Alright thanks Ratm22 for giving us the opportunity to revisit your dilemma. And to be clear everyone this is Mark McCoy founder of Vrip responding not ShadowVape --- our FC username has always been under ShadowVape.
It's important to include full details and timeline IMHO if one is going to post public as these forum posts absolutely affect new customers' choices on what vapes to try --- I'm always willing to fall on the proverbial sword if we F'd up, but please be complete including the solutions offered to any CS events. We're human and doing alot of R&D here admittedly and there was, in fact, a problem with our tech losing track of what unit out of two failed units on his bench was the one Ratm22 sent in originally which was sorted quickly and easily, and then again later looking back trying to sort which of two unrepairable units he had was the one sent in the second time.
There where; however, some very key qualifying details left out of the original recent posts that I'm obliged to clarify now. I'm not mad at Ratm22 as I'm assuming it was unintentional since the details where discussed in our direct correspondance so please don't take this as me trying to get in a contest of any sorts --- not my style (unless we're talking side by side vapor flavor and concentration contests against ANY VAPE OUT THERE than I'm always up). I just point this out for everyone regardless of what vape you may have a problem with --- always best to give the company a fair shake to sort it direct before posting public and if you're going to post a problem public because it didn't get sorted or you didn't like the options please be detailed and complete including follow up posts as the story evolves to be fair. This is afterall a big part of how I, and others in the business, provide for family and in Vrip's case our reputation goes back farther than anyone's on FC.com except the original Volatizer (who has a year on us) --- yup in biz since '97.
Absent Detail #1: We where never informed that the VHW being sent in for repair was bought used with a failed element until after we had already received it for repair. Had I known from day one I would not have been as cheery and confident in the option to repair and would have likely gone even farther than I already do to encourage taking of the upgrade deal (that techically we don't make to people who bought used wands by policy, but I usually offer). This option would definitely be the best way to make the most out of the deal being sought anyway so as to avoid any grief due to the inability of either the customer or the company to determine what point in it's duty cycle the board might be in (as I commuicated in so many words once the source was known).
If the housing and top of board is melted it's an obvious shaky deal as to whether it should even be repaired since the board quality would be questionable, but boards that look fine or at least acceptable can also turn out to have been abused (i.e. variable transistors opened up wide and/or left on full heat all day and night without usage) and in bad enough shape functionally that they won't support an element replacement or won't for long as was the case here. Also, this is a good place to mention that the boards will usually only support two to three element replacements before the lead contacts simply fail. But by that point you should have definitely gotten MORE than your money's worth relative to other options out there --- all of these things have finite duty cycles --- believe me I wish heaters lasted forever! The tech used to have enough older units he could sometimes cannabalize a board that was in functioning order, but we moved on to the 3.0 heater so many years ago and see 2.0 units so rarely that he simply doesn't have the inventory anymore. The good news is though I found a couple of stragglers in the office….
Absent Detail #2 (not from Vrip direct communications, but from initial forum post to be clear): The repair was a 2.0 which was a unit we hadn't even made or sold for many years at the time --- that said we still support them with repairs when needed and possible and just as we did with Ratm22 at that time we offer the Bro-Form upgrade (minus any repair fees that may have already been paid) to get the customer to a complete 3.0 unit for essentially the same price as a replacement glass cover alone + shipping. We do this as a courtesy and I'm proud of this fact given how many other companies (in this business and others) that simply evolve to new models and move on from old models leaving them unsupported and customers without options. Ratm22 opted for the repair instead of the upgrade because the 2.0 glass cover he had was in good shape --- all good we did the repair and sent it back --- unfortunately it didn't last indicating that the VHW 2.0 with failed element I'm assuming was purchased for what seemed like a good deal wasn't such a great deal afterall --- probably a board issue that our short bench test didn't reveal and as admitted it did work for at least a few flavorful sessions before failing.
If I could use every wand we ship new or repaired for a week or so to be 100% sure it's solid I would but that's impossible so we do the next best thing which is a quick bench test to be sure it fires up proper --- the one in question did the first time, but it didn't the second time after sent back which is why it ended up in the DOA box. Our element replacement service is just that --- we replace the element and bench test to make sure it fires up. We don't test every board component and don't even have the ability to do so in all honesty which is why we have the Bro-Form upgrade deal as a fall back if a unit is unrepairable. Thankfully most of our current heaters last at least a year if not years of daily use before needing an element replacement which usually does the trick.
Absent Detail #3: Really more of a clarification --- Vrip didn't "Lose" the wand we simply had two of them that had the tags removed during repair (initially and then when looking back at two DOA wands almost six months later) and the tech wasn't sure which was which --- a few questions later we determined which one was the right one on the first round and got it shipped with the new element. On the second round we determined that the board wasn't in good shape (at the point of contact for the leads I determined after revisiting my correspondance with the tech) which means hard usage with extended full heat standby usually or could just be a result of previous repairs of which we know there was at least the first one.
Absent Detail #4: Ratm22 actually replied to Vrip that he did want to go the route of the upgrade deal and asked how much was the difference on the last email correspondance. So from Vrip's perspective we had stoked another customer and kept things fluid and flavor --- we just never got a reply or payment for the difference? The FC.com post of the bow-out was the first we had heard again after almost six months which is why I had to ask for details.
Which brings us to Timeline: We are pretty damn good I think, but we are human and if we lose track of something or fail to get an email response off it's always unintentional. And it's always alot easier to sort if the customer follows up asking WTF within a few weeks or at least a couple of months. If six months go by as was the case here and then one reaches out asking WTF it will always be more difficult for us to sort with certainty --- that said we will always sort a satisfactory and fair solution. Please if you don't get something you ordered or sent in for repair within a couple of weeks (assuming domestic) please just send us a note --- we'll sort it!!! Always do. Our tech that does these repairs is third party --- he is a friendly and virtually always capable of repairing the wands, but doesn't work out of the shop so not the same level of oversight we have on the glass production for instance.
So all of this said we want all of our customers happy and even though this CS event falls into ground breaking first-time-for-everything circumstance we'll do our best to sort out a functioning 2.0 heater for Ratm22 and our generous and more than fair I believe Bro-Form upgrade deal will stand should he decide to take advantage. I can't help but notice the Volcano digital listed as an owned piece Ratm22 and will take this opportunity to implore of you and anyone else who might read this to include the quality of the actual vapor extracted and delivered (think long term and short term effects) AND the price/function/materials of the vaporizers or vaporization systems compared into consideration to determine true VALUE. If you want to get to Flavor Country aluminum heaters and plastic bags such as those on the Volcano will never make the full trip --- they are durable and reliable, but the trade off is they won't get you to Flavor Country. Glass my friends, Glass is the path to Flavor Country…