danpio1217 Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 So i purchased the VAMO from smoktek.com (a supplier, not the manufacturer smoktech) I'm very happy with the device itself, however their recommended battery for the device is the efest IMR 18650. I have 2 of those exact batteries, but i've been experiencing the issue of the battery jiggling and turning the device off very often. This leads to not only an extremely annoying constant jiggle with the device, but having to turn it back on just about every time i take a hit and set it down. The same issue happens with the popular brand AW's IMR's. The issue is non-existant in 18350 mode (for the efest batteries, dont have any AW's) I suggested they should include a very cheap, but needed spacer with the device as their recommended battery was causing issues. Raise the price of the device $1 to cover for it, whatever, i don't care. Just give me everything i need to work it as advertised without issues. The customer service rep kept dodging the issue and suggesting that i had the wrong batteries. I've bought from this supplier many times without issue but will not be doing so again as my very first encounter with cusomter service was a huge pain. I'd reccomend you avoid them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tam Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Good information to know, Dan, and I'm sorry to hear you've been having such a bad time with your new acquisition. I'm torn between the Vamo and the other one that Jeff recommended. If I do decide on the Vamo, I'll steer clear of this vendor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robv1978 Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Is there another vendor who sells this unit in the US yet? I haven't found any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rixter Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I've bought from this supplier many times without issue but will not be doing so again as my very first encounter with cusomter service was a huge pain. I'd reccomend you avoid them. I'd shoot an email to Rob Davis <smokteksales@gmail.com> and let him know what happened. He's been very helpful in dealing with any questions I've had in the past. In fact, I ordered a SmokTech brand eGo 900 mAh passthrough from them once and they were out of stock on them, so he contacted me and told me he was sending me the 1100 mAh for the same price. He seems like a good guy and I'm sure he'd want to know about customer service not taking care of customers properly. I agree that they should either send you a magnetic spacer for the 18650, or if they don't have any, at least credit you what it'll cost you to pick up one somewhere else. He may not even know about the loose 18650 issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danpio1217 Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 (edited) Thanks for the help Rixter, I very well may do that. the first problem is that they list on the product page that it runs flat top efests just fine when it doesn't at all, the 2nd problem was that the CS rep kept coming off like the "no, you're wrong and here's why" tone instead of "let us do anything we can to help". The conversation ended with them saying they don't even carry spacers, so they can't send me what they don't have, but at the very least they should make it more clear on the product page what batteries it will work with and which ones have the problem. Then, since AW is such a popular brand, they should suggest a solution to the problem, heaven forbid they link to another vendors site. My main beef is give me everything i need to work the damn thing. Stock some spacers and up the price of the device $1 or 2 i don't care, just give me everything i need to make it work WITHOUT buying 4 new 18650 batteries everytime i decide to get a new device. Bleh, sorry that turned into a bit of a rant lol. Edited December 11, 2012 by danpio1217 Uma 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soso Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I recently contacted smoktek about the issue I'm having with the Smok-R RBA and they got right back to me. Promised to send me a new RBA and asked me to send the one I have back to them so they can see the issue themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danpio1217 Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 Most places are good about replacing a faulty device, but this scenario is kinda different in my eyes. They did actually at one point offer to replace my VAMO but that was completely missing the point. There's nothing wrong with the device itself, its just designed in a way that excludes many of the most popular battery brands. Instead of buying a bunch of new batteries when i (and most ppl) already own plenty, why not just stock spacers? I don't even want them for free, and i made that clear to them, i just want them to be available, and i want them to remove 'works fine with flat top batteries' from the product page cuz it def. doesnt. Or, if they're gonna be stubborn and not stock the spacers, have some info in there. "This device may not work with X, Y and Z types of batteries and you may need to purchase a spacer to make them work." The customer service rep kept ignoring these 2 issues and repeatedly stuck to "this is why you're using the wrong batteries, so we can't support the ones you're using". My interaction with the customer service rep may have left a bad taste in my mouth, but i'd get over it if they did those 2 seemingly simple things, and that was really all i was trying to tell them. I went ahead and emailed Rob Davis, we'll see if i get a reply. Uma 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soso Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Please keep us posted on your results! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uma Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 They now carry the V2 Vamo, which has a longer spring. Maybe they can send you a new V2 cap now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danpio1217 Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 I actually got the V2, and still had issues with it. The magnetic spacers i got from avid vaper have made the issues disappear tho and the device has performed flawlessly. Still a bit unhappy with my interactions w/ Smoktek tho. I also have yet to hear back from Rob Davis, so I really can't see myself purchasing from them again. All I asked was that they acknowledge the issue and offer a fix for it that didn't involve spending another $40-50 on new batteries. Stock the spacer, add them as an option for a few bucks. I would've gladly paid more for them. Rixter and Uma 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uma Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Wow, that doubly sucks. I didn't know it was a V2. They really really need to take care of you and all their customers. Thanks for the headsup on them! I almost purchased the gunmetal V2 today (last day of their not so incredible coupon savings) after realizing I had missed the SS one at the coop. (I'm so bummed! Missed it by one day). I've heard that an LED Flashlight spring works great in it. Got any extra flashlights or know when your neighbors aren't around? