Select Fiji Premium Live Rock

[bkv1997]

I want to start off by saying I have been ordering from LiveAquaria for over 4 years and this is the first time I have ever been unhappy, I really hope the below is an isolated issue.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=397

A couple quotes:
"The average size of each rock in a 22 and 45 pound box varies between 6 and 14 inches."

"We leave out the rubble that is often found at the bottom of the box when the shipments of this style rock enters the country"

"80-90% covered in Coralline algae"

Pictures of what I recieved:
1 10-12" rock

2 6-8" Rocks

5 3-5" Rocks all smaller than the 6" minimum in the description.

15.8 pounds of rubble... Read quote above...

As you can see there is no 90% Coralline Coverage. I hate to post this here, but when I called customer service explaining that what I had recieved wasn't what I was expecting I was told "the coralline always dies off during shipping, after you cure it you will see the 90% coralline coverage". Anyways I have emailed these same pictures to customerservice@liveaquaria.com.

And just to touch on the weight issue:
I was shipped 40.2 pounds of live rock. 15.8 of that was complete rubble. So of the 24.4 pounds I even consider usable probably 6-8 pounds of that was all below the 6" minimum. So for $160 dollars I got (3 rocks) around 18 pounds of what I consider uncured and maybe 15-20% coralline covered rock.

Hopefully you guys can see this isn't right and will make it better.

Again this is the only order out of about 25 I have ever had an issue with.

Brandon

 

[Brent Thomann]

they definitely should send you a new box! and something additional for the inconveniences.

 

[dfs/la2]

Thank you for your post. Our aquatics team will be available to respond to posts from 9am-4pm CST Monday-Friday. For questions or concerns regarding your order, please contact us at 1-800-334-3699 (8am-10pm CST), PM us or email us at CustomerService@LiveAquaria.com. Thank you.

 

[thefishguy3]

OMG,

Search the threads, you will find that you aren't alone....

In fairness, they usually do try to make it right, but it is an inconvenience....

 

[bkv1997]

I have been a long time customer of liveaquaria and the rock was the first and only order to date I have ever had an issue with.

I recieved a call from liveaquaria at 11a.m. this morning apologizing for the mistake. The person I spoke with thanked me for taking the time to take pictures as he was going to send it on to his management.

I have another box coming and was promised it wouldn't be anything like the last.

Mistakes happen, but when they do great customer service like that of liveaquarias customer service department, goes a long way.

I'll post pictures of my second batch just to give a complete follow up, but for now I am very pleased atleast with the effort to correct things.

Brandon

 

[ironman2]

hello, I also ordered a 45 pound box from liveaquaria.com. I ordered it in january, I paid extra for overnight shipping, cause I wanted as little die off as possible. When I recieved the rock it was dry as a bone, and not a drop of water in the bag. the whole bottom of the box was 4" deep in rubble. total I only recieved 20 pounds of rock and just like yours BKV. mine had 0% coraline coverage, no life whatsoever. I would have been better off to buy lace rock. the only good thing was the rock was shaped good. even though the pieces I recieved were smaller than advertised.
I called customer service and they were somewhat helpful. they offerd to send me a 22 pound box to make up the difference in weight. I told them that I wanted what they advertised or dont bother. they said they cant see the rock so they cant garanty anything, but that I probly just got a bad shipment. they sent another 22 pound box, which only had a 12 pound rock and a 5 pound rock. which also had no coraline. it looked identical to the rock I had already recieved. After dealing with it the first time I chose to not bother with them anymore, and after seeing this it obviously isnt a isolated incedent. three months later there still is no coraline growth or any other growth you normally get from good liverock.
I have spent alot of money with dr foster over the years on my dry goods, but Im alittle discoraged with there liveaqauria.
heres some pics of what I got.

 

[ironman2]

hello, I had the same problem. In january I also orderd a 45 pound box. in that box I got 20 pounds of below average size rock. the rest was rubble, which was only another 10 pounds. I paid extra for overnight shipping cause I wanted as little die off as possible. when the rock arrived it was dry as a bone. not even a drop in the bottom of the bag. it had no coraline on it at all, and no life whatsoever. it look like someone took a pressure washer to it. liveaqauria offered to send me a 22 pound box to make up for the difference in weight. I told them I wanted a box of what they advertised or dont bother. the second box was the same way. there was a 12 pound rock and a 5 pound rock, no coraline and no life. I didnt have the time to bother anymore.

