frustrated

[ironwill723]

Well today was the big day for me. My new 120g high perfecto was on the way from That Fish Place via my gf and her mom. I had ordered it over the phone earlier in the week and had even sent my gf over to their warehouse in Lancaster to check it out before the pickup day (today) since she was home from school for the week. I was pumped because the tank was $259 there and I would have had to spend about $410 for the exact same tank from Elmer's here. Anyways, all was going according to plan as I was to meet her and her mom at the halfway driving point with the tank in Somerset today and we were then loading it into my dad's pickup to bring it the rest of the way home. Her mom and her had double checked for scratches and general blemishes before loading the tank in the car for the trip. The tank was semi-wrapped in cardboard and saran wrap and appeared in great shape. We load it up in my pickup and her and I drive the hour and a half home from Somerset and begin getting ready to unload the tank to the living room at my place. As we are removing the cardboard protector covering the top of the tank and bracing she gasps and says "omg its cracked up here!" Of course I jump on the truck bed and sure enough the center brace that was hidden by the cardboard box is cracked about 60% across the center brace and bent down as if something heavy was dropped on the middle of the tank.

$%&#!!! Now what? I am 4.5 hours away from the store, it is Sunday evening and I have a broken tank. Back on the truck it goes, she calls her mom who was luckily still visiting relatives in Somerset and we take the tank back to her to return to That Fish Place tomorrow.

So here is the dilemma...the only reason that I bought the tank from TFP was because my gf lives in Lancaster and was driving back to Pittsburgh this weekend and could pick it up. I do not have a car big enough to go get another tank from them another weekend as I was borrowing my dad's work truck for the afternoon. She is not going home until August and I don't want to wait all summer to get a new tank out there but their prices are really too good to pass up. (And NO I refuse to order a new top brace and try to fix the tank myself. PIMA)

Should I...

a) Call tomorrow, tell them I am returning the tank, demand an exchange and demand some sort of arrangement for the store to deliver the tank at no charge to me for the inconvenience and hassle of returning a damaged tank.
b) Return the tank, get a full refund, and forget about the $50 in gas and 6 hours I spent driving this thing all over PA.
c) Forget the whole idea and just live with my 36g that is by the day getting too small for my corals and such.

I am shooting for a) but expecting to be handed b) and c).



:mad2:

 

[LeviChar1]

a.) it'll never happen
b.) the trips (fuel) and heart ache probably pay for an Elmers tank
c.) you can't possibly do that and stay sane.

option 4: order the brace, call TFS and complain (maybe they offer that instead w/free shipping....much more probable).....and take it up the 'ol tailpipe by being delayed and doing annoying work yourself. Anything else just costs you more.

Sorry you had a crappy night.

 

[jer77]

That's too bad, but its not the end of the world. Definitely take it back if you still want the warranty. So, you just won't have your tank set up as soon as you wanted, but I'm sure you can work it out soon anyways.

You might be able to have them pay for the expense of bringing it back to them if it is their fault and all. They can't just sell defective fish tanks and expect people to drive them back and forth. Moving fish tanks is hard expensive work and can cost thousands of dollars. This isn't just returning a sweater, as you probably have found out. You have to make sure though that

A) Are you sure you or your girlfriend didn't crack it?
B) Did she sign anything when she picked it up confirming it was satisfactory?

If she did, it may be difficult to get them to pay for anything. That is a nice price for that tank. I had no idea they sold tanks that much cheaper. I would have went with one with an overflow or two though. If your going to lancaster anyway, check out glasscages.com. They deliver tanks and they'll be in allentown on the 23rd and have tanks with overflows that are a little cheaper. Actually you could just drill the side of your 120 and make a real nice overflow for real cheap.

 

[cloakerpoked]

I'm selling my 120. It's not in new condition, but I could sell it for a good price if you decide to not get the tank replaced, but personally, I'd definitely get the new tank. Frustration seems to be a part of this hobby. You just have to learn to manage it as best you can, and realize that it's not your fault and keep moving

 

[superstein61]

Sorry to hear.

I doubt A is going to happen. Its not their fault that you live so far away. The price you paid didn't include delivery so why should they deliver it now?

So I would go with option B and buy it locally

 

[miatawnt2b]

I'd see if they would offer to refund partial amount... enough for you to buy and install a new brace.

-J

 

[hybridazn]

sucks to hear, but more than likely if they inspected it before leaving they will tell you tough luck. i would call and ask, but if they wont do anything just keep the tank and put on a new brace.

