Live aquaria new DOA process

[rkpetersen]

This occurred long after Petco bought them. It’s getting pretty old hearing how rotten live aquaria is and blaming it on being bought by Petco. What are your personal experiences with them? I’m not talking about things you’ve heard.
I think @LiveAquaria does amazing and I think most of us use their web content for fish compatability and specimen requirements.

People need to quit bashing them just because they were bought by Petco.

My local Petco is horrible for saltwater fish but I love LA. Why do we bash one because of another?

Those of you that love LA go to this thread and tell them how great they are. No, I’m not affiliated.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/showing-some-love-for-liveaquaria.715979/

I've had years worth of personal experience with them, thanks. And of course it didn't happen immediately after Petco took over. Do you not understand how corporate takeovers work? And no one is bashing them 'just because' they were bought by Petco. We're criticizing their very obvious changes that don't benefit customers, no matter what the cause. If you want to think it's not because they were bought by a large corporate pet store, go ahead, but you're wrong.

 

[h2so4hurts]

I have a bad habit of forgetting they’re in the freezer .....

Yeah, usually my wife reminds me to, "please throw away the dead fish that's still in the freezer."

I like Liveaquaria, there was a stretch there in December and January where everything i got from them died within a week or arrived DOA. Which really sucked, but glad I quarantine. Their customer service department also seems less personal and more automated now. I always liked the friendly messages, now it's clear they're all machine generated or cut and pasted from a script book.

 

[Fishingandreefing]

I wonder how long does the store credit valid till as their gift certificate expires in just 30 days

 

[h2so4hurts]

Credit expires after 1 year

 

[ReefGrammie]

I have been a customer for a very long time. 10 years? A long long time, I don’t remember exactly. I wouldn’t dare to add up how much $ I have spent over the years.

I had a DOA several months ago from them and the customer service was good. He looked up my record and saw that I had been buying from them for 12 years. I believe I've had maybe two DOA claims in that time. He reminded me of the new policy, but honored the DOA claim. I didn't have a picture.

 

[JasonK84]

I've had years worth of personal experience with them, thanks. And of course it didn't happen immediately after Petco took over. Do you not understand how corporate takeovers work? And no one is bashing them 'just because' they were bought by Petco. We're criticizing their very obvious changes that don't benefit customers, no matter what the cause. If you want to think it's not because they were bought by a large corporate pet store, go ahead, but you're wrong.

Bottom line is there is no way to know if these things would have happened without the buyout. A healthy and profitable company doesn’t usually sell. I think you would have seen most of these changes anyway but no one will ever know how it would have been because that isn’t the reality.

In my case they are the best option I have for healthy fish. My local stores aren’t great. I’ll buy equipment and off the shelf items and inverts but I haven’t bought a single fish from them since I bought my first box from LA. Just a world of difference and I think they are great. Maybe you have awesome LFS around you but I don’t.

 

[OrionN]

I ordered a lot from LA over the years and just rarely claim DOA of death in 2 weeks. When I did in the past they just refund no question asked, no proof needed.
The last time, they asked for pictures and I have to dig the fish out of my 40 gal QT tank. That was not impossible, but If I have to locate a sand wrasse in my DT, there is just no way.

 

[Fishingandreefing]

I ordered a lot from LA over the years and just rarely claim DOA of death in 2 weeks. When I did in the past they just refund no question asked, no proof needed.
The last time, they asked for pictures and I have to dig the fish out of my 40 gal QT tank. That was not impossible, but If I have to locate a sand wrasse in my DT, there is just no way.

That’s the old LA apparently and that was the only reason I bought from them for my two tanks over 3 years. Now with my new build, I will have to look elsewhere as an option. Or will see what kind of deals they have, if the price are reasonable enough I might give them another shot.

 

[Aardvark1134]

They still even with the changes have one of the best refund policies out there...and yet people are still upset.

 

[Fishingandreefing]

They still even with the changes have one of the best refund policies out there...and yet people are still upset.

