing my head against a brick wall! (actually I think a brick wall has a lot more give ...!)

Sorry to hear all of this, I was really hoping we had turned a corner on their attitude and effort.

 

[Carlos8400]

It's never to late to leave the GH fail train alone...
I went through 2 GH in less than a month, saw this thread, decided it was not worth the trouble and got my money back.
They have a poor quality product, a poor quality customer service, and they apparently treat their retailers badly too. (most shops in the EU don't stock them anymore and have bad things to say about them).

I don't understand how you guys have the patience and energy to keep doing this!
Just let them self destruct on their own... It shouldn't take very long.

 

[C-weed]

Wow....i was about to squeeze the trigger on one of these...kinda spooked
​

 

[biohacker]

Does Hopper Labs really care at all about it's customers?

I think you already know the answer to this bro.

They have a poor quality product, a poor quality customer service, and they apparently treat their retailers badly too. (most shops in the EU don't stock them anymore and have bad things to say about them).

Here! Here! (sic) But, but....when it works it's AWESOME! Hmmmmm, emphasis on when, or is it if?

I don't understand how you guys have the patience and energy to keep doing this!
Just let them self destruct on their own... It shouldn't take very long.

Hear! Hear! I understand it, as i've been there... the energy and patience will wane, as builds.

What a roller coaster ride!

Wow....i was about to squeeze the trigger on one of these...kinda spooked

Don't be, just watch for the posts that come after this one! Be mindful, of their posting history though... critical thinking is imperative here, and you can smell the one sided posts from a mile away... just click on their message count and see!

@JCat have you considered posting your storey and experience on Reddit? Maybe, just maybe (doubtful though), HL will respond in public? They sound very altruistic by giving out FREE hoppers to those that have theirs stolen, unless.....they also get an invoice attached to it!

Don't forget to wear your helmet @JCat!