Complaints

This profile includes complaints for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company

  401 N Main St Winston Salem, NC 27101-3804

  
• 

  R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company

  15720 Brixham Hill Ave Ste 345 Charlotte, NC 28277-4784

• 

  R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company

  PO Box 834039 Richardson, TX 75083-4039

• 

  Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co.

  1 Plaza La Prensa Santa Fe, NM 87507-9702

• 

  R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company

  11125 Knott Ave Ste D Cypress, CA 90630-5138

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/07/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Vuse vapor pods from big tobacco RJ Reynolds are always a disappointment. The product quality needs to be fixed immediately. I’d say within the last 2-3 months 70% of the time when I buy pods they are discolored and not usable. They are supposed to light and almost opaque in color, at least that’s how they are advertised. They have been dark brown and taste burnt. Do they expect people to actually pay money and use these? I will no longer support this brand, don’t waste your time or money. You will be throwing away money every single time. How can one of biggest tobacco companies in the world get away with this? Read the reviews, everybody is saying the same thing, the pods are discolored and not safe to inhale. This should be part of a class action lawsuit. Your selling somebody something that isn’t as advertised. And if you want a refund you’ll have to wait up to 2 months to get a check. You also have to call multiple times for them to “expedite” the process to get your refund. This is criminal on multiple levels.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/09/2022

  We are sorry that this
  consumer has had this experience with our product. Regarding the resolution on your previous product quality complaints, we appreciate your feedback and we apologize that the matter wasn't handled to your satisfaction. We do have a quality control
  team that works diligently to have the best quality products available for our
  consumers.  The consumer will receive refunds for their inconvenience. A customer care agent processed these refunds,
  and the consumer should receive them in 2-4 weeks. We appreciate the loyalty to
  the VUSE Brand.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/09/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and I accept it.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/05/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Have been purchasing 4 packs of Vuse Alto pods for over 2 years. 75-90% of the time the pods in the packs are a dark brown color meaning they are oxidized and leave a horrible burning taste and unusable. I’ve wasted well over $1,000 on oxidized un-smokeable pods.
  
  In the photo, you will see 1 of the pods in the freshly opened box have a light yellow look, which is how all pods should look. The rest are dark brown and have a well known, unaddressed manufacturing issue causing oxidation and can only be thrown in the trash.
  I’ve purchased in Williamsburg, NY, in Rockland County, NY, all are the same.
  
  This company seems to clearly be aware of this ongoing issue for years since there are thousands of people online who complain about wasting their money on this product and receiving a un-usable/expired product.
  
  The companies response to a majority of consumers who complain, is to issue $2 coupons for future purchases which is a horrible and greedy business practice which needs oversight ASAP.
  
  Please look into this issue and find this company is purposely allowing this product to be put on shelfs without addressing a MAJOR manufacturing defect that puts money in their pockets while leaving consumers forced to purchase more pods since the pack they just purchased is un-usable.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/07/2022

  We apologize that you are experiencing
  product quality issues. After researching this consumer's profile with the
  information that was provided, we don't have a record of this consumer
  contacting us. We want to issue you an appeasement or a refund for your
  inconvenience.  Please call our Engagement Center at 1-877-614-VUSE
  (8873) so that we can confirm you are an adult tobacco consumer and obtain
  additional information about your issue (e.g., the amount of affected
  products).  Our Engagement Center is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00
  a.m. until 10:00 p.m. EST, or Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. 
   
  We are closed on Sunday.
   
  We look forward to hearing from you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/04/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am out probably over $200 over the last 4 months I don't know the exact dates.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/04/2022

   We apologize that you are experiencing product quality issues.  We want to issue you an appeasement or a refund for your inconvenience.  Please call our Engagement Center at 1-877-614-VUSE (8873) so that we can confirm you are an adult tobacco consumer and obtain additional information about your issue (e.g., the amount of affected products).  Our Engagement Center is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. EST, or Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.   

  We are closed on Sunday.
   
  We look forward to hearing from you.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/23/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This company knowingly and willingly continues to allow the sale of a product they know is defective. In reference to the Vuse Golden Tobacco 5% pods there are hundreds of cited complaints across the internet, many on this site alone as to the defective nature of this product. I did indeed reach out to their “customer service” at which point I was offered a coupon. A coupon that I might use to gamble on buying more defective pods. I made the attempt to use said coupon and the local store informed they don’t take manufacturer coupons. I’m at my wits end with this product and this company. The gross customer abuse is abhorrent and quite simply unethical. They simply offer trinkets for the gold their consumers deliver at their doorstep. What will it take for the FDA to look into this product? Maybe I’ll send my dark brown burnt pods to them.
  
