InsaneClownFish
New member
This was my second order from Live Aquaria. I placed an order with them last year for a clam but received an email that the specimen was no longer available.
My order consisted of:
Medium Lieutenant Tang
Small Lemon Tang
2 Small European Tank Bred Ocellaris Clowns
I placed my order over the phone, and specified a Tuesday shipment for Wednesday delivery. Because of a Visa Gift card issue, I had to resubmit the information for processing with Live Aquaria, and my order did not ship in time. When I called I told them I could not take in any livestock on Thursday, so they submitted a form to California to request Friday delivery.
The shipment arrived on Thursday anyway. Thursday was a day I would be working 16 hours, and I was late for work because I was acclimating livestock. I noticed the Lieutenant Tang was missing from the order and the packing slip. I was disappointed because the Lieutenant Tang was the main reason I had placed my order.
My order was packed flawlessly. Inside the sealed foam the bags were double and triple lined, the tang was shipped in a "dark" bag, and the appropriate heat packs were used. I was more than impressed with the quality of the shipment. The fish I received came in extremely healthy and remarkably unstressed. They acclimated flawlessly and were eating within minutes.
I called Live Aquaria that day to inquire about the Lieutenant Tang. I was told that the fish was not available and would be placed on back order. I expressed how I was pleased with the quality of my order, but I was displeased that it had shipped the wrong day. I inquired about the backorder process and was told I had not been charged for the tang, and if it became available within the next two weeks it would automatically ship out. I explained to the woman that I spoke with that while I still wanted the fish, I was worried it would come in again on a day I was working until the next morning. After speaking with a supervisor, she gave me the option of canceling the order for the Lieutenant Tang with a shipping credit. That way when the fish became available I could just reorder the specimen and not be penalized with an added shipping charge. I took this option and was offered an email alert for this fish. I asked to receive the alert as well.
Tuesday 12pm I received a knock at the door. I was surprised to see a package from Live Aquaria when I hadn't re-ordered anything. Of course, it was the Lieutenant Tang. Once again I was extremely late for work because I was acclimating livestock.
Once again however, I was very impressed with the packaging. The Tang was shipped in a massive multiple lined "dark" bag with the appropriate heat packs. The bag was sealed securely in a foam container with packing peanuts. The Lieutenant tang came in healthy, gorgeous, and larger than I had expected. I marveled at the lack of stress apparent in the fish. Once again, the bags were devoid of visible waste and the water was even warmer than my tank water(it's very cold here in CT right now).
So here's the bottom line about my Live Aquaria order.
Pros-
The healthiest fish I have seen in a long time.
Larger than expected specimens.
Miraculously unstressed specimens eating within minutes.
Impressive and flawless packaging. A real quality job.
Cons-
No initial communication with the customer that a specimen they have ordered is not available
Shipped the wrong day
Shipped even after an order had been canceled(a big no no in this industry)
Terrible communication between their Wisconsin call center and their California Livestock Facility- An almost flawed system of efficiency
Conclusion, overall it is hard to argue with the quality of fish from Live Aquaria. They far exceed most of what I have seen locally. However, shipping livestock on the specified day is paramount.
My order consisted of:
Medium Lieutenant Tang
Small Lemon Tang
2 Small European Tank Bred Ocellaris Clowns
I placed my order over the phone, and specified a Tuesday shipment for Wednesday delivery. Because of a Visa Gift card issue, I had to resubmit the information for processing with Live Aquaria, and my order did not ship in time. When I called I told them I could not take in any livestock on Thursday, so they submitted a form to California to request Friday delivery.
The shipment arrived on Thursday anyway. Thursday was a day I would be working 16 hours, and I was late for work because I was acclimating livestock. I noticed the Lieutenant Tang was missing from the order and the packing slip. I was disappointed because the Lieutenant Tang was the main reason I had placed my order.
My order was packed flawlessly. Inside the sealed foam the bags were double and triple lined, the tang was shipped in a "dark" bag, and the appropriate heat packs were used. I was more than impressed with the quality of the shipment. The fish I received came in extremely healthy and remarkably unstressed. They acclimated flawlessly and were eating within minutes.
I called Live Aquaria that day to inquire about the Lieutenant Tang. I was told that the fish was not available and would be placed on back order. I expressed how I was pleased with the quality of my order, but I was displeased that it had shipped the wrong day. I inquired about the backorder process and was told I had not been charged for the tang, and if it became available within the next two weeks it would automatically ship out. I explained to the woman that I spoke with that while I still wanted the fish, I was worried it would come in again on a day I was working until the next morning. After speaking with a supervisor, she gave me the option of canceling the order for the Lieutenant Tang with a shipping credit. That way when the fish became available I could just reorder the specimen and not be penalized with an added shipping charge. I took this option and was offered an email alert for this fish. I asked to receive the alert as well.
Tuesday 12pm I received a knock at the door. I was surprised to see a package from Live Aquaria when I hadn't re-ordered anything. Of course, it was the Lieutenant Tang. Once again I was extremely late for work because I was acclimating livestock.
Once again however, I was very impressed with the packaging. The Tang was shipped in a massive multiple lined "dark" bag with the appropriate heat packs. The bag was sealed securely in a foam container with packing peanuts. The Lieutenant tang came in healthy, gorgeous, and larger than I had expected. I marveled at the lack of stress apparent in the fish. Once again, the bags were devoid of visible waste and the water was even warmer than my tank water(it's very cold here in CT right now).
So here's the bottom line about my Live Aquaria order.
Pros-
The healthiest fish I have seen in a long time.
Larger than expected specimens.
Miraculously unstressed specimens eating within minutes.
Impressive and flawless packaging. A real quality job.
Cons-
No initial communication with the customer that a specimen they have ordered is not available
Shipped the wrong day
Shipped even after an order had been canceled(a big no no in this industry)
Terrible communication between their Wisconsin call center and their California Livestock Facility- An almost flawed system of efficiency
Conclusion, overall it is hard to argue with the quality of fish from Live Aquaria. They far exceed most of what I have seen locally. However, shipping livestock on the specified day is paramount.
