Hi Dominic,
We have relayed this information to the manufacturer as a secondary confirmation about the nature of these issues that have arisen with the tank in question. The Manufacturer, having seen the pictures you sent over, said that the aquariums are packed in a way that the bottom of the tank does not touch the crate in transit, and the bottom of the tank is not exposed to receive damage until the aquarium is removed from the crate. We can assure you that in our inspection process, before the aquarium leaves AlgaeBarn, an issue of this nature would have been spotted and the aquarium would not have shipped. The manufacturer noted that the most common damage to the vinyl occurs when moving the aquarium without suction cups and the base is slid onto a lift or a stand Since this occurs at the point of installation, and we do not have control over this process, we cannot be held responsible. The party involved in the installation, the aquarium installation company, should rectify or remedy the situation.
Thankfully, when we went over the email and phone call we had on (07/07/2022) all of the issues that you have brought to our attention appear to only be cosmetic in nature. None of the photos provided would indicate a compromise of the structural integrity of the aquarium.
On that same call, we explained that we must work within our policies, and the procedures that we lay out for our customers to follow regarding the receiving, inspecting and installation process. In the email that we send out informing you that your CADE aquarium has been scheduled for pick up, there are some very specific instructions regarding the receiving and inspection that were, in this case, not followed. These policies were developed to give us a fighting chance to claim freight damages and hold the freight company liable for damages. However, without following these procedures, we will not be successful with a damage claim.
In another phone conversation you had with us, you stated that the installers moved too quickly for you to get pictures of the tank and stand inside of the crates; however, in your build thread on R2R your initial post on July 3rd (over 2 weeks post delivery) you show the tank crate and the stand crate side by side in your garage with the lid(s) unlatched and slightly opened. After speaking with the installation company they informed us of the process they went through to install your aquarium. They stated that the crates were in your home prior to the 3 installation technicians arriving at your home; and that you assisted in the installation process. This means you would have seen the issues first hand before removing the aquarium from the crate. They stated that they did not use suction cups, and that a manual lift of the aquarium on to the stand was performed with your assistance.
In summary, the procedure to report and claim shipping damages within the necessary timeframe was not followed. Without this, we are unable to hold the freight company liable and we are unable to confirm that cosmetic damages happened in transportation and did not occur in installation. Due to the instructions not being followed, AlgaeBarn is unable to offer a replacement aquarium. These damages appear to only be cosmetic in nature, and you are still entitled to the 2 year warranty offered by CADEUSA. While we understand that this is not the action you were seeking, we are unable to warranty damages caused during install and we do not warranty cosmetic issues. We do sympathize with your situation and we would be more than happy to send you a complementary replacement vinyl film for the bottom of the aquarium. We are offering to do this free of charge and we will cover shipping to the same address the aquarium was delivered.
