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AIBU?

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Shop not taking responsibility for faulty stock, how is this OK?

89 replies

VapeProblem1 · 18/04/2024 15:52

A vape shop opened near my house about 5 months ago which was great as there isn't another nearby and it works out cheaper than buying from a newsagets as they do a '4 for £16' deal which sees me through the week.

Every so often one of the vapes would be faulty so I'd return it to the shop and let them know. The guy would reluctantly replace it but explain that he can't really keep doing so (?) as though he's doing me a favour.

He said he'd spoken to his boss and the boss said it's impossible that theres anything wrong with them as only '5 out of every 10,000' are faulty. Neither of the men vape so I don't know how they've reached that conclusion but I can assure you it's wrong and I'm not a dishonest person nor somebody who is so hard up I have to lie to get free nicotine.

Apparently the boss said in future they will only exchange a faulty one if I open it in the shop and test it there and then. I'm not sure how he expects that to work when I buy for the week ahead..

Anyway, the vapes being faulty is becoming a much more frequent thing. Two out of the 4 I've bought this week do not work and the shop has made clear that they will no longer replace them so I'm not going to give them any more of my custom and will instead buy them online.

I'm just really annoyed about their stance and how it has been squared as a 'me' problem. Apparently nobody else has complained 🤔

AIBU?

I'm not interested in quitting vaping at the moment. I have used it to quit smoking cigarettes and will stop in my own time or when it is banned. I buy disposable ones and recycle them accordingly so can we please not make it a vape bashing thread 🙂

OP posts:
Auburngal · 18/04/2024 16:28

fieldsofbutterflies · 18/04/2024 16:00

If they're genuinely faulty, what's the issue with you testing them all out when you buy them? I see their point, to be honest.

When I worked in retail, we had a serial "returner" and she cost us a fortune in time, refunds and lost sales.

A customer who works at a competitor dreaded the clothes sales. A woman bought and returned about 80 pieces of clothing each time. She bought t-shirts from every available size on sale - from 8 to 22 or 24. For example.

She told me that the woman was a pain. Why buy all that stuff and return every single thing?

She hasn’t seen the woman for a couple of years now.

VapeProblem1 · 18/04/2024 16:26

Tdcp · 18/04/2024 16:12

Most likely they'll be knock offs especially if you are genuinely getting so many faulty ones. I'd report them tbh.

This is what I'm starting to think yes.

OP posts:
VapeProblem1 · 18/04/2024 16:25

LongCareerOfNearMisses · 18/04/2024 16:11

I don't like vaping but of course you're perfectly entitled to expect to buy ones that aren't faulty!

What's the fault? I expect that's why they're cheap. Not that that should affect your rights, but it's clear the shop isn't interested in looking into it.

So the fault is always one of two things, either the battery doesn't work at all and it's completely dead or when you inhale it tastes like burnt plastic (comparable to when you burn out the coil on a reusable mod vape)

I did suggest they speak with their supplier but I don't suppose they care too much about getting to the bottom of it if they're happy to lose regular customers.

Those suggesting I could open them all in the shop when I buy them, try them and then set them aside until another day when I need a new one - I wondered whether they would still be OK to use that way. I used to have a regular mod and if I left juice in the tank and went back to it days later it would taste old, if that makes sense?

OP posts:
YesThatsATurdOnTheRug · 18/04/2024 16:24

Does it matter if it's open? I don't vape but my H has loads lying round half used that he then carries on with days later, so you could try them in the shop maybe?

To be fair disposable ones are pretty bad, my H has moved to pod ones with just interchangeable pods, would be much less likely to be faulty?

Boomer55 · 18/04/2024 16:24

You can report them to Trading Standards.

User56785 · 18/04/2024 16:23

I expect that they don't have the right to refuse to replace faulty items, but they will just stop selling to you...

I'm not sure that deserved an ellipsis as she's already decided not to buy them from there.

elevens24 · 18/04/2024 16:22

If you really want that brand then test them in the shop. It's not like it's going to go off or magically vaporise in its own once opened over the course of a week. Just put the sealer back in and back in the box.

Pipeskeepleaking · 18/04/2024 16:20

If trading standards get involved the shop will probably close down/change business/become way more expensive because, as others have said, it seems very probable they are selling fakes...

It's up to you whether to buy from them on their terms. I expect that they don't have the right to refuse to replace faulty items, but they will just stop selling to you...

MsLuxLisbon · 18/04/2024 16:18

RedToothBrush · 18/04/2024 16:00

YABU.

Cos vaping.

Don't be ridiculous. The OP didn't ask for a lecture on her health!

