1 star
1 star
Extremely disappointed. Poor customer service and unfair return policy
I purchased the XKAH PRO HMD from El Badia and it was nowhere near as good as described on their website. The product simply did not meet my expectations in terms of performance and quality.
When I tried to return it (within a reasonable time and with only minimal testing), they refused a full refund. They insisted on making a significant deduction because they considered it “used” for hygiene reasons, even though it was barely taken out of the box. On top of that, I had to pay £70 in customs and import duty to receive the item, and they flatly refused to reimburse any of it.
Their customer service was unhelpful and rigid, repeatedly hiding behind their Terms & Conditions instead of offering a fair solution. I had to push multiple times just to get basic information.
I would strongly advise against buying from El Badia. The lack of flexibility and refusal to cover import costs I had no choice but to pay makes this a very bad experience.
Date of experience: June 2026
Product: XKAH PRO HMD
Reply from El Badia Chicha
Hello Sam,
Thank you for your feedback, and we're sorry your experience didn't meet your expectations.
We'd like to clarify two points for transparency. First, the customs and import duties were charged by UK customs authorities, not by El-Badia, these fees are set and collected by your country and never reach us, so they aren't something we're able to refund. Second, we did offer to take the item back and issue a refund; the deduction applies only because the device had been used, and for hygiene and resale reasons a used hookah product can't be sold as new. This policy is the same for every customer and is in line with consumer law.
Our offer to process your return remains open, and we're happy to finalise it with you by email. We genuinely want to find a fair resolution.
Kind regards,
El-Badia Customer Service
