Why do we put up with terrible service

[vetteguy53081]

We do this by choice rather than by necessity and need to curb our impulse desires and research for both husbandry/care of specimens and research vendors and make an educated choice based on price and quality.
Id rather pay an extra $10 for a healthy fish or coral than to save $10 and lose it

 

[Super Fly]

Not to hijack this thread but some vendors policies state "if it has been exposed to water it's not returnable" - so how do you test a pump, skimmer, etc... without exposing it to water? I have this go-around multiple times w/vendors and most times they realize the situation. BRS and Marine Depot are excellent when it comes down to individual situations. But I found Saltwateraquarium.com wanting mfg make the call. IE: Apex ATK not working as advertised - " contact Neptune Systems" (patented excuse #41 - blow off customer to mfgr) I did contact Neptune and they were shocked that SaltwaterAquarium.com wouldn't handle the issue. Do SA is a very last go to for ANYTHING

This is typical complaint at resellerrating.com where this vendor gets only 1 star with so many customer complaints that I'm always puzzled as to how/why it gets such high praise at R2R...

 

[NS Mike D]

Not sure what planet you folks are from who think retail buying experience is worse. (jk)

I think our expectations have gotten very high due to tremendous improvements (due to technology) in quality control in manufacturing and incredible tight and fast supply line chains. Kind of like air travel, we go berserk of the wifi on a plane doesn't work, yet take for granted the miracle of sitting in a chair in a metal box 35,000 feet in the air.

yes, it is a numbers game, always has been. Most companies have and will continue to run cost benefit analysis weighing losing customers against gaining new ones as the grow and become more streamline. The internet and the shipping industry has made buying from your couch incredibly easy, but it is an automated process and one has to expect a certain lack of personal attention - which can be good or bad.

There will always be room for companies that charge a premium for outstanding quality control and customer service (Weber grills are synonymous with this market sector), but when we shop online seeking the cheapest seller, understand something's gotta give.

That being said, I stopped buying livestock online. Between my LFS, local reef club members and R2R sellers located near me, I find I get better livestock at better pricing not to mention no shipping costs and minimal transportation time.

Let me add that my lights and apex were bought through R2R and I couldn't be more happy with the sellers, the gear and the experience.


PS, There have been three companies in recent weeks that I needed to contact - used email off hours. All three got back to me and got my answers before the following Monday mornings. Granted , I am old and remember rotary phones, however, IMO, is a magnificent advance in customer service.

 

[jmp21677]

I canceled my tank purchase this morning. I think what happens more often now due to the internet, is companies sell product they don't have. I'm fine waiting if I know it in advance. If you take 1400 of my money then I expect that item to ship in a reasonable amount of time. The response of "we thought we would have these sooner" doesn't work with me. Like I mentioned I work for a large retailer known for its customer service. When I don't see that from other retailers it's always disappointing and eye opening of how well we do things.

 

[jsbzcmcdaniel]

Sorry to hear you are having issues. I guess I am one of the luck ones because I typically buy all my dry goods from Premium Aquatics or BRS and always have great service. I recently purchased a new WaterBox 130 and called them before I ordered it so I had accurate time of arrival. I was told it would ship in 2-3 weeks from the date of purchase and I received it during that time period. I am sure with WB its a lot to due with high demand and they are growing very fast.

 

[Radman73]

I can't hold my tongue anymore. We all spend ridiculous amounts of money on this hobby and 9 out 10 suppliers have horrible service. There are the good and very good (BRS and Battle corals) and then there is the majority! I recently purchased coral and the supplier mentioned they were giving away a pack during this "sale" and listed the guidelines. I'm assuming things may not have gone the best and no one can seem to figure out who actually won. The list of possible contestants was very small. Now, it could have gone out I suppose? I also ordered a full tank set up last week from waterbox. Site didn't mention anything about delayed shipping so I ordered a 1500 set up. That's a fairly large sum! It's glass and crummy wood. My card was charged so the tank must be on its way. No company charges more than a day or two prior to shipping unless it's live goods etc. I know it's xmas and there is a good chance sales are up.... but it's not my job as a consumer to double check that their website is accurate.... so I'm sure it's on a truck heading to rainy WA, right? Wrong! Sounds like they are waiting on their next delivery in about two weeks. This is terrible service and I just can't understand why it's acceptable. We will destroy certain vendors for minor issues and let others do whatever they want. Someone fill me in!

