Needs some work

[Insane Reefer]

Hello.
I recently discovered that LiveAquaria finally had the fish I knew I wanted, a tailspot blenny, but the Dwarf/Pygmy Gobies, something I just discovered I wanted, as well, which made me feel slightly better about the shipping - it hurts to pay more in shipping then for the fish itself.

My birthday was the 3rd of this month, and my BFF asked what I wanted and I said I didn't know - nothing really. But he insisted, and I had just seen the fish on Friday online so I told him a GC for LiveAquaria. I had to walk him through buying the GC, and he got confused because he had to make an account, etc, but we got it worked out.

When I went to place my order Sunday night, I discovered that my gift certificate wouldn't work by itself - I had to enter a credit card if I even thought I wanted to order. My cards are maxed, my total order was less then the gift certificate, and I'm not in the habit of just giving my card numbers out for the asking.

I had to hold my order until the following day when I could call in and spoke with "Amy". Amy was very nice. She opened my cart and processed the order - that went great. She said that my order would be filled that afternoon and that I would get my shipment on Wednesday, and confirmed that it would ship on time and arrive on Wednesday. I get an order confirmation by email - it says an email will be sent when the order ships; my order number is A2564177. I report to my "Suggest a Fish" thread that my fish are in and should be shipped and I am a happy camper. I have my husband pick up some plastic canvas so I can "tiny fish proof" my Biocube 8g - these fish will have no trouble getting through the intake slots.

Monday passes, and no email. Tuesday, I am still waiting for a shipment confirmation email. Finally, at 8:30pm, I get an email. It simply says my order has been delayed - and reminds me that LiveAquaria receives shipments weekly. And it thanks me for my understanding. I check the site and sure enough, the fish are now listed out of stock.

So I am disappointed, but life goes on. I don't drain the tank to place the plastic canvas over the intakes and glue them in - I have time - my fish aren't coming...

This morning, I get back from running errands (which is lucky - I was supposed to go to Jeff City today but plans changed), and what is on my porch? You guessed it, a box from LiveAquaria, with half my order - the blenny. I am completely unprepared. I'm frantic because now I have to figure out what to do with my fish. I am acclimating him now, and I guess I'll put him in my "bug tank", which is safer for him ATM.

So needless to say, I am less then pleased. LiveAquaria dropped the ball on this one.

First, LiveAquaria is a large enough site (with all its other sister sites) to upgrade the internet ordering system with a live stock system - a system that actually tracks stock in real-time and posts it live to the 'net, there-by rarely ever needing to send emails about an item suddenly being out of stock - the inventory would be tracked, order by order. This is an expensive system, but with what you folks charge for fish and corals (generally 15-40% more than my LFS prices, then add that shipping charge), you should be able to afford a new, modern system. And I feel you owe it to your customers to do so.

Secondly, where is my shipment email? I got all three other emails - the one where I received notice of the GC, the one saying my order was received and to await the next shipment email, and then finally the email saying my order was delayed - but no shipment email. That is just wrong. That fish could have been outside all day in the sun and I would not have had a clue.

And finally, now what? Did I just pay $58.98 for a fish? If I did, I am really angry. I was talking to a guy that said by law you'd have to ship me the rest when it comes in and couldn't charge me anymore for it. Is this true? That is why I ordered the two fish - so I wouldn't be paying more for the shipping then for the fish.
Or, when my other fish arrives in stock, is the shipping for that covered? Or do I have $17.02 in credit?

I'm really not a very happy camper now.

 

[Insane Reefer]

Update.
I have just released the little guy, and he is obviously distressed - he is half on his side and hanging out on the bottom. I hope he does ok. I've never ordered fish online before, so don't know if this is normal. I've also never seen acclimation instructions like these before either. I've always used a slow drip via a airline for a two hour period. Tried it your way - guess we will see.
It would really be a kicker if this guy dies after all this...

EDIT: Ah, I see on the back of the acclimation paper the instructions for acclimation that I am used to. Wish I had seen that...

 

[dfs/la2]

Insane Reefer,

We sincerely apologize for your dissatisfaction with your first order and for any misunderstanding of our procedures. We appreciate your contacting us so that we may resolve your concerns.

We are always open to suggestions for improvements of our systems and thank you for offering your opinions regarding your ordering experience. In our order entry process a credit card is needed to secure an order even when a credit or gift certificate is used. At this time our system requires this action in order to place an order over the Internet.

Our records show that a “Split Shipment Email” was sent to you on July 10th with the tracking number and an “Order Delay Email” was sent to you regarding the back ordered specimen on July 11th, as well as your first confirmation email. We apologize that your split shipment order email was not received.

When dealing with live animals the availability of each specimen changes minute to minute. The amount of orders we receive for each specimen can be unpredictable. We hope this will help explain why an item may quickly become back ordered, even though it did show available when you placed your order. We have not yet been able to establish a real time inventory system, though we are working on this and hopefully will have one in the near future.