  This has been going on for several several months. They want addresses and dates for each purchase. I go through about 6-7 pods a week. There’s no way I catalogue and diary each purchase of their product. I buy 3-4 (4 packs) to get 6-7 good pods. I would like to be refunded and a statement of awareness as to the issue. Stop making it seem like this is the first time you’ve heard of the issue. I work in corporate America I know we have people watching all the social medias too. Stop denying what you know and fix it.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/25/2022

  We are sorry
  that this consumer is experiencing issues with our vapor product. Please
  contact our Consumer care Team via the phone number provided and we will
  happily appease or refund for any affected products. To better serve you, we
  would like to speak with you personally. Please contact our Consumer care Team
  via the phone number provided and we will happily appease or refund the
  consumer. Please call us at 1-877-614-Vuse (8873) Monday through Friday from
  8:00a.m. until 10:00p.m. EST or Saturday and Sunday from 10:00a.m. until
  8:00p.m. EST. We will be glad to assist you. We appreciate your loyalty to
  the Vuse brand.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/19/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have bought VUSE vapor products from sheets with a lot of inconsistency. It is one single product with many different shades/taste. I have photos of the last three 4 packs with the boxes. I find it very concerning that a product you consume has so many consistent differences. The last three in a row are just the most recent. This has happened dozens of times.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/27/2022

  We are sorry that you are experiencing issues with our
  product. Please contact us so we can help you with an appeasement coupon or
  refund. Our customer care number is 1-877-614-8873. We appreciate your loyalty
  to the Vuse brand.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/16/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchase vuse pods regularly. I would say nearly 50% of the pods after purchase are dark brown prior to opening the actual pod and those pods taste burnt and are absolutely defective and/or unusable. This issue has been recurring for years - for a few months earlier this year it seemed to go away but it has been happening literally on every pack I've purchased over the past few months.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/19/2022

  We are sorry
  that this consumer is experiencing issues with our vapor product. Please
  contact our Consumer care Team via the phone number provided and we will
  happily appease or refund for any affected products. To better serve you, we
  would like to speak with you personally. Please contact our Consumer care Team
  via the phone number provided and we will happily appease or refund the
  consumer. Please call us at 1-877-614-Vuse (8873) Monday through Friday from
  8:00a.m. until 10:00p.m. EST or Saturday and Sunday from 10:00a.m. until
  8:00p.m. EST. We will be glad to assist you. We appreciate your loyalty to
  the Vuse brand.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/13/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  They are knowingly selling spoiled product and refusing to refund/make things right with customers.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/17/2022

  Product was spoiled. Bought on 9/13. Also bought many other dates and the same result. Contacted company on same date. Was no offered refund but instead coupons. A few coupons doesn't cover months worth of bought spoiled product.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/19/2022

  We
  are sorry that this consumer had this experience with our product. We do have a
  quality control team that works diligently to have the best quality products
  available for our consumers. After researching, I was able to confirm the
  consumer reached out to our consumer care team on 12/30/21 and 2/8/22. On
  12/30/21, the consumer was appeased 2 coupons. On 2/7/22, the consumer
  purchased Vuse Alto pod Golden Tobacco 5.0 from **** **** in Charlottesville
  VA. The consumer discarded the packaging. The consumer was unable to provide
  the UPC code and we weren't able to appease or refund him for the
  product. 

  
  We
  have no record of the consumer calling our call center on 9/13/22. We are happy
  to appease or refund the consumer if he will contact us to give us more
  information on the product issue. To better serve you, we would like to
  speak with you personally. Please call us at 1-877-614-Vuse (8873) Monday
  through Friday from 8:00a.m. until 10:00p.m. EST or Saturday and Sunday from
  10:00a.m. until 8:00p.m. EST. We will be glad to assist you. We appreciate
  your loyalty to the Vuse brand.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/23/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I've purchased over $750 worth of One of their products that are defective. After attempting to issue my complaint over the phone, I was hung up on twice. Right in the middle of explaining what's wrong with the product (as if they don't already know) they hangup.
  I've been to countless stores buying the same product throughout the year. And the majority of those purchases were defective. When it's not defective it's the best of this type product on the market. In 2001 I never had this problem. I was a happy customer. In 2022 endless frustration of getting ripped off. And countless conversations with store owners who are well aware of this issue throughout the state of Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina.....
  Some of the store owners allow me to open each pack until I find a good one and leave but many of them say they will not get reimbursed and there's nothing they can do about it which means I just got ripped off again.
  I'm fed up to say the least. Especially since they pretend to not know about this issue.
  There's no way a company of RJ Reynolds Thatcher doesn't know of a problem this large with their product.
  It's insulting and I think something should be done about it.
  The picture below is just one of many many examples of a bad product. If the product is that dark in color it is bad. There is an unbearable taste to it of sheer chemical mixture gone wrong.
  Anytime you find one much lighter in color it's an excellent product but those are few and far between in 2022 for whatever reason.
  I had this problem one time in 2021 and they sent me a coupon to reimburse me. But today they acted like they never even heard of this problem and hung up on me twice without me cussing at him or any of that.
  I would be extremely surprised if the better Business bureau hasn't already gotten this complaint.
  But I'm willing to bet there are thousands of people who can back up my claim I know 7 of them that are my friends or family. I have several store owners who can confirm.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/24/2022

