How do you decide which vendor you are going to use?

[KulrMeStoopid]

Many on here know I am very particular about which vendors I send my squandered cash off to. Since its nearly 3 am and sleep doesn't appear on the horizon, I thought I would post up a lilttle bit of a rant, maybe something of a rave...and definitely something I hold very personal to myself.

I use vendors that take part in the POTV Marketplace, Advertise here, and those who don't. More or less, the vendors I use.. I used way before POTV was even thought of, before advertising was even an option here, and well before the Marketplace was created.

I also continue to look for more great vendors, I have found new ones through the Marketplace and those that have just happened to fall upon our forum My EPack and Mr Kraken being two of the best vendors I have used, neither of which advertise here or take part in the Marketplace. There are also vendors who do use our Marketplace and Advertise here that I won't ever send my money to. But that is my personal choice and due to interactions before both of those media's were ever available to them in the first place.

So with that out of the way, this is MY personal opinion, Me...you know this chick right here, Not POTV, and does not and should not reflect on POTV in any way what so ever (I really shouldnt even have to say that, but if I didn't someone would be bound to say "Hey that chunt from UKV3 put out an official POTV statement") This isn't a fecking statement by POTV. Just Me, the human being with a brain full of really intelligent stuff.



Now onto what my post is supposed to really be about.

A reliable trustworthy vendor will make sure that the products they flog us, are at least:
Safe for use and/or consumption (ie e-liquids)
Readily and widely available (ok some of them sell the hard to get stuff too!)
Of good quality made by a reputable manufacturer
Prices are competitive
They use restraint in calling out other vendors
They are not obviously scamming innocent people
and they adhere to applicable laws and regulations.


As customers, we put OUR trust that a vendor will do at least some of these things and hopefully most if not all of them. However, there are a few exceptions and then people discover they were shafted by some rouge over nighter, when they take to the internet to air their findings to people who have similar interests...namely people on places like this.

I for one base my trust of a vendor on several factors and I am sure many of the forum members will identify with some of these points:
A vendor that treats me as more than just a customer
One who handles any issue with confidence, punctuality, and professionalism
A vendor that I can relate to on a one to one level, ie would they say hi to me at a meet, possibly know me by name if I popped into their shop.
How informed they keep their customer base of any known issues with products
And how they interact with potential customers on open forums such as these.

If a vendor passes my own personal checklist of "wants" then I am confident enough to consider spending my money with them. Often times I do. Sometimes not as often as I wish I could.

Have I ran into vendors that don't do things on my list of wants and things that they should be doing first and foremost? Of course. At least 1 or 2 a month. Maybe even more. And because I help run this place, I probably see more than I should really ever have to. Does it piss me off? Your damn right it does. But am I going to name and shame them just because I can? Probably not.

I have this whole belief system that people reap what they sow and if they made the bed, they should lie in it? Basically it's Karma and I fully believe people with bad intentions towards others, receive it back upon themselves and need no help from me to get it there.

So with all that being said...

What do you think a vendor should be doing to ensure they are the best vendor for you and how do you decide which ones are the best to spend your money with? Is it just a "in the moment" thing because they have something you want, or do you take other considerations on board when sussing out the best of the best, FOR YOU?

And... how do you deal with those not so pleasant experiences where you wish you could scream to the world just how devastatingly horrible it all was?

 

[Chegs]

I used to buy from the B&M shop locally,until I discovered here.Now I will peruse threads looking to see who recommends who has what I require.I suffer from severely restricted cash flow,so I must ensure items I buy will give decent service life as I can't afford to buy shyte,I can't even afford to buy iffy juices as if they're rank,I have no choice but to suffer it until next payday.This situation I'm in will​ change eventually,but until it does,I'll just have to continue hunting bargains here.

 

[Lord Grim]

Way back when, I used to buy from a few vendors that my (very small) group of vaping friends directed me to. Then, as I got a little more confident I started finding my own by Google search. I think I was lucky in the ones I picked, as I never really got scammed. (Well, other than by buying some really duff shit!). Then came POTV with the discount code section (pre Marktplaza) and I found a few more I could trust, until finally, these days, with the help of people on here, I am more or less able to ascertain whether a vendor will be any good before I part with my hard earned.

One other thing: My job involves a certain amount of travel around the country, mostly in the South and I do like to pop in and chat to vendors who also have a B+M. You can get a good idea of their attitude towards us and their involvement in our issues by doing that. So, to all those I have visited, I apologise for boring you for an hour or so and to all those I will visit one day, the same but in advance

 

[Mawsley]

1. Have they been recommended on here?
2. Do they have something I want?
3. Do they have it in stock?
4. Is it affordable?

