Who do you trust most when it comes to ordering online
- Thread starter Jyetman
- Start date
BRS, fosters & smith-LA/DD, marine depot. anything i need, i can find at one of those places. always good customer service, prompt shipping.
i don't ever have a problem with delivery people. they all know my great danes and a couple of them even carry cookies in their pockets.
i don't ever have a problem with delivery people. they all know my great danes and a couple of them even carry cookies in their pockets.
christopherjudd
Member
marine depot - good prices, has a lot of choices, inexpensive shipping compared to others, ships quickly to my location (2 days for the basic shipping).
drs foster - good prices, shipping takes a little bit longer compared to md
brs - I try not to purchase stuff from them due to expensive super slow shipping.
I have experienced great customer service with all of them
drs foster - good prices, shipping takes a little bit longer compared to md
brs - I try not to purchase stuff from them due to expensive super slow shipping.
I have experienced great customer service with all of them
whiteshark
Active member
It amazes me that two of the biggest retailers are in this area of the country. It's so odd driving to snow covered Rhinelander to find a hidden oasis of saltwater goodness.
Anyway ;
Drs. Foster and Smith/ Live Aquaria/ Divers Den is my go to for livestock.
BRS has great customer service and a wide selection of top notch stuff.
Marine Depot has been a pleasure to order from as well.
I don't think you can go wrong with any of these. I just grabbed some magnesium and alkalinity supplements from BRS for 15% off and a Red Sea Pro test kit (Ca, Alk, Mag) for 35$. Was curious to compare them to the Salifert kits I use and for 15$ off I figured I'd give them a try.
1. Foster & Smith <--only Live Aquaria never ordered dry goods.
2. Marine Depot <--My go to place always fast and only a state away so get ups ground on 3rd day. Never had a problem with them.
3. Aqua Cave <--Never used
4. Bulk Reef Supply <--Thier shipping is horribly overpriced so have to spend a lot to get free shipping and takes 5 days ups as its across country. THat being said have ordered from them several times always been dead on so no compaints just have to spend alot for the free shipping.
2. Marine Depot <--My go to place always fast and only a state away so get ups ground on 3rd day. Never had a problem with them.
3. Aqua Cave <--Never used
4. Bulk Reef Supply <--Thier shipping is horribly overpriced so have to spend a lot to get free shipping and takes 5 days ups as its across country. THat being said have ordered from them several times always been dead on so no compaints just have to spend alot for the free shipping.
fishresponse
New member
1. Premium aquatics. -- gets to my house in 2 business days. And great prices
2. Aqua cave -- about same as premium aquatics but cheaper shipping but I usually wait 3 days. Also, they have a broader selection than PM.
3. Marine depot -- great for info and reviews. I would buy from them more often but it takes around 4-5 days to get to my house. Great product variety.
4. BRS -- don't typically use them unless they have something I can't get from one othe other guys.
2. Aqua cave -- about same as premium aquatics but cheaper shipping but I usually wait 3 days. Also, they have a broader selection than PM.
3. Marine depot -- great for info and reviews. I would buy from them more often but it takes around 4-5 days to get to my house. Great product variety.
4. BRS -- don't typically use them unless they have something I can't get from one othe other guys.
This is a great country and our hobby has many fine mail order options. The quality of customer service is exceptional. I use all three of the original poster's choices and have had generally good experiences with all three and would buy from all again. There is a thread in the sponsor's forum about Bulk Reef shipping costs. The first thing you will notice is most of the critical posts are by the same posters who have jumped on them here. Same names and same issues. Bulk Reef have responded in that thread with great courtesy and patience. Most of their issues were also answered. With the exception of F&S, I think BRS shipping costs and policies are on par with other smaller retailers. My question is why these same posters are so eager to smear a good company. If shipping from a particular company doesn't work for your situation, find another source.
As to the OP's original question. Here are my thoughts.
1. F&S-good customer service. Hard goods [F&S] customer service reps. are polite, professional but have little specialized expertise with salt water/ reef issues. Live Aquaria/ Diver's Den CS reps. are a very knowledgeable about live stock issues and great to work with. I have problems with USP in my area and the company has gone to great lengths to try to remedy the local issues. Shipping packaging from LA/DD is beyond great and is the standard on the industry. They also use PLENTY OF WATER and larger bags which means more costs to them and healthier animals. The over $49.00 purchase free shipping is great and they are my source for salt. However, other hard goods products are not always packaged professionally. I ordered a 29 gal aquarium package to use as a QT. It took 4 tries to get one not damaged by UPS. This was mostly a UPS local issue but F&S shipping did not help as the shipping container was two card board boxes fitted together and taped. The interior contents were not secured with packing materials and rattled around. Their customer service was very good, promptly replacing and issuing a large discount each time. However all efforts by customer service to get the aquarium packed with more professional materials and methods failed.
