marble sea star variation

[Giovanni]

Just wondering who thinks the first photo represents an accurate representation of the second photo? Who would accept the the first starfish when they were shown the second one on ordering? I was sold the first and when I sent this very photo to the LA and questioned them about this they claim this is a "normal variety of the item you ordered." It may be a "normal variety" but it is being misrepresented. In the description, they do list cream as normal variety but this is not cream and I am questioning if it is even the same sp.? The markings are totally different. Note the round marking on the first and the MARBLE ones on the second.

 

[dfs/la2]

Giovanni,

Thank you for your post. We apologize that the Marble Sea Star you received does not match our representative photo. This particular item is sold as assorted species of the Fromia genus, and may be of numerous colorations. We have placed a credit on file for the cost of this Star.

Nate M.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster & Smith

 

[SlowCobra]

The one I just received looks nearly identical to yours Giovanni. LA is tired of my complaining about not receiving items as I expected so I give up on complaining and accepted it as is.

Over the course of the last few orders I have learned that corals will be broken upon arrival. This apparently is normal. Fish are twice the size of what you actually asked for. Order a small 1 1/2" - 2 1/2" get a medium borderline large fish at a little over 4 inches. Order a medium, 3 1/2 - 4 1/2" get a 6 1/2" fish.

Order a red star fish get a brown one that is not exactly what I would consider marbled.

I guess it's a starfish and it has dots on it so that is close enough, right?

 

[dfs/la2]

SlowCobra,

Thank you for your post. We are always very happy to talk with our customers and help them. Please call or PM us regarding your order concerns so that we may discuss them with you.

Our customer’s satisfaction is very important to us.

We are available at 1-800-562-7169 in our Technical Support Department or you may e-mail us at TechSupport@drsfostersmith.com . We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Pat S.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster & Smith

 

[Giovanni]

MY friend and I order a lot from LA and most is what we want. His marble look more like the marble in the second photo with regard to pattern and markings.

An order just before this one was for some SPS one of which is in my tank with some STN. We sent a photo and got this reply:

We apologize that a portion of this coral looks to have lost its flesh. It looks like the rest of this coral is doing well, so please continue to keep an eye on this specimen. We have extended your warranty one week to October 22nd in case it does not recover.


I have never heard of an SPS recovering from STN in one week or ever without fraging it. I did not buy it to be fragged. I will give it that week but I really do not expect it to recover.

Here is a recent top down shot just incase there is any question about the health of my tank.

 

[SlowCobra]

I have several threads in here in the past week and a half. Take a look at them to see my issues with deliveries. I have the same stance when told I could just make frags. I have over 50 SPS frags, I bought colonies because...well... I didn't want any more frags.

Also in reply to Pat(DFS/LA2), Kris W is quite familiar with me and I am most certain is tired of listening to me complain. While so far your customer service has been for the most part excellent I feel like I am becoming known as the constant complainer who there is no pleasing.

I truly hate to be that guy but when you pay decent money for an item that is WYSIWYG from the divers den then it should arrive as it looks in the pictures. Not multiple broken pieces, regardless of it being a single branch or numerous tips.

I at this time will not pursue the starfish issue. It is a battle that I just choose not to take right now. I have a red fromia that may require replacement as it is looking less than good. I am hoping for the best, but unfortunately things do happen.

 

[DFS/LA1]

SlowCobra,

We use complaints to improve along with the many compliments we receive. When customers inform us that there is a concern, we investigate and correct it. When they praise us for our service we strive to uphold and improve. Each issue you have brought to our attention has been resolved. To be fair you have received one fish in your orders that was not the size you expected which we refunded you fully for. The damage to the Diver’s Den corals was most likely due to shipping. This shipping concern was documented and handed in to our FedEx representative who comes to our facility once a week. You may want to have your orders held at the FedEx facility for pick-up or try a different ship-to address. It is not common for our customers to receive corals that are damaged. Even though these corals will heal and thrive we still refunded full credit for each of those items as that was the resolution you were seeking.

The Marble sea star you ordered also lists the variations of color as Bright Red, Cream, Orange and Red. In the description it states: The coloration of the Assorted Marble Sea Stars range from a deep red to orange, and both the central disc and the arms are mottled in a lighter coloration to cream, giving them a marbled look. We have submitted a request to have more color variations listed on our website so customers can have a visual of what they may expect.

The managers at our facilities do inspections on orders randomly unless we put a specific request on that order. Your future orders will have this request. I would also encourage you to have your orders held at FedEx.

We want you to be satisfied with every order and will do our best to make this happen. Please let me know personally how I can help.

Jaimie A
Customer Service Manager
LiveAquaria

 

[dfs/la2]

Giovanni,

Thank you for contacting us. We apologize for the condition of the coral. Please let us know what would be an acceptable resolution for you. Thank you for providing pictures of your aquarium. It is very healthy and beautiful. We believe in this setting will heal and thrive in time.

If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us at 1-800-334-3699.

Stacie R.
Technical Support
Drs. Foster and Smith

 

[SlowCobra]

Jaimie please do not assume that because I only complained about 1 fish I only had a problem with one fish. The Achilles I received, is about 6 1/2 inches in size. For reference I have cut and pasted that actual size chart posted on the Achilles Tang page.

Approximate Purchase Size: Juvenile: 2" to 3"; Small: 2" to 3"; Medium: 3" to 4"; Large: 4" to 6"

I am pretty sure if you check Order Number A2577361 you will see I ordered a Medium. Due to the difficulty in obtaining a quality healthy specimen I accepted the size of him without complaint. At 6 1/2 inches he is beyond what LA deems a large specimen.

