Clearview Classic - Poor Quality and Fit (Artfully Acrylic)

[MaddyP]

@ArtFully Acrylic

I received your lid recently and am extremely disappointed in the quality and fit. The edges seem to be machined with a large radius nearly causing the tab to miss the tank. Machining marks, sharp edges, and rough finish can be found on nearly all machined surfaces. This lid will not work for my purposes as the tanks inhabitants will be small gobies which could easily fit through the gaps around this lid. Please reach out to rectify this order.

Order #CV3212

 

[ArtFully Acrylic]

We will be fixing this issue right away at no cost to the customer. We do urge anyone with an order issue to contact us immediately upon discovering anything unsatisfactory.

We are incredibly disappointed that this was not caught during a quality control check. After two years of machining a high volume of lids, our machine was experiencing some chatter which caused the ridges in the cuts. It has been addressed, fixed and is now cutting the smooth lines everyone deserves.

Our new Operations Manager has also instituted some additional quality control measures to ensure that this is unlikely to happen again without being seen and corrected prior to shipping.

Addressing the pull in the middle, I would like to point out to anyone considering our lids, that this particular tank is a very long, slender tank and a purely custom built lid. Our tolerance is an 1/8th of an inch per side which is a total of a 1/4" of pull.
For future orders for anyone for whom that tolerance is unacceptable, we urge you to ask us to include a brace in the center of your lid, as we will be offering MaddyP on his re-cut.

We do our level best to produce the highest quality lids with the measurements we are given and sometimes, we are not perfect, though we strive for as close to perfection as we can get. Sometimes, that includes learning through mistakes, though never at cost to the customer.

 

[MaddyP]

I would like to point out that even though there is some chatter the lids are made with Poly-carbonate not acrylic so there is no real way to polish the edges like an acrylic tank. This makes the finish a raw finish from the CNC router which does not affect performance in the least. I run two CNC machines every day and there are limitations to the finish on a router cut even after a tool change and finish pass. The other thing that you deal with in machining Poly-carbonate is the fact of plastic memory. During the manufacturing process the Poly-carbonate sheet acquires a "memory" due to the heat and pressure associated with the casting process. When you relieve the stress during the cutting process the plastic can and often deforms due to the memory. The only way to prevent this is a large oven to cure the sheet before machining the parts. In most cases the curing process would triple the cost of the part. So ask yourself are you willing to pay triple the cost or are you now a more informed buyer and can adjust your expectations accordingly? The science of plastics borders on art and that is why the name ArtFully Acrylic is brilliant and they do their best to provide a good product as shown by their response to the OP.

By the way I have never purchased one of there products nor am I associated with their company in anyway. But I have lots of experience with plastics going back 30 plus years. We used solid Poly-carbonate lids for all the aquariums and filters we fabricated due to strength, impact resistance and evaporation. I must admit we never thought about placing a screen in the lid and I think this has complicated the ability to maintain rigidity and form in this type lid. Without innovation and experimentation how can we advance the hobby? Kudos to ArtFully Acrylic and Otco Aquatics for bringing this innovation to the mainstream. Now Red Sea and BRS have joined the offerings with their own versions.

Respectfully, I disagree with your assessment of polycarbonate and it’s machinability. Similar finishes to acrylic can be achieved if the proper tooling is used. It’s apparent from looking at the cuts that a dull tool was used at improper cutting parameters, most likely in a low precision collet chuck. Also, I should point out most respectable plastic forming shops normalize their sheets of polycarbonate after the forming process, reducing built up stresses significantly. Internal stresses should not be an issue so long as AA purchases their stock from a respectable source.

Though I may be the exception with my background in machining and cutting tools, I won’t adjust my quality expectations regarding this product. I know what can be achieved with the proper processes in place.

 

[MaddyP]

We will be fixing this issue right away at no cost to the customer. We do urge anyone with an order issue to contact us immediately upon discovering anything unsatisfactory.

We are incredibly disappointed that this was not caught during a quality control check. After two years of machining a high volume of lids, our machine was experiencing some chatter which caused the ridges in the cuts. It has been addressed, fixed and is now cutting the smooth lines everyone deserves.

Our new Operations Manager has also instituted some additional quality control measures to ensure that this is unlikely to happen again without being seen and corrected prior to shipping.

Addressing the pull in the middle, I would like to point out to anyone considering our lids, that this particular tank is a very long, slender tank and a purely custom built lid. Our tolerance is an 1/8th of an inch per side which is a total of a 1/4" of pull.
For future orders for anyone for whom that tolerance is unacceptable, we urge you to ask us to include a brace in the center of your lid, as we will be offering MaddyP on his re-cut.

We do our level best to produce the highest quality lids with the measurements we are given and sometimes, we are not perfect, though we strive for as close to perfection as we can get. Sometimes, that includes learning through mistakes, though never at cost to the customer.

Thank you for responding promptly! I have received your email and will be happy to work together to solve this issue.

 

[ArtFully Acrylic]

Thank you for responding promptly! I have received your email and will be happy to work together to solve this issue.

I look forward to your response to that email, as that is where we are best able to address your issue.

