Neptune return policy sucks!

[Trilabite]

Hello fellow fish friends. I apologize for the negative title but I just had a very disappointing experience with Neptune's "policies" First, credit due, yes I think their gear is good, and yes they seem nice enough in support.

But here's the thing. I purchased a AFS yesterday, I'm going away for the holidays and needed something to help my friend take care of the tank. So pulled the trigger on this device. Well to say the least I'm less than impressed.

Thing is a flat out dud right out of the box. Tried to actuate it once and the motor was barely turning over. Like it lacked in power (plugged into my neptune new gen). Okay so I try it again, maybe it was just breaking in. It made a sad attempt at a second go, gets out turns about 45 Degrees and then stops mid rotation. Now it's a brick doesn't do a thing. Frustrating and disappointing. Oh well I dont have the time but I guess I'm having to make an emergency trip back to the fish store before I leave for a week.

When I get to the store they apologize and say we're sorry we can't exchange it for you. I ask what do you mean?! I just got this yesterday, I can't exchange it for one that works??!!. He said NEPTUNE ONLY WARRANTIES DIRECT and WONT allow us to exchange here for you much to their frustration aswell. So I have to take this $130 dollar fish feeder I purchased just YESTERDAY, apply online for a warranty number and mail this thing back to Neptune so the can "evaluate" it.

I've seen this process used for higher end equipment, like60k servers, or studio gear. But not for a simple 100 buck fish feeder. I would understand after say a 4 week period I would have to then send it off. But not when it's a day old.

Does anyone else think this is BS? We all love their gear, (mostly) But we pay a premium for this stuff, and pay a little more at the local brick and mortar fish stores for the very reason. To not deal with hassles when stuff fails. So no customer satisfaction guaranteed??!! God forbid I was an important element that keeps your 240 tank alive.

Well looks like I have no choice, and ill have to just jump through these hoops. Whether or not I just sell off all my Neptune forever and move to something like Vertex will depend on how much MORE of a hassle it is with their warranty circus. I've been told it's good, better be haha, and shipping I assume they will pay?? Who the heck knows.

I'll update this post later and let people know how this turns out. Anyway, sorry for the rant here, but I was ****ed to say the least. Neptune if you read this take note. Im sure im not the only customers jaw you've dropped to the floor with this **** poor policy. Ridiculous hassle. Two thumbs down

 

[Breadman03]

While I don't really like that policy, and had to pay for shipping in such an issue, they did have me up and running in a couple days.

 

[Trilabite]

While I don't really like that policy, and had to pay for shipping in such an issue, they did have me up and running in a couple days.

Was it an item that you just purchased new? Or was it something that you had for awhile?

It doesn't sit right with me at all. I've never had to deal with this kind of thing with anyone else. Surely they must have enough sense to know this really sours their high paying customers.

Sorry you had to deal with the same crap. :/

 

[Voodoojar]

I bought all my neptune stuff on amazon which has no problem taking it back.

 

[TerenceF]

Neptune return policy sucks!

I completely understand your frustration. Unfortunately this is one of those situations where other unscrupulous consumers are the ones who have soured it for you. Let me explain.

What had once been a somewhat uncommon practice has now reached epidemic levels. That is, a piece of equipment is abused in some way, then it is brought back to a store and exchanged for a new item. Even more common is the person who (common example for us) drowns their Apex (or accessory) in some manner, goes and buys a new one, exchanges out the insides, and returns it to the store and says "I decided I didn't want it" or "it won't work for me" and gets their money back. The store turns around and sells it to another customer, they take it home, install it, it fails, they get frustrated, send it in on RMA, we look at it, see its water damaged, tell them, and now we are the bad guy and we have an unnecessary negative customer experience.

This is exactly why many places have a "no returns on electronics" policy.

I get that this does not likely make you feel any better -- but if you saw how much this happens you might lose complete faith in humanity.

Our stores DO have the ability to do a return as you requested, but they cannot resell any open box items and they are responsible for any of fraud so most do not do this. The exception is some of the online stores and they have to eat this as a cost of business and themselves go after the fraudsters. You should see what we get back. Sad that people really have no shame.

Again, I can completely understand - you just bought it - you are an honest person - but others ruined this and with our products being electronic and used around saltwater the incidence of abuse is much higher than other products.

So what we do instead in these situations is try and turn around an RMA as fast as possible.

I hope me taking the time to explain this gives you some additional insight into this complex issue.

 

[Breadman03]

Was it an item that you just purchased new? Or was it something that you had for awhile?

It doesn't sit right with me at all. I've never had to deal with this kind of thing with anyone else. Surely they must have enough sense to know this really sours their high paying customers.

Sorry you had to deal with the same crap. :/

Yes. I bought a PM2 module (with factory seal intact) that worked for a couple days before failing. Neptune walked me through a couple diagnostics, then had me send it in. I think I spent like $2 on postage. The process took about 3 business days from when I first logged a ticket.

