Bulk Reef Supply Acquires Marine Depot

[Reef Builders]

Today the reef aquarium world woke up to some shocking news this morning when it was announced that one of America’s largest online retailers, Marine Depot, had been acquired by Bulk Reef Supply. While the announcement may have been of great surprise to many in the United States reef aquarium industry, we all knew Bulk…
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[dank reefer]

Saltwateraquarium.com for the win!

 

[Scorpius]

Saltwateraquarium.com for the win!

Yup. Not happy about the buy put. I love market competition. Keeps business on their toes and prices low.

 

[uhgster1]

I’m not going to say I’ll miss the competition between them, their prices were comparable most of the time, but I’ll miss the choice of a reliable alternate source of reef necessities when one one place is out.

 

[Feldo]

And the price gouging begins... Bulk Reef Supply was out of Ecotech wet-side replacements so I ordered both from MarineDepot :

I just got an in stock alert today from BRS today:

My previous purchase from BRS prior to the acquisition were the same as what MarineDepot charges
Feb-2021 - MP-40 $78.75
March-2020 - MP-10 - $65.10

10% increase already on EcoTech wet-side replacements.

 

[KStatefan]

I am amazed at the power that BRS has now. I never figured they would be able to make manufactures raise the MAP prices on items.

 

[RMS18]

We shall see if prices increase. However you never know other operations may open up as well. Untill then I'll be supporting Saltwater aquarium.com when able for what I need.

 

[dank reefer]

And the price gouging begins... Bulk Reef Supply was out of Ecotech wet-side replacements so I ordered both from MarineDepot :

I just got an in stock alert today from BRS today:

My previous purchase from BRS prior to the acquisition were the same as what MarineDepot charges
Feb-2021 - MP-40 $78.75
March-2020 - MP-10 - $65.10

10% increase already on EcoTech wet-side replacements.

Ecotech went up on their prices on all fronts. Go to ecotech website and thenwetsides are at that same price. And I believe BRS didn't make Ecotech go up on their prices.

But I'll still say shop at Saltwateraquarium.com

 

[Weasel1960]

Jumping to conclusions? I watched the BRS video on the buyout, did you know that the owner of Marine Depot has asked BRS to buy them out several times in the last few years? Also look at pricing on equipment, generally speaking when I look at skimmer prices and other equipment prices a particular model is the same price on each vendor site that carries that brand and on Amazon.

 

[PaulRose1818]

As you all know, Bulk Reef Supply recently acquired Marine Depot and Neptune Systems. Initially I thought this would be ok and may even lead to lower prices. However, I recently had a terrible buying experience with Bulk Reef Supply and am concerned that if BRS gets too much control over the market, it will not be good for the hobby at all. Here is what happened"

I recently ordered a new Ecotech Vectra L2 from BRS for full price (no discounts). About a week later I received a box from BRS that was shipped by UPS. First problem, the box was beat up and broken. Bigger problem was that they sent me the wrong item. Instead of sending me a Vectra L2, they sent me a Vectra M2. The M2 is a smaller less expensive pump. I immediately notified BRS of the problem. They responded that they would ship me the proper item I ordered only after I sent them back the wrong item they shipped to me. To make matters worse, BRS sent me a prepaid return label and told me that I had to go and take the time to wrap up the damaged box and then take it over to my local UPS store. Only once BRS was advised that I had dropped off the package at UPS, only then would BRS ship out the correct item I ordered. For the hassle, the customer service agent told me that BRS would give me a store credit worth $20. I told them it was unreasonable for them to ask me to take the time to go to a UPS store and wait in line (30 mins average) to drop off the return package and so I asked them to have the return box picked up by UPS. That's when things got hairy. The customer service rep called me on the phone and was acting very angry that I had requested such a thing and told me that BRS would not ship the actual item I ordered until it got picked up by UPS which could take days. The BRS customer service rep was pushy and agitated with me, especially when I told him that I though a $20 credit was not satisfactory for sending me the wrong item and then asking me to fix their broken box. He told me that BRS now has "policies" that are strictly adhered to.

Here is my concern. As BRS continues to consolidate its power over the hobby, there will be less competition. Less competition generally means (1) higher prices and (2) strict return "policies" that are not favorable to the customer. What do you think?

 

[casey012293]

I understand the inconvenience of getting the wrong pump, but BRS seems to have tried fairly reasonable accommodation for the mistake that was made and for that it also wasn’t their fault the box was damaged. It sounds like you would be lacking understanding even if you had ordered from a small local company. Honest mistakes happen and if you had this same attitude with a small business they’d have likely treated you the same. I hope your lack of understanding has led them to not want to honor an order from you again, because if you came into a business I managed and acted that way to my staff I’d ask you to leave.

I’m in no way connected to BRS but deal with entitled people like you daily. I hope whatever made you sour is something you can get over so you aren’t bitter to people in the future.

Best,
Kind Stranger

P.S. I hope for the sake of your livestock you show far more patience with your reef-keeping than it appears you do when ordering equipment.

 

[casey012293]

And the price gouging begins... Bulk Reef Supply was out of Ecotech wet-side replacements so I ordered both from MarineDepot :

I just got an in stock alert today from BRS today:

My previous purchase from BRS prior to the acquisition were the same as what MarineDepot charges
Feb-2021 - MP-40 $78.75
March-2020 - MP-10 - $65.10

10% increase already on EcoTech wet-side replacements.

Supply and demand. Have you paid attention to the cost/issues of moving items across the ocean? I think it’s more likely that costs of shipping crates from manufacturers increased the prices of items before they got to the company. I mean, by all means shop around, but I think the higher pricing doesn’t constitute gouging and you’ll probably see it across the board even for companies not related to BRS due to these shipping issues.
While Marine Depot was sold to BRS, their power does not extend over Ecotech and Neptune. They are sister companies, meaning they share the same investors that recently backed BRS and not that BRS itself owns them.

