poor practice

[aznepydna]

I am in Rhinelander frequently. I inquired about purchasing some specimens from Divers Den and picking them up personally. This would save 12 to 18 hours bag time for the fish and coral. I was told that I cannot do this and would have to have the items shipped Fed-Ex. Reason was that the coral farm is not close to the retail outlet. Do you not care about the health and well being of the live stock that you sell. I am not asking to handpick or get a tour I just want to take them home personally. Heck you could hand the box to me at the door. Shipping stress is probably the number one killer of fish and corals. All I wanted to do was eliminate this from the equation. I am done venting now.

Andy

 

[clsanchez77]

That does seem pretty stupid. Monst online vendors have an open door policy. Why would any one not have that. If anything, you would wnat your customers to see how the specimens are being cared for in the proper manner...unless of course they are not cared for properly...

Chris

 

[dfs/la2]

Andy,

Thank you for your post. We apologize we are unable to accommodate your request to have your Divers Den selection picked up at the Retail Store. As we continue to grow, it becomes difficult to coordinate filling and delivering packages between the two facilities. Though our buildings are relatively close, administration and staffing are completely separate. At this time our Coral Farm is staffed to support online sales. The Retail Store stocks fish, coral and invertebrates which are available to the public. We strive to ship the healthiest live stock and have found that with the shipping processes we have in place the loss rates are very minimal.

If we can be of further assistance please contact our Live Aquaria Department at 1-800-334-3699, via e-mail customerservice@liveaquaria.com or PM us. If you would like to contact our Retail Store they are available Monday â€"œ Friday from 9 am to 6 pm and Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm, 1-715-369-9312.

Thank you.

Michelle H.
Drs. Foster & Smith, Live Aquaria

 

[aznepydna]

I did not ask to pick up at retail store. I wanted to pick up at the location where the fish and corals are located. What would be so difficult to box up the items and hand them to me at the door. Saves you and the live stock from having to deal with Fed-Ex. You mean to tell me that a trip through the Fed-Ex system is less stressful to the fish and corals than three hours in the bag if I pick up. Many of the online vendors do allow pickup at the door and you are supposed to be one of the better ones. I do not understand turning away a customer that wanted to spend a good deal of money at your business. Your response so far has been pretty lame in my opinion.

 

[EricM]

If that's how you feel then get your corals somewhere else.

 

[aznepydna]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7601006#post7601006 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by EricM
If that's how you feel then get your corals somewhere else.

Eric,

You miss my point. What method of delivery would be better for the animals?

Andy

 

[Live Aq]

Andy,
A private message was sent to you yesterday asking that you contact me to discuss your concerns. Please view your PM's and call me at your convenience. I will look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,
Cindy S.
Drs. Foster and Smith/Live Aquaria.com

 

[Steve_Aquarius]

Sure hope I'm reading this wrong, as i was able to pick up three corals last time I bought from Live Aquaria's Divers Den.

They had my package "Held for Pickup" at the retail store, and this was within the last year.

 

[Live Aq]

Thank you for bringing to our attention the need for clarification on this matter; Regarding Coral Farm/Divers Den pick-up requests: It seems we may have been inconsistent with such requests, therefore, we have devised some guidelines for our staff to follow in such instances. It is factual that our Coral facility is not equipped to accept walk in customers; however, we may be able to accommodate requests for pickup at our nearby Retail Store. In order to be able to extend this courtesy, a few guidelines would include:
· Order would require being picked on a Monday-Friday
· Please place orders over the phone with a credit card/debit card
· Please arrange order pick up within 48 hours and designate pick up date/time so we can coordinate with the Retail store
Please note, these guidelines would be discussed in greater detail when you call to place the order.

We always appreciate your feedback and thank you for the opportunity to meet your aquatic needs.

Cindy S.
Drs. Foster and Smith/Live Aquaria.com

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Actually I can understand the good doctors reasons. being that they are a major online vendor, it will take a lot of exta work as well as money to pay the workers, to pick out your package from all of the other orders and hand carry it thru the whole process to then deliver it to the retail store. That's a lot of extra work, even if you don't think it is. If they do that for everyone that lives close by, then all of their other customers will be suffering as their shipments will be delayed while yours is being catered to.

I'm not saying that you are wrong in caring for the health of the animals and wanting to pick thme up, but you have to look at the overall picture and not just your specific needs. I do beleive the dr's have a very good setup at their facility. If your worried about stress from shipping, then you shouldn't be buying anything as it all get's shipped from overseas which intails about a 24-48 hour plane ride just to get to the Dr's facility where they can take care of them.

I've been to a couple of wholesalers facilities out here in the L.A. area and I will say that from what I saw, they do care about the animals and give them the best of care before shipping out. I'm sure the dr's is the same otherwise they would not still be in bussines.

No I don't work for them but I am one of their customers.

 

[doox00]

they could implement a customer pickup area, it would not have to be delivered to their retail store, my guess, and I could be wrong, is they would be losing some profit, perhaps their shipping rates have a markup to them.. shrug

 

[aznepydna]

I just returned from my vacation to the north woods. I stopped at the retail store on my way home and picked up several fish. I was suprised that they still had anything left after the coral conference. The staff at the retail store is wonderful. I needed eight buckets of salt and they had someone bring them from the warehouse and load them on to my trailer. They even offered to see if the Regal Angel that I wanted from the Divers Den was still available which it wasn't.
It was not my intention to bash this wonderful company, but to mearly point out what I perceived to be a weakness that needed to be addressed.
I see from the previous post from Cindy that this has been addressed and I thank you.

Andy Penza