Liveaquaria D.O.A Policy - STINKS

Mark426 · #1 12/04/2007, 05:08 PM

I have ordered from Liveaquaria/Fosters & Smith many times and I have always been happy with their service...until today.

I had room for a small blenny and have been waiting for one for sometime now. My LFS has been unable to get any. Liveaquaria finally got some, so I placed my order. The package arrived on time and when I opened the box I notice how COLD it was. Well needless to say my little fish was dead as a door nail. The heat pack was even cold. My temp here was cool but not cold, 60 degrees and I was here to accept the package. I dont understand why it was so cold inside the shipping box.

Oh well.. I will just call liveaquaria and tell them of my loss. They said that that the fish was probably not dead but in hibernation... LOL. I say... OK..but I promise you its dead and stiff. They say it sounds dead alright and would I like a refund or leave a credit on my account. I asked for the refund OK...we will credit you for the fish. I ask what about the $45 for shipping? They say we don’t refund that. Huh? I ordered something, it arrives dead and I am out $45? I say are you sure? They go into an extensive explanation, but the long and short is they don’t refund the shipping. That just not right. I don’t get what I want and still cost me $45! That STINKS!

Mark

p.s. I looked hard...and no where in their policy does it say the will or WONT refund the shipping for livestock.

Bebo77 · #2 12/04/2007, 05:13 PM

post this in their forum.. their customer service is second to none...

OnoIgotICH · #3 12/04/2007, 05:15 PM

45 bucks for a blenny.

im not gunna lie. but your LFS sucks if it cant bring in a two-spot blenny.

well I ordered from live aquaria and they gave me my shipping back.

Mark426 · #4 12/04/2007, 05:46 PM

I got this back via e-mail from F&S

"I was alerted to your posting on nano-reef.com early this afternoon and I have been monitoring it closely. I also was told that you had called back again asking for the refund. I originally did not offer this since we have already made this exception for you in the past and I assume our refund policy was explained. You are right that online it does not specially state that shipping will not be refunded rather a positive approach that the item’s purchase price will be refunded. It is understood by our customers that if the package arrived on time then that service has been completed as guaranteed.

I have requested that the shipping cost of $44.99 be refunded back to your credit card. You will see this credit appear within the next 3-5 business days. Moving forward shipping will not be refunded if this service is fulfilled as guaranteed. We certainly do not want to lose you as a customer. I apologize that we were not able to come to an understanding on this issue over the phone."

Way to go F&S...they stepped up to the plate...life is good again.

Mark

Blown 346 · #5 12/04/2007, 06:16 PM

I was going to say, I have this happen to me with the fish DOA. They didnt want to refund me my shipping but did since the fish was dead. Most of the time I will just have the send me a new one when this does happen and I dont pay for the shipping a second time. Glad to see it worked out for you.

RWillieK · #6 12/04/2007, 06:42 PM

why should they refund the shipping - the shipping company fulfilled their end of the bargain - the box got from the shipping origin to your door.

jbeltmann · #7 12/04/2007, 07:10 PM

I think they should choose, reship or refund, whichever is cheaper for them.

GoingPostal · #8 12/04/2007, 07:27 PM

Show me a company that does refund shipping on live items, please.

skinz78 · #9 12/04/2007, 07:31 PM

I agree with RWillieK, I haven't found any online vendors that will refund shipping for any reasons nor do I expect them too.

Pmolan · #10 12/04/2007, 09:15 PM

Thats a good racket... Go to the LFS and take all of their dead fish for the day. Bring them home and put them in the freezer. Sell them on ebay for $1 + $50 shipping. Package the frozen fish and mail it. When it arrives DOA, refund the dollar!!!!

Capslock118 · #11 12/04/2007, 09:31 PM

What has come to my mind reading all of the posts to this thread is this:

I agree, the shipping aspect was fulfilled and that there was no fault to that end. I also agree that I have never seen any refunds for shipping for online purchased items. There is however shipping insurance, but that has in no way to do with this particular situation since package insurance has to do with lost / stolen / damaged items.

If an online retailer were to set in a policy that would refund every shipping charge for dead goods, you could imagine heavy losses.

I would have to side with liveaquaira. I have been very pleased with their customer service and guarantee policy, and I am happy to see they care enough about customer service to make sure every customer is happy; I do not see that much respect in a single company that often these days.

Macimage · #12 12/04/2007, 10:53 PM

Their email references that they have already made an exception and refunded the shipping to you once before??

Joyce

smiller · #13 12/05/2007, 09:01 AM

If this is the second time they have made this exception for you then consider yourself the exception to the rule. Even one shipping refund surprises me. Most people who order online are aware that shipping is not refundable. You take part of the risk when you ship. If you can't accept that then it is best you stick to local sales.

As this is standard practice in the industry , at least since I started buying online in 2000, I think it best not to use this venue as a way to pressure a vendor into a refund. Not saying you did that, but I have seen it here too many times.

kslick · #14 12/05/2007, 11:22 AM

It would of been nice to hear the WHOLE story first, so we could of made a better judgement. They made the exception once and you were told about it. Just a sad case of someone trying to abuse the system!!!!

coralnut99 · #15 12/05/2007, 11:35 AM

Quote:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11318387#post11318387 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by smiller
If this is the second time they have made this exception for you then consider yourself the exception to the rule. Even one shipping refund surprises me. Most people who order online are aware that shipping is not refundable. You take part of the risk when you ship. If you can't accept that then it is best you stick to local sales.

