Worst hobby transaction you have ever been a part of?

revhtree · Jun 18, 2013

Please don't name names! This is not a feedback topic.

In the hobby it's bound to happen. You're going to have a bad experience with a company or with someone and some of these transactions are just hard to believe. But in the spirit of good conversation I let's share!

I would like to hear some horror stories about the worst hobby transaction you have ever been a part of! Whether it be new or used equipment you purchased. A coral of fish deal gone bad, or whatever else fits the description!

3Twinklets · Jun 18, 2013

A 375 gallon acrylic tank!

cdness · Jun 18, 2013

Worst... I have not been a part of any really horrible issues, however there have been some bumps in the road... Here are quick excerpts of some of the issues I have run into:

I sold some corals via text at an agreed upon price. The corals were cut, glued, healed for a couple days and scheduled for pickup. The guy comes over with a quarter of the cash we agreed upon and wanted to still take the corals... This was after he spent 20 minutes critiquing my tank and insulting my husbandry methods.

I know others have had much worse than me so I see mine as more of a learning experience on what to avoid the next time. Personally I have a hard time supporting a business after one mishandled bad transaction. Mistakes happen and I fully understand that. However if you do not keep up a level of customer service that I expect out of a company, I will no longer shop there. Handle it well and you'll have a good customer for life.

SeymourDuncan · Jun 18, 2013

Bicolor angelfish: someone gave him to me from their reef tank they broke down claiming he was a good one. Ate my brains and my Duncan's but I luckily saved them and when he had no coral to eat he ate my engineer goby and died of fat. Found him bloated. One of the very few happy deaths in my tank as I could not catch him to save my life. 5year old fish are smart!

"Live like tomorrow already happened. Yesterday is only 3 days ahead. Today will be here soon."

specvjeff · Jun 18, 2013

I've been fairly lucky over the years but one case does come to mind. It was about 13 years ago when I worked at an LFS that has since gone out of business. Back in those days, we had to fax over a drawing of the custom tanks we ordered. I sent the fax and, the description of the tank to the manufacturer and when it arrived, it was wrong. The tank had a unique curve that was meant to match a customers home. The tank arrived with the curve on the wrong side making it useless. Well that wouldn't be so bad but the owner decided it was my fault, and that I had to pay for the tank. This was a large tank made from acrylic so it wasn't cheap. I was leaving the shop in about 2 weeks so once I left, I sought legal action. When he had taken over ownership of the shop, he made us all sign no compete contacts that limited our ability to work for another fish store after we left. I had left to go work for an online store that only sold dry goods online. He threatened to enforce the contract I had signed and sue me for violating it. If I dropped my legal pursuit, he wouldn't enforce it. Looking back at the situation, I was 17 when I signed the contract and, didn't have a parent present when I signed it. Therefore it wasn't a valid contract. I really should have gone forward with it but I probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere. I ended up hearing horror stories about receiving final paychecks for the employees that had stuck around till the store went out of business. Not exactly your average incident but that's all I got!

Mike J. · Jun 18, 2013

Worst thing (I) ever did was buy a Yellow Tang from another person who said he had it for six months in his tank and it was a "healthy" fish. Because "stupid is as stupid does" I put in directly in my display. Guess what happened? ICH! The Yellow Tang died, but I managed to save my all my other fish. It was a hard lesson I'll never do again. (knock wood) I even quarantine snails now.

SeymourDuncan · Jun 18, 2013

specvjeff said:
I've been fairly lucky over the years but one case does come to mind. It was about 13 years ago when I worked at an LFS that has since gone out of business. Back in those days, we had to fax over a drawing of the custom tanks we ordered. I sent the fax and, the description of the tank to the manufacturer and when it arrived, it was wrong. The tank had a unique curve that was meant to match a customers home. The tank arrived with the curve on the wrong side making it useless. Well that wouldn't be so bad but the owner decided it was my fault, and that I had to pay for the tank. This was a large tank made from acrylic so it wasn't cheap. I was leaving the shop in about 2 weeks so once I left, I sought legal action. When he had taken over ownership of the shop, he made us all sign no compete contacts that limited our ability to work for another fish store after we left. I had left to go work for an online store that only sold dry goods online. He threatened to enforce the contract I had signed and sue me for violating it. If I dropped my legal pursuit, he wouldn't enforce it. Looking back at the situation, I was 17 when I signed the contract and, didn't have a parent present when I signed it. Therefore it wasn't a valid contract. I really should have gone forward with it but I probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere. I ended up hearing horror stories about receiving final paychecks for the employees that had stuck around till the store went out of business. Not exactly your average incident but that's all I got!

