FastTech: My Second Order

[Lost]

Edit: Please see post #20 for final thoughts on this order.

=================================
First order was good. No issues.
Second order placed in late February: I got a bad Crown tank.

I'm in the middle of getting this taken care of. No matter how this turns out, I'll write a review. So I might as well start this now.

Problem #1: Ti spools were on back order, so I took them off the order. At the same time...

Problem #2: They discontinued an 18650 flashlight I had paid for. There were a couple support-ticket emails back and forth. They credited my card for the stuff.

Problem #3: The tank. I started a thread here for troubleshooting and contacted Uwell. Here's what they said:

You bought a fake. We don't sell to FastTech. Please make sure you buy genuine products from reputable dealers.

Problem #4: Either Uwell is lying, FT is lying, or FT has found a way to get authentic Uwell stuff from another source. I bought two RBAs from FT as well. They had authenticity stickers that checked out. These RBAs work in our old Crown tank we got at a vape shop last year. So yeah, the tank's the issue.

I told FT what Uwell said. Here's FT's reply:

We apologize for the inconvenience caused.
1)This item is authentic. If one item is authentic, we will put the keyword " authentic" in title of our listing.
2)The supplier requires proof of defect for warranty. Would you mind provide us a video to show the problem as it seems a photo can't help in this case?
Since our ticket system don't support attaching video, please upload it via a third party website first (such as youtube) and post the link here.
Note that for company compliance reasons, please include the respective order number, while don't include any reference to FastTech.com or your contact information in the video.
After receiving your video, we will proceed to resolve the case for you soon.
If you have any questions, please feel free to let us know. Thank you.

Since VU doesn't accept MP4s, which is the only format my phone records with, I had to post two four-second videos to YouTube. One video showing that my ohm meter works, and one showing that the tank does not register on the ohm meter.

Here's why I didn't tell them that making videos is stupid:
1. They're still working with me.
2. I don't want to annoy them if there's a chance I get something out of it besides a broken tank.
3. Positive-outcome or negative-outcome, this is an ending for the thread. And hopefully there's some drama.

To be continued...

 

[Zamazam]

With the volumes Fasttech moves, they go right to the manufacturer, not brokers. Fasttech supplies a lot of B&M's and vapers around the WORLD. I think Uwell was blowing you off because they know Fasttech will honor a return policy, even if you need to jump through hoops to do so.

 

[Lost]

I think Uwell was blowing you off

That would be pathetic, but not surprising. From what @AmandaD was describing in her own dealings, there could be some validity to the concept that Uwell is just being lazy.

But. Here's what Uwell could have said:

Dear Lost,
FastTech has a XX-day return policy, so we can't process any returns until you have exhausted that option. Don't go away mad. Just go away.
Love,
Uwell

 

[Zamazam]

I had a defective Innokin 134 I bought from Fasttech. Innokin swore up and down that Fasttech was not an authorized distributor and was not selling at MAP. That was the key, Minimum Advertised Price. I copied Fasttech Support, they just sent me a new one and told me to send the dead one to an address in Florida, even credited my account for the shipping in advance. The customer service rep also checked the amount of sales they had on the unit. 13,500 units in 3 months. The rep also said they buy from the factory in the SAME city in China as one of Fasttech's distribution centers.

 

[AmandaD]

F/T are very good at replacing/refunding. Like most other places they do require a video - even if it's to show a dead mod LOL

 

[Lost]

It's nice when mysterious puzzle pieces start coming together.

Had no idea that Retailer Denials was a thing. And videos for proof.

They Amanda... your dog looks exactly like our dog did when he was a puppy. Here he is looking guilty because I caught him on my wife's side of the couch while she was at work.



Yes, I permanently gave up my side of the couch. Canine harmony and all that.

 

[Zamazam]

Had no idea that Retailer Denials was a thing. And videos for proof.

Remember, you are dealing with Chinese businesses here. The concept of customer service is a relatively new concept, normally it's: "you bought it, go away now." That don't cut it anywhere else in the Western Hemisphere.

 

[Lost]

Yeah, my bad. I saw this and assumed too much:

Uwell Official USA
14779 Clark Ave.
City of Industry, CA 91745
(626) 363-4620

I could probably walk there from my friend's house.

 

[SteveS45]

If you need to re-encode those videos to a different format or join them PM me so we can arrange a way for you to upload to my FTP Server.

 

[Lost]

Thanks Steve. I'll find out shortly what they think of the dual-video-YouTube thing.

 

[SteveS45]

The MP4 should be a high definition video and if they can't just watch them one after the other I will be glad to put it in a format or size they can work with.