So let say if your salary is 200k, but all the sudden it lowers to $150k, it’s still a lot of money but would you be mad or at least voice your opinion? I would. I just missed the old la. Consumers have the right to voice their opinions, and it’s the consumers that provides the profit to a cooperation. As a consumer, I want the best bang of my hard earned money and I am pretty most people would.

 

[ca1ore]

I've had years worth of personal experience with them, thanks. And of course it didn't happen immediately after Petco took over. Do you not understand how corporate takeovers work? And no one is bashing them 'just because' they were bought by Petco. We're criticizing their very obvious changes that don't benefit customers, no matter what the cause. If you want to think it's not because they were bought by a large corporate pet store, go ahead, but you're wrong.

Corporate takeovers occur in many different ways. Sometimes the acquiree is left alone, other times not. Been buying from LA for a very king time. Found the acquisition by Petco to be mostly benign .... most of the less aggreable changes seem to have begun around the time most of DFS was shuttered with only LA persisting.

 

[Brian_68]

Unfortunately a hopefully just a select few people do lie and cheat so the rest of us need to pay for it as they clamp down on abuse.

 

[Fishingandreefing]

Unfortunately a hopefully just a select few people do lie and cheat so the rest of us need to pay for it as they clamp down on abuse.

On a corporation stand point, even they knew that someone is cheating the system, they have to “allow” it as long as the overall makes profit to the corporation. Just like any other retail, there’s thefts, expired products and so on they can write it off. Or else, consumers will just purchase them locally. Consumers chose to buy from an online store because it has “insurance”. Even though a few customers lied, overall they’re making profit and to include huge amount of rent savings on a retail shop.

 

[Brian_68]

On a corporation stand point, even they knew that someone is cheating the system, they have to “allow” it as long as the overall makes profit to the corporation. Just like any other retail, there’s thefts, expired products and so on they can write it off. Or else, consumers will just purchase them locally. Consumers chose to buy from an online store because it has “insurance”. Even though a few customers lied, overall they’re making profit and to include huge amount of rent savings on a retail shop.

Retail does not have to allow it and they do not. Look at any retailer locally, they invest heavily in theft deterrents and that cost is passed on to the law abiding consumer. A write off is a hit on their profit, so instead they pass it on to the consumer. Cameras, security guards, security tags and readers etc.

 

[Fishingandreefing]

Retail does not have to allow it and they do not. Look at any retailer locally, they invest heavily in theft deterrents and that cost is passed on to the law abiding consumer. A write off is a hit on their profit, so instead they pass it on to the consumer. Cameras, security guards, security tags and readers etc.

That’s pretty much through out the entire industry to include insurance claims. Some of my neighbors file claims to fix their roofs, our premium went up.

 

[FiveGallonSea]

I rather drive 2 hours to get a fish at a LFS than to deal with them for 2 minutes on the phone.

 

[JasonK84]

I rather drive 2 hours to get a fish at a LFS than to deal with them for 2 minutes on the phone.

Never had an issue with customer service. They’ve always been helpful.

 

[Baldguy]

I've been buying from LA and DD for 10+ years and have no issues with their doa policies. In fact back when they refunded money no questions asked I wondered how they could afford to do that. The abuse that allowed and even invited amazed me. I also had another vendor want a pic with the tail cut off. Yes, a bit morbid but I understood that too. If I was on the hook for a $500 fish I would want absolute proof of death also.

 

[Phycodurus]

i've found LA's customer service to be satisfactory. i had a claim the month their credit-only refund policy kicked in, and respectfully pointed out that my purchase was prior to the policy change. they could have easily said "sorry, credit only," but they allowed the refund back to my card. personally, i don't mind the new policy too much (their box fee is annoying though).


the one positive i see in the credit policy change is that i hope it keeps away the irresponsible yahoos who don't value the lives of the fish. "oh, i'll just get a refund and try again." :confused:

 

[jtf74]

Significant changes recently due to their being purchased by Petco, none of them pro-customer.

I'd heard this, too. Are you sure about this? I wonder why they sale the same fish from the petco website at nearly half the cost of live aquaria?