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Vaja Cases: Poor Customer Service at a Premium Price?

By Susan Pigott Thu, Jul 15, 2010 @ 1:52 PM

DSC 0062 261x300 Vaja Cases: Poor Customer Service at a Premium Price?Several weeks ago, I reviewed an iPad case by Vaja Cases. Vaja is well known for its premium leather cases for all sorts of electronic gadgets, including the new iPhone 4. However, at least one of our readers reports that Vaja’s customer service is less than stellar. After ordering two Leather Agenda iPad cases (at $280 a piece plus shipping), this reader was given a 45-day timeframe for receiving his cases. A week ago, he emailed Vaja to see if the cases would arrive on time and received a tersely-worded email indicating that the cases would be delivered within the 45-day limit. But this customer didn’t receive his shipment, and four days after the cases should’ve arrived, he received another email. In this email, Vaja pointed out the fine print on their FAQ page stating that production time is only an estimate, and due to “huge” demand, their production processes “are taking a little bit longer than normal.”

Obviously, unforeseen delays can happen when demand for a product is high. However, good customer service means informing your customers of any delays in a courteous and timely fashion. For example, I ordered a popular product from Waterfield Cases that was essentially backordered and I received several emails keeping me apprised of the status of my order. What makes Vaja’s treatment of this customer so appalling is that, not only did they treat him discourteously, they charged his credit card over 45 days ago and have not delivered the product. Now, when you order a Vaja case, they tell you that they will charge your card immediately because their products are “hand crafted.” Once you place an order and the process begins, you can’t back out.  Still, it seems to me that when you spend that much money for a product, you should be treated extremely well. Sure, Vaja cases are extraordinary, but the quality of your product does not justify treating your customers rudely. Vaja should graciously apologize for the delay (rather than point out their fine print) and, at the least, refund shipping costs since they did not meet their own deadline.

Have any other Macgasm readers experienced poor customer service from Vaja? If so, please tell us in the comments.

  • http://www.protectthepad.com keith

    Interesting. Our top seller is SGP and their customer service is lacking too. They’re also a top pretty expensive. If you hit the macrumors forums you’ll see multiple threads dissing customer service. Its too bad some of these ‘better products’ seem to be the opposite in terms of taking care of their customers.

  • http://www.elementcase.com Element Case

    Hence why we always make sure to let our customers know exactly when their product is going to arrive – not to mention always offer a lifetime guarantee and full refund in the event someone doesn’t like it, but we’ve had nearly no returns.

    CNC aluminum vs. leather… at $99, our iPhone case will last a lifetime and protect against those nasty drops when the phone slips out of your hand.

    Free bumpers? Meh, it’s a rubber band. That was really worth calling a press conference, for, Apple ;)

    • http://www.macgasm.net Joshua Schnell

      Being unfamiliar with your iPhone 4 cases still, does the aluminum case touch the antenna, or perpetuate the problem at all? Is their a buffer between the aluminum and antenna?

  • Dave

    As a follow up:
    I was told today from their customer service that the items have not even been produced as of this date (48 days after order). They gave me the option to cancel my order.
    They gave no apology for any of their responses. They gave no time frame when they could possibly arrive.

    Potential buyers should know what they have in store when they deal with this company.

    • Jenifer

      I have ordered all of my phone cases from Vaja for years now. Of the many cases I’ve ordered, only 1 took an unusual amount of time. While they didn’t communicate with me unless I initiated it, when they finally did send the case, they had two $50.00 coupon/gift certificates in the box for me to use on future orders.
      I was a bit irritated when the case took so long but the coupons more than made up for it because I knew I would always order another one of their cases because of their superior quality.
      I hate hearing about their poor customer service but their product is really good.

  • http://ipadcasesblog.com Pat

    That’s really unfortunate. I really hoped that with their steep prices, at least their customer service should be up par with it.

    Thanks for sharing this!

  • Shawn

    I receive the same dry terse email response. I recently order the ivolution iphone 4. This is my second case as they sold me a case for my 3GS. I was told online the order would take 45 days. I received an email telling me they had billed my charge card. I sent them a reply politely asking did that mean I would be receiving the case early. She fired back an email pointing out there billing policy and where I could find it. She also pointed me back to the section that informed me of the 45-day process. I sent Cecillia an email back thanking her for the information as I knew at that point that will never happen again. I’m going through with this case because I have no choice but this is it for me. I refuse to pay any company 100 plus dollars to treat me that way. Not to mention there are Chinese companies on ebay bootlegging their cases for a fourth the price.

  • http://www.davecsit.com Dave

    I ordered the leather agenda back in mid-May. My experience was similar however I have finally received a tracking number. I would note that on day 48 I sent a message and received a reply stating it had entered the final phase of production and I would receive a tracking number when it shipped. My followup e-mail, 5 days later went unanswered. It was 3 days later that I received a tracking number. Should be here before the end of the month but well beyond the 45 day expectation with no apologies.