If only I was in your shoes

I love laws

"Live like tomorrow already happened. Yesterday is only 3 days ahead. Today will be here soon."

mike007 · Jun 18, 2013

Trick photography. Buying bugger size frags. After getting them they look nothing like photos.

shrimplet · Jun 18, 2013

Bought a chalice was shown a pic of it pic looked good when it arrived it was a 1/4 of the size and half dead he sent me a piece that was unhealthy in his tank to unload it on me to save him from taking the loss total loss

Telefonica007 · Jun 19, 2013

Organized a trade and I shipped my part. Only got my corals 35 days later in a box that was soaking wet and half the shipment didn't make it!!! Sux

Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

BebeCR · Jun 19, 2013

This is a nightmare, and I am still in the middle of it!!! Here the facts, be the judge:

4/5/2012 - I placed a coral order
4/6/2012 - 4/29/2012 - e-mailed - Added more corals to the order and send the order WYSIWYG pictures
4/29/2012 - someone wrote me: "Yes, I cut some items for you. I try to match up as best as I can."
5/16/2012 - worried for my order sent an e-mail; read about they will be moving their facilities; asked for order status
5/16/2012 - someone wrote me:"We are moving to the farm. Still have your corals. We will start shipping in about 10 days"
I waited for my order (10 days to shipment... maybe more because their company were moving... and wait... and NOTHING!)
7/27/12 - emailed asking AGAIN for my order: "I still want my corals!" (attached: .pdf with coral photos and 4 "print screens" of the 3 PayPal payments)
They never answer my e-mail...

Since then I tried to communicate with them using a contact form in their website and via e-mail. The order appeared as "completed" on their website. I emailed them (using my e-mail account) on December asking again for my order STATUS; they asked if I've paid for the order; I 've sent the payment attachments again. No one answered me.

On 1/1/2013 I asked FOR A REFUND!

They don't have ANY proof of shipping: no receipts, no tracking number, no pre-shipping e-mail, no UPS transaction, no tracking-number e-mail; They can't find NOTHING! (if they didn't shipped the order this is the logical outcome, but they said they ship it)

On 4/5/13 someone wrote me: "Since this was a international shipment we had to do paperwork on it. " But THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING! Thy said they shipped it, I just want proof of it.

NOW they said that is too late to find any proof of shipment. Since 7/27/2012 I've been asking for my order and is in this last two months that they try to find "any" information about it. As they've said, maybe is a little late to find anything about it, but this is NOT my fault.

This situation needed to be addressed by their personnel when I asked the first time on 7/27/12. Poor-poor-poor Customer Service Skills.

If they can't show me any proof of shipment: I JUST WANT MY REFUND!!!

Telefonica007 · Jun 19, 2013

Wow!!! That's horrible!! U should get the coral and refund in my opinion.

SeymourDuncan · Jun 19, 2013

BebeCR said:
This is a nightmare, and I am still in the middle of it!!! Here the facts, be the judge:

4/5/2012 - I placed a coral order
4/6/2012 - 4/29/2012 - e-mailed - Added more corals to the order and send the order WYSIWYG pictures
4/29/2012 - someone wrote me: "Yes, I cut some items for you. I try to match up as best as I can."
5/16/2012 - worried for my order sent an e-mail; read about they will be moving their facilities; asked for order status
5/16/2012 - someone wrote me:"We are moving to the farm. Still have your corals. We will start shipping in about 10 days"
I waited for my order (10 days to shipment... maybe more because their company were moving... and wait... and NOTHING!)
7/27/12 - emailed asking AGAIN for my order: "I still want my corals!" (attached: .pdf with coral photos and 4 "print screens" of the 3 PayPal payments)
They never answer my e-mail...

