MixedFruitBasket
Valuable Member
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2019
- Messages
- 1,426
- Reaction score
- 1,732
- What state or country do you live in
- North Carolina
I have decided to start doing vendor reviews. We all know how expensive this hobby is, and while it costs money to grow/sell corals or run a store for dry goods/supplies, I don't think it's beyond reason to expect a level of transparency for vendors. There are things a vendor cannot help, acts of god, stupidity of shipping company, neglect from buyer leading to damage or death of item purchased.
Most of my reviews will be specifically about livestock, because that is where it is mostly the burden of the seller to represent an item as best to their ability and show that item to the best of their ability.
The following is based on my opinion and experience .
I may elect to use photos from their site, my photos from my tank, and screenshots from personal email when inquiry about product representation was made depending on my experience.
Quite often, the lower the vendor score, the more evidence I may post to prove why I gave that score.
My scoring system goes as follows
5* Excellent--Exceeded expectations.
4* Good--Seller did to the best of their ability.
3* Okay--Seller made a valiant attempt.
2* Poor--As a buyer very disappointed with seller's sales practices.
1* Cheated--I feel as if there was no effort made for clear and precise representation and or customer service.
Buy from again ranking:
Yes
Maybe--depends on overall experience such as seller's response to issues.
No
Finally, total amount of losses from purchase: US $$$
Added: I want to make this clear I am not doing any of these reviews to force any vendor to right what I feel like was a wrong. And I will NOT change my overall review if an offer to do so is made or done. I might change whether or not I will buy from again to a *maybe*, but that is the only thing that will be altered with each review experience.
*******ALGAE BARN*******
I have a lot of corals that like to be fed, I have mandarins, leopard wrasse, and other tiny fish. Needless to say I have bought A LOT of algae and copepods over the years.
My biggest problem has been copepods. More times than not, they arrive dead, or with practically nothing in the bottle. Messaging the seller and sending photos of my $25.00 bottle of salt water only resulted in being told the three copepods in the bottle were healthy, or I needed to vent them so they'd "wake up" (sorry there aint no zombie copepods), as well as every other excuse in the book.
As for algae, I've received it so ripe you could smell it with the lid closed. Seller's actions? Pretty much the same as with the copepods.
This kind of response has pretty much become "the norm". I have lost hundreds of dollars to some "big names" on the web.
So I cannot express how absolutely delighted I was getting my first order from Algae Barn.
And no the order wasn't perfect. The bottles had leaked (post people probably had a quick game of soccer on their lunch break). I followed the instructions on filing a claim and Algae Barn sent replacement. When I ordered pods, by golly, there were actually LIVE pods swimming in the jars. And in the number they claim: 3000+.
I've done several orders with them at this point, and every time I've been pleased. Even when there's been a leakage issue, they quickly respond to my claim and take care of it. And leaks have not happened often. You have to understand, it's not uncommon for me to go through almost 10 bottles of algae a month. I'd say leaks have happened about 5% of the time with them. As of now they are getting all my business and I've abandoned other sellers.
Product presentation: 5*
Count and quality as promised.
Customer service: 5*
Courteous, friendly, patient.
Product price: 5*
Very fare cost especially when you're on the subscription plan.
Response to issues: 5* The instructions on their site for a claim make this procedure painless and easy.
Buy from again? Yes
$$$ lost: 0
Most of my reviews will be specifically about livestock, because that is where it is mostly the burden of the seller to represent an item as best to their ability and show that item to the best of their ability.
The following is based on my opinion and experience .
I may elect to use photos from their site, my photos from my tank, and screenshots from personal email when inquiry about product representation was made depending on my experience.
Quite often, the lower the vendor score, the more evidence I may post to prove why I gave that score.
My scoring system goes as follows
5* Excellent--Exceeded expectations.
4* Good--Seller did to the best of their ability.
3* Okay--Seller made a valiant attempt.
2* Poor--As a buyer very disappointed with seller's sales practices.
1* Cheated--I feel as if there was no effort made for clear and precise representation and or customer service.
Buy from again ranking:
Yes
Maybe--depends on overall experience such as seller's response to issues.
No
Finally, total amount of losses from purchase: US $$$
Added: I want to make this clear I am not doing any of these reviews to force any vendor to right what I feel like was a wrong. And I will NOT change my overall review if an offer to do so is made or done. I might change whether or not I will buy from again to a *maybe*, but that is the only thing that will be altered with each review experience.
*******ALGAE BARN*******
I have a lot of corals that like to be fed, I have mandarins, leopard wrasse, and other tiny fish. Needless to say I have bought A LOT of algae and copepods over the years.
My biggest problem has been copepods. More times than not, they arrive dead, or with practically nothing in the bottle. Messaging the seller and sending photos of my $25.00 bottle of salt water only resulted in being told the three copepods in the bottle were healthy, or I needed to vent them so they'd "wake up" (sorry there aint no zombie copepods), as well as every other excuse in the book.
As for algae, I've received it so ripe you could smell it with the lid closed. Seller's actions? Pretty much the same as with the copepods.
This kind of response has pretty much become "the norm". I have lost hundreds of dollars to some "big names" on the web.
So I cannot express how absolutely delighted I was getting my first order from Algae Barn.
And no the order wasn't perfect. The bottles had leaked (post people probably had a quick game of soccer on their lunch break). I followed the instructions on filing a claim and Algae Barn sent replacement. When I ordered pods, by golly, there were actually LIVE pods swimming in the jars. And in the number they claim: 3000+.
I've done several orders with them at this point, and every time I've been pleased. Even when there's been a leakage issue, they quickly respond to my claim and take care of it. And leaks have not happened often. You have to understand, it's not uncommon for me to go through almost 10 bottles of algae a month. I'd say leaks have happened about 5% of the time with them. As of now they are getting all my business and I've abandoned other sellers.
Product presentation: 5*
Count and quality as promised.
Customer service: 5*
Courteous, friendly, patient.
Product price: 5*
Very fare cost especially when you're on the subscription plan.
Response to issues: 5* The instructions on their site for a claim make this procedure painless and easy.
Buy from again? Yes
$$$ lost: 0
