Discontinued The Grasshopper

[Old_muel]

Well mines been in rma for 13 months now & counting! Anyone had any luck with threats? Sad but that's where I'm at with these useless clowns, i tell ya what if i had the coin to burn on a plane ticket to Colorado... yeah it's just a vape but it's the principal. Maybe i start a go fund me for a ticket there's probably heaps in the same boat that'd love to see whoevers running this shitshow cop a good ol beatdown? Could even do it live on youtube. Haha that'd be something I'd chip in for that at this stage would you? 13 months lol

 

[Vaporific]

Well mines been in rma for 13 months now & counting! Anyone had any luck with threats? Sad but that's where I'm at with these useless clowns, i tell ya what if i had the coin to burn on a plane ticket to Colorado... yeah it's just a vape but it's the principal. Maybe i start a go fund me for a ticket there's probably heaps in the same boat that'd love to see whoevers running this shitshow cop a good ol beatdown? Could even do it live on youtube. Haha that'd be something I'd chip in for that at this stage would you? 13 months lol

I won’t resort to threats. What’s the point in that? Would love to chew them out by phone but that won’t ever happen (maybe in 2112 ). Sorry it’s been 13 months for you (and some others). I however did tell them I’ll cancel my battery order if it’s not back soon. I think I’ll be joining you shortly though as my 10 months waiting nears...

HL again replied to my last message and they’re referring my account issue with my email address to their “web team”. Maybe they should pull those resources into the RMA quagmire where my unit resides. “1-3 more months” they said, again, after an initial 3-5 months which was augmented with another 3-5 months. The RMA wheels keep spinning...

 

[brewbeer]

HL just needs more money. If they had more, they could spend more on RMAs. They need to limit their RMA costs to less than what can be covered by profit from sales of new units and associated merch. Otherwise they don't stay in operation.

I'm just gonna throw this out here - when folks send in their RMAs,they may want to consider buying a new unit and merch, it will help HL stay cash flow positive, which will help keep HL open and speed your RMA back to you.

 

[Rooster]

HL just needs more money. If they had more, they could spend more on RMAs. They need to limit their RMA costs to less than what can be covered by profit from sales of new units and associated merch. Otherwise they don't stay in operation.

I'm just gonna throw this out here - when folks send in their RMAs,they may want to consider buying a new unit and merch, it will help HL stay cash flow positive, which will help keep HL open and speed your RMA back to you.

Oh no way man. You are way more benevolent than me. I would never pay them another dime. Its not like they are a charity.

 

[Roth]

HL just needs more money. If they had more, they could spend more on RMAs. They need to limit their RMA costs to less than what can be covered by profit from sales of new units and associated merch. Otherwise they don't stay in operation.

I'm just gonna throw this out here - when folks send in their RMAs,they may want to consider buying a new unit and merch, it will help HL stay cash flow positive, which will help keep HL open and speed your RMA back to you.

I honestly can't tell the last part is sarcasm. You could very well be right about the 1st part though.

I can't ever imagine throwing good money after bad as a sound strategy.

 

[Cheesequake]

I sold all but 1 of my hoppers and to be honest I'm glad to be rid of them. I'll keep using this one until it shits out then probably throw it in a drawer and hope they get their shit together one day.

 

[Vaporific]

I can't ever imagine throwing good money after bad as a sound strategy.

Agreed. Except for batteries which I ordered a few months ago however my unit is still in RMA. I was hoping it would be back by now but NOOOO! And now the batteries are delayed - what else is new with HL? Just a bumbling and bungling company.

I'm just gonna throw this out here - when folks send in their RMAs,they may want to consider buying a new unit and merch, it will help HL stay cash flow positive, which will help keep HL open and speed your RMA back to you.

See above. I won’t spend any substantial money with them until they’ve demonstrated they can fix my Ti like new. And I’ll cancel my battery order too if necessary. Enough is enough with their failed estimates - anyone get their steel case 4+ years later? LOL - and traditional shoddy quality control. Customer service is a whole other ballgame...

 

[guyonthecouch]

Agreed. Except for batteries which I ordered a few months ago however my unit is still in RMA. I was hoping it would be back by now but NOOOO! And now the batteries are delayed - what else is new with HL? Just a bumbling and bungling company.

See above. I won’t spend any substantial money with them until they’ve demonstrated they can fix my Ti like new. And I’ll cancel my battery order too if necessary. Enough is enough with their failed estimates - anyone get their steel case 4+ years later? LOL - and traditional shoddy quality control. Customer service is a whole other ballgame...