  • Corey

    I placed an order for an iPad Leather Agenda case over 80 days ago. I was charged for it immediately. I have been emailing ever since and haven’t received a single reply. I’ve tried calling however the phone number in the automated email I received to confirm my order has no country code, so I have no idea how to actually place a call. Their website states that the item takes 35 days to manufacture, so I’m understandable pissed off to have forked out almost $300 for something that may never turn up!

    Does anyone have any suggestions for making contact with them? Or are they simply scamming us? I’m so frustrated with the whole experience!

    • Susan

      Wow, Corey. The news just gets worse and worse about their customer service. I don’t know how to contact them other than via email. You might try to find out if there’s a “Better Business Bureau” sort of thing in Argentina, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. You might also look for a mailing address and contact the president of the company.

      Somebody else stated that Vaja’s customer service department consists of one person. If that’s the case, then dealing with her probably won’t get you anywhere, since she’s the one sending out the terse emails.

      I, for one, am not ordering anything else from Vaja, in spite of their beautiful craftsmanship.

  • Jeanette

    I ordered 3 items from vaja costing $400 48 days ago on a 45 order. Have just received received a terse email advising another 10 days. No apology given. Have just ordered today a very nice iPad case from urbano cases with excellent communications requesting product information. Eta of next Wednesday so highly recommend this company for alternative cases

  • Shanks

    Hi there fellas. Ordered a blackberry bold case 60 days ago and have yet to receive any email on the updates. I requested for a refund, a lady by the name of Cecilia replied saying that its a custom order so refund is possible. I m really sick waiting and i guess by the time the case comes, my phone will be outdated…Looking for a best solution to counter this problem..Cheers…

  • Matthew

    i’m sorry to hear this. i had excellent customer service when i ordered a case for my ipod 5g. they actually sent me the wrong one and rushed mine and let me keep the other one. no problems with courtesy. although i guess the demand has gone up since then b/c it didn’t take 2 months for an order then. these are handmade so you can imagine how many they have to churn out now with all these luxury electronics.

    the case quality is excellent btw and totally worth it. the leather ages beautifully i absolutely love mine.

    also fuck you shawn you get what you pay for. sometimes the problem with customer service is the customers

  • Peter van Bell

    I’m happy to read that I’m not the only one who’s waiting to get his stuff from Vaja-cases! My problem is that I ordered two cases for a 3G Iphone for my kids birthdays. After 60 days and despite several mails, still no answer. I can not understand this lack of respect and more, I do not understand why such an organisation that takes orders from all over the world is not capable to give proper information in due time, this should be not more than “normal” and easy achieving with the IT facilities nowerdays! May-be they need ONE Ipod to put in their own beautifull cases to work with !

  • http://vajastoreparis laurent
    • http://www.macgeek13.com macgeek13

      Thank Laurent

  • Alej

    I purchased a Vaja case for me iPhone 3G 2 years ago from them. While the quality was good, I can’t say it beats the same quality from a Chinese vendor (provided you are paying around the same price). The leather is 2 years old now, I’ve kept it out of water yet it has NOT aged gracefully.

    I’m still happy that I had bought the case and received the case earlier that 45 days; I think I waited just under 30 days.

    By the way, the country code for Argentina is: 54. Please remember that Argentina is still a Third World Country and you should NOT expect First World customer service. This extends out to everything in Argentina: renting apartments, buying a cell phone, etc. However, there were many times I was surprised at remarkably good service, but that’s not something to be expected. CAVEAT EMPTOR.

  • Heyjude Brick

    Yes, I too have experienced very poor customer service at Vaja. I have ordered a total of 8 products from them, very happy with 7 of them, but #8 was a digital camera case which was made with much smaller specifications than those posted on their website. Consequently, my camera did not fit. When I contacted them about it, they said too bad!! It was their error, not mine and they were not even willing to discuss it. As much as I appreciate the quality of their products, I will not be buying any more of their products directly from them. heyjude

  • Sekashi011

    Yes, they have HORRIBLE customer service. Usually they don’t even tell you when the product is shipped; it just arrives at your door 1-2 months after you order it. At least keep the customer informed. Plus, they don’t meet their deadlines. I’ve been waiting for a leather mouse pad for almost 1 month. The handicraft process stated 20 days. When I emailed them, they stated the item was entering the manufacturing process and that I would receive a tracking number when completed. They had no problem charging my credit card the day after I purchased it but 1) do not meet their stated time estimates 2) do not keep you informed if changes arise 3) lie to you when telling you the status of your product 4) do not inform you when it ships 5) do not have a place online that allows you to track the status of your package and 6) do not have a viable phone number where you can talk to a human about your item.

    The outrageous cost of these items alone should allow for exceptional customer service. They should deduct 20% from what theyre charging due to the fact that they can’t back up their products with service.