Can BRS reviews be trusted?

[Want2BS8ed]

How should a vendor be viewed when they filter out negative product reviews? Twice now it has happened on verified purchases.

Disappointed because I rely on the honesty of other reefers to make buying decisions.

Mike

 

[Antics]

If be interested to hear more about this, but I see negative product reviews on the site all the time so I find it a little hard to comprehend. Any chance your reviews are vulgar or filed with profanity, something that might be flagged for presentation rather than content?

 

[spscrackhead]

Which negative reviews were filtered out?

 

[Usctom]

Interesting. I posted a negative review for a product a couple years ago and cant find it. I see lot of 5 stars on that same product.

 

[Broadfield]

Hey Mike, do you mind posting your review just like you wrote it and for what product?

I filter out some of the reviews for my business, good and bad, because they don't necessarily relate to the product. Here are some examples of mine and some others I have seen:

• "Ordered my part and it arrived the very next day. A++ 5 Stars"(this is not a review of the product, it's a review of my shipping skills lol)
• "Got the swing set put together and it's unbelievably nice. But since it came in such large boxes, I have to only give it 3 Stars." (really?... you bought a huge swing set)
• "The product came broken - 1 Star" (this is an absolutely worthless review without more info... most likely it was broken in shipping)
• "Product took too long to get here - 2 Stars" (yep, that's the product's fault lol)
• "This thing is far too hard to put together, otherwise it's great - 3 Stars" (Weird, I thought it was easy... maybe you should give your assembly skills 3 Stars and not the product lol. You do realize that Legos have to be assembled!?!)

Obviously what I wrote in parenthesis is only my humorous commentary for this post.... and only the first review was for my business.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Moved to vendor feedback forum and tagging @Bulk Reef Supply so they see the thread.

 

[tjnorthdakota]

I never take feedback on a vendor sites for face value, in the end they are still selling the product to make money. I will usually check multiple sources and independent video reviews. including typing it into the ol' r2r search bar. It always seems to me that no matter what site you go to there is a ratio of good vs. bad reviews that seems to be the same for any product on any vendor, unless the only reviews are positive.

 

[tjnorthdakota]

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the vendor can shield the people from the consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the vendor to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the vendor.”

 

[LostInTheDark]

^Agreed. I always google a product to find reviews rather then relying on sites such as Amazon or anyone else who is in the business to sell. Its always buyer beware. You'd be amazed the difference on different sites

 

[Want2BS8ed]

Actually two reviews, both some time ago, never posted and they do not show up as product reviews under my user account. Simply gone as if they never existed.

What prompted my original post earlier today was actually an open question regarding an Abyzz A400 pump I purchased from BRS a couple of months ago.

Sunday afternoon, I e-mailed Abyzz America and posted a question on BRS's website (one right after the other), asking what was required to connect the A400 to an APEX VDM. Jeff with Abyzz America answered me within an hour-and-a-half... on Sunday no less! BRS, who I purchased the pump from, responded yesterday (Thursday afternoon - 4 days later). Note responded, not answered. It was a textbook, non-answer answer that they "were aware there had been some discussions of connectivity", but had no "current solution." Really?

Back in March someone asked if the A400 "could" be controlled by an APEX? To which BRS answered yes with a link to a discussion on Neptune Systems support forum (which discusses programming/timing limitations, but not the physical connection required). All I did was ask what specifically is needed to connect an Abyzz pump to a Neptune Systems/APEX VDM.

What galls me, you have the opportunity to request a private answer from BRS, which I didn't do because this is relevant information to anyone else who may be looking at these pumps. This is the 3rd time something that may not put one of their products in a perfect light has not made it onto BRS's website.

And the final answer? What BRS is avoiding have to tell you? After spending $2,350 for the pump you are going to have to plunk down another $380 to connect it to the APEX (assuming of course you already own a VDM module - that would be an additional $100 if you didn't).

I have said it before, BRS's customer service disappeared about the same time their green packing peanuts did.

Mike

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Where do you not see your review? We don't remove reviews here.