Marine Depot- a good company better now they seem to have reduced their fixation with hobbits and fairies in their shipping notices! Customer service reps are knowledgeable but some have what I call the California attitude and seem to be a little abrupt for my tastes. This is a SMALL quibble and would not prevent me from buying from them again but I might go elsewhere for advice. They do have a large selection of reef related things and I enjoy their catalogs. They seem to have a early cutoff time for same day shipping and shipping time to me is a little long. It is not their fault. It is simply a function of distance. I find their shipping costs slightly lower than BRS but, on the whole, their prices slightly higher. I understand they will price match but the difference was never important to me. Like F&S, they sometimes accept an order for something out of stock. This locks up you order since you have already paid for it by the time you find out it will be delayed.
Bulk Reef- Exceptional Customer service and ALWAYS knowledgeable and patient. Great prices on RODI and Bulk materials. Competitive pricing on other items. They are small enough to be flexible and have even suggested I NOT buy a certain product they carry. Have steered my to home improvement stores to purchase items at a lower cost. I believe they use your phone number to see you buying history as they all seem to know me and will ask how something I purchased is working out. They never accept an order for something out of stock. Allows you to find it somewhere else if speed is important. Best same day shipping in the industry. Packaging very professionally done. Returns handled promptly and in a professional way. They have become my "local fish store" since the nearest decent [and very limited selection] is around 150 miles away. Great videos with honest presentation of products. Because of my location shipping is lightening fast. Ground takes two days. Order on Wednesday and get it on Friday. Times will depend on your location. For me, this is my first choice for hard goods.
Sorry for the length of this post but I wanted to give a fair, complete assessment. Kinda of suspect the venders may be looking at this as well as our members.
My final advice is for buyers look for a long term relationship with a vendor and throw that business the bulk of your business. That relationship will provide the buyer many benefits over time.
RJ
As to the OP's original question. Here are my thoughts.
1. F&S-good customer service. Hard goods [F&S] customer service reps. are polite, professional but have little specialized expertise with salt water/ reef issues. Live Aquaria/ Diver's Den CS reps. are a very knowledgeable about live stock issues and great to work with. I have problems with USP in my area and the company has gone to great lengths to try to remedy the local issues. Shipping packaging from LA/DD is beyond great and is the standard on the industry. They also use PLENTY OF WATER and larger bags which means more costs to them and healthier animals. The over $49.00 purchase free shipping is great and they are my source for salt. However, other hard goods products are not always packaged professionally. I ordered a 29 gal aquarium package to use as a QT. It took 4 tries to get one not damaged by UPS. This was mostly a UPS local issue but F&S shipping did not help as the shipping container was two card board boxes fitted together and taped. The interior contents were not secured with packing materials and rattled around. Their customer service was very good, promptly replacing and issuing a large discount each time. However all efforts by customer service to get the aquarium packed with more professional materials and methods failed.
Marine Depot- a good company better now they seem to have reduced their fixation with hobbits and fairies in their shipping notices! Customer service reps are knowledgeable but some have what I call the California attitude and seem to be a little abrupt for my tastes. This is a SMALL quibble and would not prevent me from buying from them again but I might go elsewhere for advice. They do have a large selection of reef related things and I enjoy their catalogs. They seem to have a early cutoff time for same day shipping and shipping time to me is a little long. It is not their fault. It is simply a function of distance. I find their shipping costs slightly lower than BRS but, on the whole, their prices slightly higher. I understand they will price match but the difference was never important to me. Like F&S, they sometimes accept an order for something out of stock. This locks up you order since you have already paid for it by the time you find out it will be delayed.
Bulk Reef- Exceptional Customer service and ALWAYS knowledgeable and patient. Great prices on RODI and Bulk materials. Competitive pricing on other items. They are small enough to be flexible and have even suggested I NOT buy a certain product they carry. Have steered my to home improvement stores to purchase items at a lower cost. I believe they use your phone number to see you buying history as they all seem to know me and will ask how something I purchased is working out. They never accept an order for something out of stock. Allows you to find it somewhere else if speed is important. Best same day shipping in the industry. Packaging very professionally done. Returns handled promptly and in a professional way. They have become my "local fish store" since the nearest decent [and very limited selection] is around 150 miles away. Great videos with honest presentation of products. Because of my location shipping is lightening fast. Ground takes two days. Order on Wednesday and get it on Friday. Times will depend on your location. For me, this is my first choice for hard goods.
Sorry for the length of this post but I wanted to give a fair, complete assessment. Kinda of suspect the venders may be looking at this as well as our members.
My final advice is for buyers look for a long term relationship with a vendor and throw that business the bulk of your business. That relationship will provide the buyer many benefits over time.
RJ
DavidinGA
Active member
Smear
/smir/
Verb.
1. damage the reputation of (someone) by false accusations; slander.
I mentioned my dislike for BRS and wanted to point out that your use of the word "smear" would imply I was making false or slanderous comments. This is not true. I stated they take way longer to ship, which is true for me in my location (I don't know if it's because I'm on the east coast or what). I also said they are very expensive for their slow shipping. This is also true based on my personal experience; I often will find the exact same item for sale elsewhere for the same price but with cheaper shipping.
