Reef Breeders Bricked

[FishLvR]

OP can’t play victim here. Back in April they made a thread asking if they need to upgrade to the new app.

Just today I found out there is another app that I am supposed to be using.

They knew, back in April, that they were supposed to be using the new app.

They were told yes, and then I added to the thread and gave links to RB post explaining the reasons why.

Here is the thread the op made, specifically about this, where they were told yes they need to update

Reefbreeder's App??

Just today I found out there is another app that I am supposed to be using. These are Photon V2, is that like a thing? Oooooorrrrrr is it something they tried and like every other thing in this cursed hobby they scrapped it when, I'm guessing based on 25 years in the hobby, it didn't work at...

www.reef2reef.com

They chose not to. This was not a situation where they weren’t notified or missed the memo. They were aware as of the date of that thread, they asked for confirmation and were told yes, and then chose not to.

The old app shut down also did not brick their light. It would retain the schedule in internal memory. They chose to perform a factory reset on it when they couldn’t get the old app to work on the new phone. This cleared the schedule from the light and is causing the light to be at 100%

I didnt realize there was responses. I new there was a new app but as you can tell from the post had no idea what it all meant. I had no clue the lights would be bricked. Didnt even cross my mind.

I already wrote that instarted a thread. Not a secret.

 

[FishLvR]

OP can’t play victim here. Back in April they made a thread asking if they need to upgrade to the new app.


They knew, back in April, that they were supposed to be using the new app.

They were told yes, and then I added to the thread and gave links to RB post explaining the reasons why.

Here is the thread the op made, specifically about this, where they were told yes they need to update

Reefbreeder's App??

Just today I found out there is another app that I am supposed to be using. These are Photon V2, is that like a thing? Oooooorrrrrr is it something they tried and like every other thing in this cursed hobby they scrapped it when, I'm guessing based on 25 years in the hobby, it didn't work at...

www.reef2reef.com

They chose not to. This was not a situation where they weren’t notified or missed the memo. They were aware as of the date of that thread, they asked for confirmation and were told yes, and then chose not to.

The old app shut down also did not brick their light. It would retain the schedule in internal memory. They chose to perform a factory reset on it when they couldn’t get the old app to work on the new phone. This cleared the schedule from the light and is causing the light to be at 100%

Insane how OP is trying to frame this like they didn’t get the email when they knew they needed to update the whole time.

Rude or not (it’s not), RB’s response of “you should have upgraded” is 100% appropriate.

And you waited—what—45 minutes between asking RB for the discounted link and then giving up and ordering them at full price for $350 yesterday? During Thanksgiving week when people are off?

I didnt get the email. I caught wind of another app back when i started that first thread. I was confused why there was a new app and didnt know specifics. I did a basic youtube check and forgot all about it. Also, I'm mad because he didnt write in either of those emails the fix or a link for those boards at that lower price instead he posted here but still no link. Of course i dont expect it on a holiday.

I am a business owner as well. We own two. We are very very small. I get it. All i needed was Liam to say hey you suck here is the fix, and linked me to it. I dont know why his two emails were so obtuse. Annoyance probably.

Thats it. Am i at fault for not paying attention to the app change, yup, should that matter? Nope.

This isnt my first time having an issue with a reef company. I feel really crappy about that. I am such a chill person i really am. I am pretty aloof sometimes i admit. I am a small business owner and i really try to be the best customer service. The newest company we took over we are working on getting those reviews up, old people dont know how to leave reviews, lol but i dont want to see a company have a hard time. I really dont.

RB done messed this all up and of course there is just a few of us that either didnt fully understand the lights were doomed or missed it completely. It is in my humble opinion the boards should have been free or a backend fix pushed before the change. Thats my humble opinion.

Im moving on. I paid for the boards and hopefully they will be the fix. Im not expecting a discount although it would be nice. It can be the stupid tax. My days are numbered with this hobby. I have been fighting dinos and algae. Then stuff like this happens.

I promise you guys im not a karen.

Everyone have a great thanksgiving. I have so many people staying through the weekend. I gotta dress this bird.

