This thread is to document a poor experience I had with the online vendor Fraghouse Corals.
Happy reefing!
Context:
I recently purchased 18 corals from Fraghouse Corals. While some reviews on R2R caution about their customer service when issues arise, I had decent interactions with them in the past and the pricing on this batch was very reasonable. Unfortunately, one of the corals died shortly after arrival.
For additional context, I also received 20 corals from another vendor on the same day. One coral from that shipment was lost as well—so 2 out of 38 overall, which is not unreasonable.
I reached out to Fraghouse Corals with a photo of the dead coral and asked what their coverage was for situations like this. I want to be clear: I failed to check their DOA policy before ordering again, and that oversight is entirely on me. They were fully within their stated policy to decline any replacement.
What followed, however, was surprising for a vendor in a small community-driven hobby. The tone and content of their replies were unprofessional, accusatory, and far outside the norm of how most coral vendors handle customer concerns—even when they choose not to replace a coral. As a “buyer beware,” I’m posting the full conversation below so others can make an informed decision before purchasing.
To be fair and transparent, I want to note that after several unprofessional exchanges, they did eventually offer to send a replacement if I covered the $60–70 shipping cost. That email is included as well.
The corals themselves were fine—mostly browned out—and the prices were excellent, but the customer service experience was poor enough that I felt it was worth documenting for the community.
Email chain:
Me:
Hello,
The FHC Static Shock, from order (number removed) was looking pretty rough on shipment and has died. I'm not sure what your coverage is, so I'm reaching out. It's a bummer, the picture was a beauty.
FHC:
Sorry (name removed), if it was looking rough you should have taken pictures and notified me immediately. I only do a 2 hour sealed in bag guarantee.
Me:
Oh. Wow. I should have read up on this. That's an industry low, I assumed it was better, which is entirely my fault.
I'm glad you told me before I spent more money with you guys. I appreciate the quick response.
FHC:
Actually that’s the industry standard if you look up on vendors policies. And your picture looks nothing like the static shock you bought fyi. Sorry I don't cover frags that have been introduced into your tank but I have no control of your tank parameters and your acclamation process. I shipped thousands of corals last month and you're the first to complain. Good luck finding better quality for the price you got mine at. I'm Selling them for pennies. Sorry man but 2 hour has been my policy for 12 years. If you want 7 day or something by from WWC and pay 10X the price for not as nice of corals.
Me:
Haha. Okay! Have a good one.
(I included a GIF)
FHC:
Look at the picture you sent me lol it’s not even close man. I hate to be like that but I’m not ignorant. I can smell a scam a mile away. All that fresh glue and skeleton doesn’t even match what I sent. Idk I guess I should just have bend over for your business! You know the coral game…. Some sps may not like your tank or maybe you placed it wrong or maybe a million other things! I’m sure the coral was fine when it showed up, I ship 20 thousand frags per year of pest free aquacultured corals and maybe get 5-10 doa frags per year! Even my full day delay boxes usually only have 10% or less doa. You’re just mad you killed a 39 dollar frag and want to place blame on me to get something for free. The corals I sent were healthy and you love them. Go buy from a chop shop and see if you have better results lol idk what to tell you but you killed it and I just can't cover your mistake. If it was "rough" you should have contacted me and I would have compensated you no questions but if it was "rough" then the rest would be "rough" if it was a shipping problem. I've never had a static shock die before and that coral has been with me for 8 years or so. Hate to be blunt but go find another vendor.... the grass isn't always greener on the other side brother! You got several thousand dollars worth of corals for dirt cheap!
FHC:
If you pay for the actual FedEx charge plus box charge I'll ship you another frag to make you happy! Let me know if you want the price, I'll send you pics of the price so you don't think I'm lying. Probably be around $60-70 to (city removed). By the way I have a best friend I grew up with that grew up there named (name removed), pretty area no doubt! Love that town!
Me:
I hadn’t planned on replying, as your first email made it clear I was on my own and that nothing could be done. To be fair, your policy is stated on your website, and I mistakenly assumed you had a reasonable approach to handling DOAs. That assumption was my mistake, and I owned that immediately. What’s unfortunate is that you seem unable to let the matter rest.
