No help from Innovative Marine!!

[VintageReefer]

Would you not say that this seems "structural"? I wouldn't fill this tank, and I wouldn't be happy if I purchased it
"new".

But again, you know how I feel about just an email ;-)

My understanding of glass tank assembly is:

The seal on one edge of glass to one face of another panel is the structural part. You can see this from certain angles, but you can’t feel it.

The bead/line on the inside corner that you can touch with your finger is claimed to be cosmetic, and not structural. And I get it. That inner corner bead is not what holds the tank together.

However, I feel it has a purpose beyond cosmetics, I feel believe it’s other job is to protect the actual adhesive holding the tank together. To protect from crabs picking, worms burrowing, saltwater erosion, etc. people can tell me I’m wrong and it’s cosmetic only, and maybe that’s true, but I feel the protections I mentioned are bonuses and valid

So yes the while the claim the inner bead is not structural is true, I feel it’s a safeguard to provide longterm protection for the actual parts that are structural

If I got the tank, and they discounted 10-20% then I would look into what’s needed to redo the inner corner, or if possible to apply another layer over it

Unfortunately I don’t think you can seal over it and the entire inner corner needs to be removed and redone. Probably not that hard to get a corner scraper tool, tube of silicone, caulk gun, and a simple tool to smooth the new bead of silicone.

 

[Fish Fan]

My understanding of glass tank assembly is:

The seal on one edge of glass to one face of another panel is the structural part. You can see this from certain angles, but you can’t feel it.

The bead/line on the inside corner that you can touch with your finger is claimed to be cosmetic, and not structural. And I get it. That inner corner bead is not what holds the tank together.

However, I feel it has a purpose beyond cosmetics, I feel believe it’s other job is to protect the actual adhesive holding the tank together. To protect from crabs picking, worms burrowing, saltwater erosion, etc. people can tell me I’m wrong and it’s cosmetic only, and maybe that’s true, but I feel the protections I mentioned are bonuses and valid

So yes the while the claim the inner bead is not structural is true, I feel it’s a safeguard to provide longterm protection for the actual parts that are structural

If I got the tank, and they discounted 10-20% then I would look into what’s needed to redo the inner corner, or if possible to apply another layer over it

Unfortunately I don’t think you can seal over it and the entire inner corner needs to be removed and redone. Probably not that hard to get a corner scraper tool, tube of silicone, caulk gun, and a simple tool to smooth the new bead of silicone.

I've built a couple tanks in the past, resealed many, and I think I follow your thoughts...

But would you not be upset if you spent almost 5 grand (as the OP did) to get a tank, and it has blemishes in the silicon?

 

[SmolGoby]

for $5k I’m expecting perfection. I’d “find” some structural damage & if they still don’t accept it dispute it with your cc.

 

[Fish Fan]

f I got the tank, and they discounted 10-20% then I would look into what’s needed to redo the inner corner, or if possible to apply another layer over it

Friend - and I mean that, you have helped me beyond just this thread, and I hope you'll help me in the future - but if I got the tank the OP did, I'd be "ticked" to say the least. Just sayin' :)

 

[VintageReefer]

I've built a couple tanks in the past, resealed many, and I think I follow your thoughts...

But would you not be upset if you spent almost 5 grand (as the OP did) to get a tank, and it has blemishes in the silicon?

Do not get me wrong. I would be ticked and looking for (asking politely) 30% off and secretly I would be willing to come down to around 20-25% off.

 

[KQuillan]

For IM, this is disappointing. I would expect better as well, especially for the money. What is with all these companies lately not caring anymore.

 

[Fish Fan]

For IM, this is disappointing. I would expect better as well, especially for the money. What is with all these companies lately not caring anymore.

I mean, I'm a "little shooter" compared to the money I see others put down to get a glass box that holds fish. I just got an SCA 150, that cost me about $1500, which was a stretch for us.

I have 6 IM tanks, though all small - I have two IM Nuvo Fusion 10's, two Fusion 15's, a relatively new Nuvo Fusion 25 that I'm working on currently, and an IM Nuvo Black 40 gallon that is not an AIO.

I love them all. I'm sorry you're having a problem like this.

 

[RockRash]

Poorly sealed Aqueon owner checking in.

Its a little thick on the bottom but sand will cover that. This tank is actually a topfin 75 gallon and cost me 185 dollars from petsmart
What op had delivered is absolutely not ok.

 

[claydogg84]

I would give IM one last chance - Let them know they can attempt to make this situation right, or you will take the issue up with the credit card company. It doesn't matter if it is structural or not. What matters is, it's not supposed to be separated and it is. Personally for me, I don't think I'd be looking for a discount on this tank, but rather them coming to pick it up and giving me a full refund. I'd also reconsider giving IM more of your money if you're unsatisfied with their customer service.

 

[150 Gallon Reef]

I would give IM one last chance - Let them know they can attempt to make this situation right, or you will take the issue up with the credit card company. It doesn't matter if it is structural or not. What matters is, it's not supposed to be separated and it is. Personally for me, I don't think I'd be looking for a discount on this tank, but rather them coming to pick it up and giving me a full refund. I'd also reconsider giving IM more of your money if you're unsatisfied with their customer service.

