Guest LoveReef July 19, 2004 July 19, 2004 I just can't believe they did that....... totally unacceptable.........
Caribbean Jake July 19, 2004 July 19, 2004 This happend on Friday 7/16 around 2 PM ?, then I was there and the sales employee (a new employee), probably made a mistake.
Guest Kimo July 19, 2004 July 19, 2004 I have seen a number of new employees there recently - probably just an honest mistake. They're generally fairly good about that stuff. J
xeon July 19, 2004 July 19, 2004 How exactly did they sell your friend PC's as VHO's? There aren't many similarities between the two aside from being fluorescents.
flowerseller July 19, 2004 July 19, 2004 If they are not happy with what they got, they should let Tom White know promptly. If he chooses to do nothing, shame on him. He is still responsible for his staff.
Caribbean Jake July 19, 2004 July 19, 2004 I agree with Chip. Ask Tom for replacement or perhaps a credit. I see wy not if it is an honest mistake on their behalves, if he disagree let us ALL know about it...
Guest LoveReef July 19, 2004 July 19, 2004 well..i just found out that it's too late to bring it back to them..it's been used already for couple weeks... he's a beginner.. my friend decided to keep it.. but i was so angry that my friend got ripped off. it was 4 x 65W lighting with moon light ... he paid around $350....
flowerseller July 19, 2004 July 19, 2004 I can't believe Tom would want someone out there being sold something as something else. Used for a couple weeks or not. Wrong is wrong. New employee or not! Wonder if there's more to this than we know? There are 2 sides to everything.
Guest kparton July 20, 2004 July 20, 2004 Actually, the exact same thing happened to me. I went int to buy a full setup. I had done quite a bit of research and wanted to go with VHO. Unfortunately, I had never actually seen the VHO lights. They sold me PCs and even rung them up as VHOs (I think I still even have the receipt). I ended up unhappy with the amount of heat and also gave up ont he tank. When I restarted the tank, I bought MH pendants. I still have the PCs in my garage. It was 4x96W so it cost a lot. The best part was how I found out. I went back to the store to buy replacement bulbs and told them I had VHOs, but when they brought out the bulbs, it was clear that was not what I had. the sales guy kind of laughed at me for not knowing I had PCs. I promptly told him that they had told me and charged me for VHOs, so that ended that conversation. I don't think the person who sold me the setup still works there, and I've been impressed with the store of late, but this isn't the only time I've heard of this.
Sugar Magnolia July 20, 2004 July 20, 2004 I only deal with the emplyees that I know have been there for a long time. When in doubt ask for Tom. FWIW...I've found that buying drygoods online is in most cases cheaper than buying from the Marine Scene...even with shipping and handling factored in. Case and point: Natural Wavemaker at Marine Scene, $94.99. At Petsolutions.com http://petsolutions.com/product.asp?pn=51305700 As far as livestock prices go...still higher than online, but at least I get to see the health of the animals, and what's great is when needed I can paw through the bins of liverock when looking for just that right piece.
peacetypes July 21, 2004 July 21, 2004 Well it may have been the sales person, but dont you think your friend although newb should have done some rasearch? Robert
flowerseller July 21, 2004 July 21, 2004 It's a shame when you have to ask for the owner to get something right. Back at the first seminar Tom White attended with CMAS, he won an ETS skimmer and didn't even know what it was or what it was for let alone what it did. Now he owns a store and hires employees. I guess that tells you something.
Guest LoveReef July 22, 2004 July 22, 2004 flowerseller , that was great insight.. the owner of Marine scene was once a newbie..huh?
Gatortailale July 23, 2004 July 23, 2004 Stop the store bashing NOW! If you have issues with a store take it up with THEM. This board will not be used to trash any store. WAMAS does NOT endorse any store. But I'm not going to sit back and watch someone toss out accusations. Been down that road with BB member in 2002. NOT going there again. We try to work with ALL stores. I don't mean to bush the person that purchased the system - but they need to take personal responsibility for their own actions and not BLAME others. Why buy something if you don't know what you are getting. That is like buying a pretty fish, put it in your tank, then have it eat all your other fish, them cause you didn't do research to find out what it was. If you don't know what you are buying - then you need to do more research.
iceman July 23, 2004 July 23, 2004 The person that purchased the system did not BLAME others. If you look at the posts, their friend made the comment and was mad about the situation. I think its a legitimate concern. As for the other posts, I don't see store bashing. Some interesting points were brought up about being new to things (everyone is a newbie at one point). Finally, what's the deal with an officer using a censored word in a post? That's uncalled for!
SDBDRZ July 23, 2004 July 23, 2004 If I were in this situation I would take the item back to the store and explain the situation. If, after doing this, you are not satisfied with the outcome then your only real option is to take your business elsewhere. If the fixture has been used for several weeks the store will most likely not take it back because it is used and they will no longer be able to sell it as new. This would most likely be the case at any retail store. It is unfortunate that the employee that sold the item did not know the difference between a VHO and a PC but I can tell you it really does not suprise me. I have been to most of the stores in the area that sell salt water product and to be honest I have found very few employees that I considered to be extremely helpful. This website is here to help educate the hobbiest, if you have complaint or concern regarding all things reef this is the place to come, however it is not the place to bash local stores or owners. WAMAS does not endorse any store and all I ask is that we keep this thread on topic and not let it devolve into a store bashing or personal attack thread. With that said I hope everything works out for your friend Lovereef.
