You know... ATB USA and ReefGeek are both 1-man operations as well. They are both top-notch as far as service goes. Then again... they arent manufacturing either. But, I know Victor still keeps his day-job even with ATB USA, and Im sure the number of interactions/tasks that Greg @ 'geek has to do is many times higher than Aquatic Acrylics. I think Spazz is still a 'trucker by day' though as well... so that is alot to handle. I think my point is that a 'one man operation' isnt an excuse, as there are others out there like Tunze USA... but in this case (correct me if Im wrong), Spazz has a day job, and this... which is not just distribution/sales/CS, but also running a factory-machine shop. So its really like a '1/3 man operation' to be more accurate...lol. I would say at the very least, he should still be able to have an automated response system for emails on his site... to let you know the message got through, and then maybe with that response, a 'newsletter' style update on what Spazz is doing. If Spazz is out of town on work or vacation, an automated response could say that, as well as an estimated time of call-back. If its an emergency, perhaps a phone number could be included, or some way of maintaining contact. There are several ways that even one person can communicate with hundreds of people, esp in this day & age. Even a little group email saying 'im busy until Sept 18th' or something is all it takes.
OTOH, I have been pondering what recourse those who have bought a Volcano and arent satisfied really have. There are no specs listed on the aquatic acrylics site... so you dont have a very tangible expectation to hold anyone too. If specs were listed that said 3000lph or something, and only 1500lph was the case, then you would have a 'defect'... a claim that the mfg made that wasnt held up. Much of the perception here has been based on those who get the skimmers and report good results... (usually the force fed ones it seems) as in, the specifications were never nailed down or given except on a case-by-case basis, and I dont know that a contract was ever made for any customers. The best some of you might be able to do is bring up some verbal agreements... like 'oh, yeah, this skimmer (as it was before the Alita) will for sure outperform your deltec 902'... which was what Spazz said to Tom and later this was found to be untrue. So how do you prove that Spazz has not held up his end of the bargain? Lets be honest here... sometimes people dont like a skimmer simply because of other reasons... maybe noise, maybe construction, etc... and makers of custom skimmers cant just take them back every time without a good enough reason. I would suggest that potential customers get a contract for what they are getting... specs, performance, etc... at the very least. And beyond that, pay with a credit card.
As for getting results, I dont think anyone here is in a position to 'force results' from Spazz... the best result/resolution is that Spazz simply starts contacting people and/or accepting returns, or else word of mouth may kill his future business. I think thats whats most shocking here... that such a huge mistake/discovery would get little to no attention from Spazz.
On the Aquatic Acrylics site: "Scott does top notch work for a great price. He is great to deal with, and a perfectionist to the core, you will not be dissapointed. He would not sell you anything he would not run on his own tank."
... could that be misleading enough to constitute fraud? I dont know. Its hard to see where this case falls in legal terms.
Contacting consumer protection, the BB, or other authorities in the state... well... I dont see that doing much. I dont think simply contacting those agencies can force a response... only a judge can do that. Then again, some states like MN and WI have return policies as law, so who knows. Still, I think in most cases, since these things are under $7500, the only legal option is to go through the 'small claims court' of Minnesota, or as they call it:'Conciliation Court':
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/consumerism/small_mn.html
One thing to double check might be your receipts as well (or check numbers) and see if sales tax was paid... that may not give you the results you desired, but it is something to consider with small setups that sometimes dont cross their 'T's and dot their 'i's. If you dont have a receipt at least... then things might be hairy. All you did was 'send a guy money'... it could have been for spiritual advice or a donation for some cause...lol.
Im good friends with a federal judge (scotch drinking buddies) so I know and hear how these things go down sometimes... sometimes the small door (like tax evasion) is the best way to open the big door (class action lawsuit).
Not sure what kind of marketing that is, but what a waste! If you have a product that works, sell it make a profit and rake the $$$ in