3 months later there is still no coraline and no other growths at all. here are some pics taken right out of the box.

this pic isnt even the rubble, these were the bigger pieces that I pulled out of the rubble to put in my refugium.

 

[thefishguy3]

Thanks for the posts!

Well, this has helped me make up my mind...

No Lalo from the Drs. for me...

Thanks again.



:eek2:

 

[Brent Thomann]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7274585#post7274585 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by thefishguy3
Thanks for the posts!

Well, this has helped me make up my mind...

No Lalo from the Drs. for me...

Thanks again.



:eek2:

I wouldn't let that discourage you from ordering from them. I will only order from dr fosters not only because of there great quality (most of the time) but more importantly their awesome customer service. They correct things unlike most other company's. And I also never had a issue like this with them, knock on wood! No I don't work for them either.

 

[ironman2]

I cant speak for the rest of liveaquarias products, everything else may be fine. they made the comment that they dont ever see the live rock, its shipped straight from the supplier, which limits there ability to rate there rock. I think they probly know theres a problem but havent dealt with it. I dont underestand why they dont change there add in there catalog or straighten out the problem with there supplier. this isnt a isolated incident. the rock we are recieving is all the same stuff months apart.
they did have good customer service, but not great. at first I felt like they thought I was trying to get something for nothing.

 

[dfs/la2]

Thank you for your post. Our aquatics team will be available to respond to posts from 9am-4pm CST Monday-Friday. For questions or concerns regarding your order, please contact us at 1-800-334-3699 (8am-10pm CST) or email us at CustomerService@LiveAquaria.com. Thank you.

 

[bkv1997]

I have ordered from dr.fosters and liveaquaria in the past all the dry goods and fish I have recieved in the past were excellent. The customer service is awesome, but like iron said when I called on the rock the first person I spoke with almost seemed like I was making something up, even though they were agreeing to try an make it better. Just didn't feel like a we really believe you type thing I guess... The person that called me after seeing the pictures was top notch.

I wouldn't hesitate to order from them again, but I might think twice about a live rock order. As Iron also pointed out I was also told that the rock came from a completely seperate location than everything else.

I also noted someone posted the day before me on the exact same thing... Either way they are sending me a 30 pound box of lalo for my troubles... I'll be sure to post pics here of that shipment as well and people can make their own minds up about the quality based on the pictures.

Check back Thursday or Friday of this week for my follow up pics.

Brandon

 

[thefishguy3]

Well, thatââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s all great, but they didn't do anything about it until both of you sent pics of the rock in.

I don't want to, nor should I, have to go out and buy a digital camera, take pics, email them, all to get the kind of live rock I originally ordered...

Just the way I look at it...

 

[Live Aq]

Thank you for all of your feedback. The customer input we receive on this forum or via any means of correspondence is beneficial as we are continually learning and looking for ways in which we may improve.

When ordering Live Rock we are hopeful you will take into consideration that there will be variations in the coloration, density, size, and shape. This has to do with the different locations in Fiji of exactly what areas are selected to harvest the rock from. Some rock is denser, where other rock is more porous, etc. Rock that is less dense and is very porous makes ideal rock for the reef aquarium where water can flow easily around and through the rock itself. Knowing this, less dense rock can break during transit when mishandled by the carrier. By looking at the image provided with the rubble at the bottom of the box, it appears that the Styrofoam shipping box was cracked and damaged as there is still a piece of the Styrofoam under the rubble. I can assure you that we do not package rubble in any of our rock that is shipped, nor do we ship tiny, undersized pieces.

Based on a comment on this thread, it seems some misinformation was provided. Prior to shipping rock from our facility, we take the extra steps to re-hydrate and re-package all of our live rock in our insulated shipping box, with 1ââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ thick Styrofoam and corrugated cardboard in order to protect the rock from the elements, as well as cushion it during transit. This process is unlike most of our competition that just puts a sticker in the outside of the original shipping box from Fiji or Tonga and sends the rock on its way. We feel that it is important to take the time to unpack the rock once it hits our holding facility, and then re-hydrate and repackage this rock as needed into an insulated shipping box so that the rock will be protected as opposed to just shipping in a wax coated corrugated box which originates from Fiji or Tonga. Due to some of the breakage issues as of late we are looking for alternative packaging methods to ensure less rubble and breakage caused by handling in shipping.

