GENX 4100 BAD! BAD! BAD! Pump.

[BeanAnimal]

I half way agree and do understand all about deep pockets. I do however see a patern with many of these companies... so without a 5 page rant I will make it simple.

NO THEY DIDN NOT SET OUT TO SCREW REEF KEEPERS. However they are selling a product that is a 5 year old would pick out is not reef safe. They are also telling lies about it's suitability. To me it is bad business and you see it every day. I will stick with companies that strive to sell good products and back them with honest business practices and customer service.

A product rarely get recalled no matter how bad it is unless enough people complain. Otherwise the seller smiles and keeps selling. Many times saying "well at least we are better than brand x y and z"


Bean

Bean

[Aquaduck]

HELLO PACIFIC COAST IMPORTS!!!! When are you going to get off your arses and get these new pumps out? I have been waiting patiently for almost 5 months for a replacement now! Now my patience is wearing thin. I was told that new pumps were being made and they would be ready within a month. More lies from PCI. If this is how you deal with bad products then consider this the last product I ever buy from Pacific Coast Imports again. If you didn't have product ready to replace these then you should have bought them back.

[gotfish8]

Take a look at this thread regarding Genx pumps

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=647677

[ziac]

well i wrote them about a 2400 needle wheel that had the problem also they told me that if i sent them my pump they would clean off the rust on the back of the motor and then seal it with silicone and replace the motor magnet with one that did not have the metal my pump was a used pump i did not have the reciept so i told them i would clean and seal the back of the pump to save on some shipping and they sent me a replacement motor magnet in my case I am happy my whole pump was not bad juat a couple parts that have been fixxed and they took care of me with out any proof that i bought the pump new heck they even took my word that i had one of there pumps to begin with and they were nice and shipped out the new parts very quickly

[Aquaduck]

The consumer should not have to fix a product that was made incorrectly or used inferior materials. I demand that they send me a new pump. I have every right to. I am not going to fix it myself. I will rather tarnish the PCI company name if they don't replace this piece of trash and I will keep bumping this thread for visibility until they do. I'm sick of the run-around.

Ziac, please use punctuation. It's hard to read run on sentences.

[cateyes]

i bought a used skimmer and was told it was a Pacific Coast Import skimmer.. it came with a pump that says "GX-1000 submersable pump" is this the same as the GenX pumps????

if it is i want to check mine but i can only get the front off, where the impelar housing is.. the back end, where the cord comes out, doesn't appear to come off.. does that mean it's epoxy sealed????

thanks,,,lisa

[ziac]

well mine was hard to remove but it did come off if you looked at the magnet in the motor of the pump and there is not a metal sleave around the magnet you probily have one of the pumps that had been fixxd by the manufacture

[davebudd]

I have been waiting for quite some time now for the replacement pump to show up at my door. I was only half expecting it to come. I figured they would tell me it would be here months from now and then give me the run around hoping that I would forget about it or leave them alone. That is how it works with some companies and this seems like one of those. Any way I was a little sick of waiting (at least 2 months) and sent Tim from pci another email nicely asking if the pumps were in and wanting to know what was going on with the replacement that he agreed to send me. I got a reply a few days later saying, "If you send your pump it to us, we can clean it up, silicone it up and replace the impeller." He also gave me the option to just have an impeller mailed to me. (Here comes my sarcasm) I was blown away by how awesome this company was handling this situation. I mean they are a stand up company that stands behind their customers. I don't find that very often any more. I actually quit my job and have started volunteering at pci, hoping that one day they will find a position that I can fill. I mean with a company that treats it's customers they way they do, I imagine their employees live like kings. (Ok, sarcasm off-by the way it think computer people need to design html for sarcasm). I replyed to his insane email with a polite response suggesting that he had forgotten what we already agreed to back in april. I attached all the emails so he could have written prove of how the conversation went down. Well...it's been 3 days and I haven't received a response. I'm not sure if I will....(sarcasm on) it's a good thing I work there now, I get the pumps for free. (sarcasm off) I hope you all are having better luck than I am. I don't have time for this crap, just get me my pump.

Dave

[Aquaduck]

Dave,

I'm getting the run-around from PCI too.

It's too bad I can't take them to court over this. All I want is my pump replaced with the non-rusting version. Why is that soooo hard for them to do? Replace the pump, I'll be happy and I'll stop telling everyone to avoid your products. I'm sending one last e mail and if I don't get resolution, then it's war. I will post a message on Reef Central everyday about PCI's lousy customer service. I swear!

[BeanAnimal]

You guys don't get it yet....

THEYT DON'T CARE! They don't even manufacture this product. It is simply an import item being rebadged as a reef suitable aqarium pump.

Lets look at it this a few ways

1) They spec'd the pump and are having it made overseas. To do so they had to agree to a bulk order to get the pump manufactured. Design changes are not going to happen mid run. or mid contract. They may not even happen on a second run, due to the cost of the design change.

2) They purchased an off the shelf pump and are just importing and labeling it. There is NO SUCH THING AS A CHANGE!

Lets look at this from one more persepctive. One of the MAJOR HIGH QUALITY power tool manufacturers sells a "circular saw" through wal-mart. The saw is not made by the manufacturer. They simply can't do it for the price that wal-mart wants. Instead they import a hunk-o-junk saw from overseas that is the same color as their in house saws. They their sticker on it and package it in their traditional style. Joe public thinks he is getting a "brand name" saw that carries the HIGH QUALITY associated with the brand name. Instead he is getting a pile of crap that is bieng foisted on the public HIGH QUALITY and a DISCOUNT price.

Frustrating to say the least....