However, once you questioned my integrity, I felt it necessary to respond—not because I want you to change your mind, but because it’s important to address the accusation.
You’ve claimed I’m attempting to scam you because you “never” have dead corals and because the skeleton I sent “doesn’t match” what you shipped. In the same breath, you also say I’m simply upset that I “killed a $39 coral.” These two claims contradict each other. Either you believe I sent a photo of a different coral, or you believe I killed the one you sent. It cannot be both.
For context, my total order with you was over $500. It would be absurd for me to risk my reputation with a vendor over a single $39 coral. You’re free to believe whatever narrative you prefer, but I hope you can at least recognize how illogical that accusation is.
Before ordering, I had read several Reef2Reef reviews expressing concerns about how you handle issues when they arise. Unfortunately, my experience aligns with those warnings. While there are certainly dishonest customers in this hobby, immediately accusing someone without evaluating the situation is poor practice and does nothing to build trust or repeat business. It instead makes you appear reactionary and unprofessional.
Regarding the “fresh glue” comment: I have no idea to what you’re referring. Several corals arrived detached from their plugs, which strongly suggests they were glued shortly before shipping. If that’s the glue you’re referencing, then the explanation is straightforward.
I never asked you to “bend over backward” for me. A simple acknowledgment of the situation and a respectful tone would have gone a long way. Had your initial response been reasonable, I would have moved on and continued purchasing from you. Instead, your approach ensured the opposite. I won’t continue giving business to someone who treats customers this way.
It was also ironic that you advised me to “find another vendor” immediately after I told you I would not be purchasing from you again. I already buy from multiple vendors, and every one of them has handled issues professionally—sometimes offering replacements, sometimes not, but always treating me with basic respect. That’s all I expect. Your refusal to extend that same courtesy is what ultimately cost you a customer.
You later offered to send a replacement if I paid $60–70 in shipping. While I appreciate the gesture, I’ve decided to simply move on. I’ll continue stocking my tanks, just not through your business.
I genuinely wish you the best moving forward and hope future customers receive a better experience than I did.
Happy reefing!
Context:
I recently purchased 18 corals from Fraghouse Corals. While some reviews on R2R caution about their customer service when issues arise, I had decent interactions with them in the past and the pricing on this batch was very reasonable. Unfortunately, one of the corals died shortly after arrival.
For additional context, I also received 20 corals from another vendor on the same day. One coral from that shipment was lost as well—so 2 out of 38 overall, which is not unreasonable.
I reached out to Fraghouse Corals with a photo of the dead coral and asked what their coverage was for situations like this. I want to be clear: I failed to check their DOA policy before ordering again, and that oversight is entirely on me. They were fully within their stated policy to decline any replacement.
What followed, however, was surprising for a vendor in a small community-driven hobby. The tone and content of their replies were unprofessional, accusatory, and far outside the norm of how most coral vendors handle customer concerns—even when they choose not to replace a coral. As a “buyer beware,” I’m posting the full conversation below so others can make an informed decision before purchasing.
To be fair and transparent, I want to note that after several unprofessional exchanges, they did eventually offer to send a replacement if I covered the $60–70 shipping cost. That email is included as well.
The corals themselves were fine—mostly browned out—and the prices were excellent, but the customer service experience was poor enough that I felt it was worth documenting for the community.
Email chain:
Me:
Hello,
The FHC Static Shock, from order (number removed) was looking pretty rough on shipment and has died. I'm not sure what your coverage is, so I'm reaching out. It's a bummer, the picture was a beauty.
FHC:
Sorry (name removed), if it was looking rough you should have taken pictures and notified me immediately. I only do a 2 hour sealed in bag guarantee.
Me:
Oh. Wow. I should have read up on this. That's an industry low, I assumed it was better, which is entirely my fault.
I'm glad you told me before I spent more money with you guys. I appreciate the quick response.