Please rest assured should your back ordered item ship during the 14 days we hold the order open, you will not be charged any additional shipping costs, it is one of the great services we provide to our customers.

Should your back order items not ship during this time, please contact us via phone, email or PM and we are always happy to discuss other options with you. Your satisfaction is most important to us. We will strive to resolve all your concerns for your complete satisfaction. Please never hesitate to ask any and all questions you may have about your order.

Joyce F.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster & Smith

 

[Insane Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10326613#post10326613 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dfs/la2
Our records show that a “Split Shipment Email” was sent to you on July 10th with the tracking number and an “Order Delay Email” was sent to you regarding the back ordered specimen on July 11th...

I will return the emails I received, headers included (I hope). I received the Order Delay - not a Split Shipment Notice on the 10th, at 8:30pm CST, the day before your records show, and there was no indication of what exactly was being delayed or why. I received the Order Confirmation on the 9th. Nothing else from your company has arrived, and I have checked my "spam" and "deleted" folders. Please send me the email address you'd like these emails sent to and I will return them so you can see for yourself - your records are mistaken, on both when the email was sent and what was sent.

Please rest assured should your back ordered item ship during the 14 days we hold the order open, you will not be charged any additional shipping costs, it is one of the great services we provide to our customers.

That is a nice service - when ordering other things mail order, I have on occasion had items that were out of stock, and the item was simply canceled, and the balance returned. I'm glad it isn't your practice to do this to your customers, it does make me feel better.

The blenny is looking better. Though of course he is refusing to eat yet, but that isn't something I'm going to worry about unless the duration of refusal goes on too long.

I look forward to seeing if the rest of my stock arrives.

Thank you

 

[dfs/la2]

Insane Reefer,

We are happy to hear the free shipping we provide for back ordered items pleases you.

Appropriate emails are automatically generated at the end of the shipping day to reflect order status. We apologize an error occurred and your split shipment order email was not received by you. If you would like to forward the emails you have received to us, you may do so at techsupport@drsfostersmith.com.

We are happy to hear the Blenny is doing well. Please continue to keep us posted on his acclimation.

Have a nice weekend!

Joyce F.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster & Smith

 

[Insane Reefer]

Ok - the emails should be there for you.

The Blennys color is good, and of course he hasn't eaten yet, but is it normal for him to not have moved? He hasn't investigated his tank, and he is the only inhabitant other than a few snails. He is still where he landed when I released him and he settled to the bottom. He hasn't moved in 22 hours...

 

[Insane Reefer]

This is him.

 

[dfs/la2]

Insane Reefer,

Thank you for forwarding the emails to us that you received. Again we apologize that you did not receive the split shipment order email for your order.

It is normal for the Blenny to remain in one area for an extended amount of time during the acclimation period. They are very shy and may hide in the rocks often. Thank you for adding the photo, he looks healthy and should start to search for food in a couple of days. Please continue to keep us updated.

Joyce F.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster & Smith

 

[dfs/la2]

We apologize for the double post.

 

[Toddrtrex]

I will throw my $0.02 in here.

I received a tailspot blenny about 3 weeks ago ( could be two, I have the invoice at home ) for the first 3 days I didn't even know it was still in the tank -- it was hiding. But, now it is out all the time and eats like a little pig. Like Joyce stated, them hiding after being first introduced is not uncommon at all.

Here is pic of mine, after the first week in the tank.

 

[Insane Reefer]

Will keep you posted, Joyce. Thank you.

Mine isn't hiding, he just isn't moving - at all.
What is he eating, Todd? Did you get yours from LiveAquaria too? If so, would be a good chance that mine will try what yours is eating.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Yes, I did get mine from LiveAquaria.

Mainly I feed LifeLine Herbivore frozen cubes, LifeLine mysid ( sp ) and New Life Spectrum pellets. Plus s/he picks at my rocks all day long.

The LifeLine Herb. is very similar to Ocean Nutrition Formula Two Frozen Food.

HTH

 

[Insane Reefer]

Ok, will keep those in mind if Bogo doesn't start eating within a reasonable time-frame.
I picked up "Emerald Entree" - the closest to a herbivore food I could find ATM, locally - it is a nice mix of meat and greens, plus enriched - heavier on the greens it seems. I also have sheet nori and mesclun greens in my garden.
Wish me luck

 

[Insane Reefer]

Bogo is eating now - just finally caught him in the act.
May I ask what the blennies were being fed at the holding facility, Joyce?
He seems to be picking the meat items from the Emerald Cuisine - and won't eat the greens (nori, mesclun or spinach).
I'm glad he is eating, but eating the wrong things can be as bad as not eating at all...
So wondered what you fed him.

 

[dfs/la2]

Insane Reefer,

The Tail Spot Blennies in our holding facility are currently being fed Spirulina enriched brine shrimp to encourage wild harvested fish to eat in a captive environment.

Once acclimated to your aquarium the diet of the Tail Spot Blenny should include vegetables, such as frozen and dried foods containing different types of algae. The Blenny is a natural grazer and it is important to maintain them in an aquarium with plenty of live rock. The live rock will offer the Blenny some natural food sources as they feed on algae and other food sources provided by the live rock.