I get that whole "skin in the game" thing for returns. I work at a c-store and see people buy phone chargers just to return them about 30 minutes later because they are "broken".

 

[TerenceF]

Really the driving factor for this kind of policy is that second customer getting the faulty unit and the poor experience they get. It's why we put the security tape on the boxes. We require every return to come back to us to help prevent that. Some stores do not have the capital to have stock on hand to do exchanges nor do they want the hassle of returning it themselves so they would flip around stock.

I really hate all of this but it really is an epidemic of a problem.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Trilabite]

I completely understand your frustration. Unfortunately this is one of those situations where other unscrupulous consumers are the ones who have soured it for you. Let me explain.

What had once been a somewhat uncommon practice has now reached epidemic levels. That is, a piece of equipment is abused in some way, then it is brought back to a store and exchanged for a new item. Even more common is the person who (common example for us) drowns their Apex (or accessory) in some manner, goes and buys a new one, exchanges out the insides, and returns it to the store and says "I decided I didn't want it" or "it won't work for me" and gets their money back. The store turns around and sells it to another customer, they take it home, install it, it fails, they get frustrated, send it in on RMA, we look at it, see its water damaged, tell them, and now we are the bad guy and we have an unnecessary negative customer experience.

This is exactly why many places have a "no returns on electronics" policy.

I get that this does not likely make you feel any better -- but if you saw how much this happens you might lose complete faith in humanity.

Our stores DO have the ability to do a return as you requested, but they cannot resell any open box items and they are responsible for any of fraud so most do not do this. The exception is some of the online stores and they have to eat this as a cost of business and themselves go after the fraudsters. You should see what we get back. Sad that people really have no shame.

Again, I can completely understand - you just bought it - you are an honest person - but others ruined this and with our products being electronic and used around saltwater the incidence of abuse is much higher than other products.

So what we do instead in these situations is try and turn around an RMA as fast as possible.

I hope me taking the time to explain this gives you some additional insight into this complex issue.

I can appreciate that people abuse the system and ruin it for everyone. And I also appreciate insight from Neptune's side of the line. But I still feel that their should be some level of customer guarente where if the item (with the seal intact) is opened plugged in and defective from the get go to get that exchanged the next day should be a no brainer. The people at my fish store are great and always take care of me. They know me well and trust that if its broken from the factory I'm not one of those people you mentioned. But with Neptune they say their hands are tied.

I guess its stings more because I have almost 2k in your equipment that ive purchased over 2016. And when my 250 Gallon goes online I was going to probably double that. But here's the thing I don't want to play russian roulette every time I bring home a new item. Find it broken, and have to start mailing stuff around. I just don't have the time for that. Then what is Option B, set everything up at the fish store have them show me it works before I put in the money?

I know it's frustrating to see people abuse good faith. I'm not saying Neptune are bad people, and considering how much i've spent I'm a fan of the apex ecosystem. But we're paying top dollar for the best equipment, and to avoid the very hassle I'm facing with one of the cheaper items sold by Neptune.

Honestly I'm on the fence on if Neptune will get anymore of my business. The test is if I get stuck with the shipping bill and if there's any hassle getting a working item back.

I can't even get to this mess for a couple weeks now that im on the road and no feeder on my tank. None of this is good.

 

[TerenceF]

First, the store Absolutely could have done an exchange for you. However, they would be on the hook for the item should it have been broken due to abuse. Further, all returns have to come back to us for the reasons we stated above. Most all LFS will not do this.

Many manufacturers of all kinds of products have policies like this. In our industry and others.

You absolutely should be offered a return shipping label for an out of box failure issue.

Again, sorry you have to go through this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Desert Sea]

I've read both sides of this post and I can understand each sides position. I would like to share a suggestion that hopefully will reach TerenceF.

I have two suggestions either of which could be utilized by itself or in conjunction with one another. First suggestion is to train the retailer in assessing the cause for the defect in the product upon presentation by the purchaser. Once abuse or purchaser fault can be ruled out, the retailer can move forward with immediate product replacement and the retailer can handle the defective product return with Neptune for store stock replenishment. Retailers with this training and level of customer service could be marketed as "Certified Apex Retailer" and the consumer can know by making a purchase with a Certified retailer that product support is close by and readily available. By training the retailer in assessing the cause for defect, risk to Neptune and the retailer is eliminated.

The other suggestion can be implemented either by Neptune Systems or the retailer. In order to provide immediate satisfaction to the consumer with a defective purchase while still protecting the company and its retailers from fraudulent returns, the following protocol could be used. When a consumer makes a claim for a defective product, Neptune or the retailer advise the consumer of the product review policy which would be that Neptune and/or the retailer must evaluate the product for the cause of the defect. If the consumer wants immediate product replacement before Neptune has the opportunity to evaluate the product, the consumer agrees to provide purchase authorization and payment information. Once the defective product is evaluated and the cause for defect is determined, the consumer is advised that the product is either covered under warranty or that the product defect is not covered and why and that the credit card they provided will be charged for the replacement cost. Once the individual is made aware that they will be charged for the replacement of products made under a fraudulent claim, they will be less likely to make such claims.

