Very Disappointing Redsea Customer Service - Broken Sump

[kruler]

I took delivery of my new Reefer XL425 in March and thought I adequately inspected the glass components for any shipping damage. I built the stand, put the tank in place and the sump in the cabinet, but was delayed in fully setting it up because of the pandemic. While setting up the tank this past weekend, I noticed some small pieces of glass in the bubble trap sponge (the sump is shipped with the sponge in place). I removed the sponge and at first could not figure out where the glass was from but upon closer inspection found a crack/chip in the divider between the sponge and return chamber (see photos below). This is difficult to see when the sponge is in place. I immediately e-mailed RedSea customer support and this morning Ariel responded saying that RedSea would not cover the broken sump because it was not reported immediately.

This is not a practical or reasonable policy as this defect would only be discovered with a very detailed inspection that would not be possible with the delivery person waiting. If there is anyone with experience with a broken sump or other component in similar circumstances, I would appreciate hearing how it was resolved. This was an expensive tank and it's extremely upsetting to be sold a broken product and then be told "sorry, you didn't find the defect fast enough".

You can see from the last photo how difficult the defect is to see from the front of the sump. That photo is best view of it I could get. It's impossible to see if you look straight from the front as its blocked by the black divider.

 

[kruler]

I ordered the tank through my LFS. So if I dispute the credit card charge, wouldn't it be the LFS that suffers and not Redsea? I don't want to cause any problems for the LFS, especially now when I'm sure they are having a hard enough time.

 

[kruler]

I got another e-mail from Redsea offering to sell me a new sump for 50% off but I need to pay for shipping. Is it just me, or is it absurd to sell me a broken product and then offer to give me a better deal on the replacement?

 

[kruler]

There has to be a difference between looking it over for obvious damage and inspecting it with a magnifying glass. In this case, the damage is invisible when looking straight at the front of the sump or down at it from above. Even after finding the glass bits in the sponge, it took me a little while to find where they came from. Practically speaking, no reasonable person would have found it while the delivery person was there waiting for a signature. I also doubt that any delivery person would wait around for the time that it would take to unpack one of these tanks and inspect every component in the manner that would be necessary to find similar issues.

 

[kruler]

So to add insult to injury, Redsea says that even if I buy a new sump from them, they are unable to ship it to me in Canada. They say my options are to find and hire my own freight forwarding company to ship the sump or to drive across the border to pick it up (which is impossible right now by the way because the borders are closed).

 

[kruler]

I'm happy to report that after some discussions, Redsea has changed their position and agreed to send me a replacement sump. Sometimes it takes time to assess and appreciate the circumstances in individual cases and come to the right conclusion. In the end, they did the right thing. They made it clear that Redsea's policy remains that any damage must be reported within 1-2 days barring exceptional circumstances.

Lessons to take away:

1. Always CAREFULLY inspect any goods at the time of delivery. If you can't fully inspect it at the time, note on the receipt that the goods are being accepted subject to further inspection. Any damage/defects that you find should be reported immediately.

2. If you are right - don't give up (as some suggested I do above). Giving up encourages companies to initially decline to help you. If they know that a large percentage of people will just give up when they are told "no" the first time, then it's in their best interests to say "no". If they assume that most people are persistent a**holes like me, they will make life easy on themselves and help people from the outset. I am not in any way suggesting that this is Redsea's MO, and before this incident, I have been very impressed with Redsea's customer service. The particular facts of this situation were tricky.

I appreciate all of the [helpful] comments that were left here!

 

[kruler]

You can follow the build here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-reefer-xl425-build.708679/

 

[redfishbluefish]

Hello folks, I'm glad to see the OP has received positive reply from Red Sea. Note that this thread was moved to vendor feedback. Per rules, outside comments are NOT permitted. The reason for this is to allow the vendor and member to work through the negative experience. Thanks for your understanding.

Thank you, Paul

 

[kruler]

Just want to clarify that there were outside comments that were deleted by the moderator. Otherwise I look like a crazy person repeatedly replying to my own thread.