need some advise on a shipping error

[HighlandReef]

Hi Boy's, I need your advise on a shipping error.
Basically what happened was i placed a pretty good sized order with a major online vendor, well they made a mistake and sent the corals to highland michigan instead of highland indiana, I live in indiana not michigan.
So the corals got shipped out last night and are in michigan now, problem is fedex wont be able to get the coral package here to indiana until tomorrow morning and that will basically put them at the 48 hour mark, that they have been in transit.
The vendor has basically asked i wait till tomorrow and see what makes it and wont dont.
They did say they will take care of any corals that dont make it but this makes me very nervous, when i get that package tomorrow i am afraid it wont be pretty from being in transit for two days. I am guessing the tissue recession will be pretty bad even on the corals that make it? I have ordered online before but have never had any issues even close to this.
So i am going to flat out ask for some advise.
should i wait and see what happens? What would you guys do
the corals are australamussa, chalice, montis incase it matters.

 

[tangboy]

Whats your other option? I personally would wait, take photos of the package unopened, opened, corals in some their dip, corals in tank with some decent flow and lights off, after being acclimated... just take lots of photos with the date/time on so you can report what you need. Apart from that, not much else you can do until you have plenty of "evidence" of what has arrived.

 

[twinspots_goby]

I can see his point. He deserves a partial refund or a store credit not only from those corals he loses, but also from the corals which are receded because it's obviously a vendor's fault.

 

[Troylee]

you could always make it nice and simple and just ask for a refund and return the box to the sender......sucks but your covered 100 percent that way..... i would say most likely the chalices and stuff will make it thou honestly if it was packed well...

 

[swannyson7]

I'd say that the montis and austalamussa will probably be ok. It's the chalices that I'd be most worried about because they tend to be poor shippers IME. Best of luck to you!

 

[raymond]

id wait, you might be surprised what will make it, only thing going against you is michigan weather, it can get brutal up their

 

[mdb_talon]

I dont see you have much choice. I would def not just send them right back and ask for 100% that pretty much guaranteeing the death of everything and unfair to vendor. I would wait till they get there, take lots of pictures, than talk to the vendor. If there is a lot of tissue recession or the corals die within a day or two i would expect the vendor to work with you....full refunds on dead things and partial refunds on things with minor damage. If it is a major online vendor as you say the last thing they want is your story on a half dozen messageboards about how they screwed up and did not fairly compensate. Got to give them a chance though and i think it unfair to expect them to tell you what they will do before either of you know the condition of the coral.

 

[Cuda]

It is good to be honest and be fair. Anyone can make a misstake. If there are any issues a simple conversation with a good seller resolves any issues 99% of the time. To refuse shippment would be a bad move.
Good chance all is well being just another day.

 

[drainbamage]

I'd see what you get-anything that's half-receded, just document and inform the vendor of. If you have 2 dead, 3 half-receded, and 4 healthy specimens (just making up random numbers) the vendor will most likely replace the dead as well as a couple of the half-receded, or even all of the receded ones. IMO it's much better to go that route as one, you won't be causing all of them to most certainly be dead (if you refused shipment) and two, a few of the half-deads may recover so you could end up with 2 corals for the price and frustration of one screwed up shipment. Most of the online vendors who are still around know what they're doing in fixing mess-ups, so unless they're notorious for being hard-nosed, I'd give them a chance to make it a good experience for you.

 

[FishLipz]

I'd wait and see what you get too. You'll get a much better response in my experience if you are willing to work with the vendor. Also as stated by most, take LOTS of time stamped, dated photos and forward them to the vendor. To be honest, you may be surprised what makes it through. I got a chalice from Steve Tyree and it ended up sitting outside in the cold all day (I got stuck at work at the last minute). I opened the box to find a white skeleton with a TINY dot of green in the middle. 18 months later, it's 2+ inches accross.

 

[Captain Nemo]

I would wait and see, like previously mentioned, take lots of photos with a date and time stamp, that way you have irrefutable evidence. Hopefully everything will be ok.

 

[EliteReefs]

i would say thats sounds about right what the vendor told you.

I would have apologized for the error and told you to let me know how it goes when you get your box. if there was a problem i would fix it.

matter a fact i had a problem just a few weeks ago that a customer asked me to mail items on a day that was different then the rest. I forgot about the special request and sent them out with all the others. problem was he was not home. so three days later he got the box. I simply told him that they are zoas so chances are they would be fine. I asked him to wait a few days to see if they open and if not i would resend.

chances are they eventualy did open but that did not change the fact that the customers did not pay to have to nurse a coral back to health. because of that i told him not to bother waiting any longer and i just resent the package. If they open up good for him hes got double. if not he still got what he paid for.

one important thing to note from a vendors point of view.
dont be a jerk. i'm not saying you are i'm saying try not to get heated until you have given ample time for the vendor to fix the problem. when a customer comes to me very cool and understanding about a problem I bend over backwards to make him happy. When a customer flys off the handle right off the bat I help them but i will be honest and say they certainly dont get the same above and beyond help the cool customer gets. IF the vendors refuses to help you then its game time and you are free to say or do what you want. just make sure you give the bennifit of the doubt first. most vedors will do the right thing.

 

[VegasRick]

If it is well packed they will probably be fine. Wait and see and keep a good, friendly line of communication open with the vendor

 

[mdb_talon]

Hey EliteReefs if i make an order with you will you promise to make a mistake i would love getiing double of everything :)

 

[HighlandReef]

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well, i spoke to them again and explained my concerns.
they re-assured me they will stand behind whatever happens, if i am not satisfied they will refund my money or send out another shipment.
they are giving me a stay alive guarantee so at this point i guess i will wait till tomorrow and see what happens, if i am not happy they said they will refund my money or send me the coral's so I guess I feel a little better about things.
the whole thing just makes me nervous wreck

 

[tangboy]

If it is well packed they will probably be fine. Wait and see and keep a good, friendly line of communication open with the vendor

Thanks for sharing with us from a vendors viewpoint. It's nice to know that there are honest/positive ways to handle situations.

OP = thanks for posting this stuff, give us photos and updates as things progress so we can see how things go!