Store Credit No Refund??

[Randy’s reef]

Hey everyone I want to share my opinion on something I’m tired of seeing.

“If coral arrives is doa , we DO NOT do refunds only “store credit”.

like what type of policy is that? I don’t think that’s fair to put you into that position where you’re stuck even if they shipped to you and it died you’re still stuck with them no matter what , if you place a coral order for a specific coral and it came doa you should have every right to get your money back not a “store credit”. What are you guys thoughts? I’m seeing a lot of online vendors doing this nonsense now almost all , it sucks , I miss old school reefin

 

[Brian_68]

I understand their position, they lost the sale and coral if they refund your money and they are a business that is trying to make money. It often is the shipper that caused it, not them.

 

[a.t.t.r]

I understand their position, they lost the sale and coral if they refund your money and they are a business that is trying to make money. It often is the shipper that caused it, not them.

Shipping is still the stores responsibility.

Anyways. Reverse charges it’s usually against their TOS with the cc processor anyway.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

... you should have every right to get your money back not a “store credit”. What are you guys thoughts? I’m seeing a lot of online vendors doing this nonsense now almost all , it sucks , I miss old school reefin

A business owner has "every right" to determine their DOA policy.
You have the right to choose not to do business with them if you don't like it

 

[BigKid4788]

They have the right to have the policy, you have the right not to purchase from the vendor.

 

[Rmckoy]

I understand their position, they lost the sale and coral if they refund your money and they are a business that is trying to make money. It often is the shipper that caused it, not them.

But most businesses also have insurance to cover for these setbacks .
This is highway robbery.
sell and ship a near dead frag and still make money from it ?

store credit is better than nothing.

This is why I refuse to buy corals online

 

[benmed]

I agree with the OP. there is very little incentive for a store to take a sick coral off their inventory. They could advertise a healthy coral, knowing it’s sick, get their money. While obviously if they did this for every coral, it would be problematic, but it’s a good way for them to capture money on sick corals.

The argument that they are not responsible for shipping is crazy. We are typically not given a choice on shipping companies.

I think the point is that as a community we have the right to discuss it. One person alone won’t change their policy, but if there a bunch of us who agree, we can let them know with a combination of email and money.

 

[Brian_68]

Shipping is still the stores responsibility.

Anyways. Reverse charges it’s usually against their TOS with the cc processor anyway.

Their responsibility, yes, but not their fault most of the time and the store does not get refunded or the coral back as you can't insure....... Stand up shops don't ship dead or dying coral on purpose or they would not stay in business, so best to frequent those.

 

[Randy’s reef]

But most businesses also have insurance to cover for these setbacks .
This is highway robbery.
sell and ship a near dead frag and still make money from it ?

store credit is better than nothing.

This is why I refuse to buy corals online

Apperently people are okay with this , I understand business need to make money , BUT if you pay for a specific item and it comes dead how is that your fault, Now people are commenting “you know the terms before you buy” bla bla bla etc and I agree with that , I’m just saying that putting no refund only store credit is a little bizarre

I wish ppl would leave emotion out of it with all the you read the terms, I’m not complaining about a purchase I actually bought, I’m just stating what I see and wanting to hear what others think about it.

 

[a.t.t.r]

Their responsibility, yes, but not their fault most of the time and the store does not get refunded or the coral back as you can't insure.......

Cost of business.

 

[Randy’s reef]

I agree with the OP. there is very little incentive for a store to take a sick coral off their inventory. They could advertise a healthy coral, knowing it’s sick, get their money. While obviously if they did this for every coral, it would be problematic, but it’s a good way for them to capture money on sick corals.

The argument that they are not responsible for shipping is crazy. We are typically not given a choice on shipping companies.

I think the point is that as a community we have the right to discuss it. One person alone won’t change their policy, but if there a bunch of us who agree, we can let them know with a combination of email and money.

Exactly you’re one of the few that didn’t let this go way over your head like some others who commented !

 

[Randy’s reef]

Cost of business.

Exactly , in a business not everything will be successful , but I know for a dang fact as a customer if the specific coral I spent my hard earned money on came dead I would want that cash back!

 

[Tired]

Personally, if a coral arrives dead, I'd likely want a replacement. Assuming I'm ordering from a reputable place, and it arrived dead by some fluke of bad luck, not because it was visibly unhealthy to start with.

 

[dcsorrell]

*If* the vendor has an "arrive alive" guarantee, there should be a statement on the website regarding reimbursement policy for doa animals. If not, I wouldn't purchase from that vendor without asking about the refund policy ahead of time. They should be happy to answer the question.

 

[Rmckoy]

Being Canada , some lfs will not ship livestock during colder Months for this reason .
Most lfs do not guarantee saltwater livestock even if bought in the store .
if it dies on the way home or during acclimation there isn’t even store credit

 

[doubleshot00]

“If coral arrives is doa , we DO NOT do refunds only “store credit”.

Don’t they ALL do this?

 

[a.t.t.r]

You forget you bought something living and it is their responsibility until it reaches your door in the

*If* the vendor has an "arrive alive" guarantee, there should be a statement on the website regarding reimbursement policy for doa animals. If not, I wouldn't purchase from that vendor without asking about the refund policy ahead of time. They should be happy to answer the question.

You forget you bought something living and it is their responsibility until it reaches your door and the transaction completes If it died in transit that is on them.

 

[a.t.t.r]

Personally, if a coral arrives dead, I'd likely want a replacement. Assuming I'm ordering from a reputable place, and it arrived dead by some fluke of bad luck, not because it was visibly unhealthy to start with.

Don’t they ALL do this?

Way to many do and then they try and charge you shipping on the new order without crediting shipping for the first.

We need to not stand for this abuse in the hobby any longer. I had an LfS try to make me go through a warranty process for a radion that was problematic 2 days after buying it. Gave them a choice. Swap it or deal with a charge back.

 

[Montiman]

I work in an eCommerce business now and I used to sell live fish online. Granted I do not sell live animals anymore but I understand there are differences. For me in my current business, a huge red flag for fraud is I don't want a replacement, I can't send the item back, and I want a refund. I understand that with DOA live animals this is different but everyone must also understand that the internet is full of scammers and one way of avoiding fraud is having a return policy of only replacements no refunds. I have lost literally tens of thousands of dollars to internet fraud over the years. It is ridiculous. Credit card companies do not side with the merchant in nearly any case and law enforcement doesn't do anything about this kind of theft.

This is unfortunate but for me it just solidifies the fact that I greatly prefer to buy livestock in person. I have a good LFS and I only have animals shipped to me if I have to.

 

[mermaid_life]

I totally see both sides on this. Policy works IF seller is reputable and DOA is ALWAYS shipper's fault. However, it's hard to prove if coral was sick or something went wrong with shipping. Who should eat the cost? Dunno.

I feel like I got screwed over once where I ordered enough coral/items for free shipping.... The seller forgot a frag and offered me refund on the piece or to send the piece but I had to pay for shipping. I posted on here and was told that I was in the wrong to expect what I paid for and not have to pay the shipping to get it. *Shrug*