DO NOT BUY FROM HERE…read more
My partner and I have been regulars at Da Shop in Waianae and Kapolei for a long time. He's a VIP member, and sometimes we shop there twice a week. We've never had an issue before, which makes this experience even more frustrating.
On Saturday, August 16, around 8:50 AM, I purchased a Nectar Collector Kit. The supervisor, Trestin, opened the box to "inspect" it before I left. No receipt was offered and no policies were mentioned. Since we've always trusted this place, I assumed the product was fine. Six hours later, around 3:47 PM, while heating up the needle, the glass suddenly popped and cracked where the metal inserts into the glass. This type of glass is designed to withstand heat--it should not break under normal use. I immediately took a photo since it was clearly a manufacturing defect.
When we brought it back about an hour later, the employee told us he couldn't do anything because the manager wasn't in. He took photos, our information, and said someone would reach out. Instead of offering a refund or replacement, he suggested we either buy another kit or use store credit. To be clear, this worker has always been respectful and operates with aloha and integrity, so we weren't upset with him--we just expected the store itself to do the right thing. Still, I didn't feel comfortable buying another kit after the first one exploded within hours, so we were basically forced to use our own store credit on a product that should have been replaced.
By Tuesday, August 19, we still hadn't heard back. My partner went in, and both the manager and supervisor said there was "nothing they could do," offering only a discount on another kit. When I called, the manager told me she had to check with her GM. Later, she called back, saying the kit looked "used" and suggested I could have damaged it myself. Instead of taking accountability, they blamed me for buying a defective product. When I told her this was playing with people's money, she said, "Are YOU a VIP member?" As if that matters--faulty products should be replaced regardless of who buys them. They kept saying "policies", but where are the policies protecting customers from faulty glass? There's no way to test it without heating it. They're lucky it didn't explode in my face!
We've spent a lot of money here and recommended this place to many people, but after this, we're done. If a business can't stand by its products or operate with basic integrity, it doesn't deserve support. I'll be telling everyone I know and putting on social media: never shop here.