Store Credit No Refund??

[jeffyang]

Hey everyone I want to share my opinion on something I’m tired of seeing.

“If coral arrives is doa , we DO NOT do refunds only “store credit”.

like what type of policy is that? I don’t think that’s fair to put you into that position where you’re stuck even if they shipped to you and it died you’re still stuck with them no matter what , if you place a coral order for a specific coral and it came doa you should have every right to get your money back not a “store credit”. What are you guys thoughts? I’m seeing a lot of online vendors doing this nonsense now almost all , it sucks , I miss old school reefin

I totally agree with OP.
"Store credit" is ridiculous. If I buy something DOA, I don't want the "store credit" to buy something else instead I am not interested at all.

 

[HBtank]

I totally agree with OP.
"Store credit" is ridiculous. If I buy something DOA, I don't want the "store credit" to buy something else instead I am not interested at all.

Interesting. Most LFS wont do any better, store credit is pretty standard for livestock returns, and deaths are typically blamed on the customer.

Where do you buy your livestock that gives refunds for returns/DOA? I also find it interesting how people frame a DOA, as if that shop is now banned for life.

 

[jeffyang]

Ah and point of clarification.

I personally understand store credit on extended warranty claims.

I likely killed that tree in my example.

Similarly, if a buy a fish and it dies with a 7 day guarantee, at that point I'm likely at least partially responsible. Plus I appreciate the company has to protect against people doing dumb things -- like me over watering my tree.

But straight DOA is another thing.

It's a breaking of confidence in the vendors ability to deliver the good. And I should have the option on if I want to invest in a round two.

Exactly, the straight DOA, especially with on-time delivery, is a deal breaker.
It only tells me there is something wrong with the vendor's goods or shipping method.
I would rather not go through the same thing with the same vendor for a second time.

 

[MaxM]

Sometimes the company sucks at packing. I received a nem with a torn foot in what looked like cream for water. Got store credit which doesn't count towards free shipping so you end up having to pay shipping again just to redeem credit. Next nem also arrived near dead with it's guts hanging out. The ended up finally getting my money back from them by pointing to my order record where not one order was fully alive on arrival. There was always something dead which ended up sticking me with more store credit. They actually sent to same type of lord to me three times, damaging it beyond hope each time. The last two times they at least paid shipping but I gave up after the third dead coral.

 

[jeffyang]

Sometimes the company sucks at packing. I received a nem with a torn foot in what looked like cream for water. Got store credit which doesn't count towards free shipping so you end up having to pay shipping again just to redeem credit. Next nem also arrived near dead with it's guts hanging out. The ended up finally getting my money back from them by pointing to my order record where not one order was fully alive on arrival. There was always something dead which ended up sticking me with more store credit. They actually sent to same type of lord to me three times, damaging it beyond hope each time. The last two times they at least paid shipping but I gave up after the third dead coral.

If it arrives on time with DOA, you should just stop buying from them again. You will only end up throwing more money away.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

The issue with the store credit is that it puts all risk on the buyer and removes the option to choose to double down on the risk or not.

I bought a small fruit tree online.

It died within the warranty, I filled a claim, got a store credit

Only problem was the tree was now more expensive so I had to spend more plus shipping again.

They then proceeded to ship the thing during a heat wave and so the second one arrived totally dead.

Now I'm out shipping x2 and spent like $300 on a tree I could buy in season at home Depot for $40. Good thing I have a $100 gift card if I want to roll the dice a third time. Lol.

Same thing happened recently buying a fish online for the first time.

Fish arrived dead. Now my option is to go double down on the expense when is rather just politely end our business relationship on good terms.

The credits work when you sell volume B2B because your B2B customers will likely be placing another order anyway.

B2C on a one off purchase is rough.

I take store credits on Amazon because my family buys junk on there all the time. I'd be happy to do the same with BRS because I can spend the credit easily. Same with a big time seller like WWC.

Store credit to a company I was expecting to be working with on a one time transaction now forces me into a relationship I don't want to be in.

