Tidal Gardens Tail light Guarantee !!

[Tonycip]

Well I hate to wright negative stuff about a local reef seller but this is my experience.
I went there Yesterday and Bought over 200.00 worth of coral 6 different corals. I get home and the Blastos are already pretty slimy and didn't make it. everything else seems ok tort, monti, zoos etc.. I give them a call expecting them to maybe give me a store credit for my next visit, But No! he pretty much said too bad on you. If you would have had it shipped they would give you 7 days ,but because I went there and saved them the shipping they figured F the local guy... surely seems like an odd way to do business . a 35dollor store credit would have guarantee another 200+ sale, now they have lost me as a future customer..

 

[topjimmy]

Well I hate to wright negative stuff about a local reef seller but this is my experience.
I went there Yesterday and Bought over 200.00 worth of coral 6 different corals. I get home and the Blastos are already pretty slimy and didn't make it. everything else seems ok tort, monti, zoos etc.. I give them a call expecting them to maybe give me a store credit for my next visit, But No! he pretty much said too bad on you. If you would have had it shipped they would give you 7 days ,but because I went there and saved them the shipping they figured F the local guy... surely seems like an odd way to do business . a 35dollor store credit would have guarantee another 200+ sale, now they have lost me as a future customer..

I've never had anything but good experience with Than. Did you talk to him?

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[Tonycip]

Me too I've meet him and his parents and talked to them on occasion.said hi to his parents at the Cleveland frag swap. and yes I talked to him and he said as I stated above.
I was also surprised at his not being interested in a reasonable resolution ,
if it was shipped I would be ok for 7 days, but because I picked it up to bad Charlie?
not cool.I'll eat the 35.00 lesson learned . it won't happen again : )

 

[rvareef]

how did the blasto look at his place? What do you think caused it to get slimy? Do you have any pictures?

 

[brad]

Sellers normally give credit because shipping is hard on corals and buyers have no control, not at all the same as buying a tv and getting a warranty. If you drove an hour and acclimated them correctly, it wasn't a shipping or transportation issue. Either something was wrong on your side, or on his side before you bought them. This is a difficult hobby and lots of corals don't make it.

My guess would be lighting, water quality or nipping fish on your side. Slimy is not an indication of health and I'd expect slime from healthy blastos from moving them.

 

[Tonycip]

Well thanks. but not really looking for your guess as to what went wrong .the coral was near dead before it touched my water also I have no fish that will nip it. you may not know me but this is not my 1st tank. For that matter I did not see him put it in the container he walked the length of the store with it he could have dropped it on the floor for all I know.if were playing the guessing game. Why is not the point of my Comments. More about how you run your company and deal with and value your customers

 

[Gunner2012]

Well thanks. but not really looking for your guess as to what went wrong .the coral was near dead before it touched my water also I have no fish that will nip it. you may not know me but this is not my 1st tank. For that matter I did not see him put it in the container he walked the length of the store with it he could have dropped it on the floor for all I know.if were playing the guessing game. Why is not the point of my Comments. More about how you run your company and deal with and value your customers

 

[rvareef]

Well thanks. but not really looking for your guess as to what went wrong .the coral was near dead before it touched my water also I have no fish that will nip it. you may not know me but this is not my 1st tank. For that matter I did not see him put it in the container he walked the length of the store with it he could have dropped it on the floor for all I know.if were playing the guessing game. Why is not the point of my Comments. More about how you run your company and deal with and value your customers

So the coral looked healthy in his tanks, but something happened to it while he was bagging it that you think killed it?

 

[brad]

Blastos will not stay alive in my tank. At first I thought my water was too dirty. Talking to a few people, Acros are doing well, so maybe it is too clean. I never saw a fish nip one, but have 2 angelfish, a Toby and several other not so reef safe fish, so that is my best guess. I also can't keep most Acans. I've ruled out lighting as I've tried different levels all with the same result. But I don't know, and I don't plan to spend more money trying again. And I have done this 17 years. This is a hard, humbling hobby, and no vendor could refund every coral that died and stay in business.