FHC:
Actually that’s the industry standard if you look up on vendors policies. And your picture looks nothing like the static shock you bought fyi. Sorry I don't cover frags that have been introduced into your tank but I have no control of your tank parameters and your acclamation process. I shipped thousands of corals last month and you're the first to complain. Good luck finding better quality for the price you got mine at. I'm Selling them for pennies. Sorry man but 2 hour has been my policy for 12 years. If you want 7 day or something by from WWC and pay 10X the price for not as nice of corals.
Me:
Haha. Okay! Have a good one.
(I included a GIF)
FHC:
Look at the picture you sent me lol it’s not even close man. I hate to be like that but I’m not ignorant. I can smell a scam a mile away. All that fresh glue and skeleton doesn’t even match what I sent. Idk I guess I should just have bend over for your business! You know the coral game…. Some sps may not like your tank or maybe you placed it wrong or maybe a million other things! I’m sure the coral was fine when it showed up, I ship 20 thousand frags per year of pest free aquacultured corals and maybe get 5-10 doa frags per year! Even my full day delay boxes usually only have 10% or less doa. You’re just mad you killed a 39 dollar frag and want to place blame on me to get something for free. The corals I sent were healthy and you love them. Go buy from a chop shop and see if you have better results lol idk what to tell you but you killed it and I just can't cover your mistake. If it was "rough" you should have contacted me and I would have compensated you no questions but if it was "rough" then the rest would be "rough" if it was a shipping problem. I've never had a static shock die before and that coral has been with me for 8 years or so. Hate to be blunt but go find another vendor.... the grass isn't always greener on the other side brother! You got several thousand dollars worth of corals for dirt cheap!
FHC:
If you pay for the actual FedEx charge plus box charge I'll ship you another frag to make you happy! Let me know if you want the price, I'll send you pics of the price so you don't think I'm lying. Probably be around $60-70 to (city removed). By the way I have a best friend I grew up with that grew up there named (name removed), pretty area no doubt! Love that town!
Me:
I hadn’t planned on replying, as your first email made it clear I was on my own and that nothing could be done. To be fair, your policy is stated on your website, and I mistakenly assumed you had a reasonable approach to handling DOAs. That assumption was my mistake, and I owned that immediately. What’s unfortunate is that you seem unable to let the matter rest.
However, once you questioned my integrity, I felt it necessary to respond—not because I want you to change your mind, but because it’s important to address the accusation.
You’ve claimed I’m attempting to scam you because you “never” have dead corals and because the skeleton I sent “doesn’t match” what you shipped. In the same breath, you also say I’m simply upset that I “killed a $39 coral.” These two claims contradict each other. Either you believe I sent a photo of a different coral, or you believe I killed the one you sent. It cannot be both.
For context, my total order with you was over $500. It would be absurd for me to risk my reputation with a vendor over a single $39 coral. You’re free to believe whatever narrative you prefer, but I hope you can at least recognize how illogical that accusation is.
Before ordering, I had read several Reef2Reef reviews expressing concerns about how you handle issues when they arise. Unfortunately, my experience aligns with those warnings. While there are certainly dishonest customers in this hobby, immediately accusing someone without evaluating the situation is poor practice and does nothing to build trust or repeat business. It instead makes you appear reactionary and unprofessional.
Regarding the “fresh glue” comment: I have no idea to what you’re referring. Several corals arrived detached from their plugs, which strongly suggests they were glued shortly before shipping. If that’s the glue you’re referencing, then the explanation is straightforward.
I never asked you to “bend over backward” for me. A simple acknowledgment of the situation and a respectful tone would have gone a long way. Had your initial response been reasonable, I would have moved on and continued purchasing from you. Instead, your approach ensured the opposite. I won’t continue giving business to someone who treats customers this way.
It was also ironic that you advised me to “find another vendor” immediately after I told you I would not be purchasing from you again. I already buy from multiple vendors, and every one of them has handled issues professionally—sometimes offering replacements, sometimes not, but always treating me with basic respect. That’s all I expect. Your refusal to extend that same courtesy is what ultimately cost you a customer.
You later offered to send a replacement if I paid $60–70 in shipping. While I appreciate the gesture, I’ve decided to simply move on. I’ll continue stocking my tanks, just not through your business.
I genuinely wish you the best moving forward and hope future customers receive a better experience than I did.
