An unforseen fork in the road

[Putawaywet]

He's mentioned on like 4 occasions how much he is out of pocket so it's no secret the bottom line is his primary concern. Sadly, customer satisfaction appears to be much farther down the list.

Stale-mating me here means he doesn't have to pay out of his pocket to ship it back to Italy and fight with them. Which I believe is the driving force behind where we're at now.

 

[Ed Reef]

I agree it's a total BS but unfortunately u're at his mercy at this moment unless you can cancel your CC charges...

 

[Todd March]

What do we think? That once again an aquarist has gotten the stiff one from a small specialized supplier. It's ****en terrible...!

Brett, if you have the energy, GO FOR IT! Contact your CC company, fight with Will. Contact Milan, fight with Sfiligoi. Do what needs to be done to get what you paid for, and no more. If you don't have the energy, I understand. My 3 month old Reefkeeper 2's pH monitor no longer works, and Digital Aquatics wants me to give them a receipt, and then I get a RMA number, then I mail the unit to themâ€"oh, and NO loaners by the wayâ€"and then they futz with it to see, "If it's covered under warranty"...

I have a lot going on in my life and the thought of having to temporarily re-plug everything into temporarily power outlets, and manually control everything from my heater to the lights and the fan for the lights, to the cooling fan over the sump, all while waiting to see if the manufacturer will even fix the 3 month old electronic item... Well, just the thought exhausts me. I understand if you are there, but I hope not.

I hope that you'll be strong and standup for yourself, and for all of us. Granted, I just had my 3 month old Vortech fall apart (though EchoMarine sent me parts to fix it fast), and now the RK2 fiasco, so I am anything but un-biased about being nothing but a big dollar sign for marine hobby profiteers...

But don't let them wring you around. You talked to Sfiligoi, the company knows that the fixture had issues. Why they would not take it back from Will, after dealing with you too, is beyond me. I think that all of them have been much less than honest with you.

If your CC company will take care of everything, that would be great and easy. If not, I really implore you to stand up and not take the BS...

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Were the reflectors scratched up?

If so have him refund your money minus the price of new reflectors and ship those back to you. The fact the fixture is now working is really irrelevent. Nobody could possibly be so damn dumb as to think you would have gone through all the BS you did if there wasn't a problem with the fixture.

 

[Mr. Brooks]

I'd have to agree with you. I ship freight all over the country and into Cananda. He must be using a really high classification, or whatever freight line he's using is ripping him off. Most freight line's published rates are 70% higher than what the majority of companies pay. That means that a shipment that costs me $300 costs the average Joe $1000. As the seller, he should be getting better rates. Or he's lying about what it costs. Or he rarely ships anything and doesn't know what he's doing. Now as far as shipping to Italy, that WILL be expensive. You're talking mucho denaro. Also, if it really cost him $400 to ship ground, then to ship it air would've been a heck of a lot more than $600, It usually costs a LOT more to ship air. Some major shadiness going on here.

 

[Mr. Brooks]

I agree, if everything else is in perfect working order (as he says) have him simply refund the fixture minus the reflectors. I don't understand why he even tried to light it up. He should've sent it directly to the manufacturer. Who's he to say there's nothing wrong with it? Way too many factors involved.

 

[Todd March]

Screw the reflectorsâ€"they were in use in the real world over a real tank while the fixture didn't work. Scratched, yeah could be, so what?!

Brett, what has Will and Sfiligoi said about the warranty coverage? What is the warranty they offer and how does it fit into this crazy scenario you have been through?

(IME, with the CC use the warranty angle--CC company's really expect manufacturers to stand behind warranties, and when they don't, they are much more likely to revoke the CC charge...)

 

[Putawaywet]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13587766#post13587766 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
Were the reflectors scratched up?

If so have him refund your money minus the price of new reflectors and ship those back to you. The fact the fixture is now working is really irrelevent. Nobody could possibly be so damn dumb as to think you would have gone through all the BS you did if there wasn't a problem with the fixture.

Well, they weren't scratched up enough for me to notice as I was packing it up.

I emailed him back asking how many reflectors were scratched and how badly were these scratches and he didn't resond back. I also stated that if the box had been jostled hard enough for the reflectors to come "lose" as he claims then I was surprised the glass shields weren't broken. He didn't offer a comment on that either.
Brett

 

[Mr. Brooks]

Yea on second thought, I take that back. Screw the reflectors. Demand a full refund.

 

[Putawaywet]

FWIW, FedEX "misplaced" the shipment for several days and had to do a search for it. Apparently they found in on a loading dock somewhere in Canada. Total time in transit was something just short of 2 weeks if memory serves me.

Yet, at no time has Will brought up filing a claim with FedEx for damage.