 

[ArtFully Acrylic]

I look forward to your response to that email, as that is where we are best able to address your issue.

We are reaching out to you on this forum, as you have not replied to our proposed solution via email.

It has already been three weeks since you received your order, although we were not informed of it until yesterday.

I would really love to be certain this lid issue has been resolved for you.

 

[MaddyP]

We are reaching out to you on this forum, as you have not replied to our proposed solution via email.

It has already been three weeks since you received your order, although we were not informed of it until yesterday.

I would really love to be certain this lid issue has been resolved for you.

I am drafting a response to your email as we speak. I wanted to be sure of the measurements before responding.

 

[ArtFully Acrylic]

We at Artfully Acrylic and ClearView Lids strive to enhance this this hobby through hard work, innovation, an absolute love of what we are doing and the community we have the extreme pleasure of serving.

We have spent quite a bit of valuable time and energy on this matter. A matter that was brought to a forum, prior to addressing us directly.
As a result of his replies here and via email and choice to bring this matter to the public, we have decided to publicly announce our final decision.

Our choice is based on his treatment of our company. He also stated, " I won’t adjust my quality expectations regarding this product." As such, we do not feel that this matter will ever be resolved to his satisfaction.
Additionally, we refuse to co-sign the mediocrity running rampant in this world of consumer driven insanity that lends a sense of entitlement to the average consumer by bowing down to the "customer is always right' mentality that comes with abuse and mistreatment. That being said, we are most happy to replace any mistakes made by us and brought to our attention in an appropriate manner.

Thank you for reading thus far. Our decision is that we will be sending this particular customer a full refund, to use as he sees fit, or to simply save, as he has made it quite clear that he can design and manufacture a lid that will please him on his own.

Anyone seeking our help can find that we will respond to any queries if you will simply email us: [email protected] or see us on Facebook, Artfully Acrylic and ClearView Lids
Our customer service hours are 9am-7pm EST, Monday through Saturday. We do not accept phone calls due primarily to the background noise of our shop not allowing us to offer an acceptable level of customer service. If you feel that our online help or written replies are not adequate, we are happy to schedule a telephone call to help you further. Our email and FBM response time is generally within 2 hours.

 

[MaddyP]

We at Artfully Acrylic and ClearView Lids strive to enhance this this hobby through hard work, innovation, an absolute love of what we are doing and the community we have the extreme pleasure of serving.

We have spent quite a bit of valuable time and energy on this matter. A matter that was brought to a forum, prior to addressing us directly.
As a result of his replies here and via email and choice to bring this matter to the public, we have decided to publicly announce our final decision.

Our choice is based on his treatment of our company. He also stated, " I won’t adjust my quality expectations regarding this product." As such, we do not feel that this matter will ever be resolved to his satisfaction.
Additionally, we refuse to co-sign the mediocrity running rampant in this world of consumer driven insanity that lends a sense of entitlement to the average consumer by bowing down to the "customer is always right' mentality that comes with abuse and mistreatment. That being said, we are most happy to replace any mistakes made by us and brought to our attention in an appropriate manner.

Thank you for reading thus far. Our decision is that we will be sending this particular customer a full refund, to use as he sees fit, or to simply save, as he has made it quite clear that he can design and manufacture a lid that will please him on his own.

Anyone seeking our help can find that we will respond to any queries if you will simply email us: [email protected] or see us on Facebook, Artfully Acrylic and ClearView Lids
Our customer service hours are 9am-7pm EST, Monday through Saturday. We do not accept phone calls due primarily to the background noise of our shop not allowing us to offer an acceptable level of customer service. If you feel that our online help or written replies are not adequate, we are happy to schedule a telephone call to help you further. Our email and FBM response time is generally within 2 hours.

Am I to understand from your response I have offended you in some way? If so, it was not my intention and I do apologize.

However, I take offense at the claim that I somehow mistreated your company in any of my responses. Neither my messages here or in email were rude or unprofessional. I have been travelling of late and did not get a chance to open and fit the lid on my tank until recently or I would have pointed out the issues sooner. I posted here at the same time as I sent the email because your company has a history of delayed response, I thought two avenues of communication would be better than one.

I will also point out your company stated clearly above the quality of the lid was below your own expectations and was caused by machine issues. I reached out as requested over email with clarified measurements and even attached a 3D model to help reduce your design time. I'm not sure what else I could have done to facilitate resolving this issue.

Thank you for the refund.

 

[MaddyP]

To clarify, I posted here and emailed them directly at the same time. This company has countless "lack of communication" replies so I thought this would be the best way to ensure a quick response. Also, Arfully Acrylic requested updated measurements to verify everything was copacetic.

 

[kschweer]

Hey everyone. This thread has been moved to the “Vendor Feedback Forum” this means that no outside comments will be allowed so that the 2 involved parties can work towards a resolution (which it seems has happened). Also some comments were removed when the thread was moved.

 

[MaddyP]

Hey everyone. This thread has been moved to the “Vendor Feedback Forum” this means that no outside comments will be allowed so that the 2 involved parties can work towards a resolution (which it seems has happened). Also some comments were removed when the thread was moved.

Yes, this issue is resolved.