These suggestions allow for better customer satisfaction and help control the exposure to the manufacturer for fraudulent claims. As the OP stated after paying good money for a product, and especially after supporting a brick and mortar establishment, it is important that the consumer receive a certain level of customer service, product support and to know that his or her business is appreciated.

 

[mrdss]

Has to refund , exchange.

Has to refund , exchange.

The store is F###G with you. You went out to buy a new working device. Instead you got a defective non working device. The is the stores problem not yours. You should be irate going back and forward , wasting time and money.

Seriously who buys a defective item purposely ? You buy a new TV, Computer, Car etc. and expect it to work. If its not working give you one that does.

Enough said.

 

[mrdss]

Dirty

Dirty

The store is F###G with you. You went out to buy a new working device. Instead you got a defective non working device. The is the stores problem not yours. You should be irate going back and forward , wasting time and money.

Seriously who buys a defective item purposely ? You buy a new TV, Computer, Car etc. and expect it to work. If its not working give you one that does.

Dirty store owner with TOO many excuses. Hope that is a lesson learned for you. The store has the item returned to the supplier and gets a new one. No big deal they are F%%G with you.

Enough said.

 

[mrdss]

Canada

Canada

Thank God I live in Canada and ALL electronics have to come with a ONE YEAR warrant as opposed to 3 months in the U.S.

 

[Elricsfate]

Thank God I live in Canada...

I think there are a lot of us who would agree...

 

[jacksonpt]

I think there are a lot of us who would agree...

lol

 

[Trilabite]

First, the store Absolutely could have done an exchange for you. However, they would be on the hook for the item should it have been broken due to abuse. Further, all returns have to come back to us for the reasons we stated above. Most all LFS will not do this.

Many manufacturers of all kinds of products have policies like this. In our industry and others.

You absolutely should be offered a return shipping label for an out of box failure issue.

Again, sorry you have to go through this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey all, sorry finally got back from crazy Christmas and will be looking to figure this thing out.

That would have been great Terence and what anyone I think would expect being I purchased it and tested it to be defective out of the box.

What kinda set me off when I brought the item back They said at the store the are not "allowed" to take it and exchange for a working one. They tried to call Neptune at the store and after a quick conversation hung up turned around and said no sorry they want you to send it in to them.

That's about when I got ticked. "I just got the dam thing yesterday" I said. So he gave me Neptunes number so I could try and get this thing delt with.

I called right back and when I got the gentleman on the phone. I explained the situation. The response was "Sorry that is correct, we will need to have it sent it" I said to them I just purchased it less than 24 hours ago?! "That's our policy" That was the response I got. Thats why Im ticked, frustrated, and frankly surprised that such a reputable company would to this to their customers.

So it seems that what the store told me holds true? Or am I mistaken and should go back to the fish store.

 

[Trilabite]

The store is F###G with you. You went out to buy a new working device. Instead you got a defective non working device. The is the stores problem not yours. You should be irate going back and forward , wasting time and money.

Seriously who buys a defective item purposely ? You buy a new TV, Computer, Car etc. and expect it to work. If its not working give you one that does.

Enough said.

Exactly mrdss! I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. I would be surprised if the store was messing with me. Ive spend tens of thousands there. Returned and exchanged other brands no problem.

 

[Trilabite]

Thank God I live in Canada and ALL electronics have to come with a ONE YEAR warrant as opposed to 3 months in the U.S.

Is that true?!

 

[Trilabite]

Really the driving factor for this kind of policy is that second customer getting the faulty unit and the poor experience they get. It's why we put the security tape on the boxes. We require every return to come back to us to help prevent that. Some stores do not have the capital to have stock on hand to do exchanges nor do they want the hassle of returning it themselves so they would flip around stock.

I really hate all of this but it really is an epidemic of a problem.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes the security tape was intact. I always check everything I buy for that. It's happened to me in the past, but of course I would normally be able to return it the same day.

 

[Trilabite]

Yes. I bought a PM2 module (with factory seal intact) that worked for a couple days before failing. Neptune walked me through a couple diagnostics, then had me send it in. I think I spent like $2 on postage. The process took about 3 business days from when I first logged a ticket.

I get that whole "skin in the game" thing for returns. I work at a c-store and see people buy phone chargers just to return them about 30 minutes later because they are "broken".

2 bucks isn't bad, but on principle it would rub me the wrong way. Certainly if you just got it out the door.

I would normally try tech support and resolve the issue instead of returning it. But in this case its obviously a mechanical fault. No firmware is going to fix this mess.