And then there are the wonderful people like Vape Geek and stealthvape who I've bought from and offered service above and beyond which guarantees that I'll constantly scan their site for things to buy when I have cash to burn. If only I had more cash.

 

[u8myufo]

You have raised some good points there but it is hard to say what I would expect from a vendor other than quality of products and for them to have a good customer support policy. We are purchasing stuff now over the net which makes things a whole lot different. I used to work in a Lan gaming centre which also did PC repairs upgrades and new builds. For example a customer might come in wanting a new PC, after finding out what spec they wanted, they might say just for browsing the internet and a bit of office work, I could give them a price. They would also be told politely if this model is the one they choose not to come back in a a fortnight moaning that little Johnny cannot play his latest games. They were also told they were under no pressure to commit to buying and could go away and have a good think. If they purchased something and it was faulty they could bring it back and it would be repaired free of charge if it was not their fault. Sadly a lot of all that has dissapeared now due to shopping online, with a lot of stuff being churned out overseas and being purchased from other countries directly it all adds up to a lot more problems if things do go wrong. But even if the vendor is in this country sometimes people who have a problem with something want it sorted out straight away or even yesterday. I would imagine that if a new business starts up such as Mrs Lords for example and it takes off, just the onslaught of people making orders is enough in itself to deal with, let alone if you have on top of that complaints to handle and respond to. So far I have had no problem with the dozen or so vendors I have used since I started vaping, whilst there is no excuse for bad customer service, imho we have to be a little more patience with vendors if they are making attempts to resolve a problem. I have seen people launching scathing attacks on a vendor just because it was not dealt with straight away, they think they are the only person with a problem. Sorry if this has gone off topic slightly

 

[KulrMeStoopid]

whilst there is no excuse for bad customer service, imho we have to be a little more patience with vendors if they are making attempts to resolve a problem. I have seen people launching scathing attacks on vendore just because it was not dealt with straight away, they think they are the only person with a problem. Sorry if this has gone off topic slightly

I 100% agree with this part. It's why we have such strict "requirements" about posting negative vendor reviews. We've had loads of "Theyre shit" "it's shit" even one or two with bucket loads of emails as evidence, but hardly any "after it was all said and dones" when vendors did do what they were supposed to have done and did it within a reasonable amount of time.


One niggle I will confess to As I deal with the support ticket system quite a bit, I see a lot of the "Where is my stuff?" So when I go to check an order, find out it was placed 8 hours prior at midnight, and its barely 8 am the next day


Patience is definitely something vapers tend to lack when it comes to the arrival of their gear. And in all reality, its because we get used to the amazing vendors that do post like they live next door and dont even use RM

 

[u8myufo]

I 100% agree with this part. It's why we have such strict "requirements" about posting negative vendor reviews. We've had loads of "Theyre shit" "it's shit" even one or two with bucket loads of emails as evidence, but hardly any "after it was all said and dones" when vendors did do what they were supposed to have done and did it within a reasonable amount of time.


One niggle I will confess to As I deal with the support ticket system quite a bit, I see a lot of the "Where is my stuff?" So when I go to check an order, find out it was placed 8 hours prior at midnight, and its barely 8 am the next day


Patience is definitely something vapers tend to lack when it comes to the arrival of their gear. And in all reality, its because we get used to the amazing vendors that do post like they live next door and dont even use RM

I think the simple solution to vent any anger is to just give the Postman a good twatting when he arrives

 

[Phantom Diablo]

interesting post considering the amount of people who buy from FT. poor customer service, lousy delivery, often inferior products.. so then it boils down the one common denominator in that respect.. Money.

i think also product type comes into question. Im more than happy to buy a mech from FT cos its cheap and nothing that can essentially go bang in it.
liquids i prefer to get from UK and have no real fave vendor and its often based on 1. the flavour im after, and 2. what special offers are around on price.. batteries always again from UK and hunt around for best prices. anything im not in rush for, drip tips for instance , again FT as much as any other vendor. Wick and wire i only use one supplier which i have no complaints with.
cant say there are any particular vendors i favour for products, some ive used once or twice for bits others several times and almost always its been through laziness to search when i know im going to get what i order within a couple of days from places ive used before.

 

[whit77]

funny how people bash fasttech for customer service, I've always had nice prompt ish replays to tickets I've opened and always a refund when I've been owed one, the biggest problem is the distance, we all know that before we order, the risks or the hassle of returning a defective inexpensive item in most cases such a long distance, the only problem fasttech have is HK post which they have no control over and have now thankfully ditched all together

 

[u8myufo]

I have seen countless threads on a photography forum I use. If you are going to buy your Grey imports cheaper then expect problems if things go wrong, the likes of Canon will not touch anything under warranty that has not been purchased in the UK. You pays yer money and takes yer chance.