 

[GlassMunky]

I understand the inconvenience of getting the wrong pump, but BRS seems to have tried fairly reasonable accommodation for the mistake that was made and for that it also wasn’t their fault the box was damaged. It sounds like you would be lacking understanding even if you had ordered from a small local company. Honest mistakes happen and if you had this same attitude with a small business they’d have likely treated you the same. I hope your lack of understanding has led them to not want to honor an order from you again, because if you came into a business I managed and acted that way to my staff I’d ask you to leave.

I’m in no way connected to BRS but deal with entitled people like you daily. I hope whatever made you sour is something you can get over so you aren’t bitter to people in the future.

Best,
Kind Stranger

P.S. I hope for the sake of your livestock you show far more patience with your reef-keeping than it appears you do when ordering equipment.

In no way is this posted being entitled asking BRS to cover their own costs and not put another burden on the customer.
sounds like you run a crappy business to me and I wouldn’t shop there if this is how you talk to random customers.
It was BRS who made the mistake, and it’s them who should eat all associated costs with said mistake, including having UPS pick it up. Customer did nothing wrong at all.

 

[csund]

As you all know, Bulk Reef Supply recently acquired Marine Depot and Neptune Systems. Initially I thought this would be ok and may even lead to lower prices. However, I recently had a terrible buying experience with Bulk Reef Supply and am concerned that if BRS gets too much control over the market, it will not be good for the hobby at all. Here is what happened"

I recently ordered a new Ecotech Vectra L2 from BRS for full price (no discounts). About a week later I received a box from BRS that was shipped by UPS. First problem, the box was beat up and broken. Bigger problem was that they sent me the wrong item. Instead of sending me a Vectra L2, they sent me a Vectra M2. The M2 is a smaller less expensive pump. I immediately notified BRS of the problem. They responded that they would ship me the proper item I ordered only after I sent them back the wrong item they shipped to me. To make matters worse, BRS sent me a prepaid return label and told me that I had to go and take the time to wrap up the damaged box and then take it over to my local UPS store. Only once BRS was advised that I had dropped off the package at UPS, only then would BRS ship out the correct item I ordered. For the hassle, the customer service agent told me that BRS would give me a store credit worth $20. I told them it was unreasonable for them to ask me to take the time to go to a UPS store and wait in line (30 mins average) to drop off the return package and so I asked them to have the return box picked up by UPS. That's when things got hairy. The customer service rep called me on the phone and was acting very angry that I had requested such a thing and told me that BRS would not ship the actual item I ordered until it got picked up by UPS which could take days. The BRS customer service rep was pushy and agitated with me, especially when I told him that I though a $20 credit was not satisfactory for sending me the wrong item and then asking me to fix their broken box. He told me that BRS now has "policies" that are strictly adhered to.

Here is my concern. As BRS continues to consolidate its power over the hobby, there will be less competition. Less competition generally means (1) higher prices and (2) strict return "policies" that are not favorable to the customer. What do you think?

Why didn’t you put the L2 on a credit card so it would ship immediately? Then return the M2 at your leisure…

 

[csund]

In no way is this posted being entitled asking BRS to cover their own costs and not put another burden on the customer.
sounds like you run a crappy business to me and I wouldn’t shop there if this is how you talk to random customers.
It was BRS who made the mistake, and it’s them who should eat all associated costs with said mistake, including having UPS pick it up. Customer did nothing wrong at all.

Unfortunately there have been so many people that have taken advantage of store/business policies that the saying “the customer is always right” is necessarily true anymore.
BRS paid for the return label and also offered 20$ compensation for materials. What cost are they asking him to cover?
I imagine they called him after he requested pick up from home to emphasize that the correct product wouldn’t ship until the return package was picked up, which could take a few additional days. I’m sure he had already made it abundantly clear he wanted it now so they made the call to clarify their return policy. I think the return policy is more than fair, they are putting a huge amount of faith in the customer that the item is actually in the box when scanned by UPS - not a can of beans…

 

[Oldreefer44]

Just call them back and ask for a supervisor. Or just ship it back in the damaged box it came in with a bunch of extra tape.

 

[csund]

Just call them back and ask for a supervisor. Or just ship it back in the damaged box it came in with a bunch of extra tape.

This exactly! Some people make their life’s more difficult than they need to be!

Out of curiosity, what would you ask of the supervisor?

 

[Oldreefer44]

The supervisor has the authority to override basic SOP's that the first level customer service person doesn't have. Keep going up the line until the person you are talking to has the authority to give you what you want and just wants your issue dealt with quickly. Works in almost all customer service situations.

 

[csund]

They would likely do that, albeit with a hold on your credit card for the amount until the the previous product was returned.

I’ve had this exact situation happen to me. Super excited to receive a product and the wrong item showed up. I’ll admit, I was bummed but such is life. Immediately went to the website, repurchased the product so it would ship that day then made the return request. My time is far to valuable to waste sitting on endless phone calls or back and forth emails, but to each their own.

 

[casey012293]

The supervisor has the authority to override basic SOP's that the first level customer service person doesn't have. Keep going up the line until the person you are talking to has the authority to give you what you want and just wants your issue dealt with quickly. Works in almost all customer service situations.

Have you heard the recent term “Karen” for someone who thinks they can get around policies by asking for a supervisor? There’s likely a reason these policies are in place and if you keep asking for someone higher up, all you are going to get is the policy repeated back by the individuals that made it.