[Tsquare]

Over the last 3 months I have ordered about $70 from them and the plants were excellent. On 26 Feb I asked for a 30gal tank planting design which they offer. I have sent 3 messages asking about this since then with the last reply saying the would mail it out this past Monday but they did not do so. I just received a reply to my last E-Mail and it simply said credit my CC for the $5 they charged immediately after I placed the order. I could not recommend that anyone use this service. The plants are excellent and the price is right so I will likely still order from them anyway.
Gene

 

[Heavy G]

What happened to post

Hello

What happened to all of the post that were a part of this post before it was moved?

Heavy G

 

[Bri]

I've placed many with them, without any issues

 

[boasist]

I'm a little upset right now at the care (or lack thereof) this site has put forth.

I placed an order @ 7am tuesday morning. It was for the "best" regulator and a sms122 ph probe replacement. Both items were noted as "in stock". The regulator had been marked usually ships in 24-48 hours.

Immediately on thier online tracking my order goes in to pending status. THis apparently means that my order is in the final stages of shipping or has already been shipped.

Tuesday passes....wednesday passes, thursday passes. Still not a drop of communication. I called them on Thursday afternoon, the phone just rang, nobody ever picked up. I called them on friday afternoon, I get an answer, and I ask about the status of my order. The attendant who answered the phone had mentioned that the order had just finished packing and was scheduled to be picked up by UPS today.

I made the question...what was the reason for the delay on this order?

I was told that the milwaukee part needed to come in (meaning it wasn't in stock as advertised upon ordering). OK, I said I simply made the mention that it would have been nice to have some more detailed notification on this.

I.E. - Dear - - - -
Thank you for your order, the part requested is not in stock at this time. Please let us know how you would like to proceed.

Something along those lines would have been nice, at best, the regulator could have been shipped first. Then the probe upon arrival.

It is now friday evening, I'm quite sure most employees there are gone for the evening, and still no email like I was told to expect with the tracking info.



I will update further if anything else happens. I just felt it worthwhile to post my experience with them here as they are often talked about. A note of caution to perhaps call first to check on availability if the part is critical for you.

EDIT - Well friday, and the rest of the weekend came and went with no email. I called them up on monday...then I was told yes the order had just went out, expect the email tonight. Sure enough, the email came through that night, the items had just been dropped off.

6 DAYS to ship this product - 1 of them was thier pride and joy, the other a spare part.

Both marked as in stock, still 6 days to get it out the door.

 

[Homer_Simpson]

:thumbsdow

I would strongly advise anyone against dealing with aquariumplants. They appear to talk the talk but don't walk the walk. A month after placing my order I did not hear anything and the order status as verified on-line indicated that the order was still pending. There was no responses to any of my E-Mails and they began blocking my E-Mail so that my message would bounce(that's a real good customer service, not!!!) when a courteous response would suffice. After several failed(the phone would ring about 10 times and then a message would play indicating "the party that you are attempting to contact is not available") attempts to contact them by phone, I finally got through. The attendant who answered appeared confused as to what was happeing with my order and put me through to someone else. The guy said that the order was not filled and falsely stated that their web site indicates that orders placed in early June 2007 would be shipped in July 2007. Their Web site indicates nothing of the sort. The following is a direct quote from their website.
"Updated on June 7/2007: Canadian orders delayed ...will ship from Winnepeg on June 7th. ?(This delay is due to transport company delay...thank you for your understanding and patience with the delay)"
"June 5th (delivery delay: all canadian (live plant) orders will reach the customers on friday June 8th"

Hell, I live in Winnipeg and my order was placed on June 6 2007!!

Well first week of July 2007 online order status still shows pending. Again, no response to my E-Mails and phone rings afer 10 times only to be followed by a message: "the party that you are attempting to call is not available." It seems they don't even have the courteousy or don't even care enough about customer service to put on a decent answering machine message.

I am now at the point, where I will likely have to go through the Pay Pal on-line dispute resolution process and escalate this to a claim to try and get my money back for goods not received.

