marine depot thumbs down

seacritter · #1 07/22/2006, 07:49 AM

I ordered a EHEIM 1048 universal pump from Marine Depot and had it shipped second day air. I received the pump and discovered the suction side fitting was missing, so I emailed Marine Depot and informed them of the problem. I received a response stating that they are only a vendor of Eheim and don't carry spare parts and that I should contact Eheim directly on the matter. They did also state that it would probably take 2 weeks to receive my part from Eheim. I would think that Marine Depot should have some responsibility on this matter since they sell their products. I would of thought if Marine Depot had good customer service in mind they would of took the fitting from another pump in stock , sent it to me and then took care of the matter with Eheim themselves. I have ordered from Marine Depot many times in the past without any problems but must rethink about ordering from them in the future.

Seacritter

stevem650 · #2 07/22/2006, 05:51 PM

I have ordered from marine depot many times with no problems. If they are a vendor for eheim, they should send you a new pump if they don't carry the part and pay the shipping back for the other pump. I agree with you. You should not have to call eheim and wait and do MD's legwork.

smiller · #3 07/23/2006, 06:51 AM

I would call back and ask to talk to that person's boss. MD has a good reputation and I have a feeling someone didn't know what they were talking about.

Serioussnaps · #4 07/23/2006, 04:21 PM

Yes, call MD and ask to speak to someone that matters...this is such small potatoes to them(no offense to you) that some lower ranking employee was just passing the buck....talk to someone and I am almost sure they will send you another one if you send that one back. They are among my most trusted dry goods shipper along with ReefGeek.

seacritter · #5 07/23/2006, 09:28 PM

I have received a fitting I needed for this pump from one of the many great reefers on this site. Your help and generosity is greatly appreciated............Thanks again

Seacritter

Douglas LEHMAN · #6 07/24/2006, 01:17 AM

Hello
About 3 years ago, I recieved two Eheim 1250's, with damaged/missing parts from PA. In two days I received replacements with a prepaid return shipping label for the damaged pump. No hassle or questions asked, just an apology for the delay. They have been my ONLY source for reef goodies from then on.

jezzeaepi · #7 07/25/2006, 10:02 PM

Marine depot doesnt stand behind their products. Even if they ship it to you broken its still "on you" . Ive seen that echoed many times on this forum now. Premium Aquatics all the way. Have had nothing but good experiences with them.

xtrstangx · #8 07/26/2006, 12:16 AM

Marine Depot wouldn't special order some replacement Tunze parts for me despite the fact that they are a Tunze distributor..

I agree with jezzeaepi, Premium Aquatics all the way.

duongtony · #9 07/26/2006, 12:17 AM

I had the same problem with MD..

I ordered a Mag 24...and it came broken.....so I call MD....and guess what They told me ... Call the manufacturing...they are not responsible for the defective product.

technoshaman · #10 07/26/2006, 12:32 AM

I've ordered from both sites. Near identical stock and pricing but PA are just more pleasant to deal with all the way around imo.

FuzzyLogic · #11 07/26/2006, 12:09 PM

I ordered four bulkhead fittings from MD. Opened the box and noticed 2 of the 4 had dried up salt on them. All 4 had stripped threads. I never contacted MD about it. I just accepted it as a loss and decided I will never do business with MD again. It seems that MD is repackaging used/returned goods. That would explain the missing parts on your orders and the condition of my bulkheads.

Since my experience with MD I have done business exclusively with PA and spent around $4,000 with PA. Nothing but positive experiences with them.

MarineDepot · #12 07/26/2006, 01:13 PM

Hello
Thank you for your post, I apologize if your shopping experience with us was unpleasant. I can assure you that we do not resell used items or returned goods. We have a separate area where those items do get housed. I do recommend that you do contact us so we may exchange the items in question for you and resolve the matter for you. There are times that an item is tested with the manufacturer, for quality control, before we receive them. There has been incidents that we have received damaged items from our manufacturers, and those items get sent directly back to the manufacturer. If you have any further concerns please contact us at 714.385.0080

Walter
Marine Depot Customer Service
www.Marinedepot.com

phc567 · #13 07/26/2006, 01:20 PM

WOW.. what a cold responce from MD. so unemotional

smiller · #14 07/26/2006, 01:25 PM

Let's not turn this into a bashing thread. If you have something positive or negative to say about a MD experience then by all means post it. Comments like the one above serve no purpose in a thread like this.