 

[Putawaywet]

The part I find strange is you'd think this was a private party transaction gone bad in the sellers forum the way he's acting.

I mean, this guy is the sole North American importer for Sfiligoi products, he sells their stuff all week long, but sending this thing back to Italy with a note that says "here's Brett's light" isn't an option? It's not like Sfiligoi doesn't already know who I, where the light came from, or what the problem is.

Of course, this is all assumming that Sfiligoi is a stand up company. If not, the above scenario puts Will at risk of Sfiligoi saying go pound sand leaving him out both the fixture and more money.

You know... much like I am now!

Brett

 

[Putawaywet]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13587860#post13587860 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Todd March
Screw the reflectorsâ€"they were in use in the real world over a real tank while the fixture didn't work. Scratched, yeah could be, so what?!

Brett, what has Will and Sfiligoi said about the warranty coverage? What is the warranty they offer and how does it fit into this crazy scenario you have been through?

(IME, with the CC use the warranty angle--CC company's really expect manufacturers to stand behind warranties, and when they don't, they are much more likely to revoke the CC charge...)

It's the standard limited warranty card I believe... 1 year, defects, workmanship, parts, etc. A.O. listed "warranty repair" on the custom's declaration for FedEx.

CC company says he can't have both the fixture and the charge on my card. It's either one or the other. However, one light is more than likely going to be within the chargeback window, the other is probably not. So it becomes a bit of a catch 22.


Brett

 

[maxxII]

This sounds like a situation where you'll have to give a little....more.

First off, if he's whining about the charge of freight and what he's out of pocket for it, have him scan and send you copies of the invoice for shipping. If he cant or wont, that makes him look that much worse and implies he's using shipping costs to generate revenue. If teh invoices show that he did in fact pay that much, well then you know he's being on the up and up.

Secondly, (the give), have him show you pictures of the scratches,(and the rest of the fixture), then "allow" him to deduct the cost of the reflectors from the refund....after he explains why he isnt making a damage claim with Fed-Ex. Have him show pics of the shipping box as well, (if possible). If there are giant scratches in the reflectors that appear to have been made with a screw driver and the shipping box/packaging is pristine and the glass covering the reflectors is undamaged....he'll have some 'splainin to do.

As far as one of the lights not being within the charge back window...I'd be tempted to look at a civil claim for that. Might want to look into what the rules are for venue in this regard. It might be one of those nasty situations where he has to respond to the court in the jurisdiction/venue where the lawsuit is filed. And he lives in Canada.

Old threads, but a bit prophetic....

Who built your tank?

Read this before buying from Aquarium Obsessed!!!

Nick

 

[maxxII]

Another old one for you...

Aquarium Obsessed...my tank of Death...

Nick

 

[crab0000]

I would just deal with the CC company from here on out. I wouldn't even mess with Will. Thanks for letting us know how he handles customer service!

 

[Otto2]

I agree with Max. Ask for copies of the freight bill. He should have them on file or be able to get them from Fed Ex.

 

[PreacherMan607]

Stay in the Fight brother! Don't let these guys win your in the right...let it give you incentive!

Be Blessed!

 

[mcliffy2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13587873#post13587873 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Putawaywet
Well, they weren't scratched up enough for me to notice as I was packing it up.

I emailed him back asking how many reflectors were scratched and how badly were these scratches and he didn't resond back. I also stated that if the box had been jostled hard enough for the reflectors to come "lose" as he claims then I was surprised the glass shields weren't broken. He didn't offer a comment on that either.
Brett

The reflectors on my new Sfiligoi came loose during shipping to me from AO....there is a screw that holds them in place that came off on probably 4-5 reflectors. I just screwed it back in and it wasn't a problem. If he thinks its a problem, that is the shipping company's fault, and he should deal with the claim - you should not be responsible for this.

 

[Aquarium Obsessed]

Putawaywet,

We have not refused anything. I have never said I would not refund your money.

The light was returned to us working properly. As anyone can understand I have put the light through its paces for a couple weeks to see if it has any issues. It has worked flawlessly. I am not saying you did not have issues....just that it is working fine here.
The reflectors were scratched a little and ballasts loose in the box so I simply asked for an explanation. Your explanation was appreciated and I emailed you back for your thoughts. I have not heard a reply since my last email.

As is normal here on these forums we are instantly bashed by everyone always with one side of the story. I believe my customer service has always been top notch and that will continue to be the case.

Im trying to get this resolved please contact me.

thanks,
AO

 

[Putawaywet]

I think that's he just sees his "out" and he's taking it so he doesn't have to deal with sending the thing back to Italy.

Regardless, any way you slice it it's a used fixture. The 08/09 model is a totally different color and has a couple inches shaved off the overall dimensions. Totally different cable hanging system as well. So there is no way he can sell it as anything other than a used warranty return.

Brett