 

[rtparty]

 

[SpyC]

WOW... Lits of harsh here
Thing is they had a solution. Just not one for the fall through the cracks types.

What do you want?
Someone to knock on your door and spoon feed you?
Gee take " some" responsibility here.

Nothing was " permanently" bricked as would be the case if the company went under.

Everyone has their own " tipping point" of course.

From the descriptions here .. personally....rb wouldn't push me to mine.

Maybe I'm too gullible.

$30 to repair it... Sounds fair.

$30 to resolve a problem RB created

 

[SpyC]

Situation was the photon v2 came with an app rb didn’t own, but suited their needs and customer needs. The owner of that app charged rb money each month to keep the app online, and charged rb money for ever new user signing up for that app. Rb has been eating these charges for years.

They paid out of pocket to have their own app created, that they own, to not be controlled by another company.

That is the cost of doing business. On them for not factoring this in and increasing the cost of their lights. And if they did evaluate the cost of these services for the app they selected to use, they didn’t not eat the charges. Developing their own app is also a cost of doing business where they chose to utilize an app. RnD is a thing and you have to properly fund it and factor it into the cost of your products. Maybe they need a better business manager or at least folks that understand basic service transition processes.

 

[Bitter old man]

Thats it. Am i at fault for not paying attention to the app change, yup, should that matter? Nope.

Ok

 

[fish_collector]

In the world we live in today, the internet has made it possible for everyone to tick and moan about something to their advantage. It is the responsibility of everyone to act accordingly and accept some amount of the responsibility themselves. I saw nothing wrong with the email exchanges, there were no rude responses, if I have missed something please show me what I missed. It appears RB has made every reasonable attempt to make things right and I applaud their efforts. What more do you want them to do?

Not reading emails that the manufacturer sent out, multiple times, is no excuse to claim yourself as the victim. Unfortunately, it is the responsibility of the user to update their contact information, yes it's inconvenient. RB is a small manufacturer in a niche market, does anyone expect them to pay for a national PSA on major networks? How dare they not buy air time during the World Series to be sure they had the word out about the new app.

C'mon people let's be realistic here

You attract more bees with honey than with vinegar.

 

[Kodski]

I have no experience with Reefbreeders personally but this definitely seems like a knee jerk reaction gone too far. The first email, while brief, did simply explain that hey there were emails, app notices, and other ways they tried to reach out. Maybe more could have been said in the emails as to how to proceed further, but hey, to get a reply on a holiday week I'd take it. Nowhere in the email was anything accusatory, shifting blame, or any form of finger pointing. To indicate or take it as anything more than a simple explanation seems indecent at the very least. I think this is a classic case of emotions over text/email cannot be conveyed. Kee and Peele did a hilarious skit about the interpretation of texts. I suggest everyone goes to watch that.

FYI, for all the non-techy people out there. Believe it or not, apps cost money to make, keep running, and continually update. Even if the app doesn't update the app features or UI, the app will still need to be updated to be used with new hardware. The app also needs to be updated almost everytime there is an operating system update. When a company like Reefbreeders changes from one app to another, there are many backend reasons for this that we as consumers don't get to see. In the end, I can confidently say Reefbreeders changed apps because they wholeheartedly believed that in the end their customers would be happier with their product. Also, I'm confident that in order to continue keeping the old app alive, would mean financial strain on their company. Which for a small company the best case scenario means less innovations, product updates and overall products while the worst case scenario can mean the end of the business all together.

Reefbreeders gave everyone 2 years to do what they needed to. Not only that, they came up with a solution for those that completely ignored the warnings and did not take action. IMO a $30 fix for someone's inaction after they've given plenty of time to enact a free solution seems more than reasonable to me. Now it comes out that OP knew about the app change months ago even making a thread about it. Then to pull the woe is me the day before a major holiday. "I didn't get an immediate response so I had to spend $325. They didn't honor their $30 solution..."

OP Shame on you. Reefbreeders has taken accountability for their situation, its frankly embarrassing that you can't take responsibility for the situation you've put YOURSELF into. Mods Close this thread, OP give Reefbreeders an actual chance at fixing your situation and I'd even suggest making a public "hey I made a mistake and I apologize" post before you drag your own reputation further into the sand.