Since then I tried to communicate with them using a contact form in their website and via e-mail. The order appeared as "completed" on their website. I emailed them (using my e-mail account) on December asking again for my order STATUS; they asked if I've paid for the order; I 've sent the payment attachments again. No one answered me.

On 1/1/2013 I asked FOR A REFUND!

They don't have ANY proof of shipping: no receipts, no tracking number, no pre-shipping e-mail, no UPS transaction, no tracking-number e-mail; They can't find NOTHING! (if they didn't shipped the order this is the logical outcome, but they said they ship it)

On 4/5/13 someone wrote me: "Since this was a international shipment we had to do paperwork on it. " But THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING! Thy said they shipped it, I just want proof of it.

NOW they said that is too late to find any proof of shipment. Since 7/27/2012 I've been asking for my order and is in this last two months that they try to find "any" information about it. As they've said, maybe is a little late to find anything about it, but this is NOT my fault.

This situation needed to be addressed by their personnel when I asked the first time on 7/27/12. Poor-poor-poor Customer Service Skills.

If they can't show me any proof of shipment: I JUST WANT MY REFUND!!!

What place is this?! I don't want to be a victim either. If it was PayPal you can just call them and get a refund if they have no proof. They will ask you to forward all of your evidence. Then they will inquire the fake coral farm of their proof. Once they determine you are in fact entitled to a refund they will close the case and refund your money.

"Live like tomorrow already happened. Yesterday is only 3 days ahead. Today will be here soon."

BebeCR · Jun 19, 2013

SeymourDuncan said:
What place is this?! I don't want to be a victim either. If it was PayPal you can just call them and get a refund if they have no proof. They will ask you to forward all of your evidence. Then they will inquire the fake coral farm of their proof. Once they determine you are in fact entitled to a refund they will close the case and refund your money.

PayPal usually gives you 45 days only to open a Dispute. After all my collecting efforts I opened a Dispute, but they closed it because of the time period.

...The coral farm??? all I will say for now it's an R2R Sponsor...

SeymourDuncan · Jun 19, 2013

Dang that sucks! Well maybe they will come to their senses.

"Live like tomorrow already happened. Yesterday is only 3 days ahead. Today will be here soon."

BebeCR · Jun 19, 2013

SeymourDuncan said:
Dang that sucks! Well maybe they will come to their senses.

I am praying for that!! I really want my refund$$

(...on their advertisement they said: "Unmatched Service" ...unmatched...)

Swine · Jun 19, 2013

I bought a chiller and this is how it arrived. Parts were broken but luckily it still worked after replacement parts came. Had about three more sheets of newspaper in it

sent from my phone.

Kody72 · Jun 19, 2013

BebeCR said:
PayPal usually gives you 45 days only to open a Dispute. After all my collecting efforts I opened a Dispute, but they closed it because of the time period.

...The coral farm??? all I will say for now it's an R2R Sponsor...

I bet I could name them. it took 6 months to get mine and all died in 5 days

jt17 · Jun 19, 2013

Hey Rev, this thread is driving me crazy. I so want to know who these vendors are so as to avoid them. I own a business, not reef related, and I deal with inept competitors that put my customers on edge and it makes the job more difficult. There are so many outstanding sponsors on R2R who deliver great corals and great service and with the opportunistic vendors taking advantage of some, it clouds the water. pun intended

I actually won a pre live sale R2R game. After 2 posts on the live sale thread and 2 PMs asking if I actually won, being congratulated by many on the thread, I never received any follow up. I was very excited for this Live Sale and so I bought a few more corals. My box arrives 8 weeks after the live sale with one of my WYSIWYG palys just fragged and those 2 measly polyps melted that night. And guess what, no prize. When I read the previous posts of R2R sponsors acting in less than honorable ways it makes me second guess the other sponsors. Please let us out these vendors who do not provide the level of service we on R2R deserve. It should take more then their monthly advertising fee to have the privilege to set up shop here. I know this is your web site to do with as you please, but I can't stop my instinct to fight injustice. There are so many good people here and it troubles me to see anyone taken advantage of. Please establish some rules of conduct and penalties for those who take advantage of us.

Ahh, much better now I got that of my chest.