 

[Want2BS8ed]

Where do you not see your review? We don't remove reviews here.

Product reviews on BRS's website. Maybe the context was lost when the topic was moved...

 

[Bulk Reef Supply Verified Sponsor]

Hi Mike,

I assure you we do not censor reviews EXCEPT in the following circumstances:

• Reviews are vulgar or defamatory in nature
• Reviews are not specifically related to the product it was left on

It sounds like you may be referring to our product question feature. We do reply to a number of product questions privately, and depending on the Q/A submit tickets to our content team to actually add the details to the product description. We publish questions that are too specific for the content, but are common and still helpful to a variety of people/purposes. We do both of these to keep the section easy to use and navigate.

Your question is currently in our ticket queue to be added to the content. If you have other reviews or questions you're curious about, feel free to shoot me a PM and I'll look into them right away!

-Valerie

 

[Want2BS8ed]

Hi Mike,

I assure you we do not censor reviews EXCEPT in the following circumstances:

• Reviews are vulgar or defamatory in nature
• Reviews are not specifically related to the product it was left on

It sounds like you may be referring to our product question feature. We do reply to a number of product questions privately, and depending on the Q/A submit tickets to our content team to actually add the details to the product description. We publish questions that are too specific for the content, but are common and still helpful to a variety of people/purposes. We do both of these to keep the section easy to use and navigate.

Your question is currently in our ticket queue to be added to the content. If you have other reviews or questions you're curious about, feel free to shoot me a PM and I'll look into them right away!

-Valerie

Thank you for responding so quickly Valerie. I wish that same level of service was provided in response to my original inquiry regarding the Abyzz's connectivity. It will be interesting to see what is finally posted to your site. The original e-mail I received said the ticket was closed, so at least (if I am interpreting your note correctly) there is hope the information will be dismiminated and others may find it helpful.

In regards to product reviews, we can ignore vulgarity and defamatory language, but what constitutes being specifically related? A skimmer manufacturer's poor packaging leading to product damage? A BRS probe that is defective out the box? Are those facts not relevant enough for a review?

And what of BRS's service? How should one communicate that BRS couldn't quite manage to expedite a replacement skimmer, despite having paid for the service originally and ultimately paying for two skimmers to speed the process? And what about having to send two Abyzz pumps because the first was used? The pump was taken care of, the skimmer eventually canceled, but neither should have happened. Are they relevant to a prospective purchaser? I believe so and would appreciate your guidance on how to communicate that in a review so it passes your screening process.

And what about the response to controlling the Abyzz pump? 10-months ago it could be done. Now it is ambiguous despite Neptune Systems labeling it as being reef ready and Abyzz subsequently confirming it is doable (but at considerable expense). It's been listed on Neptune's website for some time now and Abyzz answered the question in an hour-and-a-half (on a Sunday no less) and the best BRS can come-up with in four days is "there's been some talk of it"? Allow me to wax subjective for a moment, I don't find that to be particularly good support even if there weren't a few thousand dollars sitting on both ends of the question.

Mike

 

[Bulk Reef Supply Verified Sponsor]

Thank you for responding so quickly Valerie. I wish that same level of service was provided in response to my original inquiry regarding the Abyzz's connectivity. It will be interesting to see what is finally posted to your site. The original e-mail I received said the ticket was closed, so at least (if I am interpreting your note correctly) there is hope the information will be dismiminated and others may find it helpful.

In regards to product reviews, we can ignore vulgarity and defamatory language, but what constitutes being specifically related? A skimmer manufacturer's poor packaging leading to product damage? A BRS probe that is defective out the box? Are those facts not relevant enough for a review?

And what of BRS's service? How should one communicate that BRS couldn't quite manage to expedite a replacement skimmer, despite having paid for the service originally and ultimately paying for two skimmers to speed the process? And what about having to send two Abyzz pumps because the first was used? The pump was taken care of, the skimmer eventually canceled, but neither should have happened. Are they relevant to a prospective purchaser? I believe so and would appreciate your guidance on how to communicate that in a review so it passes your screening process.

