Irresponsible Action by Red Sea, my letter to them

[Aqualund]

Hello,
My name is ********* I own and operate a small coral farm here in Wisconsin (link). It's not big, but it's a "practice run" until I open a store in the coming year or so. This coral farm is completely automated and has specific parameters which have been maintained with obsessive diligence since it started two years ago. Since the beginning, with testing, I have ensured that no particular parameter has strayed out of control at any given time. I have done this by using Red Sea Pro Test Kits and have been very happy with the results. This summer I ordered new replacement reagents for all my red sea test kits and was astonished to see that my calcium was exceeding its desired value by 100ppm or more. This was entirely possible as I had a hunch that my previous reagents had been compromised. Since that day, I had completely turned off my calcium dosing in the hopes that it would quickly come into normal limits. It never did. After weeks of no calcium dosing, my measured value still remained well over 500ppm.

Obviously, as you know, this was not a valid reading.

Looking at it in hindsight, I should have gotten a second test kit. Then again, I literally had no reason to doubt Your product. The cost of this error has been great. Several difficult to care for and rare SPS corals which I had housed for years had predictably died over this time period. Once I read of the recall, I quickly used a hannah checker and found my calcium to be around 200-250ppm, well below required values, and an obvious explanation for the imbalance that I had been struggling with for weeks.

I was fine with all this. It's part of the hobby. I submitted your easy to use online form for the replacement reagent, and expected delivery no time soon. Surprisingly I received it like a week later! Cool!

But now here is where you messed up. You sent it as "postage due." You charged ME postage for an error on YOUR part? The postage was literally $1.15. You could not cover the charge, as a responsible company should?

You have lost a faithful customer, and as I continue this hobby, whether as just a hobby, or through entrepreneurship, I will vocally express my concerns about the reliability of your product, and the quality of your customer service to everyone who asks.

As a company, you should take responsibility for your mistakes, and to this end, your customers should never incur any additional hardship or expense beyond the original point of sale as a consequence of using your product. ever.

It's just $1.15, but I hope you find it to be the most expensive $1.15 you never spent.

Did anyone else have this issue, and what are your thoughts on it?

 

[SpartaReef]

Very professionally and eloquently spoken. Appleton.... Hmmm... I might need to see what you have available...

 

[ViktorVaughn]

No but I really like the letter you wrote and think you worded it perfectly. What a complete load of crap that a company as well known and widely stocked in fish stores as Red Sea is to pull this. It is really terrible that they made such a gross error in the first place in regards to the calcium tests, especially considering how important it is for corals. That is wacky that they expect you to pay for it. How many customers were effected overall that they will be trying to charge postage to? Wouldn't be surprised if they are somehow trying to recoup some of the losses of the recall through the return shipping.

 

[syrinx]

I think it is silly for them not to pay the postage- and wonder if it was a mistake. By the same token-I dont tend to lose my purse over 1$. Having owned a shop I will say this- you will likely alienate more customers with your reason for not stocking red sea products, than you will sway. It is a simple fact that a tank that required a ca reactor is not going to go offline for weeks with no change in result. As you say in hindsight, You know you should have tested at first signs of stress-and that would have lessened the losses. APH for CA does fine, and I have never had a bad batch in thousands of tests.

 

[Aqualund]

Having owned a shop I will say this- you will likely alienate more customers with your reason for not stocking red sea products, than you will sway.

Yeah, you're right on that. Especially in this hobby. I've always found that unless people are asking, they generally don't want to listen to anything you say lol

 

[Aqualund]

This morning I received a very thorough apology by phone, and then a follow up email from red sea. They handled this very well, and now I feel like a dolt for making any raucous about it! Class act company.

Good Afternoon

Please allow me to ship the care package to you. We appreciate your loyalty to Red Sea.

Please provide the ship to address for your care package.


Best Regards,

Red Sea North America
www.redseafish.com



On Sep 27, 2013, at 9:09 AM, "redseafish.com> wrote:

Good Morning

I want to apologize for this mistake. This should have never happened. Red Sea did not mail any of these reagent replacements out as postage collect. The package should have been sent back to Red Sea for additional postage not charge you our customer.

Due to the trouble you went through and to earn you back as a loyal Red Sea customer please allow me to ship you a care package via UPS.

Again, I truly apologize for this.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best Regards,


Chief Operating Officer
Red Sea North America
18125 Ammi Trail
Houston, TX 77060

www.redseafish.com

Needless to say, an apology by phone was more than enough for me, I was very impressed.

 

[syrinx]

Thank you for taking my comments with grace. I spoke to my former partner yesterday, and he agreed that people respond better to positive comments about companies we choose to support, rather than negatives about the ones we do not like.

 

[hey.its.me]

I'm sorry hear you lost corals but I'm glad someone called you up. I'm nowhere near your league of investment but I was in the same boat with you on a new and my first test kit purchase (which made it the more difficult) figuring out where my problem was.

I posted in the Red Sea forum and a couple of days later someone posted a link for the recall. I received my replacement reagent within a week post paid. I am glad they are in the business of supporting us with products. At the very least by reading your letter we can see your a rational man concerning your circumstances.

Maybe in a week or two something will come your way as a windfall. Karma, it's a funny thing. All the best!

 

[guidedbyechoes]

I had a similar mishap but my issue was I bought a expired kit from petco...... not many decent areas for stock down here.

 

[GhostCon1]

This morning I received a very thorough apology by phone, and then a follow up email from red sea. They handled this very well, and now I feel like a dolt for making any raucous about it! Class act company.



Needless to say, an apology by phone was more than enough for me, I was very impressed.

Oooh I am curious to know what goodies you got! :bigeyes:

I had a similar mishap but my issue was I bought a expired kit from petco...... not many decent areas for stock down here.

Sounds like my situation: cheaper and easier to go online than drive 2 hours to/from the LFS.