Trouble W/Red Sea Distributor

[Manny’s Reef]

[Problem Solved]

Do you all think I am being unreasonable? You can track the situation in my build thread.

On approximately October 29 I asked my LFS to order me a Red Sea Reefer 750 XXL. It arrived at the LFS on approximately November 1st. The LFS employees could not get it to my house until November 15. They began setting it up and realized that it had a chipped corner. On close inspection, the chip appears to be inside the glass and not externally. It almost appears like a bubble inside the glass. Needless to say, I rejected the tank.

My LFS guy immediately got on the phone with the distributor and told them about the situation. Allegedly, he was promised that a new tank would be on its way directly to my house the very next day. Next day nothing happened. A week later I ask my LFS for an update. Say's he's heard nothing. A week later again. Says he's received no response to his messages. He promises to reach out again same day. He sends me screenshots of the messages the distributor sent him. Out of respect to all involved parties, I will not post them here but am willing to provide them to Red Sea if need be. In short, the distributor said something along the lines of, "Sorry. I received your texts when I was on a plane. Then I forgot about them. Let's just blame it on the airplane ride. I will get the ball rolling on this tomorrow."

A week and a half later, nothing. I call the LFS owner for an update today. Says he just got done requesting an update as well. This time he was told that the same guy (the one whose memory was affected by the airplane) had now been out for a week due to a death in the family. If this is true, my most sincerest condolences. I too lost a young family member last week to covid and would wish anyone affected by covid strength and healing. However, its starting to sound like excuse after excuse to me. I just want the tank that I already paid for back in October. I don't want this broken one that is still sitting in my living room.

Making matters worse is that my wife is scheduled for delivery the last week of December. She is scheduled for a C-section as this is a high risk pregnancy. I have shared this concern with the LFS owner who also shared it with the distributor (again, screenshots as proof exist). If the tank is not delivered before the delivery, I will not allow the LFS employees to enter into my home for the install until sometime in February. My wife will be recovering from surgery and don't need them disturbing her of the newborn during this delicate recovery phase.

So now imagine buying an aquarium in October, having it delivered broken in the first week of November, and having it sit broken in the living room until February. Is this acceptable?

I'm not trying to be difficult. I emphasized to the LFS owner that we are not upset at him. We just have time restraints and we planned this purchase out to work with my wife's pregnancy. If anything, I am upset at the lack of communication between Red Sea and the LFS owner. It almost seems like Red Sea is purposefully dodging the store owner.

Just now I sent Red Sea a message using their "contact us" feature on their website. I was not rude. My message simply stated the objective facts in chronological order. I guess I am just wondering if I am being unreasonable wanting them to get the ball rolling. Maybe this truly is out of their hands? Or are they truly dropping the ball on this one and should they make it right?

I am open for suggestions/discussion. Thoughts?

 

[MichaelReefer]

Hmmm, so weird. My LFS is very close with their rep and he seems to be extremely helpful and courteous. I had one of my spring loaded door pushers (not sure the correct name for it) go bad. The owners of my LFS (which I am extremely good friends with) just shot him a text and he had me one in my hand three days later. I know its not a tank but it seems like they have always had great service from him, at least from what they have said to me. Is there a way to ask for this representatives manager?

 

[Manny’s Reef]

Hmmm, so weird. My LFS is very close with their rep and he seems to be extremely helpful and courteous. I had one of my spring loaded door pushers (not sure the correct name for it) go bad. The owners of my LFS (which I am extremely good friends with) just shot him a text and he had me one in my hand three days later. I know its not a tank but it seems like they have always had great service from him, at least from what they have said to me. Is there a way to ask for this representatives manager?

That's a good question. So far, I've allowed the LFS handle the situation. Didn't really want to get involved as I figured we would be taken care of before the baby got here. However, as the due date approaches, now I am starting to worry a bit more. Now I need to be a little more involved because I really don't want this tank to sit empty in my living room until February.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Do you all think I am being unreasonable? You can track the situation in my build thread.

