DOA - Almost Criminal... Buyer Beware..

windlasher

windlasher

Member
I don't want to trash an online store here but today I received an oder from SWF and another store which claims to have SOLUTIONS to your PET needs.
I only ordered from them because SWF didn't have all of the selections I wanted and I tend to order all at once to save on shipping and since I can only be here on Saturday to receive and acclimate that doubles the shipping.
Anyhoot... Well the little emaciated Tang that that other site sent me died.
2 hours dripping and about 6 in the QT. Here are the before and after shots. How can they even justify sending out a fish like that?
After Acclimation - Poor thing...

And afternoon...

They had better make it right X 2. The fish was considerably smaller than I ordered and it was 1/2 dead when it got here and now its 100% dead.
Places like that make that new law they are trying to pass seem like a good idea.
 
pleasants9

pleasants9

Member
i hate when stores skimp on selling livestock, its not fair to the fish. If they dont wanna do it right go do something else.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
I have ordered from SWF 10x now...always satisfied too....and if there was ever a problem it was made up for...I order from another online store ONCE...they have restrictions on everything..and lets just say most of what I ordered WAS NOT covered by the arrive alive guarantee, and I was extremely disappointed...SWF does not always have what I want...so I just don't get it....I WILL NOT order live fish from another place again.....
 
jarodw45

jarodw45

Member
SWF.com has had Convict tangs in stock for quite some time should have ordered it from here. Sorry about the loss.
 
culp

culp

Active Member
i have only ordered one living thing online and that was algae.
other than that i always have ordered from my LFS. they can get any thing in. and when it comes in they won't sell it to you until they are sure it is healthy.
plus on Wednesdays when new livestock comes in they don't sell any of the new livestock until the next Wednesday to try to make sure they are also healthy and no longer stressed from shipping.
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
I have 3 online sources I trust and have bought all my fish online for years. I'll never do it any other way. The price, service, delivery, no sales tax and guarentee can't be beat. Sure, I've had fish die, that happens; but I think online fish go through less stress than lfs fish because they are handled less. You can't judge a fish source from 1 dead fish. A good lfs is a rarity now, if you have one, great. The number of good, experienced hobbiests who buy online speaks for itself. BTW, the number of fish that most lfs lose would floor you.
 
windlasher

windlasher

Member
Originally Posted by srfisher17
http:///forum/post/3022594
I have 3 online sources I trust and have bought all my fish online for years. I'll never do it any other way. The price, service, delivery, no sales tax and guarentee can't be beat. Sure, I've had fish die, that happens; but I think online fish go through less stress than lfs fish because they are handled less. You can't judge a fish source from 1 dead fish. A good lfs is a rarity now, if you have one, great. The number of good, experienced hobbiests who buy online speaks for itself. BTW, the number of fish that most lfs lose would floor you.
I'm Sorry but you are wrong. The issue isn't ONE dead fish.
The issue is that the fish arrived looking like it had been starved and was on it's last fins when it got here. They sent me a fish that was 1/2 dead already. THAT is the issue.
I understand that fish get stressed during shipping. This was NOT stress, this was bad husbandry and even worse sales policies.
NO ONE should ever send out a fish in that condition.
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by windlasher
http:///forum/post/3022923
I'm Sorry but you are wrong. The issue isn't ONE dead fish.
The issue is that the fish arrived looking like it had been starved and was on it's last fins when it got here. They sent me a fish that was 1/2 dead already. THAT is the issue.
I understand that fish get stressed during shipping. This was NOT stress, this was bad husbandry and even worse sales policies.
NO ONE should ever send out a fish in that condition.
If that was the case; I sure agree. I guess I'm guilty of not reading your original post closley. This is only the 2nd comment I can remember concerning that dealer and both were negative experiences. I just wanted to make the point that I consider most major on dealers to be excellent sources. Please let us know how this is resolved for you.
 
windlasher

windlasher

Member
Originally Posted by srfisher17
http:///forum/post/3023115
If that was the case; I sure agree. I guess I'm guilty of not reading your original post closley. This is only the 2nd comment I can remember concerning that dealer and both were negative experiences. I just wanted to make the point that I consider most major on dealers to be excellent sources. Please let us know how this is resolved for you.
I have had a response and here it is. I am happy about the outcome, but still sort of saddened by the condition the fish was shipped in...
The "Live Deliveries Manager" wrote...
"I will take care of the refund for this, and since it was such a large percentage of what was shipped on your order I am taking care of refunding your shipping charge as well. I apologize for the difficulty with the order."
At least customer service is alive and well.
 
pbnj

pbnj

Member
Glad to hear they're resolving this for you.
....but yes, real convicts are fed better than that Convict Tang.
 
windlasher

windlasher

Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3022078
I have ordered from SWF 10x now...always satisfied too....and if there was ever a problem it was made up for...I order from another online store ONCE...they have restrictions on everything..and lets just say most of what I ordered WAS NOT covered by the arrive alive guarantee, and I was extremely disappointed...SWF does not always have what I want...so I just don't get it....I WILL NOT order live fish from another place again.....
i am on abut my 5th order from here. Whats the free gift @ 10?
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by windlasher
http:///forum/post/3023508
i am on abut my 5th order from here. Whats the free gift @ 10?

I just had my tenth
I picked a yellow gorgonian....If I remember the choices were yellow or red gorgonian, copepods, 3 pajama cardinals..I can't remember anything else
But there were a few more things..LOL
 
windlasher

windlasher

Member
Originally Posted by nycbob
http:///forum/post/3023563
just out of curiosity, how did u setup ur quarantee tank? what equipments? any liverocks?
I use 30 Gal tanks that I have divided using egg crate and spray painted the bottom blue, otherwise some fish go crazy.... and a HOB filter. You can see that I am Qt-ing the damsels I just got as well as corals that I just got.
I have 4 Qt's because I have 4 tanks and sometimes I buy fish for different tanks that may not get along. Also if I need to do HYPO on some and not others it makes it easier. I don't keep them all running as my main 500+ gal system is enough work. When I need one, I take the water from my sump and i keep filters for the HOBs in the sump all the time to keep the bacteria going.
 
nycbob

nycbob

Active Member
i hv never ordered any livestocks except frags from that site. i am very skeptical of their quality also. at least u got ur refund back.
 
windlasher

windlasher

Member
Originally Posted by nycbob
http:///forum/post/3023598
i hv never ordered any livestocks except frags from that site. i am very skeptical of their quality also. at least u got ur refund back.
livestock... no never again... the shipping on salt is good though. I ordered 5 200 gallon boxes of reef salt and paid $14.00 shipping for the lot.
 
windlasher

windlasher

Member
Originally Posted by Squidward
http:///forum/post/3024721
Never ordered fish from them yet, but they always have the best deals on salt though!
Yep, I always order 5 boxes/tubs at a time. The shipping starts at $9 and only goes up $1 per box. I typed in 500 buckets once and the total shipping was $14.95. I think some people realized this and so they set a limit of 20 at a time.
 
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