I never said I was not taken care of for the corals. I never bashed LA. I was simply stating, to another poster, the issues I have had in the last couple of weeks as well. I also came into this thread to find that he received a nearly identical starfish as me despite us expecting something a bit different.


Never make the mistake of assuming something just because a customer has not made a complaint about it.

 

[Giovanni]

Stacie,

I am willing to give it a few more days. However this AM the tissue continues to receed. If it continues to get worse for the next day or two I would like to pick a replacement. I really am not looking for a refund, I just want a healthy coral to compliment my tank. I will update you in a day or so. Thanks

 

[dfs/la2]

Giovanni,

Thank you for giving the coral a chance. Please keep us informed. We strive for 100% customer satisfaction and will do everything we can to help.

Stacie R.
Technical Support
Drs Foster and Smith

 

[DFS/LA1]

SlowCobra,

You make a good point. If a customer does not contact us to express a concern on their order then we assume that they are satisfied. We understand customer’s need when it comes to ordering a particular size. Ultimately each fish will grow to its maximum size under the proper conditions; however, some customers want them smaller or larger depending on the tank mates. When a customer lets us know that the size they received was slightly smaller or larger we report this to the shipping facility. They will check their stock and re-sort any discrepancies in size found. We rely on our customers’ feedback to improve our services and encourage all customers to call/email or post their experiences. As you have read on this forum we provide full satisfaction.

The notes on your future orders to have a manager inspect your specimens will elevate this concern. Please feel free to express any dissatisfaction to me personally through email, PM or a phone call as I would be happy to help.

Jaimie A
Customer Service Manager
LiveAquaria

 

[SuAsati]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10990313#post10990313 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SlowCobra
Jaimie please do not assume that because I only complained about 1 fish I only had a problem with one fish. The Achilles I received, is about 6 1/2 inches in size. For reference I have cut and pasted that actual size chart posted on the Achilles Tang page.

Approximate Purchase Size: Juvenile: 2" to 3"; Small: 2" to 3"; Medium: 3" to 4"; Large: 4" to 6"

I am pretty sure if you check Order Number A2577361 you will see I ordered a Medium. Due to the difficulty in obtaining a quality healthy specimen I accepted the size of him without complaint. At 6 1/2 inches he is beyond what LA deems a large specimen.

Is that tip of the mouth to the tip of the tail or tip of the mouth to the base of the tail. I believe the standard mesurement is body measurement( tip of the mouth to the base of the tail), a 6.5" at that measurement would be a show size specimen.... Mine was listed 3-1/2"- 4" and it was body size, total size of 5".... just curious....

 

[DFS/LA1]

SuAsati,

Very good question. Our fish are measured from the tip of their mouth to the end of their caudal fins. We understand the sizing needs of our customers and strive to provide the most accurate sized specimens as we can. As you can understand we would like to correct any sizing errors immediately as larger specimens are generally more expensive. Please PM us with your information so we can report this to our shipping facility.

Jaimie A
Customer Service Manager
LiveAquaria

 

[SuAsati]

Oh!! no I wasn't complaining, I always thought the body size is what was listed as the size of the fish, maybe I was mistaken... I am very happy with what I recieved... Tks.

 

[SlowCobra]

I measure the fish based on their total size. It is not just most of them that goes in a tank, it is all of them. I PREFER smaller fish as I love to see them grow. It is amazing to recall when you bought a fish then after a year or two be able to say remember how tiny it use to be.

While not getting a medium size Achilles as ordered, based on the difficult nature of procuring this fish as well as their not so tolerant shipping condition I accepted the large one without complaint. It arrived healthy and that outweighed my size concerns. I have the space to comfortably house the fish so I guess that further alleviated any possible complaints I could have. Over-all, while size to me is a concern when getting my fish, my greatest concern is their health both in the here and now as well as the immediate and long term future.

While the Tangs I received were much larger than I was expecting to get, they are both healthy and in suitable environments for their size.

I will say that despite the sizing issues being off with the fish I have ordered, which to date is somewhere around 6 from LA, each one has arrived in extraordinary condition despite the shipping stress.

A couple were a bit neurotic, for lack of a more fitting term, through acclimation every one of them has been healthy and eating within a few hours.

While I have had some issues with LA due to sizing or shipping issues, the fish I have received are all healthy and happy and that is the most important part. The corals while all of them have arrived broken in some way all appear to be healthy and adjusting to the tank. All of them have good polyp extension and no apparent STN/RTN as of this writing.

Customer Service has been about as good as it can be with a customer that can be as difficult as myself. Yes I know I can be a royal PITA. At least to this point I have been extremely thorough in exactly why I have been dissatisfied with my shipments. It has to at least be better than the customer that just says I don't like it, it isn't what I ordered, I just decided I don't want it. That has to at least count for something. Well that and the fact that I use full, usually grammatically correct, sentences with photo evidence.

 

[Giovanni]

The STN continues to go from the base of most of the branches working its way up them. Most branches now have STN on them. The base of the coral is now totally gone. Can we go ahead call it quits. I am afraid more of my SPS will be infected and I would like to remove this piece from my tank. As for resolution of this, I would like to pick a replacement coral to be shipped.

Thanks
Giovanni

 

[dfs/la2]

Giovanni,

We would like you to PM us with your order information so that we may take care of this for you.

Barb T
LiveAquaria
Drs Foster and Smith