Cad lights review

[filbie70]

My other fear at this point is if they did send me a tank that they will be vindictive by shipping me a tank that they know is flawed and I will be out another $600 that they want for shipping a replacement. I mentioned to them that they quote shipping on the website for $300. They said that is only when it is purchased. Note on their website that you are required to ship the aquarium back before they will ship a replacement. They were willing to waive this for me after sending them a video of the leak. So I agreed to the $600 and asked them to send me a PayPal invoice and

 

[cmcoker]

My other fear at this point is if they did send me a tank that they will be vindictive by shipping me a tank that they know is flawed and I will be out another $600 that they want for shipping a replacement. I mentioned to them that they quote shipping on the website for $300. They said that is only when it is purchased. Note on their website that you are required to ship the aquarium back before they will ship a replacement. They were willing to waive this for me after sending them a video of the leak. So I agreed to the $600 and asked them to send me a PayPal invoice and

My Red Sea Reefer 250 (which i bought after my CADlights issues) developed a pinhole leak in the seam at 6 month mark. I emailed some pictures, and had a new tank -with nothing out of pocket- in 10 days. That is customer service.

 

[gcarroll]

@MarineDepot is aware of their issues but is happy that most of their aquariums work.

This was the response from @MarineDepot when I reached out to them last year:



MarineDepotProud SponsorR2R SupporterPlatinum SponsorToys For Kids 2016
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Filbie70 wrote:
You need to drop them as a vendor. Read the posts on R2R. This does not provide a good image of the vendors you offer and damages the Marine Depot name. This hobby is expensive enough without having to deal with poor quality at a premium and horrible customer service. Usually you get what you pay for in this hobby. I would hope that Marine Depot would listen to the feedback on these blogs and protect their customers.
Marine Depot wrote:
Thank you very much for your feedback. There are occasional issues, but the large majority of CAD Light aquariums (and equipment) are without problems/defects. We continually work with CAD Lights to resolve problems that do arise and improve business processes. Things have improved significantly since last year when this thread was created. Aside from Red Sea, which we also carry but at a significantly higher price point for shoppers, we have not been able to find a better manufacturer that offers aquariums of similar quality/price.

MarineDepot.com
1-800-566-FISH

i see nothing wrong with that response. That goes to show that the are working with the company to make sure the issues get resolved. The is a huge learning curve for companies doing business with Marine Depot and BRS. I have seen it first hand. This is why come companies can and will never be offered at these retailers. I wish you luck taking care of you issues.

 

[MarineDepot]

Hello folks! I want to thank you all for posting feedback on here, thankfully we have a wonderful platform like R2R to share these experiences. Not only to help each other as hobbyists but also help us retailers become better. It does hurt to hear that some of you may not shop with us because of your experience with CADLights. I want to personally offer some help in hopes to show you that Marine Depot is built and run by hobbyists just like you and we only want the best for you and your aquarium.

We will re-evaluate Cad Lights and of course consider everything that has been put forward.

I see we have a few unhappy CAD Lights customers on here. If you purchased the aquarium with us, please PM us your order details directly and include ATTN: ROBERT in the subject line. Describe to me in detail what we can do to help resolve the problem and I will do my very best to help. You can also simply email me if you prefer - [email protected].

-Robert @ MD

 

[Deaf clown]

I got the 165 gallon of this tank from a local reefer for free. He never had water in it and quite frankly I’m terrified to. Especially after reading these replies and there’s a chip on a corner of the tank.

 

[Benga]

I got the 165 gallon of this tank from a local reefer for free. He never had water in it and quite frankly I’m terrified to. Especially after reading these replies and there’s a chip on a corner of the tank.

Time to start marketing them as reptile tanks

 

[Deaf clown]

Time to start marketing them as reptile tanks

Right!?

 

[Waboss]

I have been contemplating picking up a Versa 45 Galllon shallow from MD and have been doing a bunch or research. While MD is probably correct in that most of their tanks have no issues, I still see more "stay away" warnings and pictures/threads about issues and poor customer service for the than most others I'd consider.

So I'm still dragging my feet on making the purchase. I really like the look and feel of the tank, but it seems they have a lot of bad press (for me anyway) . I may just go back to the custom route like I was going to do originally.

 

[Zoaeasy]

I am definitely going to go custom and local when I upgrade next year.

 

[anthony fotiu]

I am sorry so many people are having problems with there cadlight aquariums. I bought there 100 gallon aquarium over a year ago. No problems it’s a awesome tank! It did get scratched during shipping. It was the shipping company’s fault. I called cadlights up and told them what happened. They refunded me some money back right away no problem. It was a very small scratch but still it was new. I would purchase another one.