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CigarMan Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Hi everyone, Rob here from SmokTek. I didn't want this to be my first post, but it just so happens it is! It bothers me to read about this public statement of bad customer service, since SmokTek is known for it's excellent customer service and extremely fast shipping. I will look into this issue tomorrow and get to the bottom of it, rest assured this will be handled promptly. For future reference, smokteksales@gmail.com is just a general mailbox and shouldn't be used. If you have support issues, the best way is to use the quick form on our Contact Us page, that way conversation can be tracked, monitored and responded to in a timely manner. If there is some issue with the website or you can't use the form for some other reason, then email support@smoktek.com directly. I look forward to participating with the Vapor Talk community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uma Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Has this been resolved yet? Too late for the 15-30% of Xmas sale, but would still like to know how the issue was (or wasn't) solved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danpio1217 Posted December 21, 2012 Author Share Posted December 21, 2012 Rob, the email i sent was indeed to that email address. I did submit a ticket through your website but felt that the issue wasn't being handled correctly as the rep. continually ignored my points and only stuck to the 'you have the wrong batteries, can't help you' story. I appreciate your looking into it. I've said it before but i'll say it again, I would have gladly paid a few bucks for some magnetic spacers at the time of purchase, and that's really all i was trying to get across through the customer service ticket, that this is an issue with all AW and flattop efest batteries, and that you guys should stock some spacers and remove 'works with flat tops fine' from the product page. Thanks, Dan Uma and soso 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rixter Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 (edited) The magnetic spacers i got from avid vaper have made the issues disappear tho and the device has performed flawlessly. Glad the spacers took care of the problem for you. How many did you use and where did you place them? Edited December 21, 2012 by Rixter Uma 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tam Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 (edited) For future reference, smokteksales@gmail.com is just a general mailbox and shouldn't be used. If you have support issues, the best way is to use the quick form on our Contact Us page, that way conversation can be tracked, monitored and responded to in a timely manner. If there is some issue with the website or you can't use the form for some other reason, then email support@smoktek.com directly. Chris? I'm not liking this new auto-formatting here. Ugh. Can I put in my own html please? :P Edited December 22, 2012 by Tameiki Uma 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Hey Tameiki I'm not sure what you mean by your own HTML (most forums don't allow posting HTML for security reasons) I think you might be talking about tje editor. Which currently has a ton of bugs which I'm trying to narrow down myself. (It went a bit haywire after the last software upgrade) Shoot me a PM and let me know what's wrong and we'll work out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tam Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Hey Tameiki I'm not sure what you mean by your own HTML (most forums don't allow posting HTML for security reasons) I think you might be talking about tje editor. Which currently has a ton of bugs which I'm trying to narrow down myself. (It went a bit haywire after the last software upgrade) Shoot me a PM and let me know what's wrong and we'll work out Ha! Looks like you fixed it, Chris. Muchas gracias! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uma Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Wait. Is the Gunmetal just another word for the black chrome or is it a different treatmetn? I hear the Black Chrome is coming off... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danpio1217 Posted December 24, 2012 Author Share Posted December 24, 2012 I think gunmetal and black chrome are the same, or at least they're referencing the same vamo device. I got 2 spacers from avid vaper, a 1/8" and 1/16". I've been using them both in 18650 mode and it's made the issue entirely disappear. Tam, i'm totally with ya, but i don't know that that email adress was advertised on their site. Rixter suggested i use it as a way to get right to Rob from Smoktek rather than going thru their customer service channel which was nothing but frustrating for me. I ended up just buying spacers from Avid vaper for a measley $1.50 or so and the issue is fixed. I kind of gave up on trying to convice smoktek to stock spacers and make them an available option for the device. Oh wells. The good news is since i got the spacers, the Vamo has been a total win in my book. Oh yeah, and happy holidays Vapor Talk! Uma 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tam Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 Glad to hear it's finally working fine for you, Dan. Judging from what I've seen of their "customer service" on this thread (Rob comes in to semi-address the issue and then disappears and doesn't answer or address any other concerns), I think I'll be steering clear of Smoketek's site and take my business...anywhere else. Since you haven't posted anything about further contact from them, it seems safe to assume you haven't heard anything from Rob either. Uma 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robv1978 Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 Actually I spoke with Rob and smoktek received new, better springs. I received one and it solved to issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uma Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 That figures... 10 extra bucks for a crummy (yet beautiful) finish. Glad to hear the spacers are working for you! Oh! Altsmoke and Provape both have the right sized springs (hot springs at that), to fit the Vamo's. (Silver Bullet and Provari). Altsmoke is sold out atm, gee, I wonder why lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffb Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 I have the black chrome finish and I haven't had any issues. I think some of the issues people are having is due to acidic sweat in their palms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danpio1217 Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 I have the black chrome as well and haven't had any issues with the finish. It collects fingerprints like any chrome device, but w/ the black chrome i feel like it's less noticeable, and just gives it a grainy texture look. Doesn't bother me at all. W/ my chrome varitube i had to constantly polish it b/c the fingerprints were driving me nuts. Rixter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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