As this is standard practice in the industry , at least since I started buying online in 2000, I think it best not to use this venue as a way to pressure a vendor into a refund. Not saying you did that, but I have seen it here too many times.

I doubt this whole thing could be summarized any better.

As a customer, if this is the second time this has happened in a relatively short span of time, I would go digging into the reasons first. You may want to check the times on the package tracking to see if it stayed in one point a long time.

I've ordered more livestock on-line than my wife should know about. I've only had 3 bad experiences that I can think of. All occured during the month of December. So as a matter of personal policy I don't order livestock after Thanksgiving. Cold temps. are bad enough by themselves, but add storms, and additional holiday traffic, and your livestock is just another package freezing on a plane delayed on the runway. Heat packs don't work miracles.

aquaticvet1 · #16 12/05/2007, 01:21 PM

I would like to apologize for the misunderstanding and personally explain LiveAquaria.com's customer service philosophy.

If you place an order with us and all specimens unfortunately do not make it (either DOA or under warranty), we do refund or credit 100% of the order total including shipping and handling based on the customer's preference.

If some of the specimens within the order survive and others do not, we will work individually with each customer to ensure 100% satisfaction. This may include refunds, credits, or replacements of the deceased specimens and a portion of the shipping and handling. Each customer determines how their situation is to be rectified to ensure 100% satisfaction. There is no one policy that can cover every circumstance. As an example, if you order two fish and one died, you may desire a different resolution than if you order 20 fish and one died. Additionally dollar values vary on every specimen. If you order a $220 fish and a hermit crab and the fish perished, we would not expect a customer to pay $17.98 (half of the $34.99 shipping) for a hermit crab. On the flip side, it would be logical that if the hermit crab died, that the customer would bare the burden of the shipping and handling.

This is just one example of how complex customer service can be in regards to the shipping of live specimens.

In reviewing this particular customer's current and past orders, here are some of the relevant facts that helped determine the resolution:
1. This customer has a history of 12 orders with LiveAquaria.com. On two occasions (8/1/06 and 8/4/06), he was refunded 100% of the specimen cost including shipping and handling. This was done per the customer's request even though a portion of the orders did survive. This was a judgmental call between the customer service agent and the customer. In reality, LiveAquaria.com should have been entitled to some of the shipping costs.
2. On this order (12/1/07), the customer called with concerns about the water temperature of the package. Customer service agent, Ang, asked the customer to please acclimate the items as they may be in a “hibernation” state which is a common occurrence when fish are subjected to cooler than normal temperatures. In retrospect, the customer apparently took offense to this suggestion as in his opinion the fish were obviously deceased. Unfortunately for the specimens, he was correct in his observation. The customer became upset with the agent and was transferred to a member of management, Jaimie.
3. The customer explained to Jaimie that he was upset with Ang regarding the hibernation comment. Jaimie apologized and explained that occasionally by asking questions, we can educate and help the hobbyist as well as save some specimens from unnecessary death. In this instance, I understand everyone’s frustration and it certainly was not our intent to offend the customer. Ang was just trying to help. The customer informed Jaimie that the two spot Bimaculatus blenny was “obviously deceased”. He did agree to acclimate the Emerald Mithrax crabs which represented the majority cost of the order. At this time, Jaimie offered a full refund of all specimens on the order, even though the crabs were alive. At this point Jaimie asked the customer if this resolution was satisfactory in which he said, “Yes.” Jaimie felt the customer was satisfied and ended the call on a positive note.
4. The customer proceeded to call back numerous times and after brief conversations with agents, hung up on them. He also emailed LiveAquaria.com numerous times stating that if he did not get his shipping and handling back, he would be posting his negative experience on various forums. This was peculiar to me in that he accepted a refund for the entire order even though some of the specimens were alive. To this date, we do not know if all of the specimens are deceased, in which case, he would be entitled to a full shipping and handling refund.

In conclusion, this is an example that shows how difficult providing world class customer service can become. Again, I sincerely apologize for any misunderstanding on LiveAquaria.com’s part. Hopefully, we can all learn from this experience and continue working towards a hobby where customer service is built on “trust and faith” rather than “policies and procedures”. If there are any customers who would like to offer comments or concerns, please feel free to pm Jaimie A. at LiveAquaria.com.

Sincerely,

Race Foster, DVM

kslick · #17 12/05/2007, 04:32 PM

I think you guys do a great job!!! I lost a fish awhile back and when I called the agent, she was very apologetic for my loss and we resolved the issue. You guys have always done a great job and certain people can never be happy, no matter what you do. Just wanted to let you know that.

SPStoner · #18 12/06/2007, 08:07 AM

As stated earler by Smiller and others, this is atndard practice in this industry, and in every other one that I know of. Order something from Best Buy, Amazon, and most others and are not satisfied, or receive the wrong thing, and you will get a replacement shipped, probably a "store credit" but no refund on shipping. Also, name me another livestock supplier that even offers a cash refund on DOA's??? I do not believe there are any that do, besides Liveaquaria.

People like this that take advantage of the policies and Liveaquaria's willingness to satisfy the customer 100% are going to ruin it for the rest of us honest customers.

smiller · #19 12/06/2007, 08:23 AM

Quote:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11325864#post11325864 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SPStoner

People like this that take advantage of the policies and Liveaquaria's willingness to satisfy the customer 100% are going to ruin it for the rest of us honest customers.

Well said.

Let's leave it at this while this thread really has something good to offer. Prolonging it will most likely end up with a forced closure.

closed