 

[VintageReefer]

I didnt realize there was responses.

Then that is your own fault. You use an account here, and create a thread asking questions, you get email notifications and notifications at the top of the screen telling you to read the thread. Even if you somehow miss them, just creating the thread, it should be in your mind to check for replies over the next day or two. You don’t check the thread you created for responses.

How is that not your fault?

I new there was a new app but as you can tell from the post had no idea what it all meant.

There’s nothing to need to understand. There is a new app, you should use the new app to have the latest version with bug fixes and enhancements. You said in your post that you know you are supposed to be on it, you learned that somewhere and chose not to do it and make a post instead asking for confirmation; then didn’t read the post responses ?

How is that not your own fault ?

I had no clue the lights would be bricked. Didnt even cross my mind

Again. The app did not brick your lights. You “bricked” them yourself hitting the reset button EIGHT TIMES. This was not an accident. This was not from the software update. You hit that button 8 times which cleared out the saved schedule and reset them to factory defaults, knowing you didn’t have a working app to set a schedule.

How is this not your fault ?


The 30$ wifi chip was not an idea at the time of your email chain and it was the night before a holiday - nothing would ship that night and nothing would ship the next day on Thanksgiving. The idea to offer the 30$ chip was created shortly after when RB posted here, as a solution in lieu of the software update taking longer than expected.

You didn’t wait to see how to buy them at 30$ or ask how, you went to the site and bought them at full price out of panic or anger, to “get the shipping process started” but nothing would ship for 1.5 days at least due to the time and the holiday. Give them a chance to create a custom listing on the website geez. It wasn’t ready in 30 min, after hours, on the night before a holiday, so you HAD to buy them at full price? That was an impulse decision and unnecessary and accomplished nothing.

You chose to buy them at full price after hours instead of waiting for a business day they are open to talk about the special pricing.

How is that not your fault?

To take zero accountability here is insane to me

They will refund you the overcharge, I am sure of it.

 

[VintageReefer]

I’ll shed more light. RB didn’t just choose to stop paying the original app developer.

That company didn’t want to be responsible for the app anymore, they didn’t want to continue with the monthly hosting, and they wanted to sell the app to RB at a very large price. RB didn’t want to buy an app when they already had their own but they would have continued at the agreed monthly rate, as they had been doing for 2 years.

The app developers said if you don’t buy the app, we are shutting it down. And they did. Then they deleted it. When rb asked them to stand it back up for a period of time to help out users, they not only refused, they said it was impossible and it was deleted.

This is the exact reason RB invested into developing their own app several years ago, to not be controlled and at the mercy of a third party company. The current app is owned by RB and that is in the best interest of the company and the customers.

Sorry for those affected, try and understand the full scope, how RB reacted, and how much time, money, and effort RB put into supporting users that didn’t want to upgrade for whatever reason, developing their own app to give out for free, and in absorbing costs for those affected.

FYI the owner of RB gave up his paycheck for almost a year, zero pay, to get through all of this and put everything he had into keeping the company not just alive, but in keeping it growing, from paying for a custom app to be created and polished and pushed out, to releasing not just a new light, but an entire new product line of cutting edge led bars, lights, and accessories for all of us of use and enjoy.

 

[FishLvR]

I'm sorry that happened to him. Running a business no matter how fantastic the product can be a challenge.

I hope the boards do the trick. I own 5 of the reefbreeders. The first three were the old par lights they used to make. They are in my closet awaiting another project if i stay in the hobby.

I am very much over it. Like i said before it is what it is. What set me off was the short annoyed email. Just link me to the fix. So yeah it set me off. I didnt realize how hard this all was on RB as a company and my approch would have been different had i known they were struggling. I assumed wrong that they were passing the buck off. Now i understand they had no choice.

Ill pray for the owner. I didnt realize that he has been having such a rough time. I understand how uncertian owning a business is these days. Not paying yourself for a year is insane. Hopefully everything looks up now that he got the kinks ironed out on the app. I feel bad now i didnt realize how shakey the platform really was. Also ill pay more attention to emails in the future. My whole inbox is bulkreefsupplies and random reef companies. Ill pay more attention. I take responsibility for ignoring the signs.

