The Love-Hate Relationship Within the Vaping Industry
We previously introduced the Vandy Vape Pulse BF 80W bottom-feeding regulated box mod. It may no longer use the VOOPOO Gene chip as expected. Well-known reviewer Tony B, who is also the designer of this product as well as the Pulse 22, Pulse 24, and Pulse
Have you heard about the Vandy Vape Pulse BF 80W bottom-feeding regulated mod? It may not be using the VOOPOO Gene chip as expected. Renowned reviewer Tony B, who is also the designer of this product, along with the Pulse 22, Pulse 24, and the Pulse bottom-feeding mod, recently shared an emotional account of this change and its reasons in a YouTube video. He accused VOOPOO of deliberately delaying the manufacturing and delivery of the chips while actively preparing their own bottom-feeding mod.
What exactly is going on? At least from Tony's perspective, here's the situation: since last year, Vandy Vape has been preparing its own proprietary chip for the Pulse bottom-feeding regulated mod. Tony B is a big fan of the VOOPOO Gene chip and suggested that Vandy Vape could procure the Gene chip, even though it would slightly increase production costs. After negotiations began, the two companies reached a delivery agreement for an initial order of 40,000 chips, confirming the delivery date around the Spring Festival (mid-February) and allowing Tony and Vandy Vape to mention the Gene chip in their product promotions.
According to Tony, VOOPOO did not deliver the chips as agreed but instead raised the procurement price to delay the manufacturing process while secretly designing their own Gene regulated chip for their bottom-feeding mod. A few days ago, VOOPOO claimed that the design of the Pulse was similar to their own product, the Drag resin version, and shortly after pre-orders began, unilaterally terminated the deal.
As a result, Tony and Vandy Vape decided to replace their own chip in the Pulse BF 80W, even though they publicly promoted one of the device's main selling points as using the Gene chip, contrary to VOOPOO's reports that the project had been canceled.
So far, this is all from Tony B's perspective, and many vaping enthusiasts abroad have expressed their support for him online, with many believing that such improper business behavior should lead to a boycott of VOOPOO; some users even smashed VOOPOO Drag devices in videos; meanwhile, VOOPOO's foreign Instagram account has also come under attack from angry fans.
Tony B also assured everyone that the Pulse bottom-feeding regulated mod with Vandy Vape's chip will be released soon, and suppliers will refund customers who pre-ordered the Pulse bottom-feeding mod for the price difference caused by the chip replacement.
Vandy Vape also issued a statement on their official website supporting Tony B. The statement roughly indicates that Vandy Vape will always support Tony B and his statements made in the video, expressing sadness over the situation. They hope everyone can support Tony and Vandy Vape, as they will produce a perfect Pulse 80W regulated mod.
From this perspective, it seems like a unilateral issue on VOOPOO's part. However, on the 15th, VOOPOO released an official statement on their foreign website addressing these accusations. The content is as follows:
Dear friends and partners,
In light of some recent unfounded smear attacks on our company's reputation, we would like to clarify some facts and raise some questions.
First and foremost, we do not have a long-term contract with the accuser (from November 2017 to March 11, 2018), nor any project contract. All statements made in the accuser's video are absolutely unfounded. The accuser has no evidence to support his claims. We encourage the accuser to present any factual evidence to further support his assertions.
Secondly, the accuser's brand has not obtained formal permission to use the GENE chip. The accuser used the GENE chip to promote his product without our authorization. Since last November until this March, we have made every effort to cooperate with the accuser. During this period, due to a significant increase in raw material prices (the average price of global capacitors and resistors increased by 20% to 50%), we only made slight adjustments to the initial quote. The price of the GENE chip increased by 4 RMB, equivalent to $0.625. This is a small part of normal market fluctuations. As the accuser stated, we had no reason to raise prices by 30% and increase other prices by 15%. Furthermore, we had no reason to delay production. If the accuser wishes to contact us directly, we welcome open dialogue to resolve further issues or to contact relevant brands at any time.
Additionally, VOOPOO has always maintained a positive attitude towards long-term relationships in the vaping industry among colleagues, partners, and customers.
The following behavior is unacceptable:
Finally, prior to this incident, we had a good reputation with the brands associated with the accuser. We have always encouraged our clients to maintain good relationships in developing the vaping industry. We are very sorry to see these erroneous accusations and hope to resolve them quickly.
We are willing to take full legal responsibility for the authenticity of all the above clarifications. This statement has a basis for legal action and reserves all legal rights to pursue defamation against VOOPOO.
Having read this, I have a rough understanding of the situation; this is actually just a case of unsuccessful business communication and cooperation. We cannot hastily conclude who is right or wrong. However, I feel that there is no need to publicly criticize in front of users through a video. If there is authorization, show it; if there is a contract, pursue litigation. The issues arising from business cooperation, regardless of who is right or wrong, should be resolved at the business or even legal level, rather than brought to the consumer level.
