Like I said you have never been on the other side of the transaction.
You think every customer is like you ... good, worth dealing with. You think that everyone you know is like you ... good, worth dealing with. You are right ... 90% of the time. Unfortunately for the sellers 10% can be the difference between your business surviving or collapsing.
The frag sellers will tip toe around the issue, they don't want to offend you. They want you to buy from them so they won't say what is the truth. The truth is that 10% of their customers are pure garbage. Business is ugly and until you have been on the other side of it you can't even imagine the things that people will do for money, for clout. Let me repeat you can't even imagine. I have run several failed businesses and a successful one. The successful one I finally learned to screen out the garbage. It isn't easy to figure out who is a good customer and who is garbage. It is even harder turning away money when you know that is the lifeblood that keeps the business going. It takes a lot of thought and a feeling out of the market and an introspection of yourself. New business owners go two ways with it, everyone is garbage or everyone is a great customer, either one of those choices will result in the failure of a business.
Please walk a mile in someone else's shoes before you condemn.
Oh no I understand. With the fragility, inconsistency of a corals demeanor, and the amount of things that can go wrong I understand the lack of a extensive guarantee. I meant no belittlement nor did I wish to condemn any person or their business. Scammers are a big problem and I understand the restraint and caution one must take as a seller. Nevertheless I still think the standards are low and the prices are high. Now 2 Hour DOA is up to interpretation: Does it mean that if something happens out of the control of the seller that this 2 hour DOA will be extended or will he even insure such a mishap at all? All this is seller specific and I’m sure many have a entire array of differentiating policies. As I understand DOA stands for dead-on-arrival does this mean that only if the merchandise dies during shipping (which doesn’t happen usually since the subject of interest will mostly likely still be alive but near death) or does it mean that if it’s near death on arrival it will be replaced or refunded.
My view is that of if a live product arrives sick, dying, or mortally injured, if reported immediately to the seller should be insured for the next 24 hours which are usually the make or break moment for livestock, additionally I think that the buyer must provide the seller with pics upon arrival, proof of death, time of death, his tanks parameters, tanks age, and other vital information such as lights (if sale is of coral)
Regarding disasters, mishaps, delays, and etc that are all out of control of both seller and buyer I believe that the seller can deny liability. In such cases I think the smartest thing to do would be to contact the shipping service and file a claim.
Another matter is extremely sensitive livestock per say a moorish idol, certain acros and others usually titled expert only
I think that the seller could and should be able to deny a extended warranty, this is due to the fact that the seller has much less control over the health of such a specimen especially after arrival and in such a case a perfectly healthy specimen could be improperly cared for by someone unprepared and ignorant of the husbandry and requirements of such a creature.
I don’t like being accused of being inconsiderate of someone else’s perspective and views. Personally I grew up watching my brother create his eBay business in our room and basement snd watched the difficulty of a small business (that lacked capital) having to deal with scammer trying to weasel products worth a few hundred dollars threw false claims, denying credit cards, and other incredibly stupid ways. As such I do understand a bit about liability and the side of a seller.
I don’t want this thread to suddenly become a place about our feelings so let’s move on and try to be as considerate and accepting of other views and opinions as possible. If I have been close minded in the smallest I am sorry and will try to to be as openminded and respectful as possible.
Avi
But, he aims for perfection. He always sends me extra corals when I order and prices aren't horrible (all coral prices are ridiculous now!) So, finding the right seller is key to getting good quality corals that will survive.
www.reef2reef.com
