Cracked, Dead or Dripping: What to Do When a New Vape Kit Arrives Wrong

The parcel arrives. You cut the tape, lift the lid, and something inside is loose. Maybe it's a hairline crack down the tank. Maybe the screen stays dark no matter what you do. Maybe there's a thin slick of e-liquid already pooling in the tray.

Take a breath. This is a boring admin problem, not a disaster, and there's a well-worn path through it. What follows is the order to do things in, the language to use, and the law sitting quietly behind you.

Step one: stop, and don't bin anything

Before you do anything else, put the packaging back down. Keep the outer box, the inner tray, the little bag of spares, the instruction leaflet and any tamper seals. Keep the delivery note. If there's a batch code printed on the device or the box, photograph it now.

Retailers aren't being difficult when they ask for packaging — they need it to claim against the manufacturer or the courier. Binning the box on day one is the single most common way people make a simple return complicated.

Step two: rule out a setup mistake

Be honest with yourself for five minutes, because a surprising number of 'dead on arrival' kits are simply not switched on properly. Check the obvious list:

• Is there a plastic insulator on the coil or battery? Many new kits ship with a protective film or tab that has to come off.
• Is the coil primed? A dry coil at high wattage will taste burnt instantly and then taste burnt forever. That's not a fault.
• Is the tank or pod seated fully? Half a millimetre of gap stops the connection dead.
• Is the airflow closed, or the child-lock engaged? Many UK-spec devices ship with a tight airflow and a five-click lock.
• Have you charged it via a sensible cable and plug? Some devices won't power on with a fast-charge brick that doesn't negotiate properly.
• Is the screen showing a message? 'No atomiser', 'check atomiser' and 'low resistance' all describe connection problems, not dead hardware.

If you've been through that list and it's still a brick, or if the glass is physically cracked on arrival, you have a fault. Move on.

Step three: document it like you mean it

Take photographs in daylight, on a plain surface, of: the damaged part, the box, the batch code or serial number, and the packing. Take a short video showing the device failing — screen not coming on, leak appearing, error message. Note the date and time of delivery.

This takes four minutes and it is the difference between a smooth return and a fortnight of back-and-forth. Retailers deal with hundreds of claims a week and a clear photo set moves yours to the front of the queue.

Step four: contact the retailer first, in writing

Use email or the site's contact form rather than a phone call, so you have a record. Keep it short and factual. Something along these lines:

Order number, delivery date, item. The tank glass arrived cracked / the device does not power on. I have attached photographs and a short video. I am rejecting the goods as faulty and would like a full refund, or a replacement if you prefer. Please confirm how you'd like to proceed and whether you'll be arranging collection or providing a returns label.

That's it. No paragraph about how disappointed you are. No accusation. Just the facts, the request, and a paper trail.

Step five: know where you actually stand

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the backbone here. Goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. If they're not, and you're within 30 days of receiving them, you have a short-term right to reject: a full refund, not a credit note, not a repair at your inconvenience.

After 30 days and up to six months, the retailer gets one attempt to repair or replace before you can insist on a refund. And in that six-month window, the burden is reversed — the law assumes the fault was there at purchase unless the retailer can prove otherwise.

Separately, online orders come with a 14-day cooling-off period under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. That's a change-of-mind right, distinct from a fault claim, and it doesn't apply to e-liquid once a seal is broken — for hygiene reasons, opened liquid is generally non-returnable unless it's genuinely faulty.

Step six: mind the postage

If the item is faulty, the retailer should cover the cost of return. If it's a change of mind under the cooling-off period, you can be asked to pay, as long as it's made clear upfront. Either way: use a tracked service, keep the receipt, and photograph the parcel before it goes. A return that vanishes in the post with no proof is a return that never happened.

Step seven: escalation, in order

If the retailer stalls past 14 days, escalate politely once in writing, referencing the Act. If that fails, you have options: a chargeback through your card provider, a PayPal dispute if you paid that way, or — for persistent problems — Citizens Advice and Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice consumer service.

What you should not do is open a chargeback as your first move. It freezes the retailer's willingness to help, and card providers will often push you back to the seller if you haven't given them a fair shot.

What good looks like

A decent vape retailer answers fault emails within a working day, asks for photos rather than an argument, and sends a label without being chased. If yours does that, say so — it costs nothing and it's the reason people order again.

If yours doesn't, you now know exactly what to say, in what order, and which law to name. That's all a return really needs.