Joyce F.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster & Smith

 

[Insane Reefer]

Today I offered him only appropriate foods, prepared in bite sized pieces for him - nori, broccoli and greens - he ate them all and looked for more.

 

[dfs/la2]

Insane Reefer,

It is good to hear that your Blenny is eating well. Thank you for keeping us posted on its condition. If we can be of additional assistance, please feel free to contact us.

Mike S.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster and Smith

 

[Insane Reefer]

Very Disappointed

Very Disappointed

Well,
It is going down as I thought it would. I paid $55 for a $23.99 fish.

Got a call about cancelling my back order today. When I returned the call, the girl offered to keep the order open until Friday, but when asked what the actual possibility of this fish coming in in the next 3 days, was told "unlikely". She tried to get me to order another fish, but since I thoroughly research my purchases, and of what you offer, that is in stock, nothing was appropriate to my nano, I declined.

So, I elected to cancel the back-order (I hate waiting in limbo), and asked if it would be possible to use the remainder of the total I payed to get a few small dry-goods I need. These items weigh less than a pound, total. I was told that this could not be done and was given some lame excuse.

I was told the remainder of my purchase price could either be a check or a credit to my account - the girl I talked to couldn't even tell me which it would be.

Then, since I've posted my Tail Spot Blenny thread, I find that of 6 blennies shipped from your company since the beginning of the month, 4 have died outright (within the first few days). Only 2 are still alive - mine and another guys, but he lost one of a pair from "Divers Den", and his remaining fish is bone thin.

And these are only the people/fish I know of on RC - who knows what the actual numbers are. This is a worrisome trend. It sounds like either these fish aren't being captured/held properly, or something else is going on. This really isn't a great average at all and certainly something to look in to. If these fish are so delicate they can't even handle shipping, maybe it is irresponsible for your company to trade in them. And even though you offer a 14 day guarantee, that doesn't cover the $35 shipping charge, and that is a hefty monetary hit for most hobbyists in today's economy.

Needless to say, I am a very unhappy customer, or should I say Ex-customer. And reading back through the LiveAquaria thread, seems I'm not the only person having troubles with you - your archaic ordering system is causing a lot of disgruntled people.

Once the deal with my refund is sorted, I do not think I will feel the need to order from your company again. I will also recommend to the people that I talk to that they avoid your company, at least until you folks get your act together.

10 years ago, your company rocked and I never shopped anywhere else. Today, well, today you guys need to catch up to the times...

 

[DFS/LA1]

Insane Reefer,

I apologize for the confusion. Our agent meant you could have a credit to your account or a refund check generated- your choice. I can refund your shipping cost of $34.99 which will give you a total of $51.98. If you choose to have a credit placed on your file you may use that towards a hard goods order or another live item order. If you would like a refund check we can process that and have it sent immediately.

Prior to your phone call we had checked with our shipping facility to see when our stock would be replenished. That is how the agent knew it was not going to be shipping this week; I apologize if you felt her answer was not direct.

The mortality rate of Ecsenius stigmatura to our customers is less than 2% after 14 days. These fish normally do well in the home aquarium when acclimated properly, fed appropriate foods, and maintained with passive tankmates. For example, we have had the same pair for over two years. We monitor the mortality rate of all the aquatic life we offer on LiveAquaria.com. If a fish, coral or invertebrate is shown to have an elevated rate of mortality we analyze the problem, devise a solution, or even pull the item for future sale from the site.

The unhappy customers may have stood out to you on our thread; however, I encourage you to read on. Mistakes happen and availability is a constant concern with live items. If you read on in those threads you will find that we always take care of the customer and usually go above and beyond their resolution expectations.

There are things we can do to improve your ordering experience. We could mark your file to call you when items ship and at that time discuss if the order will be complete. We can also mark your orders to only ship if complete. We have many options available to accommodate our customers. Please just let us know what you need.

When unsatisfied you may always ask to speak to a supervisor or myself so we may offer these resolutions immediately. I generally work first shift and our LiveAquaria supervisors are staffed 7:30am-10pm M-F and 10am-10pm Saturday and Sunday. They would be happy to help you in any way they can.

Jaimie A
Customer Service Manager
LiveAquaria

 

[Insane Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10405560#post10405560 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DFS/LA1

I apologize for the confusion. Our agent meant you could have a credit to your account or a refund check generated- your choice.

Her response when I asked about how it was going to be handled was, "Usually either a check or a credit - I'm not sure". I wasn't offered a choice, and it sounded like it was one of those "at our discretion" sort of things. So you are saying that tomorrow or at some point someone would have called me to find out how I want to handle it, after I was already on the phone to handle it?

I can refund your shipping cost of $34.99...

That is a generous offer, but I feel it is unwarranted. I received half my order, one of two fishes - a fairer resolution would be that we split shipping - each pay $17.50. I would have been happier to have just ordered the three dry items I needed and not had all this hassle.