VapeProblem1 · 18/04/2024 16:17

Bumblebeeinatree · 18/04/2024 16:05

Report to trading standards?

I think I will do, thank you.

OP posts:
VapeProblem1 · 18/04/2024 16:16

RedToothBrush · 18/04/2024 16:06

Oh I agree.

But that's their profit margin... So you will just put them out of business.

You don't see to grasp that the market is an exploitative shit show.

I'm not surprised though.

Let me guess, vaping is a sign of low intelligence. Blah blah blah.

Spare me the pearl clutching as I am not one bit interested in hearing how you feel about vaping, it was actually reccomended by a HCP when I asked for advice about quitting cigarettes.

FWIW though, I feel similarly about people who drink alcohol.

OP posts:
Testina · 18/04/2024 16:14

I agree with those who’ve said you’re buying knock offs.

Testina · 18/04/2024 16:13

“A vape shop opened near my house about 5 months ago which was great as there isn't another nearby”

Not the point of your thread, but I’m interested in where the hell you live, cos vape shops are everywhere now! 🤣

Tdcp · 18/04/2024 16:12

Most likely they'll be knock offs especially if you are genuinely getting so many faulty ones. I'd report them tbh.

Crumpleton · 18/04/2024 16:11

Bumblebeeinatree · 18/04/2024 16:03

They may not be the genuine product, in which case they may be dangerous so stop using them.

This.

It's also unlikely that it's only you that has problems.

As much as it's handy that a vape shop has opened that's in a more convenient place I'd stop giving them my custom if that's how they treat you.

The 4 for £16 Is not a bargain/saving if the product isn't fit for purpose.

LongCareerOfNearMisses · 18/04/2024 16:11

I don't like vaping but of course you're perfectly entitled to expect to buy ones that aren't faulty!

What's the fault? I expect that's why they're cheap. Not that that should affect your rights, but it's clear the shop isn't interested in looking into it.

User56785 · 18/04/2024 16:09

I think what @RedToothBrush is saying is that if you buy crap items then they are crap. Like fast fashion.

You are buying these vapes because they are cheaper but they are shit. Fifty percent of them don't work.

I agree with Toothbrush 🪥 that you should report them to trading standards.

Dinnaehinksae · 18/04/2024 16:09

I saw a sign in a shop the other day saying that if vapes were faulty they couldn't do anything and to contact the manufacturer direct, something to do with it being a tobacco product. I've no idea how accurate it is, it was just a handwritten sign but maybe its something similar? This was just a general store rather than a vape shop though.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 18/04/2024 16:07

They'll almost certainly be selling fakes, OP, like far too many online retailers, and the "nobody else has complained" is just the usual ruse to shut you down

Good luck finding a seller with genuine stuff though; I'm getting sick of buying batteries which used to last months but whose threads now become unusable in a fortnight Hmm

NoTouch · 18/04/2024 16:07

You are within your rights to get a refund/replacement. They are also within their rights to choose not to sell to you.

They are giving you the option to buy but test when buying. I don't know about vapes, but can you not open all 4 and take one puff out of each?

VapeProblem1 · 18/04/2024 16:07

GladysHeeler · 18/04/2024 16:03

Can you try a different brand? Are some better quality or more regulated than others?

I'm going to switch to a different brand and buy online now, some brands are better than others. I used to buy Lost Mary's from my local newsagents and every so often there would be a dud one but it was so infrequently it wasn't worth making a fuss over, but this has become so often its a total waste of money.

OP posts:
fieldsofbutterflies · 18/04/2024 16:07

VapeProblem1 · 18/04/2024 16:01

I don't smoke 4 vapes at the same time. I use them throughout the week. I work long hours and can't just nip to their shop when I want to open one.

What I meant was, can't you open them on purchase to check they're okay before leaving the shop? It's not like vapes go off if they're opened and not used right away.

I mean, if I was regularly buying faulty stock, I'd want to do that anyway so I didn't waste my time and money.

user1471457354 · 18/04/2024 16:06

Could you not open the 4 of them and try them in the shop before you leave?

RedToothBrush · 18/04/2024 16:06

VapeProblem1 · 18/04/2024 16:04

Right so it's OK for a shop to sell faulty items and take no responsibility for what they sell. Got it. What a bizarre take.

Oh I agree.

But that's their profit margin... So you will just put them out of business.

You don't see to grasp that the market is an exploitative shit show.

I'm not surprised though.

Coconutter24 · 18/04/2024 16:06

Just buy elsewhere. It might be cheaper but it’s wasting your time going in and out for replacements