On approximately October 29 I asked my LFS to order me a Red Sea Reefer 750 XXL. It arrived at the LFS on approximately November 1st. The LFS employees could not get it to my house until November 15. They began setting it up and realized that it had a chipped corner. On close inspection, the chip appears to be inside the glass and not externally. It almost appears like a bubble inside the glass. Needless to say, I rejected the tank.

My LFS guy immediately got on the phone with the distributor and told them about the situation. Allegedly, he was promised that a new tank would be on its way directly to my house the very next day. Next day nothing happened. A week later I ask my LFS for an update. Say's he's heard nothing. A week later again. Says he's received no response to his messages. He promises to reach out again same day. He sends me screenshots of the messages the distributor sent him. Out of respect to all involved parties, I will not post them here but am willing to provide them to Red Sea if need be. In short, the distributor said something along the lines of, "Sorry. I received your texts when I was on a plane. Then I forgot about them. Let's just blame it on the airplane ride. I will get the ball rolling on this tomorrow."

A week and a half later, nothing. I call the LFS owner for an update today. Says he just got done requesting an update as well. This time he was told that the same guy (the one whose memory was affected by the airplane) had now been out for a week due to a death in the family. If this is true, my most sincerest condolences. I too lost a young family member last week to covid and would wish anyone affected by covid strength and healing. However, its starting to sound like excuse after excuse to me. I just want the tank that I already paid for back in October. I don't want this broken one that is still sitting in my living room.

Making matters worse is that my wife is scheduled for delivery the last week of December. She is scheduled for a C-section as this is a high risk pregnancy. I have shared this concern with the LFS owner who also shared it with the distributor (again, screenshots as proof exist). If the tank is not delivered before the delivery, I will not allow the LFS employees to enter into my home for the install until sometime in February. My wife will be recovering from surgery and don't need them disturbing her of the newborn during this delicate recovery phase.

So now imagine buying an aquarium in October, having it delivered broken in the first week of November, and having it sit broken in the living room until February. Is this acceptable?

I'm not trying to be difficult. I emphasized to the LFS owner that we are not upset at him. We just have time restraints and we planned this purchase out to work with my wife's pregnancy. If anything, I am upset at the lack of communication between Red Sea and the LFS owner. It almost seems like Red Sea is purposefully dodging the store owner.

Just now I sent Red Sea a message using their "contact us" feature on their website. I was not rude. My message simply stated the objective facts in chronological order. I guess I am just wondering if I am being unreasonable wanting them to get the ball rolling. Maybe this truly is out of their hands? Or are they truly dropping the ball on this one and should they make it right?

I am open for suggestions/discussion. Thoughts?

Most likely, you are being taken for a ride hoping that you just give up. Given the supply chain issues...no distributor wants to get stuck. Best suggestion...if it is not too bad..ask for 50% off and live with it. Else, send it back and file a claim with your credit card if they dont take it back.

 

[Manny’s Reef]

Most likely, you are being taken for a ride hoping that you just give up. Given the supply chain issues...no distributor wants to get stuck. Best suggestion...if it is not too bad..ask for 50% off and live with it. Else, send it back and file a claim with your credit card if they dont take it back.

Well there is an implied warranty of merchantability that they must abide by. I don't necessarily think it's Red Sea as a company. It seems to me like it's more one individual person not wanting to do their job.
I have had a tank crash on me before. It's not fun. "living with it" is absolutely not an option, not even at 50% off. Honestly, I wouldn't even take the tank free with this blemish. That's how much it hurts to have a tank crash.
I am an attorney so I am not concerned about not getting the issue resolved. There is simply no need however, for me to put on my work hat and deal with matters that way. I want them to make things right because it's the right thing to do, not because they received a demand letter in the mail. My biggest concern is the time constraint I am up against.

You did bring a good option to mind though. If they cannot take care of me soon (and I mean real soon), then I am going to return it to the LFS. I will let them handle the return and I'll order myself a CADE aquarium. I just really don't want to go that route. There are very specific reasons why I chose Red Sea products. I love them as a company. I love their products. And I want to give them the chance to do right. I am hoping that someone in management sees my concerns and remedies it because I don't think that other than the 1 individual the LFS owner is talking to, anyone else at Red Sea knows what is going on.