FuzzyLogic · #15 07/26/2006, 02:31 PM

Hi Walter,

Thank you. I believe your concern is genuine and I never had any doubt that MD would take care of the problem if I had contacted you. My choice. My investment in time waiting for these parts to be delivered is worth more than the $25 spent on the items. Again, thank you for the offer.

I must comment on your explanation of the condition of the bulkheads that I received. I really doubt the manufacturer tested these PVC fittings in saltwater, stripped the threads, and then sent them to you. I think my explanation is more plausible.

anthworks · #16 07/26/2006, 02:45 PM

I have purchased $1000's of dollars worth of equipment with MD and have very few complaints. Someone mentioned PA and I cant understand why the love? They dont usally pick up the phone when you call so you have to order online? Is ordering online different from one place to the next? The few times I have ordered with PA they have gotten it wrong and shipped the wrong items or the wrong way (ground instead of overnight etc.). One time they shipped me all these VHO bulbs I didnt order? They called me to ship them back to them so I had to make another trip to UPS with never a thank you or sorry or anything.

The staff at MD is very helpfull 99% of the time and gets the shipment correct the 99% of the time.

A

triggerfish1976 · #17 07/26/2006, 03:24 PM

I ordered a pair of blue headed tilefish from MD Live and they shipped me purple tile fish instead. I called them back and their explanation was we actually didn't have blue headed so they grabbed the purple ones. They agreed to send blue headed tile fish once they got them in. About 2 weeks later I get a call that they came in and were being shipped out. When I got the box I was shocked to see two more purple tilefish. I called them back and demanded a full refund, which I never ended up getting.
I will never order from either of their companies ever again.

UCanDoIt · #18 07/26/2006, 03:25 PM

I purchase about once a month from MD. Most orders never have any problems at all and some with minor problems are taken care immediately. Only once I had a problem and it was with an Rio pump not performing as stated, MD asked me to do the same and contact Rio as it is under manufacturer's warranty. Luckily, everything was taken care of by Rio and the pump was replaced. Just a couple of weeks ago, I ran into same problem with a Hagen product and they referred me to Hagen for manufacturer's warranty. The phone # given was disconnected, but i was able to get ahold of Hagen by website email. I still order from MD and in my experience, this is MD's typical response for equipment problems. So, if one orders from them, they need to be aware that this is their policy.

I received the same exact response from PA on a recent purchase of where a probe was defective at first time use. I was referred to the manufacturer and Neptune has not responded for 4 business days now.

Like everyone suggests, why can't these companies take the defective unit back and take care of the replacement between the manufacturer and them and give us better customer service? Just my 2 cents.

LampLover · #19 07/26/2006, 03:59 PM

I have never had problems with MD

rockindacheeks · #20 07/26/2006, 06:28 PM

I picked up a will call order yesterday and they charged me $1.05 to pick it up!!!

They charged me to pick up my own order???

seacritter · #21 07/26/2006, 07:17 PM

I contacted Eheim directly and they will send a replacement fitting out right away. They were very sorry for they missing fitting
and will make things right.....Thank you Eheim.

seacritter · #22 07/26/2006, 07:25 PM

I would also like to add that the director of Live Aquaria read this post and sent me an email saying he had many of the fittings laying around and would send one out to me. I have not bought anything from them in about 6 months but maybe it's time to buy another cleanup crew.

frontnut · #23 07/26/2006, 10:28 PM

i have recently purchased plumbing products from md and had a litre bottle of prime empty in the box which they replaced free of charge the next day. i will say their cheap bulkheads are just that..cheap junk..i just placed an orfer for their heavy duty ones..alot more money so they'd better be worth it. any problem i've had with them they've taken care of me.

UCanDoIt · #24 07/27/2006, 11:57 AM

One thing I got to say about MD, prices are good and the free shipping promo is great! Just a word of warning, always double check your shopping cart very carefully before you click and complete your order. Once you click the submit order button, it's set in stone and you cannot change, add or cancel. I've made that mistake twice and had to accept the whole shipment and just send back the item I didn't want after I received it. If you missed a item and need it, you have to pay the shipping charge associated with that one item to have it go out right away. No other online company has this restriction, but you need to accept this condition when ordering from MD, so check carefully.

rockindacheeks · #25 07/27/2006, 02:22 PM

whats better is when you order from them over the phone and there are 2 items that you never requested added to your order. then they tell you that they cant do anything about it, and that they will remove the items when you pick up the order and issue a credit 3 days later...