 

[Tswifty]

That top plastic brace should pop off and be replaceable. If that is the only thing wrong with the tank, they can probably just send you out a new one.

 

[Tswifty]

Also... option A shouldn't be counted out. Seriously.

You'd be surprised what some companies will do to make sure they end up with a satisfied customer, and to avoid bad publicity. The key is to get your point across in a manner that is not argumentative or insulting.

 

[cloakerpoked]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14953770#post14953770 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tswifty
Also... option A shouldn't be counted out. Seriously.

You'd be surprised what some companies will do to make sure they end up with a satisfied customer, and to avoid bad publicity. The key is to get your point across in a manner that is not argumentative or insulting.

You mean like send awesome livestock for free?

 

[ironwill723]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14953766#post14953766 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tswifty
That top plastic brace should pop off and be replaceable. If that is the only thing wrong with the tank, they can probably just send you out a new one.

That was my first thought as well. I looked at the underside of the trim from in the tank and it was siliconed in there pretty well along with having a pretty deep overhanging lip which made it look pretty tough get up into. IMO.

 

[ironwill723]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14953770#post14953770 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tswifty
Also... option A shouldn't be counted out. Seriously.

You'd be surprised what some companies will do to make sure they end up with a satisfied customer, and to avoid bad publicity. The key is to get your point across in a manner that is not argumentative or insulting.

That was my original plan. Spoke with store manager and she would not budge on anything other than a refund of money or exchange of tanks. I took the refund and now have a new plan I am working on for getting a new 120g. I will keep you all posted.

 

[Tswifty]

Even though you got your money back, I would still email Perfecto, alert them of the defective product and the hassle it caused you... as well as the store manager's response. If you don't get the answer you like, keep going higher up the food chain. Make it clear to them that you value your time, as well as theirs in dealing with this situation... However, you should not have to take more time out of your schedule to deal with a defect caused by them.

I would think that they would be able to drop ship you a tank to any retailer that carries Perfecto brand tanks in the area. Also, I would push for a discount on a new tank (to salvage some of the wasted gas money/time). The defect was not your fault, shouldn't have made it out of the factory that way, and you should not have to set aside another weekend to return/pick-up a new tank (which you already had set time out of your schedule for).

 

[raynist]

I think I paid about $320 for my 120 2 years ago. That was at Under the Sea, and after the PMAS 10% discount.

You can check the Greensburg Pet Warehouse too, they used to have really good deals on tanks and several of the supporting stores would match their pricing.

 

[Tswifty]

Another idea is to propose an offer to them up front in your initial email. Take the amount you paid for the tank, and ask them to meet you in the middle with your gas money. So you can recoup at least some of you expenses in transporting the broken tank... meaning, I would ask them to offer you a discount off the tank's price equal to half of whatever you spent in total on gas money.

 

[Tswifty]

.

 

[cloakerpoked]

The squeaky wheel gets the grease. As TJ has mentioned, you'd be surprised what people are willing to do once you take it up a level. Its amazing how many policies are more flexible than reps are allowed to make them due to a lack of authorization.

 

[SirusX1721]

just the center brace? Cut the brace out and make a new one out of glass, or try to order up a new top frame.

I know Elmer's will match prices on tanks. Just not sure to how big. I got my 16Bow back in the day from Elmer's and they had matched the sale price at Petsmart. Worth a shot...

 

[ironwill723]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14960411#post14960411 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SirusX1721
just the center brace? Cut the brace out and make a new one out of glass, or try to order up a new top frame.

I know Elmer's will match prices on tanks. Just not sure to how big. I got my 16Bow back in the day from Elmer's and they had matched the sale price at Petsmart. Worth a shot...

That is what I was thinking from the beginning of this mess...I had actually called them on Monday morning and their manager said stop down and they would see what they could do for me. Well today I was able to stop in and as usual Elmer's is first class. They matched the price and my new 120g (60"x26"x18") is scheduled to get here next week! So I am pumped again. I want to thank everyone for their suggestions and hopefully soon I will be able to start my tank build thread!

 

[Tswifty]

Congrats. :thumbsup:

I would still blast Perfecto for their response on one of the forums, as well as the LFS you purchased the tank from. Even though they gave you a refund for the "defective" tank (how nice of them :rolleye1: ) you had to cart the tank back to them, and if the people who picked up your tank weren't headed back that direction you would have been in a crappy situation.