It's because we've become price driven vs service driven. People largely are willing to risk issues with orders in exchange for a good deal. Bottom line, when you find a shop, local or not, that provides good quality service, support them all the time, not just when they have the cheapest price.

 

[MnFish1]

I can't hold my tongue anymore. We all spend ridiculous amounts of money on this hobby and 9 out 10 suppliers have horrible service. There are the good and very good (BRS and Battle corals) and then there is the majority! I recently purchased coral and the supplier mentioned they were giving away a pack during this "sale" and listed the guidelines. I'm assuming things may not have gone the best and no one can seem to figure out who actually won. The list of possible contestants was very small. Now, it could have gone out I suppose? I also ordered a full tank set up last week from waterbox. Site didn't mention anything about delayed shipping so I ordered a 1500 set up. That's a fairly large sum! It's glass and crummy wood. My card was charged so the tank must be on its way. No company charges more than a day or two prior to shipping unless it's live goods etc. I know it's xmas and there is a good chance sales are up.... but it's not my job as a consumer to double check that their website is accurate.... so I'm sure it's on a truck heading to rainy WA, right? Wrong! Sounds like they are waiting on their next delivery in about two weeks. This is terrible service and I just can't understand why it's acceptable. We will destroy certain vendors for minor issues and let others do whatever they want. Someone fill me in!

Check their shipping page (waterbox) - https://www.waterboxaquariums.com/shop/shipping/

Since it says pickup will be within 2-3 days - I would ask for a discount of some kind. Or at least ask for a 'good' explanation. Then post it here. If they are 'waiting on their next delivery' does that mean they are waiting for your tank to be delivered to them - or waiting for 'another truck' to deliver your aquarium to you.

My guess is that it is 'poor service' from the truckers rather than waterbox (But Waterbox should still be apologetic to you).

PS - every aquarium I have ordered I have had to pay for when ordering. With Redsea it took 3 weeks for delivery. My tank was picked up from Redsea within 3 days - but the trucking company waited until they had a 'full truck'. These independent trucking contractors often have their own schedule. Part of it makes sense - I mean its not like they will send a truck from Texas to Wisconsin with one aquarium.

 

[MnFish1]

PPS - I have no experience with Waterbox - whether good or bad - but IMHO if you accuse a company of 'terrible service' - I think you should give all the details of the transaction and what was said. The way you described the issue there was no way to tell where the real problem was. Im glad though that you cancelled the order if you were dissatisfied.

 

[jsbzcmcdaniel]

Plus the timing to order is not ideal due to the Black Friday deals where many of the retails sold out. I know WaterBox for one ran a special that if you purchased a tank you received a Nyos skimmer for free so anyone setting up a new tank found this very enticing so their sales were likely higher than normal. Just my 2 cents

 

[DSC reef]

This is typical complaint at resellerrating.com where this vendor gets only 1 star with so many customer complaints that I'm always puzzled as to how/why it gets such high praise at R2R...

Maybe they get praise because not everyone has had a bad experience with them? We've been dealing with them for years and they have taken care of any issue in house and in a very timely manner. BRS is another great example of a top notch company.

 

[MnFish1]

This is typical complaint at resellerrating.com where this vendor gets only 1 star with so many customer complaints that I'm always puzzled as to how/why it gets such high praise at R2R...