Liam please if you read this if you can get those boards in the mail asap i would be very greatful as full blast is really rough even with the lights up as high as they will go.

I am humbled and i apologize. I hope RB all success.

 

[Marco_99]

I’ll shed more light. RB didn’t just choose to stop paying the original app developer.

That company didn’t want to be responsible for the app anymore, they didn’t want to continue with the monthly hosting, and they wanted to sell the app to RB at a very large price. RB didn’t want to buy an app when they already had their own but they would have continued at the agreed monthly rate, as they had been doing for 2 years.

The app developers said if you don’t buy the app, we are shutting it down. And they did. Then they deleted it. When rb asked them to stand it back up for a period of time to help out users, they not only refused, they said it was impossible and it was deleted.

This is the exact reason RB invested into developing their own app several years ago, to not be controlled and at the mercy of a third party company. The current app is owned by RB and that is in the best interest of the company and the customers.

Sorry for those affected, try and understand the full scope, how RB reacted, and how much time, money, and effort RB put into supporting users that didn’t want to upgrade for whatever reason, developing their own app to give out for free, and in absorbing costs for those affected.

FYI the owner of RB gave up his paycheck for almost a year, zero pay, to get through all of this and put everything he had into keeping the company not just alive, but in keeping it growing, from paying for a custom app to be created and polished and pushed out, to releasing not just a new light, but an entire new product line of cutting edge led bars, lights, and accessories for all of us of use and enjoy.

Sorry but this whole story matters ZERO, we all have our battles, heck Op has written 2 pages about his and why his light is now the North Star. At the end of the day a customers light still needs “X” part to function. You put a product out with your name on it and it’s still in your product lineup, you should support it (Reef Breeders caused the problem to start with). As for Op, same goes for him, he knew something didn’t smell right but his beautiful light worked so who cares and went about life. My view is that the remaining units out there in the wild that didn’t get switched over i feel Reef Breeders should be obligated to send out the hardware AT NO COST for original purchase customers that contact them with this issue (again, they created the situation for their product to fail) 2yrs is a long time but they ARE STILL SELLING THIS MODEL light and it should be supported regardless. There is always going to be those cases that (insert reason here) the light is going to need that hardware to function because it wasn’t switched over. If it was a discontinued model/product or a second hand purchase I’d offer up the patch hardware for retail price. Now, Reef Breeders being the “grown up” in this situation can go about it anyway they want, but the smaller you are the more you need to pay attention. Final conclusion, both parties are at fault and hopefully both learned from it, that’s the price of doing business.

 

[FishLvR]

I’ll shed more light. RB didn’t just choose to stop paying the original app developer.

That company didn’t want to be responsible for the app anymore, they didn’t want to continue with the monthly hosting, and they wanted to sell the app to RB at a very large price. RB didn’t want to buy an app when they already had their own but they would have continued at the agreed monthly rate, as they had been doing for 2 years.

The app developers said if you don’t buy the app, we are shutting it down. And they did. Then they deleted it. When rb asked them to stand it back up for a period of time to help out users, they not only refused, they said it was impossible and it was deleted.

This is the exact reason RB invested into developing their own app several years ago, to not be controlled and at the mercy of a third party company. The current app is owned by RB and that is in the best interest of the company and the customers.

Sorry for those affected, try and understand the full scope, how RB reacted, and how much time, money, and effort RB put into supporting users that didn’t want to upgrade for whatever reason, developing their own app to give out for free, and in absorbing costs for those affected.

FYI the owner of RB gave up his paycheck for almost a year, zero pay, to get through all of this and put everything he had into keeping the company not just alive, but in keeping it growing, from paying for a custom app to be created and polished and pushed out, to releasing not just a new light, but an entire new product line of cutting edge led bars, lights, and accessories for all of us of use and enjoy.