Perhaps if I had said "brs is awful and their products smell like someone took a dump on them" you could rightly say I was smearing them.
At what point did he mention DavidinGA? Why so quick to assume he's talking about you, especially when he was talking about another thread in a different forum?
My experience with BRS and DFS has been great. I've placed 3 orders with BRS and 1 with DFS. Neither company charged me a dime for shipping (not understanding all the comments about BRS having high shipping charges), and all orders were received 2 days later, i.e. Ordered min Monday and received on Wednesday. I imagine I'm probably lucky to live only 2 states away from them. If you need the stuff faster, I'd say you'd have to suck it up and upgrade the shipping and if you still have issues after that, it's probably on UPS, and not the company you ordered from. Just my 2 cents.
I'm lucky to have some awesome LFS, so of the online fish supply shops I've only ordered from BRS. The shipping time always puts me off initially, but then things arrive in 2-3 days. I'm sure that's all based on location, but I'm repeatedly excited that my stuff comes faster than anticipated. And orders placed early in the morning often ship that very same day (sometimes within hours). Their customer service is excellent and I've had simple issues and questions addressed very quickly, and then followed up on.
For really cheap common items, I use Amazon. With a Prime membership I get things quickly and the prices can be really good. I buy items like extra powerheads and heaters that way, and also many of my testing kits. Basically, I buy from my LFS first, BRS second if I can hit the free shipping, and Amazon third.
For really cheap common items, I use Amazon. With a Prime membership I get things quickly and the prices can be really good. I buy items like extra powerheads and heaters that way, and also many of my testing kits. Basically, I buy from my LFS first, BRS second if I can hit the free shipping, and Amazon third.
First, DavidinGeorgia I did not want to personalize my post with names. But since you jumped in.....I will stick with smear.
You have made the same complaints over and over again. BRS has explained the challenges they face several times in answer to your posts.
Secondly, BRS is the BEST in packaging and shipping orders the SAME DAY ordered. UPS picks up these orders in the evening. This is called SHIPPING your order so your complaint they are slow to ship is an incorrect statement. They have turned over the order to UPS on a very timely basis. Numerous posters have made the same observation which you do not seem to grasp. Your issue is with UPS and other shippers? Fed EX would be no better. Shipping time is a function of distance, shipping routes and schedules between depots. I guess you want BRS to move to Georgia. As I said pick a company that works well with your location and go with them. Drop your sophomoric vendetta with BRS.... yes you smear their reputation.
RJ
My BRS orders have been priced well, but I too feel it takes too long to get to me. I don't think I have ever received an order from them that didn't take at least 5 business days to get to me. Other companies, even on the East coast do not usually take that long. That being said, I use them for bulk supplements, when I was dosing them, and RODI replacement filters and resin.
My first choice is Marine Depot because UPS ground from Marine Depot is next day for me here in San Diego. I have ordered as late as 4pm and it was shipped that day.
My first choice is Marine Depot because UPS ground from Marine Depot is next day for me here in San Diego. I have ordered as late as 4pm and it was shipped that day.
D-Nak
Active member
I order from BRS all the time. I like that they have everything I need in one place, especially when it comes to plumbing parts (I was using SCH80 and it's really hard to find, even at local hardware stores).
I do tend to agree that shipping -- when not making the $175 free shipping limit -- is quite expensive. They mention that they don't hide shipping costs in their prices, yet to be completely honest, they're not as cheap as they used to be so I would've thought that they were hiding some of the shipping costs in their prices.
Regardless, they are still a great company who puts out great videos and have tons of other great resources/information on their site. All that costs money to produce. I will continue to support them even though I'm not a fan of their shipping costs.
I do tend to agree that shipping -- when not making the $175 free shipping limit -- is quite expensive. They mention that they don't hide shipping costs in their prices, yet to be completely honest, they're not as cheap as they used to be so I would've thought that they were hiding some of the shipping costs in their prices.
Regardless, they are still a great company who puts out great videos and have tons of other great resources/information on their site. All that costs money to produce. I will continue to support them even though I'm not a fan of their shipping costs.
DavidinGA
Active member
Say what you want but the reality is they take far longer than other companies take to ship me their goods. Others have stated the same thing - their shipping is slow.
It isn't a smear if it's true.
I guess should also point out what many others have already noted that they also find their shipping prices to be much higher than other companies.
Again, not a smear if it's true.
And... At what point have I been crude or immature in this "smear" narrative? I glanced back over every post here and it all appears very civil imo.
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ThreeMoneyJ
New member
I've ordered from all. I'm on the west coast so I use marine depot. The shipping is fast since it's close and I've been happy with their customer service.
hoooop54
reefin up north
BRS is by far my favorite. I agree with Bman that they add value to hobby by creating great videos and their customer service is great. I live close enough that I can pick up my orders from their office. Every time I go there, you can tell the company cares about the hobby and their employees.