Bean

[newsalt1]

What I want to know is where are all the "sponsors" that was making good on the pumps they sold. Did PCI take care of them? Are they still following this thread? They seem to have gotten rather quite and PCI is waffeling about the warranty issue.

[jarhed]

One thing is for daggon sure, I'll never buy a GenX after this thread and I'll NEVER do business with an organization called PCI.

Simply unbelievable.

[TZ@PCI]

Dear Consumer,
I want to apologize for any problems you have encountered with our pumps. We firmly stand behind all our products. We have addressed and eliminated our using the stainless steel parts. The old style pump in question has been redesigned and the new style is in stock.
If you fax or Email a copy of the purchase order I can send out a non-stainless steel impeller. The metal heat shield on the back of the pump can be siliconed over sealing it from corrosion.
If you aren't comfortable doing it yourself please send it back to us and we will gladly do it for you.
If you have any questions please Email me at Tim@pacificcoastimports.com

[electrokate]

I would like to just have you replace the pump entirely. Within 2 weeks of operation the rust on the impeller was so bad and thick that the pump slowed and got hot and a groove was worn in the plastic the impeller sits in (which was extremely hot to the touch). I would also think you would recall all the pumps sitting on the shelf at the LFS and replace them with the new style safe pumps.
Thanks,
Kate B
Oly WA

[xtrstangx]

Get the replacement pump and sell it to your LFS new in box for store credit?

[electrokate]

Hi,
I think the point is the stores are still selling them. This reduces credibility for the store and the manufacturer. Is the LFS employee supposed to tell customers "Oh by the way, be sure to fill in this side with epoxy and order a replacement part because this is defective, that's going to be $125.00 please". That is not going to fly. So either lie or simply quit carrying this brand of pump and switch to a more reputable manufacturer.
Some would say "You get what you pay for" and that this is a cheap pump, but I could have gotten an equally cheap Mag or a Rio Hyperflow and accomplished more water flow without these problems.
Just because a person is poor and can't afford premium gear should we be ousted from the hobby? We get what we can afford, everyone does it, from the guy with the nano in his dorm room to the guy with the 850 gallon marble encased monster system for his summer mansion. As an LFS employee you don't make much money, not enough to buy the best of everything, eat, and pay rent too (don't even think of going to the doctor) not unless maybe you do a lot of tank maintenance, which I can't due for health reasons. So that leaves me pretty much buying what I thought was a reputable pump from a decent company... Soon found out differently and was ****ed. The more broke you are the less you can afford things like this. Add in crappy test kits, faulty lighting... and the PCI heaters that caught on fire... it's discouraging.
Kate

[00nothing]

regarding the steel plate in the back
i recently purchased 2 gen-x pumps but havn't actually seen them yet a friend picked them up for me so i dont know there condition, but in the event there is some corrosion on the plate is it a non issue if the pump is being run as an external

and does it need to be filled with epoxy or will regular aquarium silicone do the job

[TZ@PCI]

First I would check to see if the pumps are the new (NSS)non-stainless steel versions. If they are then just regular maintanence is required.
The Stainless steel does not rust, it is only inert metal ions being attracted to the stainless steel do to the electromagnetic field being generatedby the pump.

The thermal plate will not be affected if run externally, it won't come into contact with water.
Regular silicon will work fine, you do not need to use an epoxy.
The stainless steel version will work fine if you keep the impeller clean. Simply clean it with steel wool to remove any metals that have been attracted to the surface.
If you are using deionized water the level of metals are lower thus reducing the build up of metal ions.

If your new pumps are our old style let me know I will gladly ship you out our (NSS) Impellers.
Sincerly,

[MK Reefer]

Originally posted by TZ@PCI
The Stainless steel does not rust, it is only inert metal ions being attracted to the stainless steel do to the electromagnetic field being generatedby the pump.

So how do you explain the corrosion holes in the backing plate in the photos on the first page of this thread?

If your brand of logic or physics for that matter is correct I should run home tonight and find my Tunze magnet holder rusting, sorry I mean attracting metal ions.

I have not bought a one of these pumps, and never will, but why don't you just send the guys a new pump. Its the simplest thing for you to do, and it may salvage some semblence of customer care on your part.

Mike

[Kent E]

Not good enough for me. I will never buy a product from this company. Thank you gentlemen for getting the word out.

[TZ@PCI]

If anyone has a gx4100 that has any corrosion on the SS parts please send it back we will gladly replace it. "No questions asked"
If you have any questions or concerns please call or Email (Mon - Fri) 9-5 PST
(503)982-6700

[Aquaduck]

Where do I send it back if I'm in Canada? Is there an address for PCI in Canada and are they aware of the situation? Do I need an RMA#?

[TZ@PCI]

Please return all items directly to us.
Our address is;
8225 Vera Ln NE
Woodburn, OR. 97071
If using regular postage ship to PO Box 378.


No RMA is needed. Put attention "Return Dept".
Please provide contact info,
Name, Phone number, & Return Address.

[lawdog]

Only question I have is What in the World took you so long???

That should have been your response from day one not after all the badgering that was done. I am not saying blame the messanger but man, whoever is making the calls for PCI needs to wake up or go back to MBA classes and reread about customer service and running a business.

It is nice to see PCI has come back to earth and made a reasonable effort to replace the pumps....

[Duce]

Originally posted by lawdog
go back to MBA classes and reread about customer service and running a business.

Maybe they did go to MBA school.
The world / companies are today because too many "brain less" people got an MBA and started running companies. Only looking at numbers but have no sense of how reality works.

FYI I'm an MBA grad. And I've worked with some MBA whom I am very surprise they manage to get out of bed without hurting themselves.

OK...enough of my ranting.