Our agents on the telephone do not personally see each box of live rock nor every fish, but I can assure you that the manager and his trained staff of professionals at our holding facility make sure that all of our orders are packaged with the utmost care.

I apologize a couple of you had these poor experiences; please understand this is not typical. As we have reiterated many times, if you are ever dissatisfied with any order you have received from us, do not hesitate to email or call us with your order details and we will be glad to find resolution to your concerns.

Cindy S.
Live Aquaria.com

 

[bkv1997]

Cindy:

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

The reason the Styrofoam is at the bottom was due to my trying to get the styrofoam container out of the box. The lid to the container was taped on extremely well, the box was on the floor and I tried lifting the inner styro boxup and due to the weight I just lifted the outer part of the box the styrofoam bottom stayed in place. The box itself was in perfect condition when I picked it up from fedex.

1) Crushed or not the weight of rock in a box will not change. So how come my box only weighed 40 pounds? The fact that you charge per pound to ship makes this even more frustrating. $6.45 in shipping on the five pounds I was shorted.

2) Both me and iron both had similar experiences, plus the person that posted this post http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=832425 only the day before. 80-90% coraline algea broken or not still isn't present on the shipment of rock. As long as you use this picture in your add and say 80-90% coraline growth, but a customer gets the second picture. I wouldn't be suprised if you don't start seeing more unhappy live rock customers.

The purple stuff on the rocks in the above picture and the purple stuff on my rocks seen at http://www.tuckervolner.com/fishtank.htm is what I consider coralline algea.

Where fedex/ups might be partially to blame and we won't ever know what truley happened that caused the rubble, the fact is the two issues listed above need to be looked into by liveaquaria.

I am a big fan of liveaquaria, but this response is the same reason I was upset when I originally called customer service. The customer service was willing to listen and even send me some more, but the problem was with Fedex, UPS, or my expectations, never the product.

Hopefully liveaquaria will take the time to investigate the issue further.

Brandon

 

[DFS/LA1]

bkv1997

Thank you for sharing your comments and concerns. The feedback we receive from all of our customers is of great value to us as it allows us to examine any areas that may need improvement. We at Live Aquaria are committed to 100% customer satisfaction. Thank you for your recent comments and be assured that situations such as these will be fully investigated.

Suzy S
Live Aquaria

 

[bkv1997]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7283911#post7283911 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DFS/LA1
We at Live Aquaria are committed to 100% customer satisfaction. Thank you for your recent comments and be assured that situations such as these will be fully investigated.

Suzy S
Live Aquaria

Suzy:

Thanks for the response. I know you guys will look into it and the customer service is great. I recieved a call at home within 24 hours and have had two responses here...

Thanks again
Brandon

 

[thefishguy3]

First rule of customer service - Don't make excuses, just make it right.



:fish1:

 

[bkv1997]

Fishguy they did offer to make it right from the very beginning, I guess what is right is just up for debate.

They were going to send me more rock, so if more rock was all i wanted then this would have been over already. The issue started when I said I didn't want anymore rock if it was going to look like the rock I just recieved.

I have been told the rock i'm being sent is their best. I honestly hope this box was just a mistake and until I get the new box on thursday I'll will hold back any further comments.. I promise to post very detailed pics either way though, good or bad.

 

[goda]

just wanted to say. that is the same as my lr looks like and i too had a whole bunch of rubble. and the rock was dry (at least figi)
but they did make it right ( money back) ill order from them again but just wont be ordering liverock. from now on i think ill just drive up to TBS and pick out hte good stuff

live aquria you should take new pics ( or use the picts on this forum) to show the live rock cause as much as i hate to praise my LFS the rock at my lfs that has spent several weeks in a boxs had better colors then what you guys shipped.
altho on your lalu rock there was alot of yellow and green. i really hope it spreads to the rest of the rock
have any of you ever ordered livestock from them ( fish or coral)
on a really good note. the lalo rubble i put in my refuge already has pods on it ( 4 days in tank)