Sorry but this whole story matters ZERO, we all have our battles, heck Op has written 2 pages about his and why his light is now the North Star. At the end of the day a customers light still needs “X” part to function. You put a product out with your name on it and it’s still in your product lineup, you should support it (Reef Breeders caused the problem to start with). As for Op, same goes for him, he knew something didn’t smell right but his beautiful light worked so who cares and went about life. My view is that the remaining units out there in the wild that didn’t get switched over i feel Reef Breeders should be obligated to send out the hardware AT NO COST for original purchase customers that contact them with this issue (again, they created the situation for their product to fail) 2yrs is a long time but they ARE STILL SELLING THIS MODEL light and it should be supported regardless. There is always going to be those cases that (insert reason here) the light is going to need that hardware to function because it wasn’t switched over. If it was a discontinued model/product or a second hand purchase I’d offer up the patch hardware for retail price. Now, Reef Breeders being the “grown up” in this situation can go about it anyway they want, but the smaller you are the more you need to pay attention. Final conclusion, both parties are at fault and hopefully both learned from it, that’s the price of doing business.

I did. Back when I wrote the first thread I should have been less jokey and more serious. People on reef 2 reef were talking about the new app and how it wasn't working so I wrote the thread seeing sort of what was going on, but I didnt take a serious take nor tag reefbreededs. I probably should have. I had no idea reefbreeders was having financial difficulties. I know how terrifying that is. So I am happy to pay for my mistake. 350 was a hit for sure but knowing what I know now, RB takes a huge hit, and knowing he couldn't pay himself, thats not ok. I'm happy to pay 350 to keep my lights going.

 

[TooflyRyGuy]

I am not trying to be confrontational, but I am confident that nothing rude was said in our conversation. If you would like me to post the screenshots of our full email thread so everything is completely clear and transparent, I am happy to do that. Just let me know.

Just to clarify the technical side for anyone reading. When an app board is first set up, it assigns itself to whichever app the user chooses during that initial setup. This happens no matter when the light was purchased. Whether a Photon was bought two months ago or two years ago, once the board pairs to either the old app or the new app, it stays on that platform unless a migration is done. It cannot switch back and forth on its own.

A manual migration is required to move from the old app to the new app. We posted the migration instructions almost two years ago when the new app first launched, so anyone who was still on the old app had the ability to switch over at any time before the old platform was retired.

Now that the old app has been fully removed, any replacement board purchased today will only connect to the new app. There is no longer any option for a board to attach to the old platform, because that app does not exist anymore. This means new boards will automatically be on the correct platform with no concern about switching.

For context, the old app was not owned by ReefBreeders. We were simply paying for access to that platform. The new app is owned by us directly, which is important for long-term stability and security. When we do not own the app, we have no control over what happens with it. Owning the new app allows us to ensure it is supported, maintained, and updated for our users in the future.

Regarding the emails, we sent every notice to the exact email address that was registered in the app for each account. That is the only information we have access to. If someone changed their personal email later but did not update the email inside the app, we would have no way of knowing that. We can only send notices to the email that is actively being used as the login for the app. Nothing more and nothing less.

My intention is not to argue with anyone. I only want the information to be clear so people understand how the system works and why certain steps were needed. I am here to help however I can.

OMG - I wish I would have read all of this before I just reset my light! ARRRRRGH!!! I never got ANY of these emails - they must have all gone to my junk folder.

This is SOOOOOO frustrating!

 

[VintageReefer]

Maybe you should stay out of technical conversations you dont understand so you don’t spread misinformation and fear mongering

Sorry but this whole story matters ZERO, we all have our battles,

It’s not an excuse it’s just background info for those thinking this was RB fault or choice. A third party company demanded a lump sum of money or else. RB prevented loss of control of the light with two ways - developing their own app and a manual controller.

heck Op has written 2 pages about his and why his light is now the North Star.

Which is because they factory reset their light knowing they didn’t have app control that is needed to reprogram it. A troubleshooting step. But one taken on their own and not on the phone with support

At the end of the day a customers light still needs “X” part to function. You put a product out with your name on it and it’s still in your product lineup, you should support it (Reef Breeders caused the problem to start with).