I was planning to do a lot of business with this company, including ordering expensive C02 tanks and C02 regulators, but this experience and especially their lack of a simple couteous "honest" response has soured me to the point, where I will no longer deal with them.

 

[snafu]

if there's an issue, why not bring it up with the bbb? ranting about it on a forum will do little to change business practices. i've been pretty happy with them, although, like with many other's experiences, there's a delay in shipping with little feedback. i guess it's a price you pay for decent prices.

 

[Homer_Simpson]

if there's an issue, why not bring it up with the bbb?

Given that the company is located in the U.S. and I am located in Canada, the BBB in Canada would beable to do little.

ranting about it on a forum will do little to change business practices...

Perhaps, but bad publicity, especially coming from multiple purchasers does not make a company look good, especially when it's mission statement is:

"We sincerely do want to hear from you[okay then why dodge E-Mails and phone calls], our valued customers...your purchasing experience is guaranteed to be a pleasant one[but through their lack of responses, they make it a frustrating experience]
If you have a problem with anything or you are not satisfied in any way, we will take care of the problem and do whatever it takes
to ensure that you are pleased enough with our company to do business with us over and over again...that's our promise and our commitment."[okay live up to your promise and give me the courteousy of a simple response]

"We will EARN your business, and we will do anything and everything[all I am asking for is a simple courteous response, nothing more and nothing less] it takes to keep you as a satisfied return customer...Thank You."[by your actions it does not seem, you are really interested in keeping me as a repeat customer]:icon_roll

It is not so much about business practices as it is about honouring a mission statement and courteously responding to a customer to resolve an issue. I guess this is a situation where actions speak louder than words.

 

[briandmiles]

I experienced a similar delay. I ordered some lighting parts and 6 days later I called to see why they had not shipped. I did get someone and they, after much conversation in the background, said "it's on the loading dock right now and it will go out today." This was a Wednesday and they claimed I would have it by Friday. Knowing that it was going UPS I figured it wouldn't arrive until Monday and it didn't. When I opened up the package everything looked good until I pulled out the 6500k Geismann T5 54w bulbs and there was a discrepancy. The packaging and the bulb both claimed that it was a 6000K bulb.
I called the company and informed them of the problem. The first response was that I couldn't possibly have gotten a 6000K bulb because they don't sell them. I assured them that they did send me a 6000k bulb because I was looking at the package and the bulb and they were both clearly marked "6000k" and then I asked if he would like me to send a picture. The next "fix" for the problem was to assure me that I couldn't tell the difference between 6000k and 6500k and I assured him that I could because I can tell the difference between 9325k and 10000k and I seriously doubted that 175k would make the difference unnoticeable. Then he looked at his stock and noticed that all of the bulbs that they were selling were in fact 6000k bulbs and that this was the first time anyone had ever said anything about it.
Next I was told that the situation would be looked into and that they would get back to me. I asked when and they said as soon as possible. So I asked if that meant today (being Friday and almost 5pm their time) or Saturday or Monday. He said he would contact his supplier and get back as soon as possible. To their credit he did call me back that night after their usual business hours and informed me that Giesemann didn't make a 6500k and that they had been misordering from their supplier. He offered to let me have the weekend to decide whether or not to return the bulbs, and further assured me that they would change their website to reflect what they were actually selling. I decided to keep the bulbs because I'd have to pay for someone else to ship me new bulbs but they still haven't fixed the website and this was nearly 3 weeks ago. Here's the link and at the time of this post it still said 6500K.

http://www.aquariumplants.com/48_F54_T5_6500K_54_watt_HO_Daylight_Bulb_p/sls-53130.htm

Note the very ironic statement on the page.

The "GIESEMANN LICHTTECHINIK" brand "German made" bulbs are the ONLY bulbs that we trust that the Kelvin rating is correct and and as advertised. You can buy cheaper bulbs, but we have found that they are NOT the kelvin rating as advertised by the manufacturer.

Anyway that was my experience. Not the worst customer service I've ever had but by far not the best either.

