Customer service without any SERVICE

[Goodwin9]

I have to share my first time experience using Marine Depot's customer service, or at least that's what it is called.

Two weeks ago, I ordered an Euro-reef skimmer from MD over the telephone. Next day, not having received a conformation or shipping information, I called MD only to find out that the person who took my order either didn't complete, or enter my order. I replaced the order with Ben in the order department and was assured that things would be handled properly. I got the order confirmation shorty there after and everything looked great.

Monday after the order was shipped, order tracking showed that it was being shipped to the wrong address. I called customer service and pointed out that they were shipping to a different address than specified. I was told that there was a computer error and that they would contact UPS to get it corrected. I was not told at the time that this would delay the delivery time by 4 days. Due to the fact that this is a large skimmer, the sump could not be manufactured until they had the skimmer at the factory. Due to the delivery delay of the skimmer. The tank manufacture was unable to complete the system in time for delivery which was then pushed back 2 weeks.

If all of that isn't enough, the skimmer arrived with the wrong pumps. I immediately called MD's"customer service" and was told that they would contact Euro-reef and get the rights pumps and send them to me 2nd day air when they were received from Euro-reef. I called "customer service" the next day only to be told that they hadn't gotten a replay back from Euro-reef and my situation was still up in the air. Later that day, I phone "customer service" and asked if Euro-reef couldn't just send the pumps directly to me rather than shipping them to MD, and then to me. I didn't get an answer back.

Today, 2 days later, I called "customer service" at MD and asked about the status with the replacement pumps. I was told by Marion in "customer service" that she would check with Jeff at Euro-reef as to the status of the replacement pumps and that she would call me back with a report. This evening, I received an email from Marion saying she wasn't able to get a response back from Euro-reef. Email, not a phone call as I was told.

So here I am sitting with a skimmer that has the wrong pumps, my tank manufacture that won't finish the project until I have the skimmer situation corrected, and a "customer service" department that in my opinion, hasn't done all they could to get this problem resolved. You would think that with a major purchase ($1500. plus) you could expect them to go the extra mile.

I have made a lot of purchases from MD online the past couple of years and have never had a problem. I don't think that I have ever had to use their "customer service" up until now. I am going to have to re-think purchasing several thousands of dollars in lighting from MD if this is how their "customer service" operates. I can't afford any more mistakes, delays, or less than desirable "customer service.

Once again, MD has been a great place for me to shop up until this problem I am having with my skimmer order. Unfortunately this problem is like trying to build a house without having the lumber. It has delayed, and now stopped my new tank project.

 

[Tang Salad]

Sorry to hear about that. It's never fun to get the run-around, especially when you spend so much cash.

What really stinks is that this post will be gone within ten days, and nobody will ever know how often this kind of thing happens.

Good luck...you'll like the ER when you get it going.

 

[owsi]

It is probaby a drop ship by Euro-Reef, they were great to deal with when I bought my parts direct from them. Took Euro-Reef almost 2 months to respond and ship. MD has always taken care of issues for me, as you will see below in the thread "Is Ryan L on Vac." Good luck with your ER

 

[MarineDepot]

Hello Goodwin9,

Thank you for your post, I do apologize for all the delays. I can assure you that our customer service team is top notch. Marion has made me aware of the situation with your skimmer and has advised me that she has been trying to contact Euro Reef this Morning. She has left a message with Chip, who takes care of these types of situations. I suspect that they may have been out of the office for the Christmas Holiday. I will have Marion Follow up with you. As soon as we hear from Euro Reef.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.


Walter F
Marine Depot Customer Services Supervisor
714.385.0080 Phone
714.385.0180 Fax
www.MarineDepot.com

 

[Goodwin9]

UPDATE

UPDATE

Walter,

I received a phone call last night from Marion stating that she was unable to get in touch with Euro-reef regarding my pumps. So here I sit, wating for this to get resolved.

I read in another post in this forum that you personally went out to the warehouse and checked your inventory of Chemiclean for Melve.

Would it be possible for you to do the same for me to check for the Eheim pumps with the other ER skimmers you may have in stock. When I placed my order on the 9th, I was told that there were 3 RC500's in stock. Possibly they may have come to you with the correct pumps.

I see where the ER models RC180 - RC 1000 are all supposed to come with Eheim 1262 pumps. A person would hope that not all of your inventory have the older GenX pumps, if so, your website should be updated and corrected.

Let's see what your "top notch" customer service is capable of getting accomplished.

Thank you

 

[owsi]

It's not Marine Depot, you will come to enjoy your Euro-Reef, even MD can't get good customer service out of them. I am a former ER user, you will notice that ER has no forum here anymore. They used to, closed it serveral times due to to many owners post about problems with their ER's and lack of responce from ER. Marine Depot's customer service is "Top Notch" and I am sure they will make things right, but you will have to wait till ER gets around to responding to them.

