The Puffer Forum

Is this a topic that can be discussed here naming the company name?

We purchased a "Spiny Box Puffer" from a Florida seller that shipped to Maine:
1. In the middle of a period of extreme cold during a major snowstorm (site says shipping will be held for bad weather)
2. Placing the 1.5 inch Burrfish in about 1.5 cups of water (site says they use sufficient water)
3. In a smallish uninsulated box filled with peanuts (site says the use insulated box plus fill media)
4. With a single heat pack that was spent when the box arrived almost exactly 24 h after shipping

The fish water was about 62 degrees when the fish arrived. Ammonia was above 8 ppm on an API test and the fish, covered with slime, died either just before arriving or very early during acclimation into his very own 46 gallon tank (prior to eventual housing in our 150 with our Orbicular Burrfish). The seller was notified and stopped communicating when I told them their "credit the purchase price to our account" policy wasn't acceptable because they didn't follow their stated shipping policies. We want our money back and don't want to buy another fish from a seller that does not show due diligence in their handling of fish (if not outright cruelty). The seller sells on eBay but we purchased directly from their website.

Should we initiate a charge back through Paypal, or let it go? Opinions?

I'd file through paypal/eBay under "item not as described". They'll most likely file in your favor if you have to escalate the case (ie, uncooperative seller). Takes about a week, but you should get a 100% refund of shipping and purchase price. Sorry for your loss, seems a lot of people who sell fish are only in it for the $$ and couldn't give a damn about the fish.

G S P Freak wrote:I'd file through paypal/eBay under "item not as described". They'll most likely file in your favor if you have to escalate the case (ie, uncooperative seller). Takes about a week, but you should get a 100% refund of shipping and purchase price. Sorry for your loss, seems a lot of people who sell fish are only in it for the $$ and couldn't give a damn about the fish.

When we were online sellers (not of fish) we refunded any complaint that didn't look like a scam.

Absolutely, please name the company!

I agree name them. If it stops 1 fish from dying its worth it

This is way too familar.

I wasn't sure of the forum's policies and the propriety, but this seller made a big deal about how well we communicated, then stopped responding to our email when there was a complaint. This purchase was small, about $12 + $31 shipping, and I've lost far more expensive mail order fish. Never have I seen such poor care to assure proper packaging. There was't enough water for a guppy in that bag, let alone a 1.5" puffer.

What really has my ire up is that even if I wait until summer, I don't want to reorder another Chilomycterus Schoepfi to be ammonia scalded in a tiny shipping bag. The fish was covered with slime threads. I sent them a photo of this and the fish sitting on top of the shipping bag eyes glazed over after I froze the corpse.

The seller is Chris Metcalf at Fin Addict Saltwater Fish
http://finaddictsaltwaterfish.com/

The seller's eBay rating and responses to complaints were not bad, but we purchased off eBay. I'm pretty sure PayPal will charge back the purchase, but it shouldn't come to that. Obviously we are not a competitor operating out of a Maine facility, but he may have googled us and found we were sellers at one time (rare orchids). We know how to ship into cold climates, often shipping even to Alaska.

-R

Be sure to leave proper bad feedback, explaining exactly why!

cruel punishment ebay should not allow live anything sold on it.
id do a paypal charge back and make sure you describe the horror in their feedback so you can save a potential buyer headache and livestock loss

Social Media is a powerful thing these days
My suggestion is this.
1.) Try to resolve the issue with the owner directly via phone first.
2.) Try to resolve the issue with the owner directly via email if that doesn't work.
3.) Depending on how you paid "Amex" you cna have the charges reversed
4.) Work thru paypal to get it resolved.

When all else fails:
5.) Start by tracking down every review website possible that he has a listing on. (Post your situation)
(Dont let anger enter the situation. "Angry Mind is a Cloudy Mind")
Start here: Resellerratings: http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Fi ... ollections
6.) Then if you want to really go after them you can always go BBB.org http://www.bbb.org/south-east-florida/b ... l-90093362
In order to have a rating/ keep a rating they must respond to all complaints.

When issue like this come up I just hand it over to my attorney and let them go after them. Usually only take a letter to get the issue resolved.
But I have them on retainer and only cost $35 - 45 bucks a month. Well worth it to protect my family from idiots

DarkStorm wrote:cruel punishment ebay should not allow live anything sold on it.
id do a paypal charge back and make sure you describe the horror in their feedback so you can save a potential buyer headache and livestock loss

We didn't purchase on eBay, but directly. The money isn't a big issue. The bigger concern is the seller's practices. They removed the language on their web site saying they use insulated shipping containers. The internet's cashed copy from Jan 4 still shows the old language as do the Wayback Machine internet archives.

I am currently fighting with this same person (Chris from Fin addicts) - I bought inverts from him and some died the first time and the second time they arrived in less than 36 hours but by plane and plants, hermit, crabs and cowry were all DEAD on arrival; they were packed in their bags with water and just in a card board box and styrofoam pellets - so of course they were all dead - they were on a sub zero plane!!!!! besides the original package should have been delivered in 24 hours and it was late and now he claims that the postal service won't give him his money back in the money back guarantee and I will probably be out of money cause he refuses to refund me but just give a credit towards future orders. He refuses to pack his stuff in a styrofoam box as my LFS says - but he says they don't know what they are talking about cause they aren't experts in shipping (and neither is he apparently!) but I don't want a credit cause what ever he ships keeps dying and I don't want to cause anymore deaths because of this clown!

so STAY AWAY FROM fin addicts and Chris Metcalff cause he is a scammer!!

FishFan wrote:Is this a topic that can be discussed here naming the company name?

We purchased a "Spiny Box Puffer" from a Florida seller that shipped to Maine:
1. In the middle of a period of extreme cold during a major snowstorm (site says shipping will be held for bad weather)
2. Placing the 1.5 inch Burrfish in about 1.5 cups of water (site says they use sufficient water)
3. In a smallish uninsulated box filled with peanuts (site says the use insulated box plus fill media)
4. With a single heat pack that was spent when the box arrived almost exactly 24 h after shipping

The fish water was about 62 degrees when the fish arrived. Ammonia was above 8 ppm on an API test and the fish, covered with slime, died either just before arriving or very early during acclimation into his very own 46 gallon tank (prior to eventual housing in our 150 with our Orbicular Burrfish). The seller was notified and stopped communicating when I told them their "credit the purchase price to our account" policy wasn't acceptable because they didn't follow their stated shipping policies. We want our money back and don't want to buy another fish from a seller that does not show due diligence in their handling of fish (if not outright cruelty). The seller sells on eBay but we purchased directly from their website.

Should we initiate a charge back through Paypal, or let it go? Opinions?

Hopefully the stories here will help other people avoid buying from this seller, who appears to be incompetent and interested only in getting people's money.


Fin Addicts Saltwater Fish (finaddictsaltwaterfish.com)
AKA Fin Addicts Saltwater Collections

Do they have a FB page?

They do have a FB page, but how would it help?
-A&R