 

[blaxsun]

I know that my tank took a few months to arrive, and it was a similar story with lack of updates from the distributor (my LFS was great for their part).

The tank was actually shipped out right away from Red Sea in the US to Canada, and one of the holdups that we found after the fact was that the distributor was waiting to get a few tanks together to save on their shipping costs (even though they were still charging the LFS the same and not passing any savings on to them). Suffice it to say, when we found out a quick phone call got the tank on a train that afternoon and it (finally) arrived a few days later.

I have had 2 minor support issues with Red Sea that they responded to and warrantied right away (non tank-related), and they were very prompt with communication (phone and email) and overnighting replacement parts - so I honestly don't think the issue is with Red Sea.

There was a local gentleman that had an older 750XXL crack along the bottom, and Red Sea contacted my LFS directly as they had a new 750XXL v3 on-hand for another customer (it just hadn't been delivered yet). With the approval of the original owner (who didn't mind being inconvenienced for a few more weeks - great guy, btw), Red Sea authorized the LFS to replace the tank almost immediately. The replacement tank for the other customer arrived about a week later from the distributor.

It really sounds like (and I could certainly be wrong) that the issue is with the distributor - and not Red Sea. But an inquiry into this with Red Sea should at least get things rolling on their end, and cut through any bullsh*t.

If they can't deliver it anytime soon I'd just have them hold it until February when things will be less chaotic for you (and you can use the time to plan out anything in greater detail, like adding a custom manifold, etc.) It's going to get nuts here tight away with Xmas/Boxing Day.

Cade was my first choice, but it's not available in Canada - so I don't really see any downside here.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

I know that my tank took a few months to arrive, and it was a similar story with lack of updates from the distributor (my LFS was great for their part).

The tank was actually shipped out right away from Red Sea in the US to Canada, and one of the holdups that we found after the fact was that the distributor was waiting to get a few tanks together to save on their shipping costs (even though they were still charging the LFS the same and not passing any savings on to them). Suffice it to say, when we found out a quick phone call got the tank on a train that afternoon and it (finally) arrived a few days later.

I have had 2 minor support issues with Red Sea that they responded to and warrantied right away (non tank-related), and they were very prompt with communication (phone and email) and overnighting replacement parts - so I honestly don't think the issue is with Red Sea.

There was a local gentleman that had an older 750XXL crack along the bottom, and Red Sea contacted my LFS directly as they had a new 750XXL v3 on-hand for another customer (it just hadn't been delivered yet). With the approval of the original owner (who didn't mind being inconvenienced for a few more weeks - great guy, btw), Red Sea authorized the LFS to replace the tank almost immediately. The replacement tank for the other customer arrived about a week later from the distributor.

It really sounds like (and I could certainly be wrong) that the issue is with the distributor - and not Red Sea. But an inquiry into this with Red Sea should at least get things rolling on their end, and cut through any bullsh*t.

If they can't deliver it anytime soon I'd just have them hold it until February when things will be less chaotic for you (and you can use the time to plan out anything in greater detail, like adding a custom manifold, etc.) It's going to get nuts here tight away with Xmas/Boxing Day.

Definitely a distributor issue.

 

[Manny’s Reef]

I know that my tank took a few months to arrive, and it was a similar story with lack of updates from the distributor (my LFS was great for their part).

The tank was actually shipped out right away from Red Sea in the US to Canada, and one of the holdups that we found after the fact was that the distributor was waiting to get a few tanks together to save on their shipping costs (even though they were still charging the LFS the same and not passing any savings on to them). Suffice it to say, when we found out a quick phone call got the tank on a train that afternoon and it (finally) arrived a few days later.

I have had 2 minor support issues with Red Sea that they responded to and warrantied right away (non tank-related), and they were very prompt with communication (phone and email) and overnighting replacement parts - so I honestly don't think the issue is with Red Sea.

