So there's this b+m in town I've been frequenting since February 2015. Owned by a couple of good guys. Good mod prices, compared with other local b+m's.
They always treat me well, we chat, and I spend money. In fact, every regulated mod and 18650 battery I've purchased in the past 14 months has been from there (ipv3 Li, ipv d2, 2 rx200's, a Nitecore d4, an efest Blu6, 11 LG HG2's, 4 HE4's, 4 25R's, 6 VTC5's... plus a couple rda's, 140ml bottles, battery boxes, sometimes juice, etc.).
Yeah, I could order online and even after shipping and duty would be saving quite a bit of money, but these stores serve a purpose and I want to help support them.
Anyway, a few days ago I went in and bought that 2nd rx200, 6 HG2's and a Blu 6. I also had my original rx200 with me and had intended on asking them to update both rx's to the latest firmware for me since I don't own a pc and don't have one easily accessible. That day one of the owners was there and I'm sure he would have done it without any problem, but I totally spaced and forgot until I had gotten home.
So fast forward to yesterday. I finish with work, and looked like a scrub. A scrub holding about $500 in vape devices and with enough cash in my pocket to buy one of everything in the display case had I wanted to, but a scrub nonetheless.
So I walk into the vape shop to find neither of the owners in, but there were 3 guys working there. 2 of the guys (who happened to be Philippino) were awesome, friendly, and treated me just as well as the owners themselves do. Chatted with them and explained that I had forgotten to ask for the update when I was in a few days earlier. They tell me it's no problem at all, pull the batteries from my mods, and just as they're about to connect the usb cable the one white guy on staff walks up and quietly tells the other employee not to perform the update for me; it's not a service they provide. Then he walks away without even acknowledging me. The other two employees then turn around and apologize, saying they can't help me. (The whole thing happened literally right in front of me, 2 feet away.)
I was stunned. Reinstalled me batteries and walked out, pissed, with no intent on ever returning.
That same white guy has either ignored me completely, been a condescending prick, or otherwise made me feel unwelcome every time I've gone in while he's working... and before anyone calls me a cracker-hater, not only am I white, but I'm probably whiter than he is... kinda blows away the whole white privilege theory imo.
Annnnyway, I may or may not visit "The Vapory" www.thevapory.com again. Perhaps I'll pop in and have a chat with one of the owners, see if they'll be more receptive to pressing the update button for me, and talk about the value of good customer service.
(Fwiw, the only reason I mentioned white and Philippino at all is because he is literally the only white employee there, and I don't know any of the employees names. Shouldn't be too hard to figure out who I'm referring to should the management happen to see this post.)
They always treat me well, we chat, and I spend money. In fact, every regulated mod and 18650 battery I've purchased in the past 14 months has been from there (ipv3 Li, ipv d2, 2 rx200's, a Nitecore d4, an efest Blu6, 11 LG HG2's, 4 HE4's, 4 25R's, 6 VTC5's... plus a couple rda's, 140ml bottles, battery boxes, sometimes juice, etc.).
Yeah, I could order online and even after shipping and duty would be saving quite a bit of money, but these stores serve a purpose and I want to help support them.
Anyway, a few days ago I went in and bought that 2nd rx200, 6 HG2's and a Blu 6. I also had my original rx200 with me and had intended on asking them to update both rx's to the latest firmware for me since I don't own a pc and don't have one easily accessible. That day one of the owners was there and I'm sure he would have done it without any problem, but I totally spaced and forgot until I had gotten home.
So fast forward to yesterday. I finish with work, and looked like a scrub. A scrub holding about $500 in vape devices and with enough cash in my pocket to buy one of everything in the display case had I wanted to, but a scrub nonetheless.
So I walk into the vape shop to find neither of the owners in, but there were 3 guys working there. 2 of the guys (who happened to be Philippino) were awesome, friendly, and treated me just as well as the owners themselves do. Chatted with them and explained that I had forgotten to ask for the update when I was in a few days earlier. They tell me it's no problem at all, pull the batteries from my mods, and just as they're about to connect the usb cable the one white guy on staff walks up and quietly tells the other employee not to perform the update for me; it's not a service they provide. Then he walks away without even acknowledging me. The other two employees then turn around and apologize, saying they can't help me. (The whole thing happened literally right in front of me, 2 feet away.)
I was stunned. Reinstalled me batteries and walked out, pissed, with no intent on ever returning.
That same white guy has either ignored me completely, been a condescending prick, or otherwise made me feel unwelcome every time I've gone in while he's working... and before anyone calls me a cracker-hater, not only am I white, but I'm probably whiter than he is... kinda blows away the whole white privilege theory imo.
Annnnyway, I may or may not visit "The Vapory" www.thevapory.com again. Perhaps I'll pop in and have a chat with one of the owners, see if they'll be more receptive to pressing the update button for me, and talk about the value of good customer service.
(Fwiw, the only reason I mentioned white and Philippino at all is because he is literally the only white employee there, and I don't know any of the employees names. Shouldn't be too hard to figure out who I'm referring to should the management happen to see this post.)