ComplaintsforSmoke Cartel

• Initial Complaint

  01/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On july 6th 2021 I bought a product from Smoke Cartel and was found to be defective . I plugged in the product to start and it did not .It was electric smoking device and it did not work. I asked Smoke Cartel to sent me a return label for product and they refused . Said I had to pay because I didnt buy their shipping insurance which is 2 to 3 percent of orignal price. I feel they as a company should be responsiable for product delivery not charge the customer. They said I needed to send a video of me plugging the device in and showing it doesn't work! I said it won't work and I have have never had to send a video to any company for a refund in my lifetime! something so simple yet they want to rip me off .I'm just a consumer trying to buy a product that works not a video production manger. Then Smoke Cartel said go to get refund from product maker. getS crazier .This *** guy from company said I burnt the product up by using the wrong charger. the whole exchange was weird. the guys company is probably going out of bussiness and Smoke Cartel doesnt want to cover loss. the product cost $442.26 thats alot of money to be ripped off by a company that makes 5 million a year. I did nothing wrong and i want my money refunded.

  Business response

  01/18/2022

  *** ******
  
  I'm sorry that you had an unsatisfactory experience with us. It seems you are still experiencing issues with the unit you ordered last year. When you reached out informing us of the issue and included pictures that showed the charger, we sent you a new charger right away. 
  
  We communicated with the team from Hitoki during the entire time, and we requested videos in order to be able to located the source of the issue. As you mentioned this is not a cheap item and therefore extra measures need to be taken into account. We would still be happy to work this out for you, all we require is a video showing that the charger is plugged in correctly and the unit does not turn on/charge. Your item is covered by the manufacturer's warranty, and they also require a video showing the issue in order to process the warranty.
  
  Please don't hesitate to send the video so we can get this all sorted out for you.
  We're always here to help.

• Initial Complaint

  12/22/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered a bong from the Smoke Cartel website, and upon delivery, my piece was shattered beyond repair. I am very unhappy with this, as it is a Christmas gift for someone. I am looking for a replacement and have contacted their customer service lines, but have yet to be responded to.

  Business response

  12/25/2021

  ** *******

   

  We're sorry that you received a damaged unit, we do our best to safely pack and package all our orders, but shipping accidents still occur on occasion. 

  I see that you did reach out on December 21st and our team responded less than 2 hours later providing you with the steps to file a claim and get a replacement sent out.

   

  It appears in the system that your claim was filed on the 22nd and got approved.
  Unfortunately due to the holiday season, the team at Route are experiencing a bit of a backlog.

  You should receive an email soon from them informing you of the claim status and that the replacement was added to the system.

   

  If there's anything else we can help you with in the meantime, please don't hesitate to let us know.

  Happy holidays :)

• Initial Complaint

  12/09/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I placed an order with Smoke Cartel for three items. All three items were received at the same time. One of the items is called a Pulsar Shift; which is a weed and wax vaporizer. I plugged in the Pulsar Shift to charge it. After being plugged in for over fifteen hours, the item will not charge or turn on. I contacted Smoke cartel via their customer service portal and received an email back from someone named Brian, asking me, “does it light up like it should when you are charging it?” In the interim, I logged into my account on the Smoke Cartel website and found that I am unable to process a return because they do not show the item having been delivered while the other two items from my order show delivered. There is something else I found to be troubling. Smoke Cartel’s return policy states that they will not accept a return of an electronic product that has been opened. Therein lies the problem: how am I supposed to ascertain whether an electronic product functions properly unless I open it up and plug it in? This is an awful way to conduct business. At this point, my only recourse is to report the transaction to my credit card company. Conducting business online requires trust, and I do not trust that Smoke Cartel will do the “right thing” to rectify my order.

  Business response

  12/11/2021

  *** ****

   

  We are terribly sorry to hear that you received a defective unit. Electronics are one of the few items we can't quality check ourselves as we get them pre-package from the manufacturer.
  Of course we stand by our products and will be ready to assist in cases of defects or errors. Our return portal is available for items that customer want to return due to preference not due to an issue.
  
  I see that the issue has already been resolved as we sent you a pre-paid return label and have a replacement in the system to be sent out to you ASAP.
  
  Please don't hesitate to reach out if there's anything we can further assist you with.

  We are always happy to help.
  
  Happy holidays, I'm sure they'll love the gifts you got them ;)

  Customer response

  12/20/2021

  ***** *** ***** ***** ******************** ***** ******* ******** *** **** **** ** *** **** ******************* ******** *** *** **** * *** ******* **** *** *** ** ********* ******* ** ******* ** **** ********* **********

   

  Yesterday afternoon I logged into your portal and updated my review saying I had been contacted by Smoke Cartel and after a few days they email a return shipping label, which I used to return the inoperable device.  In a separate email they notified me they had sent a new Pulsar Shift Vaporizer; to include track information. I have since received the item and have concluded my business with Smoke Cartel. Thank you for facilitating the transaction, I appreciate how you were able to motivate Smoke Cartel to do the responsible thing in this situation.

  Sent from my iPad

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