  We are sorry
  that this consumer is experiencing issues with our vapor product. We don't have a record of this consumer contacting us. Please
  contact our Consumer care Team via the phone number provided and we will
  happily appease or refund for any affected products. To better serve you, we
  would like to speak with you personally. Please contact our Consumer care Team
  via the phone number provided and we will happily appease or refund the
  consumer. Please call us at 1-877-614-Vuse (8873) Monday through Friday from
  8:00a.m. until 10:00p.m. EST or Saturday and Sunday from 10:00a.m. until
  8:00p.m. EST. We will be glad to assist you. We appreciate your loyalty to
  the Vuse brand.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/13/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  For several months over half the Vuse pods we’ve purchased have been defective. The fluid in the defective pods is dark brown and tastes horrible. The fluid is supposed to be clear and the taste much less offensive (picture attached). What’s even more concerning is it seems Vuse knows about this issue and may be intentionally making the return or exchange of the defective product unreasonably difficult for the consumer. Initially, when we (and apparently many other Vuse customers), discovered Vuse packages consistently contained at least half defective pods, the consumer was allowed to requested an exchange of the defective package of pods after opening the product to inspect its contents right there at the sales counter after purchase. This was inconvenient and stressful, but at least it was a solution. Unfortunately, within weeks of discovering this solution, we were told Vuse had decided their customers were no longer allowed to exchange defective product at the point of sale. This frustrating decision and the continued release of defective pods communicates to consumers that Vuse is aware of the problem (which is only getting worse), but instead of responding responsibly and humanely by issuing a recall, or at least allowing exchange of defective product, they appear to be pushing their revenue losses back onto the consumer. Perhaps they’re taking our money to save up for a lawsuit. We need to know how pods are becoming defective. We need to know why Vuse ignoring the problem and making it worse. We need to know why is Vuse allowing such an overwhelming amount of defective product to make it to consumers. We need to know why compensation options are being limited and becoming increasingly more difficult. We all know scores of teens get ahold of these products, and I would be surprised if these kids are even noticing the defect. This begs the question: What are they selling us? Vapes are clearly bad for our health. Are these defective pods are even worse?

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/22/2022

  We are sorry
  that this consumer is experiencing issues with our vapor product. We haven't received a call from the consumer. Please
  contact our Consumer care Team via the phone number provided and we will
  happily appease or refund for any affected products. To better serve you, we
  would like to speak with you personally. Please contact our Consumer care Team
  via the phone number provided and we will happily appease or refund the
  consumer. Please call us at 1-877-614-Vuse (8873) Monday through Friday from
  8:00a.m. until 10:00p.m. EST or Saturday and Sunday from 10:00a.m. until
  8:00p.m. EST. We will be glad to assist you. We appreciate your loyalty to
  the Vuse brand.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/05/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My wife and I have been using Vuse vape products. I the last month or so, over half of the product has failed. Their customer service is rude, and they take 3-4 weeks to make an issue right. To that is bad business. I run my own business and my customer has an issue, I solve it as fast as possible. Part of my issue is I have paid for a defective product, and they take their time to resolve the issue(they should have to wait 3-4 weeks to get paid).
  
  Thank You

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/23/2022

  We are sorry that this
  consumer had this experience with our product. We do have a quality control
  team that works diligently to have the best quality products available for our
  consumers. The consumer was sent an email notifying them that the consumer
  was appeased 1 coupon for their inconvenience. A customer care agent processed this
  appeasement coupon, and the consumer should receive them in 4-6 weeks. We appreciate
  the loyalty to the VUSE Brand.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/24/2022

   I am rejecting this response because: To me, the time frame of their response shows that they know that their product is sub standard. Any other product that costs less than $50.00 that I have had an issue with the time frame is not as long for the company to remedy the issue.

  It shows a lack of remorse for their faulty product and not caring about the customer.