Yes, we've heard your story quite a few times now. Guess what, HL doesn't manufacture their batteries a factory in China does(like the rest of the world). The much larger company Firefly suffered from a similar scenario. Maybe you should call the Chinese government and complain to them, as HL and us are at their helm. Or start a lithium ion battery factory with all your industry knowledge, you'd be rich!!

Curious to know what your narrative will be once everything is in order?

If building the most advanced portable convection vaporizer on the planet was an easy task, I'm sure someone else(maybe even you!) would've done it by now.

 

[hillbill]

Thank you Sir. may I have another? Thank you Sir. May I have another?.........

 

[Cheesequake]

Yes, we've heard your story quite a few times now. Guess what, HL doesn't manufacture their batteries a factory in China does(like the rest of the world).

Sure, I'll give you that, but if I could predict on May 7th with as close to certainty as one can get that the deadline wouldn't be met and they'd be late, why couldn't Hopper Labs? Why do they continue to lead their customers on when an educated guess from a consumer can tell you things will never be anywhere close to on time with this company?

(Posted on May 7th)

No one knows including HL. Their estimate is based on what their Chinese supplier has told them and I can almost guarantee you it won't be met.

Curious to know what your narrative will be once everything is in order?

I don't think he has much to worry about.

 

[Baron23]

HL just needs more money. If they had more, they could spend more on RMAs.

Yeah, well the reason that they need more money is the abysmal reliability and high RMA return rate. Its hard for me to have sympathy and impossible for me to even consider buying a new unit to help them out from their self-induced problems. Just me.

Now, on the bright side....one of the two out there on RMA is:

June 25, 2019, 3:34 p.m. Repaired Unit Shipped
We've repaired your Grasshopper and it's now on its way back to you.

I am hoping it works as it did when new which was wonderful. We will see shortly.

Where the other RMA I have out there is (both opened RMA and shipped at the same time), who knows.

Yes, we've heard your story quite a few times now. Guess what, HL doesn't manufacture their batteries a factory in China does(like the rest of the world). The much larger company Firefly suffered from a similar scenario. Maybe you should call the Chinese government and complain to them, as HL and us are at their helm. Or start a lithium ion battery factory with all your industry knowledge, you'd be rich!!

Curious to know what your narrative will be once everything is in order?

If building the most advanced portable convection vaporizer on the planet was an easy task, I'm sure someone else(maybe even you!) would've done it by now.

Oh BS, their battery issue is just a supply chain management failure or lack of money to order them with. Either case, it’s in them.

 

[guyonthecouch]

Oh BS, their battery issue is just a supply chain management failure or lack of money to order them with. Either case, it’s in them.

Cool dude, sweet opinion you got there. I knew you'd fall for the bait.. Baron the predictable!!

 

[Cheesequake]

Cool dude, sweet opinion you got there. I knew you'd fall for the bait.. Baron the predictable!!

 

[Vaporific]

Cool dude, sweet opinion you got there. I knew you'd fall for the bait.. Baron the predictable!!

I go with supply chain issue as in just one of many they've had over the years - and it continues to plague them. My narrative? The same - love to hate HL and love the Hopper when it works well. It's indeed a great idea but fragile design, poor quality control, continual supply chain issues, etc. muddies the water. This isn't on us, it's on them and I agree with what @Baron23 said above - they don't get sympathy from me. They don't know how to run a company and had a great idea which was executed poorly in nearly every facet. They continue to cut off their nose to spite their face, which is us in the end. They're their own worst enemy at this point. No batteries in inventory? Well, they just lost a customer who doesn't have any good ones or lost them. Perhap a minority but this sticks out like a sore thumb on top of all their blunders. I've said my peace...

EDIT: I"m well aware batteries and many parts come from overseas. I'm also aware of the current geo-political/economic crap going on. They already raised battery prices by 100% and now they don't have any in stock. It's all on them.

 

[brewbeer]

I honestly can't tell the last part is sarcasm. You could very well be right about the 1st part though. I can't ever imagine throwing good money after bad as a sound strategy.

There is some tounge-in-cheek, but there is business reality: HL needs to continue to stay cash flow positive, or it dies, along with everyone's "lifetime" (lol) warranty.

