PaulRose1818
New Member
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?
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?