How did they cause the problem? I don’t believe you have read the thread or you missed key posts. They are supporting it and helping out those that did not update to the new app in 2+ years of time regardless of it being intentional or unintentional

As for Op, same goes for him, he knew something didn’t smell right but his beautiful light worked so who cares and went about life. My view is that the remaining units out there in the wild that didn’t get switched over i feel Reef Breeders should be obligated to send out the hardware AT NO COST for original purchase customers that contact them with this issue (again, they created the situation for their product to fail) 2yrs is a long time but they ARE STILL SELLING THIS MODEL light and it should be supported regardless.

I don’t even know where to begin here. There is no logic. The fact that they still sell the light means they should give unlimited full warranty coverage and parts to those that bought one, installed an old app and didn’t use the official one, and then for whatever reason didn’t see the messages sent out warning them to?

Relax. It’s a $175 part they are discounting to $30.

They actually designed the light with a fail safe. If the original app company shut down, and if RB didn’t make their own app, the light still wouldn’t be useless. They designed it to take a manual controller so in a worse case scenario, you could still control and use the light without any app at all. Optionally this is also people that prefer not to use an app.

There is always going to be those cases that (insert reason here) the light is going to need that hardware to function because it wasn’t switched over. If it was a discontinued model/product or a second hand purchase I’d offer up the patch hardware for retail price. Now, Reef Breeders being the “grown up” in this situation can go about it anyway they want, but the smaller you are the more you need to pay attention. Final conclusion, both parties are at fault and hopefully both learned from it, that’s the price of doing business.

Discontinued - photon v2, current meridians, original owners and non original owners - all are being given the same deal. If you’re a user of the old app, never switched over, and are stuck, you get $145 off the needed part and can be back in business for only $30. Or you can buy the manual controller and never need to rely on an app again.

Your model of charging full price to some and giving the part for free to others probably works out to be the same for the company you hypothetically own, but your treatment of customers varies and puts bigger strain on some based on their situation. That would be your choice as a business owner and some may choose this way. RB is making it affordable and equal to all regardless of the situation.

 

[VintageReefer]

In I did. Back when I wrote the first thread I should have been less jokey and more serious. People on reef 2 reef were talking about the new app and how it wasn't working so I wrote the thread seeing sort of what was going on, but I didnt take a serious take nor tag reefbreededs. I probably should have. I had no idea reefbreeders was having financial difficulties. I know how terrifying that is. So I am happy to pay for my mistake. 350 was a hit for sure but knowing what I know now, RB takes a huge hit, and knowing he couldn't pay himself, thats not ok. I'm happy to pay 350 to keep my lights going.

Nobody said RB was having financial difficulties. Just because he gave up his pay, does not mean that at all.

He believes in his company and in their new products and he invested his pay, in the company, to develop and release new products. RD, testing, production, marketing, etc.

It wasn’t a choice because the company was failing or struggling. The photon v2 is a fantastic light, popular, and was a core product for years, and it still is a great light. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, and it still is worthy to compete with any other lighting companies product.

It was a choice to help the company grow and release new products that are innovative, modular, and among the best in the industry. They also expanded their product line and sell things beyond lighting - very nice return pumps, skimmers, ato’s and wavemakers.

Giving up the paycheck was not to help a struggling company, it was to help a successful company expand and grow at a faster speed. The meridian alone took years of planning and development, and started well before anything about it was even announced.

So the public doesn’t believe more misinformation being thrown around here, OP paid the full price by choice, because they didn’t know how to get the part for $30 each. They were refunded the overcharge, on Thanksgiving

They play victim then change the narrative to play hero, both incorrectly. They are not a victim that had to spend $350 to fix a light that “RB broke” and they are not a hero paying $350 to a “struggling company”

- You were aware you needed to update
- You made a thread asking for confirmation 6 months ago
- You were told yes and explained why
- you chose not to update
- you didn’t read the responses to the thread you created
- 6 months later the developer of the third party app decided to shut it down and delete it
- you hit reset 8 times and factory defaulted your light when you didn’t have a working app, but did have a working light that had its schedule retained in internal memory.
- you bought the part at full price after hours the night before a holiday without waiting for instructions how to get them discounted for 30$ each
- you were refunded the overcharge the next day, on thanksgiving
- you are not a victim
- you are not a hero
- you are a person who doesn’t read emails (from RB, from R2R, and now from PayPal) and didn’t want to upgrade to a new app and then paid $30x2 to get the new wifi boards that will fix the situation. Whether it was intentional or unintentional, it doesn’t matter.

