Did I Just Make a Huge Mistake?

[Hair Algae Wizard]

Folks,

Has anyone had any experience dealing with Waterbox? I just dropped almost 5K on a tank with them, and thus far, the communication with them regarding order status and delivery has been VERY limited. I have sent a few emails, asking about order status, with either vague replies or zero response. I have followed-up on those emails with 2 phone calls, and zero call backs. I even took to social media, and posted about lead-times for delivery, and my post was deleted. It's been 4 days since I placed the order.

It was a toss-up between this tank and a RedSea one, and ultimately went with Waterbox as I preferred the size. Now I'm worried that I made a mistake trusting these people.

Waterbox - If you are reading posts on social media, please up your customer service game. These are not widgets you are selling, they are VERY expensive items, and communication is critical. I may end up canceling the order if this drags out too much longer.... Certainly not a fun way to get back into the hobby, after all these years...

 

[AquaticJamaica]

@Waterbox Aquariums

 

[Hair Algae Wizard]

Just wanted to provide an update. I did finally hear back from Waterbox. I was told my tank will be shipping on Monday, 16 September. However, I'm not super confident of that, as they seem to change shipping dates very frequently. I must admit, this company is awful at communicating with it's customers. They simply do not reply to phone calls, and when they do reply via email, the information they do provide is vague, and not clear whatsoever.

They have been using the hurricane as an excuse for poor communication, but paradoxically, the day of the hurricane, they were live streaming a feed from their offices, about how to care for your aquarium during a storm. Further, the area they are located, was not impacted by Dorian.

I'm trying not to be unreasonable, but when I spend $4500 on something, I would at the very least expect more information on next steps, and when my purchase will ship. Perhaps they are victims of their own success, but with technology making it super easy to communicate with customers, a detailed heads up would be nice. In an example of how small the world is, my sister is very good friends with Florida's Attorney General, and has suggested I reach out to her for assistance, if I do not hear anything in a reasonable amount of time.

I hope the tank ships next week, and that it arrives in once piece. I truly want to be able to report back in my yet to be posted build thread, that ultimately, I'm a happy Waterbox customer.

Waterbox, I truly want to see you be a successful company, and I want to be a satisfied customer. If my tank can't ship next week, please explain why, and provide an accurate date for when it will. I am willing to work with you guys, but you need to respond back to me, in a clear and concise manner, not a vague email.

 

[Crabs McJones]

@Waterbox Aquariums or @EmilyXLC may be able to help. Congrats on the new tank but sorry about the troubles.

 

[Hair Algae Wizard]

@Waterbox Aquariums or @EmilyXLC may be able to help. Congrats on the new tank but sorry about the troubles.

Thank you. Emily has responded to a few of my emails, but they are "canned" replies that are very vague. Posting on Waterbox's official forum on Facebook, I don't think my request was ever approved, as it never posted. I also have called 3 times this past week, with no return phone call.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Thank you. Emily has responded to a few of my emails, but they are "canned" replies that are very vague. Posting on Waterbox's official forum on Facebook, I don't think my request was ever approved, as it never posted. I also have called 3 times this past week, with no return phone call.

Hopefully on here we can get you some answers

 

[Cmooreinor]

You will love your Waterbox. Love my 100.3!

 

[Hair Algae Wizard]

Thank you. I hate posting things like this, as I am sensitive to potentially hurting a businesses reputation, but after 6 days without a meaningful response, and no return phone calls, I'm at my wits end.

 

[Hair Algae Wizard]

You will love your Waterbox. Love my 100.3!

Thanks! Hopefully it will actually ship!

 

[smartwater101]

I get you're upset. But you wanted answers about shipping... and then got those answers... and now you don't believe the answers... I'm not sure I understand what is "canned" about "we'll be shipping your order on Monday."

At least wait till Monday to confirm. And if a few day response time gets you upset, don't ever order anything directly from GHL

 

[Hair Algae Wizard]

I get you're upset. But you wanted answers about shipping... and then got those answers... and now you don't believe the answers... I'm not sure I understand what is "canned" about "we'll be shipping your order on Monday."

At least wait till Monday to confirm. And if a few day response time gets you upset, don't ever order anything directly from GHL

The email was very obviously something that had been "cut and pasted." Yes it said the order would ship Monday, but when I replied back asking for more details, none were forthcoming. Waterbox seems to have a history of changing ship dates, hence my skepticism on if it will actually ship. I'm not trying to be unreasonable. if it takes a few weeks to ship a tank, I get it. But at least tell me that, in a clear and concise manner with details.

I'm an airline pilot, and the airline industry is notorious for being vague with customers on delays. As a result, I over communicate with my passengers about whats going on, and provide updates as often as possible. I've found that folks can handle a delay, if they at least know whats going on. Same here, return phone calls, or provide an actual detailed email, and all is fine...

 

[EmilyXLC]

Thank you. Emily has responded to a few of my emails, but they are "canned" replies that are very vague. Posting on Waterbox's official forum on Facebook, I don't think my request was ever approved, as it never posted. I also have called 3 times this past week, with no return phone call.

Hi there! I can assure that there is no cutting or pasting in my replies— I’m sorry that you feel that way. Our streaming that day had actually been pre-recorded, and we were in & out of the office during the week of Dorian. Our warehouse is right on the coast, & was closed for several days for the safety of our warehouse employees. While we were very fortunate to not fully incur the wrath of the hurricane, it was better to be safe than sorry. The hurricane did, however, delay our inbound shipments & I do apologize for that. I try my best to give the best, up to date estimates as possible & I am sorry that these dates do change, & many times it is beyond our control. We are expecting MANY orders from the most recent shipment that was received by our warehouse on Thursday to begin shipping on Monday. If you would like to follow up with me for more specific updates, please PM me here. I’m always happy to help.

*edit*
I handle each communication individually— every phone call, Facebook message, email and service ticket. I pride myself on getting back to every person in a reasonable amount of time. I return every single voicemail by the end of the business day; if your call reaches the voicemail, this means I am on the phone with another customer. Please please please leave a voicemail so that I know that you need me. I will never not return a call.

 

[ShaggyRS6]

My 2 cents In coming! Yes the voice of reason has arrived ! I think you are fully justified in wanting to know where your $4k is, I can attest to this as I just went through the exact same thing., but with that said I never had any issues in communication with WB.

I was a pain in the butt too, well at least I thought I was, and each time I made an enquiry, I was treated with respect and kindness. I dealt with a couple of folks there but mainly Emily who was fantastic.

I think you have to have a couple of things in mind here. Firstly WB are a victim of their own success, which is a double edged sword, they don’t have enough stock to please everyone and they can’t keep up with demand right now. That will change though, they just need to catch up. It is what it is. I knew this when I ordered, it very clearly said back ordered!

Secondly, they portrait themself as a huge business, but in reality they are small, they have a small team. Again a double edge sword but something I like because you get more of a family feel to their company, they care, they wanna help, they want you to be happy, but because they have become so popular, sometimes I guess they just have so many people to deal with, each of them will have different tolerances in terms of they feel like a good level of service is.

I’d say bare with them, they are a small team, they are extremely busy. Trust Emily, I promise you she will not let you or Waterbox down!

Excuse any spelling or grammar issues. Typing in my phone !

 

[Hair Algae Wizard]

@EmilyXLC

Thank you for posting here. I did speak with Richard via Facebook earlier today, and I think we have things sorted out. I'm not sure what happened with my phone messages, but it's all "saltwater under the bridge."

I look forward to being a happy Waterbox customer, soon!