 

[Lost]

Latest from FT support:
In a nutshell, they said these two products aren't compatible.

Crown Tank
https://www.fasttech.com/p/3172400
Crown RBA
https://www.fasttech.com/p/3887401

They should be getting back to me regarding why, and/or what pieces I should have purchased together. If any of you would like to guess what her response will be, have at it.

I didn't argue with them. Giving up.
Example of arguing: But these RBAs work in our other Crown tank we bought somewhere else. Your page descriptions suck. I was duped. Fix this. I demand happiness.

To be continued.

 

[AmandaD]

Latest from FT support:
In a nutshell, they said these two products aren't compatible.

Crown Tank
https://www.fasttech.com/p/3172400
Crown RBA
https://www.fasttech.com/p/3887401

They should be getting back to me regarding why, and/or what pieces I should have purchased together. If any of you would like to guess what her response will be, have at it.

I didn't argue with them. Giving up.
Example of arguing: But these RBAs work in our other Crown tank we bought somewhere else. Your page descriptions suck. I was duped. Fix this. I demand happiness.

To be continued.

Not compatible?? LOL Oh dear...

 

[Lost]

Not compatible?? LOL Oh dear...

Yeah. But look at the links. I'm either
1. An idiot*
2. Getting lied to
3. Getting info from people who don't know what they're talking about

At worst, I'll just go to our vape shop and buy stuff that makes these pieces work. Translation: spend money, then spend more money for more redundancies than I originally intended. All good. It's all for the story at this point.

*Well, I know I'm an idiot. I bought vaping hardware from China, versus just cheap tools and near-free battery wraps.

 

[AmandaD]

Yeah. But look at the links. I'm either
1. An idiot*
2. Getting lied to
3. Getting info from people who don't know what they're talking about

At worst, I'll just go to our vape shop and buy stuff that makes these pieces work. Translation: spend money, then spend more money for more redundancies than I originally intended. All good. It's all for the story at this point.

*Well, I know I'm an idiot. I bought vaping hardware from China, versus just cheap tools and near-free battery wraps.

Sorry, my sarcasm was lost! Of course they're compatible - you sure can't use that RBA in anything else! (I have one also)

 

[Lost]

Update #3
After my passive question regarding what I pieces I could buy to make my allegedly incompatible Crown RBA/tank work in something, here's the response:

We will let our warehouse test them firstly, and get back to you soon.
If you don't mind, would you please remind us within 2 days, thank you.

 

[AmandaD]

Update #3
After my passive question regarding what I pieces I could buy to make my allegedly incompatible Crown RBA/tank work in something, here's the response:

We will let our warehouse test them firstly, and get back to you soon.
If you don't mind, would you please remind us within 2 days, thank you.

Hopeless - I can't believe they can't figure this out LOL

 

[Lost]

Conspiracy theory:
Head FT guys tell everyone to do everything in their power to keep customers from returning merchandise. "Make them record videos, tell them engineers are investigating, tell them we are contacting the companies for warranty rules. We have to pay for stupid customer service reps now, and our margins are too low for that. Your job title is 'customer service rep,' but internally, you are 'profit retention specialists.' Not get creative."

 

[Lost]

Update #4

They're trying to wear me down. They made me ask my question again, and I was off by one number on the RBA. Instead of knowing full well that we were still talking about the same tank and RBA, they told me there was no such number and left it.

It might be useful to know that the support tickets are in post/thread format, so they're all visible on the screen. And unless every rep is given the same screen name, it's the same woman responding each time.

I really am trying to be nice though. If I was a snotty a-hole, I would say...
"You're lying. You know that tank and RBA work together. Prove I'm wrong."

 

[Lost]

Update #5: Final Update

We went back and forth a few more times. They finally told me they tested the tank and RBA, and they don't work together. They said they would test again and revise the product pages if necessary.

They said I could return the RBAs. Even though I tried to explain that it was likely the tank, because it was the only thing that didn't have an authenticity code. They weren't going to give me the real answers I wanted, so I told them to close the ticket.

What I'm Left With
New FT Crown RBAs: Only work in our old Crown tank.
New FT Crown tank: Only works with our old Crown RBA.
Nothing matches the way it should. There was zero chance of them giving me an explanation.

Would I Buy From FT Again?
Yes. Just not vaping hardware like mods, tanks, RBAs. Never batteries. Or anything that I need in a few days.
From what I've read here about GearBest (another company from Asia), FT is a better gamble for things like tools, wire, magnets, batt wraps.

What about Uwell?
They can suck it. My wife already bought a Smok tank, and likes it better anyway.
Suck it, Uwell.