And now you see that company's motivation. You directly state that it is a one-time transaction. Yes they could convert you to a repeat customer, but if you intention is to simply shop around for the best pricing every time...you are not showing a loyalty to said business who may be willing to eat a few dollars now to have it made up in the back end.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

It's is okay we can agree to disagree. But products and livestock are very different and require different care as I am sure you agree. I think you missed the point I was trying to make but that is okay as well. My main take away is small shipments sent through a channel that drops packages from conveyor belts 10' or more while sorting at the hubs is not the way to ship fish and corals. I have gone through the package design phase for UPS and FedEx for products and ignoring their rough handling requirements ignores many of the reasons they should not be used for livestock. Even airfreight has its problems but it is a faster, safer way to deliver livestock. Forcing shipments into a channel that Is designed for dry goods only is a higher risk. Then, expecting high care in a low care environment is not reasonable. The shipper has no control once the livestock is delivered to the shipping company. We are now expecting great results from a degraded delivery system not designed for live shipments. Just saying that placing all the burden on the small mom and pop shipper is unfair and unreasonable. They worked with the limitation the buyer placed on them by using a poor channel of delivery for these small shipments. If you want small shipments you will have to accept the risk with the seller. Again a level of trust between seller and buyer will have to develop in order to overcome the poor delivery options. Assuming the seller is somehow always at fault and responsible is unfair and unreasonable. The seller and the buyer should honestly share the cost of doing business with these limited options.

Well said. I see both sides of the equation as well..but guaranteeing something that is generally outside of your control is a really tough ask when you step back and see what is going on here. I hate having to eat shipping costs..but I am buying the coral and the vendor is shipping for MY convenience.

 

[xCry0x]

Interesting. Most LFS wont do any better, store credit is pretty standard for livestock returns or DOA.

Where do you buy your livestock that gives credit for returns/DOA? I also find it interesting how people frame a DOA, as if that shop is now banned for life.

100% Alive On Arrival Guarantee

Our AoA Claim and guarantee info is listed here to help customers understand that we don't just say we will make it right, we Guarantee it!

www.algaebarn.com

Our Guarantee​

We take the worry out of buying Live Copepods, Phytoplankton, Macroalgae, Inverts, and Captive bred Fish online by going above and beyond to take care of our customers.

That’s why we guarantee every order we ship to be 100% Alive on Arrival or we will replace it free of charge. Hooray! We’ll even cover the shipping on the replacement no matter which service you chose. Double Hooray!

If it dies within a 7 day window you get store credit -- which as I mentioned, I fully appreciate and understand.

I believe somewhere it also states that for a $40 or less purchase they just refund the charge.

 

[Piscans]

aquatic arts does this but they give you a lot of money. i had a random plant not be in stock, they just gave us a 15 dollar gift card. i also lost 2 ~5 dollar fish, i got another $15. when i went to the in person store to spend the gift card, they gave me a giant bag of spirulina flake thats lasted me a year and some stickers.

 

[HBtank]

100% Alive On Arrival Guarantee

Our AoA Claim and guarantee info is listed here to help customers understand that we don't just say we will make it right, we Guarantee it!

www.algaebarn.com

If it dies within a 7 day window you get store credit -- which as I mentioned, I fully appreciate and understand.

I believe somewhere it also states that for a $40 or less purchase they just refund the charge.

Yeah, credit is pretty standard, which is the point. I should have indicated "refund".

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Interesting. Most LFS wont do any better, store credit is pretty standard for livestock returns or DOA.

Where do you buy your livestock that gives refunds for returns/DOA? I also find it interesting how people frame a DOA, as if that shop is now banned for life.

I don't know of any LFS in my area that will give you ANYTHING for something that dies, even within 12 hours. (Obviously, personal relationships go a long way and in certain situations, one can work with an LFS to find a solution, but all of them have a "no guarantee/no refund or credit" policy.)

 

[xCry0x]

Yeah, credit is pretty standard, which is the point. I should have indicated "refund".

I was posting that their DOA policy is you get a replacement sent and they cover shipping.

The store credit is when it dies after arrival. Which I fully appreciate since at that point I have ownership over the fish (assuming it didn't arrive laying on its side half dead!)

 

[HBtank]

I don't know if any LFS in my area that will give you ANYTHING for something that dies, even within 12 hours. (Obviously, personal relationships go a long way and in certain situations, one can work with an LFS to find a solution, but all of them have a "no guarantee/no refund or credit" policy.)

That is my experience as well; getting credit or partial store credit would be considered really good, and that would only be if they know you.

It's funny how people have higher expectations for sellers who take on far more risk. You have no idea how your package was handled, even if it is on-time.

 

[HBtank]

100% Alive On Arrival Guarantee

Our AoA Claim and guarantee info is listed here to help customers understand that we don't just say we will make it right, we Guarantee it!

www.algaebarn.com

If it dies within a 7 day window you get store credit -- which as I mentioned, I fully appreciate and understand.

I believe somewhere it also states that for a $40 or less purchase they just refund the charge.

They make a general statement to that effect in the "guarantee", but don't differentiate between AOA and 7-days (which appears to be only fish, if still valid).

Everywhere else where you actually file a claim it states "We will review the claim and upon approval, we will credit your account with podpoints.", and that is specifically for DOA.