Brian

 

[Naja002]

Perhaps, but bad publicity, especially coming from multiple purchasers does not make a company look good, ....

Correct, and I agree. I purchased from them 1x about 16 months ago and everything went fine--except my single request to label the plants by group went unheeded: No big deal at all.

But since then, I have come across quite a few complaints. I have considered buying from them again, but with the complaints and the fact that they no longer offer Priority shipping--I just keep coming back to SNS. Shipping is 2nd Day (not guaranteed) or Overnight. Sorry, but I'm just not going to pay those rates and take the chance of the aggravation that others have dealt with--Unless there's a Really, Really, Good Reason!

The complaints have done a Good job of keeping me away. Combined with the increased shipping costs--its a No-Brainer.....:tongue:

 

[Boz]

I'm wondering if they changed ownership? I've not dealt with them in almost a year, but prior to that I'd placed several orders and was always completely satisfied. I did have one mishap with an order in which they sent the wrong plant, so I gave them a call, got through on the first try, and they sent the correct plant FOC.

I've recommended them to so many people. I'd feel awful if those folks were having these same issues as well. Hope you all get things straightened out to your satisfaction.

 

[Homer_Simpson]

For the record, I am not unreasonable. Case in point, there are many times that I ordered items through EBay, only to find that I did not receive them in a timely manner. A quick message/E-mail to the seller and a prompt response by the seller quickly resolved the issue. 9 out of 10 times the delay was due to the shipper/post office not delivering in a timely manner. I still gave the seller a 100% feedback rating and continued to do business with him/her, simply because s/he was courteous enough to respond.

I know that aquarium plants is a sponsor on this forum and I posted in the hopes that aquarium plants customer service representative who may be frequenting this forum would see this and attempt to address these issues even in a general way.

If someone from Aquariumplants is reading this, I urge you to talk to management about some of the issues being raised. Update your website, so there is not an inconsistency between what you tell your customers and what they read, respond to E-Mails(I know you are quite busy, but it only takes seconds to type a one line response and hit the reply button). I think that you would agree that this only makes good business sense. I am still prepared to reconsider doing business with you in the future, but the ball is really in your court as to how you address/don't address my concerns. Thank you.

 

[OverStocked]

They are located about 10 miles from me and I've always had great success. They let me pick up locally and didn't even charge the 10 dollar fee when I got there.

 

[jake]

I've had the same experiences with this company. I ordered several things from them in the past and can narrow down where satisfaction turned into total dissatisfaction. I have to say that Opiesilver was their best asset, in my opinion, and I can't see ever dealing with them again unless he were to resume his previous duties. Happy, happy, happy, happy, Opiesilver gone, order is lost, nobody answers phone, where the heck is my order.

 

[D.gilly]

I also have had problems contacting them I left messages by phone and email with no reply finally i got through and was able to place my order! Earlier this year I received a full co2 setup as a gift from my parents everything was fine until Friday I noticed the solenoid was off, yet a bubble would come through every 10 - 15 seconds (so much for failsafe). I tried turning it on and off again a few times no luck fixing it though. I called maybe 6 times before I got through (its long distance from here mind you) and the lady I talked to had no idea what to do so she put me onto one of the warehouse guys. He said this problem occurred every once and a while a little bit of rust builds up inside the plunger and it doesn’t fully close. He said its no problem just pull it open and unscrew the 4 tiny screws and clean off the plunger he claimed a 10 year old could take it apart and not to worry then he said just make sure you use the right screw bit ok. Seems straight foreword enough. I open it up get it off and look at the screws there a 6 point star type (torque I think) with a flat head through it. So I look through the toolbox no such luck finding a torque that wold fit. So I called up a friend and they brought their set they had 6 different size torque’s and the smallest one was just off by like 0.3 millimeters or like 1/32 of an inch. Well I doubt I’m going to get one any smaller ones, so I look for a flat head to use I find one and the first screw comes off no problem. The next 3 I have no such luck with and they get stripped I’m like great this is going to be great waiting for a replacement my discus are going to love a pH of 7.8. So I call back and tell him what happened he says oh you've voided your warranty I said how could I you advised me to do it! He replied oh I told you to use the right bit I said I did I got one of the screws off besides it was broken already. He told me I could send in 50 bucks for a replacement! Yeah right I hope they don’t try to weasel their way out of a replacement if my freaking 200-dollar plant order gets messed up i just hope it doesen't ive already had enough problems! I’m never dealing with them again so much for We will EARN your business, and we will do anything and everything it takes to keep you as a satisfied return customer...Thank You. Maybe you should revise your mission statement and talk to your staff about advising people to do something that will void their warranty!