There was a local gentleman that had an older 750XXL crack along the bottom, and Red Sea contacted my LFS directly as they had a new 750XXL v3 on-hand for another customer (it just hadn't been delivered yet). With the approval of the original owner (who didn't mind being inconvenienced for a few more weeks - great guy, btw), Red Sea authorized the LFS to replace the tank almost immediately. The replacement tank for the other customer arrived about a week later from the distributor.

It really sounds like (and I could certainly be wrong) that the issue is with the distributor - and not Red Sea. But an inquiry into this with Red Sea should at least get things rolling on their end, and cut through any bullsh*t.

If they can't deliver it anytime soon I'd just have them hold it until February when things will be less chaotic for you (and you can use the time to plan out anything in greater detail, like adding a custom manifold, etc.) It's going to get nuts here tight away with Xmas/Boxing Day.

Cade was my first choice, but it's not available in Canada - so I don't really see any downside here.

I agree it’s a distributor issue. That’s why I’m hoping someone from Red Sea will see this here.
As for waiting and planning more, that wouldn’t be ideal. I’ve already got the build all planned out. I’ve already purchased everything I need. It’s all sitting in my living room waiting for the tank to be installed so that I can put it all together.

 

[Manny’s Reef]

Definitely a distributor issue.

Most definitely

 

[Manny’s Reef]

Anyone know who we can tag at Red Sea to make sure they see this post?

 

[Manny’s Reef]

I received an update. Perception is key. Sounds like the distributor has been doing their part but it was actually the LFS owner who was not. Check out the reply RS sent me this morning.

"Good morning Manuel,

Thank you for contacting us, and I am happy to assist with your inquiry. I am not sure why there has been a miscommunication with the store owner, but your replacement tank was shipped last Thursday through R&L Carriers with the tracking number: 30351225-6

Best Regards,
Moises Herrera
Red Sea Group"

I tracked the shipment and it will be here tomorrow. I also don't know why there was the miscommunication with the store owner. Not sure if he is confusing two different orders or what. However, I will say that I appreciate Red Sea's prompt response and clarification.

FWIW, I will share that I did have one previous issue w/Red Sea in 2015. I had an issue with one of their products. I took to Reef Central to discuss the issue and find support. A customer service representative jumped online and responded. His response was unprofessional. Two days later I received a call from a man from Red Sea. If my memory isn't failing me, he said was he was the President of Operations in Houston Texas. He told me he was appalled by the response from the CS agent. He wanted to personally apologize. He asked me what my favorite local fish store was. Then he gave me a $500 gift card to that store.

All this to say that Red Sea continues to provide great service. I knew if I reached them somehow that they would either provide clarification, or if they were at fault, makes things right.

Thank you Red Sea. Now, off to call my LFS owner. . .

 

[Zach B]

I received an update. Perception is key. Sounds like the distributor has been doing their part but it was actually the LFS owner who was not. Check out the reply RS sent me this morning.

"Good morning Manuel,

Thank you for contacting us, and I am happy to assist with your inquiry. I am not sure why there has been a miscommunication with the store owner, but your replacement tank was shipped last Thursday through R&L Carriers with the tracking number: 30351225-6

Best Regards,
Moises Herrera
Red Sea Group"

I tracked the shipment and it will be here tomorrow. I also don't know why there was the miscommunication with the store owner. Not sure if he is confusing two different orders or what. However, I will say that I appreciate Red Sea's prompt response and clarification.

FWIW, I will share that I did have one previous issue w/Red Sea in 2015. I had an issue with one of their products. I took to Reef Central to discuss the issue and find support. A customer service representative jumped online and responded. His response was unprofessional. Two days later I received a call from a man from Red Sea. If my memory isn't failing me, he said was he was the President of Operations in Houston Texas. He told me he was appalled by the response from the CS agent. He wanted to personally apologize. He asked me what my favorite local fish store was. Then he gave me a $500 gift card to that store.

All this to say that Red Sea continues to provide great service. I knew if I reached them somehow that they would either provide clarification, or if they were at fault, makes things right.

Thank you Red Sea. Now, off to call my LFS owner. . .

Wow! Glad it's working out for you