After eight years of loyal Epok No 1 snus, Ragna, 24, is considering shelving the box for good.
Not for perhaps more traditional reasons like health or finances, but because she's “simply bothered by bags.”
– It feels like production cycles evenly throughout Oslo. For a while the snuff bags are completely full, but suddenly there is a period of half-empty, weak snuff bags, explains the 24-year-old.
“DROP SNUFF”: This is what Ragna's snuff bags look like a few times a month. Now you're bored. Photo: private
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“The Snus Brothers”
Ragna does not want to give her full name, as her parents believe she has stopped smelling.
On the other hand, Ceri Ronning (25) is open about her snuff use with her parents and, like Ragna, has been snorting for eight years. This is not the only thing they have in common.
The quality of snuff bags is sometimes very poor. They've been that way ever since I started sniffing, Siri says.
She says she has experienced several times that the bags either open too or open during use.
– Terribly quickly: Siri Ronning says she regularly receives snuff bags being opened in her boxes. Photo: private
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“Then the experience gets worse, and you get less bang for your buck as you have to throw away the product,” Siri points out.
– Are you running out?
Ragna has formed her own theory about what she believes might be the cause of the irregular Sun Cycle.
-Maybe the production will eventually run out of snuff, and you say he should give us loose bags.
Ragna explains the theory that it's not just the Suns that are weak, but that everyone in the entire box is weak.
– So I don't see any other possibility than that it's simply empty of its packaging, as you explained.
Dagbladet spoke to British American Tobacco, which owns Epok. Read what they answer at the bottom of this issue.
The most dangerous – and the least dangerous
He will complain
Ragna explains that we are now in what she describes as a “bad period.”
– There is a period of about three weeks, all the boxes I buy have half-empty bags. “We're in such a period now — no matter what store I try, there are no perfect bags to be found,” she says.
Frustration has taken over many times. Ragna now wants to contact the producers of Epok No 1.
-I've searched everywhere online for where I could complain about this problem, but when you buy wet tobacco from a store, there's no one to turn to. “It bothers me so much,” she explained.
– What do you want to write in your complaint?
– I hope Epok can get a bit more balanced production, and that they can start verifying that each box contains 15.4 grams like it says it does.
Dagbladet has entered into dialogue with British American Tobacco Norway (BAT), which produces the Epok variety of moist tobacco. Communications Director Marit Schroeder says that customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance to them.
“We have clear routines to ensure the quality of our products, as well as to deal with customer feedback to ensure we deliver as promised,” says Schroeder.
Drawing attention: – Very rude
I took action
Because of what Ragna describes as the lack of opportunity to complain about snuff bags from grocery stores, she decided to take action.
– Now I only buy snuff from the snuff shop's website, and at least you have a specific place you can complain to – if something goes wrong with the bags, she explains.
When asked if Ragna had ever considered giving up snuff, she quickly responded:
-If the half-empty bags continue for another two weeks, I will stop. “I don't get enough wet to have the pleasure of eating wet from these half-empty bags that are now in the cycle,” she says.
– Very crazy
After repeated bad experiences with snuff bags, Ragna and Siri have had enough, and both want a better solution to the complaint – so they can get their money back or perhaps a new snuff box.
It can reveal how drunk you are
“It's very embarrassing to feel like you're wasting your money on a product that should be exactly the same quality every time you buy it,” says Siri.
Communications Officer Schroeder encourages Ragna to contact them directly so they can further investigate their concerns.
– We respond to all customer inquiries through our customer service. She points out that the phone number can be found on every snuff box.
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