The hopper is wonderful when working. I've picked up a new one while waiting on my other RMA and it works amazingly well, has me under it's spell, for now. I wonder if people would buy a new hopper every year or so, if needed to always have a fully functional hopper. I think I would.

Edited to add: building on @Vaporific comments above, I would guess that one possible issue holding back HL is management discord. When management can't agree on important matters, decisions don't get made, and everthing starts to slip, like not deciding quickly enough to invest in a battery order, or not keeping the blog current.

 

[vapviking]

Does this whole thread fall under the auspices of the Department of Redundancy Department?

separate (but not);
@brewbeer, the concept of supporting a fledgling company with a righteous product is worthy.
Been there, done that with HL. Now it's years AND years and I've drawn the line at 5 Grasshoppers, 4 of which currently do not work. The most recent was purchased in July '18 and has had 4 rma's already.
Imo, If not for the fact that the whole country (world?) is enamored of Cannabis these days, and the bubble nature of the ways money is spent and/or 'invested', the bottom would have fallen out of HL a long time ago.

 

[Hjalmark]

Anyone know David icke? The lizard people that feed on suffering got to love this thread

 

[Vaporific]

Edited to add: building on @Vaporific comments above, I would guess that one possible issue holding back HL is management discord.

While discord is possible I think it’s a lack thereof or with little management experience early on that they’re struggling to strengthen . It’s obvious in their supply chain and quality control.

The most recent was purchased in July '18 and has had 4 rma's already.

You’re a glutton for punishment - 80% of your units are bad. I’ve only had one Ti, thought about getting another but won’t throw good money after bad for this reason. What I still don’t understand is how you’ve had 4 RMAs in this time which is almost as long as my SINGLE RMA. It just doesn’t make sense. More head scratching...

 

[Vaporific]

Latest RMA update from HL: my Ti needs a “chamber assembly upgrade which most new devices do not need.” Isn’t it obvious that a new device doesn’t need anything - unless a completely new version? A chamber assembly sounds like something someone posted a picture of from their factory assembly line which there were many of them all lined up. I could be wrong though however, if not, how hard is it to slap a new one in? It looks like it screwed into the body so it can’t be that difficult. I suggested to them that I should get a new device since I’ve been waiting so longand they can keep my old one but haven’t heard back from them yet. I doubt they’ll bite.

 

[jhanson]

so my grasshopper and my spare front end are in transit back to the UK (this is the 3rd RMA)
imagine it will get here early next week now. will report back on what i make of their repair this time. can't say i'm super confident but hey-ho

 

[vapviking]

his reason. What I still don’t understand is how you’ve had 4 RMAs in this time which is almost as long as my SINGLE RMA.

As mentioned earlier I have no explanation for how HL decides which hopper to service 'next'.
The one in question here had 3 back end failures in rapid succession, like in first 3 months and I think HL were really trying to fulfill the original obligation -- that being, to send me a working unit right outta the gate. Fourth rma is now just pending and I believe it's an issue in the body somewhere. Word back is they'll try to expedite (about 30 days), but the two others they've had for months are still "a few months out."
I just dunno.

 

[ChooChooCharlie]

@brewbeer - you inspired me! Instead of opening RMAs for two dead ones out of four, I just bought a new one. It hurts so good

 

[Vaporific]

As mentioned earlier I have no explanation for how HL decides which hopper to service 'next'.
The one in question here had 3 back end failures in rapid succession, like in first 3 months and I think HL were really trying to fulfill the original obligation -- that being, to send me a working unit right outta the gate.

Shouldn't that be their goal for everyone?: A working Hopper right out of the gate. Hey, I'm a bit jealous that they responded to and for you the way they did. Sorry you and others, myself included, are still having issues though. I just don't understand their process and why some hardly wait while others do. Completely baffling...

 

[vapviking]

@brewbeer - you inspired me! Instead of opening RMAs for two dead ones out of four, I just bought a new one. It hurts so good

Sounds like you and I are about even at five apiece. But one of my five was actually given away originally (2015) and failed after first few uses. It's been the time capsule in my daughter's drawer ever since, as yet unregistered. I believe this could be called OG. (But I'm old, what do I know?)
Come to think of it, she has 2 OG batteries that might come in handy for me!

 

[Baron23]

Cool dude, sweet opinion you got there. I knew you'd fall for the bait.. Baron the predictable!!

Yes, I'm consistent because my opinion is based on years of experience and specific consideration of this situation....the situation which has not changed so why would my opinion change?