When I received my initial purchase of an s. Doliatus, a Yellow Watchman goby and a Pistol Shrimp, I was very, very disappointed. My Yellow Watchman was DOA, which happens, and my Doliatus was not a Doliatus, but a Virgatus. They look very similar but are not the same.
I have dreamed of owning an s. Doliatus, literally, for years. However, I have only ever had nano tanks, until our new system we set up last fall. This fish was to be the gem, the epitome, the pride and joy of my first large reef system. So, when I first saw the absence of the scribbled pattern, I was in denial. For three days I waited, and hoped. I hate conflict and try to avoid it at all costs. So I prayed my gut was wrong and that I simply hadn't seen enough photos to know all the variations. However, by day three and still no scribble markings, I took photos and started asking around, including reef-central and our LFS that frequently gets in scribbled rabbitfish. (I had wanted a small juvenile that I could have for many, many years and my LFS rarely gets them in less than 5 inches. So I ordered from Blue Zoo.)
Everyone I asked confirmed it was a Virgatus. So, I had a dead fish, and a wrong fish. Not only the wrong fish, but it was a fish I had very specific plans for. Part of those plans did not include it being a Virgatus.
I e-mailed Blue Zoo over the weekend, explained what had happened and hoped to hear from them on Mondayand requested to be contacted by phone. When I first called, I was told to call back later in the day. When I called a second time, I was told not to expect a response for 24 hours. I was a little (okay, a lot) disappointed and had started to wonder if this would have a happy ending. I already knew I was SOL on the goby per almost every online vendors' policies and would only get a store credit.
The second day did not yield any great results either. On that day, to rub salt in a wound, my Tiger Pistol decided it was a great day to get eaten by a hermit crab. Yay! <-sarcasm- At this point, I was also starting to get antsy. I live in Colorado, so you need to seize a good winter shipping day while you could and that was Thursday with delivery on Friday. If I couldn't get that, I'd have to wait until who-knows-when. After hours, I received an email stating a refund to my credit card for the Virgatus, not to include shipping costs. I was never contacted before this happened. I did not care about the money, I just wanted my fish.
The third day I called as soon as they opened, I talked with a gentleman by the name of Greg, who couldn't help me. Having worked in retail, I understand that the first person you talk to usually isn't the one who can solve your problem unless it's just a question. Therefore, I was not fazed by this. But he was very nice and after listening to me explain the situation, he told me what he thought I should do to reach the proper folks.
After doing what Greg suggested, I got a hold of a man named Wayne, who was very patient through the whole process. When we reached the verdict that it was against their policy to reship livestock, we agreed on a refund including the DOA goby and there ended the conversation. I received an e-mail shortly thereafter stating a refund was not possible due to already being refunded on the Doliatus and because of those difficulties had decided to make an exception and re-ship my order.
Today my order arrived healthy, alive and correct. If there's one thing I can say without any doubt, Blue Zoo's livestock is quality. The mistakenly shipped Virgatus was incredibly healthy and so is the new order.
While my first online order certainly went awry, I would not hesitate to order from Blue Zoo again. The livestock is great, the packing is great, and the customer service is great, and, in this situation, they went above and beyond to resolve to an issue.
Photos included to show the quality of livestock:
s. Doliatus received today
Mistakenly shipped s. Virgatus (photos taken about a week after received)
I have dreamed of owning an s. Doliatus, literally, for years. However, I have only ever had nano tanks, until our new system we set up last fall. This fish was to be the gem, the epitome, the pride and joy of my first large reef system. So, when I first saw the absence of the scribbled pattern, I was in denial. For three days I waited, and hoped. I hate conflict and try to avoid it at all costs. So I prayed my gut was wrong and that I simply hadn't seen enough photos to know all the variations. However, by day three and still no scribble markings, I took photos and started asking around, including reef-central and our LFS that frequently gets in scribbled rabbitfish. (I had wanted a small juvenile that I could have for many, many years and my LFS rarely gets them in less than 5 inches. So I ordered from Blue Zoo.)
Everyone I asked confirmed it was a Virgatus. So, I had a dead fish, and a wrong fish. Not only the wrong fish, but it was a fish I had very specific plans for. Part of those plans did not include it being a Virgatus.
I e-mailed Blue Zoo over the weekend, explained what had happened and hoped to hear from them on Mondayand requested to be contacted by phone. When I first called, I was told to call back later in the day. When I called a second time, I was told not to expect a response for 24 hours. I was a little (okay, a lot) disappointed and had started to wonder if this would have a happy ending. I already knew I was SOL on the goby per almost every online vendors' policies and would only get a store credit.
The second day did not yield any great results either. On that day, to rub salt in a wound, my Tiger Pistol decided it was a great day to get eaten by a hermit crab. Yay! <-sarcasm- At this point, I was also starting to get antsy. I live in Colorado, so you need to seize a good winter shipping day while you could and that was Thursday with delivery on Friday. If I couldn't get that, I'd have to wait until who-knows-when. After hours, I received an email stating a refund to my credit card for the Virgatus, not to include shipping costs. I was never contacted before this happened. I did not care about the money, I just wanted my fish.
The third day I called as soon as they opened, I talked with a gentleman by the name of Greg, who couldn't help me. Having worked in retail, I understand that the first person you talk to usually isn't the one who can solve your problem unless it's just a question. Therefore, I was not fazed by this. But he was very nice and after listening to me explain the situation, he told me what he thought I should do to reach the proper folks.
After doing what Greg suggested, I got a hold of a man named Wayne, who was very patient through the whole process. When we reached the verdict that it was against their policy to reship livestock, we agreed on a refund including the DOA goby and there ended the conversation. I received an e-mail shortly thereafter stating a refund was not possible due to already being refunded on the Doliatus and because of those difficulties had decided to make an exception and re-ship my order.
Today my order arrived healthy, alive and correct. If there's one thing I can say without any doubt, Blue Zoo's livestock is quality. The mistakenly shipped Virgatus was incredibly healthy and so is the new order.
While my first online order certainly went awry, I would not hesitate to order from Blue Zoo again. The livestock is great, the packing is great, and the customer service is great, and, in this situation, they went above and beyond to resolve to an issue.
Photos included to show the quality of livestock:
s. Doliatus received today
Mistakenly shipped s. Virgatus (photos taken about a week after received)