 

[MarineDepot]

Hello Goodwin9,

Thank you for your post, We checked our inventory this morning to find the the skimmers that we have in stock only have the Gen-Ex pump with it. We have sent a request to our web design team to have the description changed. Marion placed a call with Chip at Euro-Reef this morning to contact us regarding your situation, So we can resolve this matter for you a.s.a.p. Marion is keeping me updated with any contact she makes with Euro-Reef.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Walter F
Marine Depot Customer Services Supervisor
714.385.0080 Phone
714.385.0180 Fax
www.MarineDepot.com

 

[Goodwin9]

Update

Update

Just wondering if "customer service" is still working on my issue with the incorrect pumps. It's been three days without any word from Marine Depot, and I haven't received the correct pumps from either Euro-Reef or Marine Depot.

 

[MarineDepot]

Hello Goodwin9,

Thank you for your post, Once again I apologize for the delay. Marion and Stephen have been replying to your emails to keep you informed, I do apologize if you did not receive them. Last night Stephen replied to your email we received. We attempted to reach Euro-Reef once again and have been unsuccessful. I believe they are closed for the holiday. I will attempt to reach them on the start of business on Tuesday. Once again I apologize for the delay I assure you we have made every attempt to get in contact with them regarding your situation.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Walter F
Marine Depot Customer Services Supervisor
714.385.0080 Phone
714.385.0180 Fax
www.MarineDepot.com

 

[vijaym85]

Wow did EURO reef just flee the country or what. That sucks! Maybe you should just get a whole new skimmer...
Sorry for your troubles.

 

[plugpitch]

i think a lot of vendors close from christmas to new years.

 

[owsi]

Yes, but most have the decency to post they will be closed so their "Valued Customers" know when to call back for customer support. I am so happy that I got my ER off my Reef!

 

[Goodwin9]

Update

Update

Well, I finally gave up and threw in the towel. It became pretty obvious that Euro-Reef wasn't going to help out with my problem. I called and spoke with Marion in customer service and told her that I would like to return both the skimmer and the pumps and she promptly emailed return labels. She told me that I would have my credit card credited for the full amount as soon as the product was received back at MD.

I don't have much to say about Euro-reef that I can post here, but caution buyers purchasing their products from MD to make sure you know what your getting before you buy. Doing so, you won't end up with surprises like I did.

 

[Jim_S]

I guess I don't get it.

How is this in any way ER's fault??????????????

The vendor should step in here and take the fall, but they are trying to pass the buck. They should take back your skimmer, and send you out one with eheims. They don't need ER's permission for that. Get it done. Don't pass the buck!

ER makes the skimmers and sells them to resellers like MD, CA etc., etc. Unless you bought the skimmer from the ER store, they have nothing to do with this. They just built the thing.

:thumbdown to owsi's negative remarks and MD's lack responsibility for this fiasco.

I spend on avarage $1000 a year at MD that I can easily spend at CA. Unless MD takes some responsibility for this, I guess I know where my money's going from now on.....

 

[owsi]

Marine Depot can't even get Euro-Reef's great "Top Notch Customer Service Department" to return their call. They are making it right as best they can with their customer by taking it back, I am sure they would have upgraded him with the better pump if ER would have returned their call. All those people listed on Euro-reefs Web Site and not one available for 2+ weeks to answer calls. No mention on their website that they will be closed and unavailable till further notice. Might be the best skimmer on the market(I think not), without customer support what is it worth!

 

[Jim_S]

:thumbdown

Like I said, MD doens't need ER's permission to give the OP the skimmer he wants.

MD is at fault, not ER.

Besides, they're probably still closed until next week.

Its a good thing he doesn't have a Deltec. If something went wrong with his skimmer, he may need to take a second mortgage on his house to pay for a new airline tube then get told to go elsewhere for help.

Now thats top notch

 

[owsi]

How can Marine Depot give him the skimmer he wants if Euro-Reef won't return their calls so the can order it, they already said they had none of the upgraded skimmers in stock. Seems ER only sells them direct, making their retail outlets sell off their junk, "Good Policy" "Greater Customer Service"

 

[Jim_S]

I think this sums it up pretty well:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8891656#post8891656 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kirk_M
I have to agree with Fishbulb... it's completely Marine Depot's fault here. Do you honestly think that if one of Deltec's authorized dealers have skimmer in stock, and suddenly Deltec changes the pump for that skimmer, that Deltec is going to just send them the new pumps, free of charge, so they can update their skimmers so they can sell them, or to the poor guy that bought one of the now "out of date" skimmers just the day before? Hell no. Doug will tell the person who bought it "sorry, you need to BUY the new pump", just like he told the guy with the broken pump and needlewheel he had to drop $400 to replace two parts which are sold overseas, on D&D's main site, for 75 British Pounds, which is nowhere near $250 for the impeller Deltec USA charged. Marine Depot should just refund this guy's money, and let him go elsewhere to buy his ER skimmer with an Eheim pump. Who cares if ER hasn't responded to MD's request for a freebie? MD just needs to bite the bullet on this rather than trying to pass the buck. I own a Deltec, by the way, so, don't take me for an ER fanboy. I also have an ER, which I think performs fine on my prop system.