 

[Tonycip]

So the coral looked healthy in his tanks, but something happened to it while he was bagging it that you think killed it?

Hard to say, it was in one of those tub's not a lot of light pumps were still on..
I didn't get a great look at it.. I guess your missing the point **** happens
we don't always know why. I've had acans that were thriving and in too days totally melt, and other acans in my tank be just fine. The point is when I buy a coral I have a certain expectation that it will be healthy. and that the person who sold it to me to care about me the local customer, again were not braking the bank here 35.00. I just wanted to relay my experience. and give people a heads up! about his no local buyer satisfaction polices .good luck and happy reefing .

 

[rvareef]

Hard to say, it was in one of those tub's not a lot of light pumps were still on..
I didn't get a great look at it.. I guess your missing the point **** happens
we don't always know why. I've had acans that were thriving and in too days totally melt, and other acans in my tank be just fine. The point is when I buy a coral I have a certain expectation that it will be healthy. and that the person who sold it to me to care about me the local customer, again were not braking the bank here 35.00. I just wanted to relay my experience. and give people a heads up! about his no local buyer satisfaction polices .good luck and happy reefing .

Were you picking up an order from online, or did you just go in to browse and say I want that blasto and other corals?

 

[RockyProndoa]

Hard to say, it was in one of those tub's not a lot of light pumps were still on..
I didn't get a great look at it.. I guess your missing the point **** happens
we don't always know why. I've had acans that were thriving and in too days totally melt, and other acans in my tank be just fine. The point is when I buy a coral I have a certain expectation that it will be healthy. and that the person who sold it to me to care about me the local customer, again were not braking the bank here 35.00. I just wanted to relay my experience. and give people a heads up! about his no local buyer satisfaction polices .good luck and happy reefing .

This sounds like a load of BS. You didn't see him bag it, the lights weren't on, yadda yadda. As a responsible buyer, it is YOUR job to ensure the safety of your animals.

Crap happens, you are correct; naivety doesn't. Throwing your arms up in the air and claiming zero responsibility without an ounce of interest in finding out what or why it happened, then turning around and wanting the seller to take full responsibility for this is inane. Similarly, your 'experience' in this hobby has little to do with credibility; there are four year olds getting their first goldfish that take more of an interest in their animals than you do.

You're quick to point out the dollar amounts and have no trouble recollecting that, but any details beyond that are blurry at best. This certainly raises some red flags for me; does the dollar amount matter? What if it was only $40?

Publicly flaming a business with little evidence to back it up sounds fishy. It's even fishier when you claim your only concern is to 'help others' yet failed to do any research on your own. Did you check on the stores return policy before purchasing anything? Did you see the corals alive and healthy? Did you watch them get bagged? No. And because of your failure to be a responsible buyer, it is now the sellers fault.

I don't blame the guy for not giving you your money back. I'd personally lock the door if I saw you coming.


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[studentdriver]

Sorry to hear about your coral not making it. You have to understand that the $35. to one person is not a big deal. But to a business, multiply that by 10 or by 100.

I think when you're buying something in person. You have all the time you need to ensure that the coral is healthy before purchasing it. Sellers/businesses do not know if every single one of their buyers know how to acclimate or care for the corals they purchase. If they don't offer a written guaranteed, you shouldn't expect them to give a credit, especially if you are a first time customer. I would understand if you have a relationship with seller and they know for sure that you're an experience reefer, then it might make sense for them to offer a credit.

I haven't been to Tidal Gardens for quite a few years now. I remember Than being very friendly and easy to work with. Not to mention his green house setup is one of the cleanest coral shops around.

 

[Tonycip]

Sorry to hear about your coral not making it. You have to understand that the $35. to one person is not a big deal. But to a business, multiply that by 10 or by 100.

I think when you're buying something in person. You have all the time you need to ensure that the coral is healthy before purchasing it. Sellers/businesses do not know if every single one of their buyers know how to acclimate or care for the corals they purchase. If they don't offer a written guaranteed, you shouldn't expect them to give a credit, especially if you are a first time customer. I would understand if you have a relationship with seller and they know for sure that you're an experience reefer, then it might make sense for them to offer a credit.