 

[Left C]

I sent them a PM on one of the forums several years ago that they were listing the two Carib-Sea substrates for African cichlids as Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate for African Cichlids (Coarse Grade and Fine Grade). I told them that these substrates are not for planted tanks. They are for African Ciclids tanks. Carib-Sea is calling them Eco-Complete because they come packaged in water with some bacteria in them similar to what is used in the planted substrate.

Opiesiver replied that they were indeed for planted tanks and that's what Carib-Sea told him when they were getting started carrying the Eco-Complete line.

Well, you can see from the hyperlink above that they are still advertising them for planted tanks. It's their Item #'s Eco 718 and Eco 732. Here's what is advertised on Carib-Sea's site about these African cichlid substrates. They are product #'s 00772 and 00773. There's no mention that they are for planted aquariums.

Stuff like this makes me wonder about them.

 

[mahamotorworks]

When I was setting up my 29G tank to go planted with it I ordered 2 bags of Eco-Complete from them. I got the 3 day Fed Ex Shipping. Nothing showed up in a week so I called them. They told me that Carib-sea was shipping it for them. I let another week pass and still no substrate. Well long story short it was 5 weeks and close to 20 phone calls before they gave my Carib-seas phone number so I could call them and find out what was going on. When I called Carib-sea they had no idea what I was talking about. It was almost 7 weeks after I ordered my substrate before it arrived.

MAHA

 

[Homer_Simpson]

:eek5: :icon_cry:

Looks like I am really screwed(over a $100 in plants ordered). When I posted this, I was expecting that my experience was an isolated incidence and an exception to the norm. Given the feedback I am seeing, it doesn't look that way. Perhaps, I should have posted about what peoples' experiences were with them before placing such a large order.

 

[heavyD]

Experience

I have been fortunate that all of my transactions over about a 3 year span have gone off without a glitch with the exception of a minor delay once or twice. I have purchased all of my CO2 equipment from them, hundreds of dollars in plant orders, books, ferts, etc. I have followed up every order I have placed with them over the internet with a phone call to confirm receipt of my order, what's available to ship, when to expect delivery, etc. I certainly see the irony in placing an order over the web, then dialing them up to re-confirm...........

On the other hand, I can remember a period of time where the feedback for these guys over at APC was just like this, no follow up, no confirmation, delayed orders, just poor customer service overall. This went on for months and I'm not sure where it stands today.

I placed an order last week, Monday I think, requesting UPS 2-day air delivery. It was a small order, 5-6 potted plants, and I haven't heard or recieved anything as of tonight. It is really too bad to see because they have a very large selection of planted tank products, plants, pond plants, etc. and there are not that many companies out there with this kind of focus primarily for the planted aquarium market. Good luck to the rest of you who are waiting for pending orders........

D.

 

[frozenbarb]

, Great thread, Shows alot of people what they should be Aware of.Like a Little Review
HeavyD i hope you get your potted Plants

And Maha Your Eco

Dgilly, Those are the people, That you just wanna kNock them on the head with a shovel

 

[D.gilly]

tell me about it it's too bad when someone makes a carless decision that loses a customer and gives them bad rep. I mean he could have at least warned me if i stripped it i pay for it but he advised me to do it he didint even give me the option of sending it in oh well there goes future plant orders equipemt orders and refferals to friends in the hobby.