Yes, I agree with you. I am giving them until the end of the day to try to come to a resolution before I go to my credit card company. By the sound of it, I’m not confident there will be a resolution.
I’m a pretty reasonable person and hate to be a Karen about things. I truly believe things can be resolved by a conversation. We will see.
I am now contemplating buying IM if I am refunded the money. Even if it is from a local shop where I can see the aquarium before purchasing.

 

[RoanokeReef]

@Innovative Marine make this right!

 

[ninjamyst]

The real villain here is the freight company. If you were able to be home all day and waited for the tank, you could have inspected it and refused delivery. When my IM200 was delivered, the delivery guy was nice enough to move the tank up my driveway, into my garage, waited for me to open the box, inspect it, and then left.

 

[150 Gallon Reef]

The real villain here is the freight company. If you were able to be home all day and waited for the tank, you could have inspected it and refused delivery. When my IM200 was delivered, the delivery guy was nice enough to move the tank up my driveway, into my garage, waited for me to open the box, inspect it, and then left.

It would not have mattered if I was home or not TBH. The stand and the tank were stacked ontop of the tank box. I had no way of getting them off the tank until I had someone help me lift them in order to get to the tank. Since I had no clue the tank was actually shipped and without a tracking number, I had no plan in place to have assistance. IM also states their shipping protocol email that I have 72 hours to inspect the contents inside the shipping crates.
Attached is a picture of the delivery when I pulled up to my driveway

 

[150 Gallon Reef]

photo of delivery

 

[Thalasstronaut]

I would put this on IM. Give them a shot to make it right, and be sure to mention “Before I open a dispute with (insert CC company name here.)” Often times just that threat can open up doors that customer service reps had told you were closed.

I would get a quote or two on resealing the tank to your satisfaction and look to get that amount refunded to you. Or an outright return and then buy your tank locally, for one you can see and inspect in person.

Don’t give them an inch on the “purely cosmetic” angle. I wouldn’t pay a new price for a car with cosmetic damage. Least of all if the salesman dented the door himself while I was in the process of buying it. Just aesthetics? Yeah and I’d want the aesthetics on my several thousand dollar glass box to look nice. It’s not unreasonable. Are you supposed to specify, when purchasing a new item “Oh yeah and can you give me one that isn’t damaged?”

 

[Üter]

you could potentially put it on the delivery company. It should have been signed for and not left. (they should have returned it to Hub) Especially if it states someone must sign for delivery. IM also tells you to inspect and they're supposed to wait, if not, refuse delivery. How were you able to refuse delivery? supposedly these tanks are inspected for quality at IM before being sent out. If this was shipped as fast as it was, these are not really made-to-order anymore. As far as backing out, once you click "buy" there's no return. They do make that part clear. But that does look like messy silicone smeared with someone's thumb. That's too large an area to keep unscraped from algae growth.

 

[150 Gallon Reef]

I would put this on IM. Give them a shot to make it right, and be sure to mention “Before I open a dispute with (insert CC company name here.)” Often times just that threat can open up doors that customer service reps had told you were closed.

I would get a quote or two on resealing the tank to your satisfaction and look to get that amount refunded to you. Or an outright return and then buy your tank locally, for one you can see and inspect in person.

Don’t give them an inch on the “purely cosmetic” angle. I wouldn’t pay a new price for a car with cosmetic damage. Least of all if the salesman dented the door himself while I was in the process of buying it. Just aesthetics? Yeah and I’d want the aesthetics on my several thousand dollar glass box to look nice. It’s not unreasonable. Are you supposed to specify, when purchasing a new item “Oh yeah and can you give me one that isn’t damaged?”

I agree, I will make the credit card dispute statement to IM before making the dispute. I have called my credit card company already for them to start the dispute but instructed them not to officially submit the dispute until I have given IM a final chance. This way, my credit card company has a timeline of when this ordeal started, the initial contact with IM trying to resolve the issue, and the final attempt to resolve this issue.
I thought about getting quotes to reseal but I want to stay as far away from voiding the warranty as possible. If it is this difficult to get this resolved, I can’t imagine how hard it would be to get a tank covered under warranty with a third party reseal on it. I refuse to even touch the silicone to see how far the silicone has backed off the glass. I have yet to even see the seams from the outside of the tank also. I do not want to remove the shipping box around it if they do in fact have to pick this back up.

 

[150 Gallon Reef]

UPDATE!
As Ive said earlier, proper communication usually can make things right.
Mike from IM called me on my cell phone today. Explained the entire situation to him from start to finish. He was very nice and very understanding of my unhappiness with IM. After listening, he offered me two options. Both a think were very fair.
1. He would give me an additional 2 years warranty on the tank (5 years total) and an additional 500 dollars back on my order.
2. Send me a completely new tank that he would personally inspect before sending out to me.


I explained to him I was hoping to be able to see a replacement tank before hand, so I offered to have the transaction go through my LFS. He explained that he didn’t want to get a third party Involved which I completely understand. He assured me that the tank they have is in stock and he would personally inspect the tank before having it picked up by the freight company.
So I did take his second option of a whole tank replacement. There are a few steps I have to take in order to void the warranty on the tank I currently have, so it cannot be resold. I do not mind taking a few steps in order to make things good.
At the end of the day, I greatly appreciate Mike stepping up and doing the right thing about the situation. The replacement tank will be send out December 30th as I will be away and cannot accept it any earlier.
Thank you Mike from IM