Smokers searching online for information about electronic cigarettes may come across websites offering “free trials” for electronic cigarettes. While this may sound like a tempting offer to smokers looking desperately for an alternative to their smoking habit, remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

We can’t speak to all of these electronic cigarette free trial offers, but we can tell you that we receive emails from customers who have been taken in by at least some of these types of offers. Consumers often vent where ever they can and since this blog has high viewer ship, it seems they would like us to know of how they were mislead by other websites.

The issue from the free trials that consumers have contacted us about is the fine print. What isn’t clear to consumers taking advantage of the free trial is that they are committing to reoccurring billing or to paying in full after a specific period of time. It appears at least some e-cigarette suppliers are continuing to bill for months after or delaying shipment of the product as to make it impossible to return before billing starts.

These marketing practices give the entire industry a bad name. It can also lead consumers to believe that the electronic cigarette itself is a scam. This is a shame as many smokers find the e-cigarette to be a great alternative to tobacco cigarettes and there are many reputable suppliers.

We don’t have any of these marketing gimmicks at INSTEAD Electronic Cigarettes. There is no free trial with INSTEAD, just a great product with great customer service.

Below is an incomplete list of electronic cigarette reviews by our customers, but some of our favorites:

I was in our local Mall the other day and ran into an electronic cigarette kiosk. Curiosity killed the cat as the old saying goes, so I stopped in to hear what the salesperson had to say.

The first thing that caught my attention was the claim that one could quit smoking with the electronic cigarette. Throughout the two plus years we have been blogging about the e-cig, we have hashed this one out over and over. There is no scientific proof that the electronic cigarette helps the user quit smoking. Also, the action of smoking is still there and can you really quit an action if you are still participating in that action? While you might be eliminating the effects of combustion by switching to a vaporizer, you are still getting nicotine and according to the Center for Disease Control, nicotine addiction is the disease, not necessarily smoking. We understand why the pharmaceutical companies and the “public health” organizations (who get their money from the pharmaceutical companies), want to call it a quit smoking device….so they can be the only ones to sell it. What we don’t understand is why e-cigarette suppliers want to make the quit smoking claim just to try and sell a few more kits while misleading the public and putting our entire industry at risk. We believe it is a smoking alternative, pure and simple.

The second claim I heard was that the electronic cigarette is the healthier way to smoke. While we firmly believe vaporization is superior to combustion for a whole host of reasons, there are currently no clinical studies on the long term effects of electronic cigarette vapor. You may read from other dedicated e-Smokers that they see huge differences in their own health, but there is still no evidence of what the long term effects might actually be.

Another statement that jumped out was the ingredients that are claimed to be in this particular brands liquids; nicotine and water. This is not true…..or at least not completely true. Pure water needs a much higher temperature in order to vaporize so the base of all current e-liquids is either propylene glycol or glycerin or a combination of both. Propylene glycol is used widespread through many products currently on the market and the closest comparison would be for inhalation medicines like asthma inhalers. The idea that we are simply blowing out water vapor is untrue. What was interesting is that this company referenced Dr. Laugesen’s original study on the electronic cigarette vapor, yet missed the important fact that the vapor is not just water.

While wandering around the kiosk taking in all of the information, I ran across a handout compiled by the company to appear as a report from the FDA. According to the wording on this flyer, the FDA proved through recent testing that the e-Liquid was in fact 1400 times safer than tobacco cigarettes. This is not true. It is also not true that they determined e-cigarettes to be dangerous. In fact, the FDA testing was so poorly done it is hard to draw any relevant conclusions.

When it was all said and done, it was apparent the salesman was regurgitating what he had been told to say. For instance, he was completely unaware of the fact that ecigs have been in the US for almost three years now (he told me 4 months!). He also mentioned all other brands were knock-offs. Also not true. There may be many brands available, but very few have been on the market as long as the INSTEAD Electronic Cigarette (Established 2007).

I will give this kiosk one thing; Instead of putting kits, liquids and cartridges out on the kiosk counter, the only thing within reach were videos and flyers. All product was kept in locked drawers that consumers could not see into. The one sample was in a locked glass case directly in front of the cash register where the salesperson sat. If a supplier is going to go the kiosk route, this is the way to go. It makes it impossible for those young teen hands from grabbing stock and running.

We wrote this blog post not to discredit any particular company or method of sales, but rather to battle some of the misinformation being presented to the public. These falsities mislead consumers, misrepresent the industry, and give electronic cigarette opponents more ammo to recklessly shoot.

We get calls every once in a while asking about why they should purchase from Instead Electronic Cigarettes rather than another supplier. We have written about some of the benefits of buying from Instead in the past with our 5 reasons to buy Instead Electronic Cigarettes blog post, but we thought a post about some of the differences out there in the market might help people make their decision.