Guest LoveReef July 23, 2004 July 23, 2004 Sorry guys...i was just mad.....and coudln't express elsewhere...i woudn't write thread like this elsewhere like flower forum or Window NT , ASP, BMW, cat, Dog forum about it...... didn't mean to hurt any one... as i said...my friend kept the light..... it happens before he knew about Reefcentral, and Wamas.....
flowerseller July 23, 2004 July 23, 2004 Two guys walk into a resturant and are seated at a table by a window with a "view". "What a view" says one. "yeah, if you like looking at a bunch of monuments" says the other. The waitress comes over and hands each of them identical menus and than walks over to check on the other guests. "Did you see her", exclaims one of the guys, "she's gorgeous". "she's a dog" barks the other. "Nothing on this menu looks good". "Funny, I was just trying to decide between several scumptous sounding entrees. One reaches into his pocket and takes out a coin but nether can decide who gets heads or tails. Get the point? No bashing here on my part unless you need to take it that way. TRUE FACTS stated above prove that one can learn and move forward with their lives. Sometimes even benifitting others, sometimes NOT. :D BTW, some people consider PCs - VHOs I don't know why, they just do. My last post point (until construed) was that they should talk to TOM. I looked back here and it's there. If he decieded not to make good on a mistake his employee made, that's his to make, right or wrong. I would have done it diffently that's all, knowing full well I could sell the lights to someone else at a slightly reduced rate (still making money on it) and make Two customers delighted, and everyone they talk to about it. Too bad the two guys from the resturant weren't the hobbiests. huh?......... :D
Guest reverai July 23, 2004 July 23, 2004 Wow, it's really up to the store to make this right regardless if the buyer didn't do his research even if it used the lights for a few weeks. This is Marine Scene and not some fly by night store and it's not suppose to be "buyer beware" there. It's their mistake and even Petco would have taken the lights back and issued either a credit or given him what he paid for without any trouble. For those that are sayng nothng should be done, they are saying Petcop and PetSmart are being better places to buy things?If you check out their web site the Marine Scene braggs about how trained their staff is so lets have them live up to their rep rather than blame the buyer. Yes, he made a mistake but his mistake isn't in the catagory of the mistake that MS made.Of course, we don't know the full story either. Like has been a two weeks or 8 weeks. And what does the receipt say? The simple thing is, if the receipt says he bought VHO lights and he went home with PC lights that is actually a violation of the law and may even have a case in small claims court. I think a talk directly with the manager if things like the receipt have the wrong item and it hasn't been many weeks needs to happen and happen soon. I do have to say, I'm a little surprised here. If what Marine Scene actually did what was stated, they have no defense at all. None. One isn't supposed to take advantage of people because they don't know something. If an honest mistake was made, one would think the Marine Scene would be rushing to fix this as most stores in the market would be doing. Steve
Grav July 24, 2004 July 24, 2004 What? Four chickens park and walk across Massachusets ave to go to a store. One askes for a loaf of bread. The butcher kills him and sells him to a guy looking to bait a crab trap. He does so and catches 4 crabs that he feeds to his family. Q: How did the chicken cross the road? A: What are you talking about? Let it go. Life is too short to spend proving a point. The friend is a newbie, who said "I have VHOs" not knowing what he was talking about. Cuz a new person made an error on a recitp. Someone said, those are PCs & over reacted, and the guy didn't want to admit he didn't know he made a mistake. Were you there? Let it go.
AquariaUSA July 24, 2004 July 24, 2004 Key points ... and I loved the last post! 1. Educate yourself and others in the club prior to buying any equipment or livestock. 2. Research what you plan to buy, before buying it! 3. What does the receipt say? If it says "VHO" and not "PC" then the store should have fixed this issue at once. 4. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to the store owner. If they are not willing to fix the deal, hopefully they lose the customer permanently. Any retailer can take back a light, sell it as a "used fixture" (which usually recoups what they paid anyway) and even put in new bulbs (which are dirt cheap!). 5. ETSS skimmer quote. priceless 6. Purchasing products online does not always give the hobbyist the best price (look and ask around). Except for this issue, what kind of support do you get in person from an online shop? Can the online company tell you about product specs and applications or do they just sell products to make a quick buck? I know personally, that every product we sell, we have used or use on client systems (unless someone requests something we do not use, which at that point we give observations (pros and cons) of the product in question). I would have to think Tom would want to fix this, and hopefully he will contact your friend on or off the boards. Goodluck to everyone involved, and hopefully the club will not support, bash, exclude, or offer any "special" cases in the future regarding any stores, retailers, etc. in the future. Being inclusive is what the club should be all about.
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