Poor Shipping

[ianiwane]

Order number A2680930

On Thursday I received my order of an "acan brain coral", when I opened up my package to my dismay the water in the bag was very cold (low 60s) and very little water was used. The water in the bag was cloudy and the coral arrived in very poor shape. Right now the piece is sitting in limbo. I am not sure if it will make it or not. I received a similar package from NY the same day from another vendor and the package arrived just fine b/c the vendor used a lot of water in the shipment.

I sent a message to the LA CS, letting them know the situation. Asking why a heat pack was not used (High of low 60s where I live), and why so little water was used in the shipment. The bag barely fit the piece and only about 1/4 of the bag was filled with water.

CS responded that "some items ship better in little water". I don't know of a single LPS that ships better in less water than more water. I don't appreciate being BS'ed to. I didn't get any response to my question of no heat pack.

This is my first bad experience with live aquaria. Hopefully it is my last, I do hope these types of mistakes don't happen very often. I really wanted just an acknowledgment of the poor shipment method in my case. I didn't need any excuses.

 

[dfs/la2]

Ian,

Thank you for your post. We sincerely apologize for your disappointment with your recent LiveAquaria order. As we discussed in our e-mail to you, we utilize different shipping procedures based on the item. The packing is determined by what is best for each individual piece. One of our main concerns is the water to air ratio, along with the need for heat/cool packs, and the size of the bags. We review the weather maps daily, using both daily and nightly temperatures, to determine whether the package needs a heat or cool pack, and the size of the specimen, along with the type of coral or fish, determines the size of the bag.

We have applied a credit to your credit card for the full amount of the order. This should appear on your bank statement in approximately three business days. Please contact us with any other questions or concerns.

Chris C.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster and Smith

 

[ianiwane]

Chris, thanks for crediting back my card. However, I would have been fine if in email I got a response like this, "Sorry we made a mistake on how we packed your order." I really didn't need more excuses.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15450767#post15450767 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dfs/la2

As we discussed in our e-mail to you, we utilize different shipping procedures based on the item. The packing is determined by what is best for each individual piece. One of our main concerns is the water to air ratio, along with the need for heat/cool packs, and the size of the bags. We review the weather maps daily, using both daily and nightly temperatures, to determine whether the package needs a heat or cool pack, and the size of the specimen, along with the type of coral or fish, determines the size of the bag.

BTW none of that was discussed on email with me.

 

[dfs/la2]

Ian,

I sincerely apologize that in your initial contacts with us we did not specifically address the concerns you mentioned. You are correct that LPS Corals would ship better in more water than less and we will be alerting our Aquatics Director of this situation. As mentioned by Chris in the previous post, we strive to accurately predict weather conditions and insert heat/cold packs accordingly; however, this is not an exact science and mistakes can certainly be made. We will continue to try to improve this internal process as best we can.

Again, please accept our apology for the condition of this shipment and please be assured that we will continue to strive to provide quality aquatics and the best shipping practices available.

Laura A.
LiveAquaria Customer Service Manager