Your link didnt work (above) - but assuming its resellerratings.com - I didnt see any ratings for waterbox aquariums. I did see multiple 1 star ratings for some very good companies (like saltwater aquariums.com, drsfosterandsmith, etc etc etc. It was surprising how many aquarium related companies had 1 and 2 star reviews on this site.

Edit. I don’t know if you were talking about waterbox or saltwateraquaeiums. But the vast majority of companies related to aquariums got either 1 or 2 stars

 

[BZOFIQ]

We've been in the biz for 20+ years and have a reputation for stellar customer service.

He is not lying. Great peeps, always willing to help.

 

[Saveafish]

Side note you can save a dollar on the wristband. They are on sell today. They ar a pretty blue.
I'm not taking sides. Ive done a boatload of shipping. There is so many things that can cause it to turn in a nightmare. Ive had fedex del it before the customer got the tracking. Ive been on the phone to UPS wondering why it ain't here as the doorbell rings. With him there waiting on me. As we turn more and more to a its my order and I want it now. That speed takes away from other things. Loosing the ballance for the speed.

 

[Actuarious]

The problem with review places like that IMO are that people will go there and write a review when things go bad. Not so much if things go great. So you have to take everything with a grain of salt.

 

[jmp21677]

If it was a trucking issue once the item was shipped I would be good. I understand all the shipping issues around the US. I've been told they don't have the tank I ordered in stock and it would be several weeks before I received it. Original statement was two weeks. Now they won't receive it for at least two weeks. I would assume 7-10 days once it has a ride.

 

[ZoWhat]

I think this generation is expecting far too much from overdoses of IMMEDIATE gratification

So you didnt win the prize. Waaah.

So your shipment got delayed and you couldn't wait. imagine that. you have no idea how many things have to line up down the transportation line for it to go perfect. especially a big piece like a fragile tank

everyone wants a boned-in ribeye steak cooked perfectly and order it off the $1 menu and get it in under 5mins

patience and humility is a lost trait IMO



.

 

[jmp21677]

That post is funny! I'm actually a meat buyer! I like the Ribeye comment. I think life has changed and there is no reason to wait weeks for things. All of life is instant gratification. Doesn't have a ton to do with generations

 

[MnFish1]

That post is funny! I'm actually a meat buyer! I like the Ribeye comment. I think life has changed and there is no reason to wait weeks for things. All of life is instant gratification. Doesn't have a ton to do with generations

Funny thing is - that - poor service (to me) is being rude or whatever. It is not having a low stocking issue. That is how companies need to work. If you liked this brand/tank - I personally would have waited. You were impatient - but most people are . so it's not a diss

 

[JoshH]

While I totally get the frustration with the shipping times, it's often forgotten that Aquariums, especially medium to large ones, take quite a while to produce. Even the "massed produced" tanks take weeks to be cut, polished, siliconed, cured. Most of Waterboxes lines are relatively new, releasing most of them 2 months orso ago. So stock is obviously low to begin with, add some black Friday sales and the holidays in general and it's easy to see how quickly things can run out. And then they are at the mercy of shippers shipping glass boxes across the ocean, waiting at customs where they probably sit for a week or two, shipped to the warehouse, then put in stock to then ship to your door. Its a pretty long process when you lay it all out. And for a company that is so new to the scene it's a big undertaking. Ordering something so large I personally would expect a decent time frame of a week or two for it to show up at my door. Heck I ordered my tank over a month ago and won't see it until the end of January/February. Mind you that's a custom tank but it still goes through the exact same process Waterbox tanks do. If I wasn't satisfied with the wait time with any product I would have done exactly what you did and cancelled the order. But keep in Mind, any other tank manufacturer will be the same wait time, especially around the holidays

 

[jmp21677]

I was being a bit of a wah wah baby for sure. I'll figure out something on the new track piece. It's the lack of communication. This is deeper than just this tank. I received a small box of corals last week from a supplier on this sight. No notification of shipment and I requested they ship two days later. Got home and my kids left it sitting for about 3 hours not knowing what it was.