Your inaction put you in a situation, then your actions caused another making it worse. The solution was $350 in parts that you got for $60.

That’s all there is to it.

I would suggest looking into the manual controller, I believe it’s currently on sale. Just for peace of mind, maybe order one for each light and have it included in your shipment just so you never have to worry about losing control of the light over an app issue.

 

[Marco_99]

Maybe you should stay out of technical conversations you dont understand so you don’t spread misinformation and fear mongering

It’s not an excuse it’s just background info for those thinking this was RB fault or choice. A third party company demanded a lump sum of money or else. RB prevented loss of control of the light with two ways - developing their own app and a manual controller.


Which is because they factory reset their light knowing they didn’t have app control that is needed to reprogram it. A troubleshooting step. But one taken on their own and not on the phone with support


How did they cause the problem? I don’t believe you have read the thread or you missed key posts. They are supporting it and helping out those that did not update to the new app in 2+ years of time regardless of it being intentional or unintentional

I don’t even know where to begin here. There is no logic. The fact that they still sell the light means they should give unlimited full warranty coverage and parts to those that bought one, installed an old app and didn’t use the official one, and then for whatever reason didn’t see the messages sent out warning them to?

Relax. It’s a $175 part they are discounting to $30.

They actually designed the light with a fail safe. If the original app company shut down, and if RB didn’t make their own app, the light still wouldn’t be useless. They designed it to take a manual controller so in a worse case scenario, you could still control and use the light without any app at all. Optionally this is also people that prefer not to use an app.


Discontinued - photon v2, current meridians, original owners and non original owners - all are being given the same deal. If you’re a user of the old app, never switched over, and are stuck, you get $145 off the needed part and can be back in business for only $30. Or you can buy the manual controller and never need to rely on an app again.

Your model of charging full price to some and giving the part for free to others probably works out to be the same for the company you hypothetically own, but your treatment of customers varies and puts bigger strain on some based on their situation. That would be your choice as a business owner and some may choose this way. RB is making it affordable and equal to all regardless of the situation.

All your responses are loaded with emotion and extreme boot licking bias. I understand it CRYSTAL CLEAR. It’s a Reef Breeder light, correct??? Reef Breeders chose who they sourced the app through, correct??? So if the app falls apart that would make it a Reef Breeders problem, correct??? Should we all cry a river and expect less from a product because of their trials and tribulations behind the scenes to run a business?? HAVE YOU ever run a business??? Does that go the other way as well since they’re making good sales now should they cut all the customers a dividend check since YOU think all the customers should cut them slack for THEIR HARDSHIPS from running a business that CAUSED THE PROBLEM?? IT’S A $175 DOLLAR PART THAT IS NEEDED BECAUSE REEF BREEDERS CHOSE AN INCOMPETENT SOURCE TO RUN THEIR APP (again a THEM problem) Business isn’t always about winning, you lose too, SOMETIMES it even COSTS you lots of MONEY and TIME. I said the smaller you are the more you better pay attention, charging a customer to FIX YOUR PRODUCT so it functions because a problem YOUR COMPANY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IS NOT PAYING ATTENTION. The light was obviously made to be run off an app, because it can still be run if you had manual controls is a MOOT POINT when you have to buy the controls or don’t have them, in fact the new Meridians I see they charge more for the app run version. That $175 part they’re probably turning SOME profit on could be costing them thousands in future sales and reputation.

THE FACT THAT THERE IS EVEN A $175 *****HARDWARE FIX ***** SHOWS THAT THEY CAUSED A PROBLEM WITH THIER PRODUCT.

Discounting the part, well it speaks for itself, it kinda says well we don’t think this is an us problem, it’s still a you problem. It’s not my business to run, knock yourself out. Like I said the battles people choose to fight or the hill they want to die on, it’s their choice.