 

[CMO]

In reevaluating your policies you should consider leaving an out of office message on both your email accounts and phone line if you will not be able to return calls / messages for an extended time.

 

[Zoaeasy]

Hello Folks,
First off, I want to apologize to all of you who have experienced problems with us the past 2 weeks. We have been at the CIPS show in China, and have been virtually unreachable. We acknowledge this and understand your frustration. These posts have been brought to my intention and I want to say that each one will be personally addressed after the Thanksgiving holiday. I have personally spoken to 1 or 2 of you folks and there are issues I am Aware of. I will be honoring warranty for those that fall under those guidelines.

We here at Cadlights are fully aware of our failures as a company and are currently making changes to correct them for our customers. We are bringing in a new team, rewriting policies, bringing back old products that our customers asked for.

Your voices are not unheard, and we will be reaching out individually over the course of the next few weeks on a personal basis to re-evaluate each case.

We appreciate ALL feedback, good and bad.
Please feel free to email or message us with questions or concerns.

Thank you
Chelsea
Cad Lights Aquariums

Thank you very much for the response.
You can inbox me directly .

 

[filbie70]

i see nothing wrong with that response. That goes to show that the are working with the company to make sure the issues get resolved. The is a huge learning curve for companies doing business with Marine Depot and BRS. I have seen it first hand. This is why come companies can and will never be offered at these retailers. I wish you luck taking care of you issues.

I’m sorry. But, I do have a problem with this response. If you want to develop a supplier, don’t play Russian roulette with peoples houses and their hardwood flooring. This isn’t a matter of they just don’t treat people right. It is poor quality, poor customer service, not honoring warranty claims. Those problems are fixable and this is a multi-year issue if you look at the review not some start up that they are trying to get a fledgling off the ground!

 

[filbie70]

i see nothing wrong with that response. That goes to show that the are working with the company to make sure the issues get resolved. The is a huge learning curve for companies doing business with Marine Depot and BRS. I have seen it first hand. This is why come companies can and will never be offered at these retailers. I wish you luck taking care of you issues.

I’m sorry. But, I do have a problem with this response. If you want to develop a supplier, don’t play Russian roulette

Hello Folks,
First off, I want to apologize to all of you who have experienced problems with us the past 2 weeks. We have been at the CIPS show in China, and have been virtually unreachable. We acknowledge this and understand your frustration. These posts have been brought to my intention and I want to say that each one will be personally addressed after the Thanksgiving holiday. I have personally spoken to 1 or 2 of you folks and there are issues I am Aware of. I will be honoring warranty for those that fall under those guidelines.

We here at Cadlights are fully aware of our failures as a company and are currently making changes to correct them for our customers. We are bringing in a new team, rewriting policies, bringing back old products that our customers asked for.

Your voices are not unheard, and we will be reaching out individually over the course of the next few weeks on a personal basis to re-evaluate each case.

We appreciate ALL feedback, good and bad.
Please feel free to email or message us with questions or concerns.

Thank you
Chelsea
Cad Lights Aquariums

Chelsea,

I have been waiting since April for the PayPal request from Cadlights for me to pay the shipping for my replacement tank due to the seam leak. When will that be sent?

Matt

 

[filbie70]

Hi matt, I will take care of this for you tomorrow, would you please message me here privately and give me your contact information so that I can make sure this is handled? Also what is the price you were quoted for shipping? I will see what I can do about that for you.

I look forward to helping you with your issues.
Thank you
Chelsea

Thank you Chelsea. I sent a PM.

 

[CMO]

Last question emailed privately went unanswered so I'll just ask publicly going forward. Publishing some INSTRUCTIONS and perhaps FAQs would save a lot of back and forth.

Is this bowing of the rear glass panel normal?

 

[filbie70]

PM Sent

Major disappointment but not surprising story here. Chelsea took the conversation offline and lead me to believe they were going to honor the warranty and the went silent and unresponsive to emails for the past two months. Par for the course Chelsea. Great job trying leading everyone to believe Cadlights stands behind their product!

 

[pecan2phat]

Cadlights is a bad company period!
After I paid $1450 for their 70g Artisan II and received a subpar product and emailed all those pictures to their sales rep Eric, there was no reply ever!
So for Chelsea to claim to address all the unsatisfied customers in this thread, it's all bull from a bull company.
Save yourself frustration and buy a Red Sea or Waterbox from here on in, they would never send you a shotty product like Cad!

 

[hart24601]

Wow, scary stuff.... I have thought about cadlights, no way now.

 

[Cherub]

I almost went with CAD and read similar stories to these and went with another better brand. I now feel like I dodged a bullet! Save a few bucks at the start then pay through the nose later? It's like a toxic loan... No thanks. That pic of the bowed glass and the tank in a trough for a year. Oye vey, what a mess.