 

[MaxM]

If it arrives on time with DOA, you should just stop buying from them again. You will only end up throwing more money away.

And be out the couple of hundred dollars? I am a small time hobbiests with a smallish budget. Not something I want to eat. After all the run around with them and jumping through hoops - ie, driving an hour to pick up the replacement at their insistence to only have it doa again I finally shamed them into returning my money. Now I'll never buy from them again (fyi Saltwaterfish .com)

 

[HBtank]

And be out the couple of hundred dollars? I am a small time hobbiests with a smallish budget. Not something I want to eat. After all the run around with them and jumping through hoops - ie, driving an hour to pick up the replacement at their insistence to only have it doa again I finally shamed them into returning my money. Now I'll never buy from them again (fyi Saltwaterfish .com)

How did you drive a hour to pick up a replacement and leave with something that was dead (DOA)?

 

[a.t.t.r]

That is my experience as well; getting credit or partial store credit would be considered really good, and that would only be if they know you.

It's funny how people have higher expectations for sellers who take on far more risk. You have no idea how your package was handled, even if it is on-time.

Not your issue how it was handled.

 

[MaxM]

How did you drive a hour to pick up a replacement and leave with something that was dead (DOA)?

How did you drive a hour to pick up a replacement and leave with something that was dead (D

They made me drive to one of the Fed ex centers rather than let it go the extra 3 hrs for delivery to my door. The rep kept insisting that the fault lie with that last three hrs of the shipping journey. It was crap because I could see it was due to their poor packing.

 

[JSmith]

I recently ordered a fish from a large online vendor and because the shipping was so much I decided to buy another fish of the same species for a few more bucks and qualify for free shipping. I’ve only bought fish online once before from another dealer and had success so I decided to again. When the fish arrived less than 24 hours after shipped one fish looked great and healthy and the other didn’t look healthy at all so I took pictures of the fish in the unopened bag to start documenting just in case. I contacted the vendor right away and sent pictures and they assured if I take the steps they recommend that the fish might survive. By the next morning the fish had passed. They offered a credit which I said I would take a replacement but they said I would have to pay the $85shipping! I was not happy so again threw a few more fish to the order to qualify for free shipping, again only a few dollars more.
I work in the shipping/receiving department of one of the largest fragrance and flavor companies in the world and depending on the incoterms depends on whose responsible for the shipment. In this case the seller is responsible since I didn’t send my own shipment method to pick the fish up myself. Unfortunately I did not read the TOS before I bought the fish and honestly if I had I may not have bought the fish so that is on me. But I do not think it is good business practice to be totally absolved of any responsibility of shipment. In this case I truly wonder if the vendor knowingly shipped a sick fish and decided the would roll the dice knowing they were at very little risk. I normally buy all my fish from my lfs but I had been waiting months for this species and haven’t seen them in stock for quite some time.

 

[DIFish]

I recently ordered a fish from a large online vendor and because the shipping was so much I decided to buy another fish of the same species for a few more bucks and qualify for free shipping. I’ve only bought fish online once before from another dealer and had success so I decided to again. When the fish arrived less than 24 hours after shipped one fish looked great and healthy and the other didn’t look healthy at all so I took pictures of the fish in the unopened bag to start documenting just in case. I contacted the vendor right away and sent pictures and they assured if I take the steps they recommend that the fish might survive. By the next morning the fish had passed. They offered a credit which I said I would take a replacement but they said I would have to pay the $85shipping! I was not happy so again threw a few more fish to the order to qualify for free shipping, again only a few dollars more.
I work in the shipping/receiving department of one of the largest fragrance and flavor companies in the world and depending on the incoterms depends on whose responsible for the shipment. In this case the seller is responsible since I didn’t send my own shipment method to pick the fish up myself. Unfortunately I did not read the TOS before I bought the fish and honestly if I had I may not have bought the fish so that is on me. But I do not think it is good business practice to be totally absolved of any responsibility of shipment. In this case I truly wonder if the vendor knowingly shipped a sick fish and decided the would roll the dice knowing they were at very little risk. I normally buy all my fish from my lfs but I had been waiting months for this species and haven’t seen them in stock for quite some time.

$85 for shipping…ouch.
I think you are correct in saying that it is not a good business practice. In my opinion offering store credit is the bare minimum they can get away with so many do it as anything less would draw too much negative attention. A good vendor should build in some shipping losses in to their profit model, or have some kind of insurance if it happens regularly enough. Although in my experience most vendors just resend the fish with minimal/no shipping fees. That being said, every business is different and you can usually find enough information online before making a purchase. My LFS has worse policies than many of these online vendors, but there I get to take responsibility instead of relying on the shipping company.