There are quite a few suppliers in the United States. Some offer just e-liquid, some have kits, hardware and e-liquid, and others offer just the kits with pre-filled cartridges. We offer what we believe to be the most unique kits on the market with 2 atomizers instead of 1, empty cartridges instead of pre-filled ones, and a variety of e-liquid to fill those cartridges including e-liquid made right here in the United States. As mentioned in past blog posts, we sell the empty cartridges with bottles of e-liquid to keep cost down for our customers and to ensure their expectations are meant. For instance, many companies claim a pre-filled cartridge is a half a pack of cigarettes or more. We have found this to be false, so having a bottle of e-liquid around to add a couple drops every 10 to 20 puffs or so ensures good vapor production all the time. With that said, we have found a partial solution to the pre-filled cartridge problem with the Instead Cartomizers. These are pre-filled with e-liquid and is a combination of atomizer and cartridge. Rather than last 1 or 2 cigarettes worth like a regular pre-filled cartridge, the cartomizer is equivalent to about 15 cigarettes. It is disposable, so once it is used up, you simply screw on a new one. The overall cost of e-smoking does increase by using a cartomizer, but they are more convenient.

The models of electronic cigarettes offered by companies also varies greatly. Some are larger for longer battery life, while others are smaller to look more like a traditional tobacco cigarette. The Instead Electronic Cigarette is 4″ long, slightly thicker than a regular tobacco cigarette, but looks a lot like your old “analogue” cigarette. We have tested many models and believe ours is the perfect balance of battery life, vapor production, look and feel.

You will also find some suppliers making claims such as “the healthy way to smoke” or “use an electronic cigarette to quit smoking”. While these claims may seem fine to the average consumer, the truth is that FDA regulations prohibit these claims without proper testing. These unproven claims may not be malicious, but they are impacting how the FDA, anti-smoking groups, and public officials are viewing this industry. Instead attempts to provide relevant information about electronic cigarettes without giving consumers false hopes or misleading them about how safe or unsafe this product is. To be clear, there is no evidence they are harmful (unless you count the potential risks of nicotine itself) while there are no studies proving there is zero risk. We do acknowledge that electronic cigarette vapor contains no tar, hydrogen cyanide, or carbon monoxide, all of which are found in tobacco smoke.

We also are a founding member of the Electronic Cigarette Association. The ECA was formed to help battle misinformation, ensure the continued availability of electronic cigarettes to smoking adults, and create standards within this industry to prevent false marketing claims and ensure member companies do not market or sell to children.

Aside from the quality and uniqueness of our products, we also pride ourselves on our customer service. If there are troubles with ordering, questions about the product, or issues after the sale, we are happy to answer calls at our number; 321-256-0486. You will generally get a very knowledgeable person on your first call. If we can’t get to the phone, leave a message and someone will call within 24 hours at the most, but generally within a couple of hours. We believe in the product and want to make sure that all smokers who try the electronic cigarette have a good experience. We encourage all who are making their decision about which company to purchase from give that company a call to make sure customer service is taken seriously.

Our customers have been very satisfied with our quick responses and service as well as the actual electronic cigarettes they purchase. We thought we would bring to light some of the feedback we have being receiving from our happy customers. If you are a customer and would like to share your experience with others, please login to your account and navigate to the product you purchased, click “read reviews” then “add review”.

Here are some electronic cigarette reviews:

I just ordered the Mini e-cig + the 50 refills. Support is very quick with answering any questions. I have not gotten my order yet but will post my review as soon as I get it. As far as the site goes ordering was easy and questions were answered very promptly.
Date Added: 07/17/2008 by C. Renly

Amazing! As a pack a day smoker for twenty years I had tried everything to quit. I dreamed of a product like this and you have brought it to reality. Thank You!
Date Added: 08/06/2008 by G. Norwood

I ordered the Mini Electronic Cigarette + 50 Refills about three weeks ago, and I love it. I have been trying to quit smoking for three years have been smoking for 8. The gum and lozenges helped but I would cave about every 10 days and buy a pack. The e-cigarette has been AMAZING! I like nicotine,… I like smoking, I just don’t want to die of lung cancer because of it. This product seems to be the answer. If you are looking for a down side, here it is: the nicotine cartridges dry up fairly fast, and you will find yourself puffing away non-stop at first because you are used to a cigarette telling you, “Hey, we’re are done.” Whereas the e-cigarette just keeps going. After sometime though you will get familiar with how many puffs you need to get your fix. Lastly don’t fool yourself, if you are trying to quit, this will still require a little will power, but not much. I do however wish there were a few more studies out there concerning this product, only because it seems simply to good to be true.
Date Added: 10/07/2008 by K. Kagarise

Amazing! That is the only word I can think of to describe this product. I smoked at least two PACKS a day for almost 10 years. Now, only 4 days after receiving this electronic cigarette I am smoking only one or two cigarettes a day. Its great. My car is already starting to smell better, I am more productive at work and my apartment smells better. I would recommend this product to anyone who is a smoker and wants an alternative to smoking.
Date Added: 03/15/2009 by James H Wooten IV

Top Dawg, wife and I both have been smokers for 30+ yrs, the setup is unique and works extremely well. After trying a few different juices we have both found E-liquid to be by far the best choice for flavor and enjoyment.
Highly recommend this site and its services are Top Notch….Thanx much :O)
Date Added: 05/29/2009 by Shirley Taylor