Here’s some business advice for businesses. Stay out of public chat forums/ discussions, deal with your customers through dm’s or in private. All you gotta say is hey I see you have a problem or question, dm me. This is a prime example where a cheerleader runs the forums gets all suited up for “ X” company white knighting and talking trash to people defending them at all costs. It reflects bad and is extremely cringe.

Another thing, I can have an OPINION just like you, you’re not special. I honestly was looking to do business with Reef Breeders for a new Meridian & bar combo setup but it’s threads like this that just give me a different perspective. I’ll pass

Happy reefing

 

[Sam7]

Happy Holidays.... lets all take a deep breath and do a group hug....Love Thy Reefer

 

[Marco_99]

Seems like a thread of mad people because there light didnt win the Best Lighting Brand

Well, since you wanna bring it up, it’s kinda funny because I was looking through the best light award thread, and ALL the NEW accounts just made to Pat Reef Breeders on the back and cast votes for them is honestly pretty cringe (yeah nothing to see there LOL) and I can tell you one thing my favorite light company won’t be charging me to buy a part they had to come up with to fix their light because of a situation they created.

 

[VintageReefer]

All your responses are loaded with emotion and extreme boot licking bias. I understand it CRYSTAL CLEAR. It’s a Reef Breeder light, correct??? Reef Breeders chose who they sourced the app through, correct??? So if the app falls apart that would make it a Reef Breeders problem, correct??? Should we all cry a river and expect less from a product because of their trials and tribulations behind the scenes to run a business?? HAVE YOU ever run a business??? Does that go the other way as well since they’re making good sales now should they cut all the customers a dividend check since YOU think all the customers should cut them slack for THEIR HARDSHIPS from running a business that CAUSED THE PROBLEM?? IT’S A $175 DOLLAR PART THAT IS NEEDED BECAUSE REEF BREEDERS CHOSE AN INCOMPETENT SOURCE TO RUN THEIR APP (again a THEM problem) Business isn’t always about winning, you lose too, SOMETIMES it even COSTS you lots of MONEY and TIME. I said the smaller you are the more you better pay attention, charging a customer to FIX YOUR PRODUCT so it functions because a problem YOUR COMPANY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IS NOT PAYING ATTENTION. The light was obviously made to be run off an app, because it can still be run if you had manual controls is a MOOT POINT when you have to buy the controls or don’t have them, in fact the new Meridians I see they charge more for the app run version. That $175 part they’re probably turning SOME profit on could be costing them thousands in future sales and reputation.

THE FACT THAT THERE IS EVEN A $175 *****HARDWARE FIX ***** SHOWS THAT THEY CAUSED A PROBLEM WITH THIER PRODUCT.

Discounting the part, well it speaks for itself, it kinda says well we don’t think this is an us problem, it’s still a you problem. It’s not my business to run, knock yourself out. Like I said the battles people choose to fight or the hill they want to die on, it’s their choice.


Here’s some business advice for businesses. Stay out of public chat forums/ discussions, deal with your customers through dm’s or in private. All you gotta say is hey I see you have a problem or question, dm me. This is a prime example where a cheerleader runs the forums gets all suited up for “ X” company white knighting and talking trash to people defending them at all costs. It reflects bad and is extremely cringe.

Another thing, I can have an OPINION just like you, you’re not special. I honestly was looking to do business with Reef Breeders for a new Meridian & bar combo setup but it’s threads like this that just give me a different perspective. I’ll pass

Happy reefing

Wow. What a hot emotional mess to go through.

I don’t feel I need to put my time in a detailed reply breaking down that rant. I’ve said enough and I’ve detailed the situation event by event, start to finish in prior posts. The only new stuff I have to offer is: I agree you have a right to your opinion. I don’t think I’m special. I own a business.

Enjoy your weekend and use whatever light you want.

Oh yea one more thing I saw

I can tell you one thing my favorite light company won’t be charging me to buy a part they had to come up with to fix their light because of a situation they created.

Maybe they will charge you full price. Or just not feel it’s worth their energy to fix. Like the primes that melt lenses or radions turning on 100% after middle of the night software update