I haven't been to Tidal Gardens for quite a few years now. I remember Than being very friendly and easy to work with. Not to mention his green house setup is one of the cleanest coral shops around.

Humm.i see you haven't read the whole thread..
I'll sum it up for you. I'm not a noob I've been a member of the local reefing Community for some time was a member of c sea. For a couple years . Before they stoped coral trading at meetings. I'm also not a stranger to tydal gardens.ask anyone who knows me

 

[studentdriver]

I didn't mean to say that you're a noob, apologize if it came across that way. From the number of posts you have made, I would say you're very experienced.

What I meant is that Tidal Gardens have no way of knowing if any or all of their customers are experienced reefers and that's probably why they can't offer a blanket guarantee once the corals leave their tank.

 

[cmbspd]

LFS almost never guarantee saltwater livestock so I don't see why you'd expect otherwise in this situation. You were in the store and could see the health/quality of the animals - Than let's you take all the time you need while browsing. I understand that you are upset about losing a coral but I suspect your complaint will be drown out by others posting about good experiences with Tidal Gardens. Good luck with your other corals.

 

[FullBoreReefer]

Last time I went by they weren't even open to the public? Although it's been a few years. When did that change?

 

[Tonycip]

LFS almost never guarantee saltwater livestock so I don't see why you'd expect otherwise in this situation. You were in the store and could see the health/quality of the animals - Than let's you take all the time you need while browsing. I understand that you are upset about losing a coral but I suspect your complaint will be drown out by others posting about good experiences with Tidal Gardens. Good luck with your other corals.

well that's your opinion. " why I expected otherwise". is all explained through out this thread. please take the time to read through it . if you still don't understand pm me .
I also have had good dealings with them in the past, but how you deal with your customers when things go bad shows much more about your character.
so that's why I felt I should post my experience here to let others know.
if you thing its ok to buy a coral and it never make it to your tank alive to be your problem then good for you. you don't need to read any further.
and if you want to look at it in strictly from a business point of view lets do that.
A) If I bought the coral on line he would have shipped it for free. (guessing it cost him 35.00) then he has to replace the dead coral (35.00) now I'm down 70.( because if your a stranger and you order it online he'll give you 7 day guarantee)
B) I buy it there saved him shipping (35.00) he a nice guy want to keep a good customer gives him a store credit 35.00 but actual cost of coral less of what ever for profit on said coral lets say 20.00 out of pocket guessing.
happy customer returns to buy another 200 in coral .
what makes more sense A or B.
you may not agree with me. but how you treat others is important. and I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks this way.
wow this thread is gaining traction 350 views..

 

[rvareef]

Were you picking up an order from online, or did you just go in to browse and say I want that blasto and other corals?

 

[alten78]

Hard to say, it was in one of those tub's not a lot of light pumps were still on..
I didn't get a great look at it.. I guess your missing the point **** happens
we don't always know why. I've had acans that were thriving and in too days totally melt, and other acans in my tank be just fine. The point is when I buy a coral I have a certain expectation that it will be healthy. and that the person who sold it to me to care about me the local customer, again were not braking the bank here 35.00. I just wanted to relay my experience. and give people a heads up! about his no local buyer satisfaction polices .good luck and happy reefing .

This is what I dont understand, the coral was in a poorly lit tub and you didn't get a good look at it so you really you had no idea the health of it. Why buy it if you dont know if its healthy or not? I am sorry but that is your responsibility to at least look at what you are buying. I wouldn't buy a fish without asking to see it eat regardless of how good or healthy it looks.

At the same time I would fully expect something to be alive by the time i got home and customer service, regardless of cost, does go a long way especially for someone that is a regular. I've never been to Tidal Gardens but I've had 3 very poor dealings with another local store so i certainly know the frustration with very poor customer service, I voiced my opinions on my experiences and the folks that love the place flamed me for it.

Good luck!