And what about the response to controlling the Abyzz pump? 10-months ago it could be done. Now it is ambiguous despite Neptune Systems labeling it as being reef ready and Abyzz subsequently confirming it is doable (but at considerable expense). It's been listed on Neptune's website for some time now and Abyzz answered the question in an hour-and-a-half (on a Sunday no less) and the best BRS can come-up with in four days is "there's been some talk of it"? Allow me to wax subjective for a moment, I don't find that to be particularly good support even if there weren't a few thousand dollars sitting on both ends of the question.

Mike

Happy to help, and I am very sorry for the slow response to your original product question, and I have addressed this with the customer service team and manager to ensure questions are responded to in a more timely fashion going forward. We actually have a tracking number in place to ensure they are responded to promptly now!

In regards to the answer to your question, I agree. It should have been more in depth, and I apologize for the brevity of the response you received. I have reached out to both Neptune and Abyzz to make sure we have the maximum information to add to our product page. I do appreciate you bringing this to my attention so we can get this fixed!

I REALLY want to get to the bottom of this but I am having a bit of difficulty as I am not familiar with which products or orders you are referring to (I looked up any pending or unapproved reviews with your name, and could not find any tied to you - perhaps it was a different name?) If you can PM me with some additional information (order numbers, products), I can check with our customer service manager to properly identify the issue to ensure we don't let it happen again.

-Valerie

 

[Bulk Reef Supply Verified Sponsor]

Interesting. I posted a negative review for a product a couple years ago and cant find it. I see lot of 5 stars on that same product.

Hey there, can you share the product with me? I'm wondering if there has been a new iteration of the product...

 

[Want2BS8ed]

Happy to help, and I am very sorry for the slow response to your original product question, and I have addressed this with the customer service team and manager to ensure questions are responded to in a more timely fashion going forward. We actually have a tracking number in place to ensure they are responded to promptly now!

In regards to the answer to your question, I agree. It should have been more in depth, and I apologize for the brevity of the response you received. I have reached out to both Neptune and Abyzz to make sure we have the maximum information to add to our product page. I do appreciate you bringing this to my attention so we can get this fixed!

I REALLY want to get to the bottom of this but I am having a bit of difficulty as I am not familiar with which products or orders you are referring to (I looked up any pending or unapproved reviews with your name, and could not find any tied to you - perhaps it was a different name?) If you can PM me with some additional information (order numbers, products), I can check with our customer service manager to properly identify the issue to ensure we don't let it happen again.

-Valerie

Thanks Valerie. PM sent...

Mike

 

[LbulletM]

Awesome to see a vendor caring! Too often they take the offensive and blame the customer.

 

[Want2BS8ed]

An update (I can't stand it when people start threads like this and never follow-up).

There were a flurry of PM's between Valerie (BRS) and me early last week. The end result: they were unable to find where my negative reviews were "unapproved" and they were unable to determine what happened to them.

So after all of the wonderful fluffy language, it was just that. Fluff. The core question remains, can you trust BRS's product reviews? Based on the facts BRS has confirmed, that can be answered... no.

Regarding connectivity between the APEX and Abyzz A400. As of this note, it has still not been posted to BRS's website. Abyss America has since reached out to me again, admitted they originally misspoke and corrected that only 1 (not two) cables were needed to make the connection. They have them in stock. Priority Mail, I had it in 2 days. It's hooked up to my aquarium and working perfectly. Great product and great customer service. Kudos to Abyzz America for being nimble, proactive and providing superior support.

BRS? Not so much. You haven't been the same since you got rid of the green packing peanuts and it is painfully obvious you have traded volume and cost-cutting over the customer service you were once known for.

 

[Want2BS8ed]

Question still has not posted to BRS although they now have the Abyzz cable listed on their website... Was there a note sent from BRS they were now stocking it? Was there a follow-up post from BRS here? Uh, no.

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the vendor can shield the people from the consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the vendor to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the vendor.”

FWIW, the negative reviews were reposted and miracle-of-miracles - they made it on their website this time. How many others haven't?