Also, ER no longer sells the RC models with sp4 pump. That means MD had them instock from a previous order. It sounds to me more like MD is trying to sell off their old stock at the buyer's expense, rather than ER shipping out older models.

I can see your hate for this company runs very deep. You try to find every thread you can and bash them because for some reason you weren't happy with the $200 (maybe less) skimmer you bought back in the day. Good luck!! Spam on!!

 

[Goodwin9]

Up Date

Up Date

Just to clarify things a little further..The skimmer I received was the older model of the RC500. Not only did it come with GenX pumps, it only had 2 pumps

This was the version of the RC500 that was available BEFORE Euro-Reef updated the skimmer by adding a third pump and changing the pumps over to Eheim.

I specifically asked when I placed the order over the telephone whether or not they were selling the skimmer that came with the Eheim pumps, and was told that they did. Another online retailer selling Euro-Reef skimmers told me they had the 2 pump, GenX RC500 and were selling them 25% off to move them out. In the past, I have always ordered on line from MD, but in this case, I wanted to make sure that I was getting the current model and phoned in the order to MD to double check.

The skimmer was sent directly to my tank manufacture who called me when it came in and said that it came with the GenX pumps, and this is when this all got started. He didn't tell me that it only had two pumps and it wasn't until I visited the factory this past weekend did I then see that the skimmer itself is setup for 2 pumps.

I fault MD for telling me that the skimmer they were sending out to me had Eheim pumps. The unit was sent in two boxes, one with the skimmer, and one with the pumps. I assumed that they grabbed the wrong box of pumps and that it wouldn't be a big deal to get the right box of pumps sent out for the skimmer.

I also have to fault MD with the fact that their website shows all the Euro-Reef RC models coming with Eheim pumps. A week after Walter checked their inventory, the website still is showing the incorrect information. My guess is that the RC500 skimmers they have in stock still are the older models that only have 2 pumps. I'm not familiar with the other RC models prior to the switch over to the Eheim pumps.

Most business will "close out" their old inventory when it is replaced with a newer or updated models. Just take a look at the car business and all the year end clearance sales going on now.

I have to give credit to MD for not questioning me for wanting to return both the skimmer and the pumps. I had return labels within 30 minutes of my call and was told that I would get a full refund for both the skimmer and shipping as soon as it was received at MD.

MD has been a great source for me in the past for products and I am sure they will be in the future. I have placed two orders after the skimmer order and all was well, everything came as ordered.

The skimmer is an intricate part for my new system which requires the sump to be built for the skimmer. Without a skimmer, the sump can't be designed properly, not only for operation, but to be able to fit everything under the stand.

The sump was finally manufactured thinking that I was going to receive Eheim pumps for the skimmer. Now that the skimmer won't work (at least the model I received), I've had to scramble to try and find a similar skimmer, similar in size to be able to complete my project.

So I was forced to buy a different skimmer from another online retailer to fit my needs and the tank. My credit card is maxed out until I receive credit back from MD. (lots of money tied up in two skimmers)

TO MD: Change your website for ER skimmers to show the correct specifications of the ER product you have in stock.

TO MD Euro-Reef buyers: Beware, before you buy, call MD to verify they have what you want. 2 - Think twice before you purchase an ER product, from my experience, I would say that their customer service is "sub-par". I would hate to have any ER product and have to contact them 6 months down the road with problems. You could be waiting a very long time for a response.

 

[Goodwin9]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8891435#post8891435 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by owsi
How can Marine Depot give him the skimmer he wants if Euro-Reef won't return their calls so the can order it, they already said they had none of the upgraded skimmers in stock. Seems ER only sells them direct, making their retail outlets sell off their junk, "Good Policy" "Greater Customer Service"

I got a chuckle reading you reply. While all of this was going on, I emailed Euro-Reef's online store regarding the avaiablity of their RC500 skimmer, thinking I would buy from them and return the other skimmer back to MD. This is the response I got back from Euro-Reef.

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in Euro-Reef, Inc. You can order the RC500 from our website. All RC180 and bigger skimmers now come with the Eheim pumps. All RC and CS series skimmers are made to order, so we do not carry them in stock. Our official policy is 4 to 6 weeks for delivery, we are currently running about a month for you to receive your skimmer.



Please let us know if you have any further questions, we will be happy to answer them.



Euro-Reef, Inc.