Is my Red Sea Reefer XL 425 safe to fill? Serious concern.

[11cmortarman]

Really? No way that is remotely acceptable. As a red sea reefer owner, all I can say is that the fit and finish on my tank was perfect. No way I would bite the bullet and use that tank. Thats all I would be thinking about. Red Sea is a great company and im sure they will take care of you.

 

[Mike.P]

Really? No way that is remotely acceptable. As a red sea reefer owner, all I can say is that the fit and finish on my tank was perfect. No way I would bite the bullet and use that tank. Thats all I would be thinking about. Red Sea is a great company and im sure they will take care of you.

Mmhmm... That's why I picked them over Water Box, and others. But yeah, here's what they sent me:

 

[George81]

Sorry I missed the part where you bought this tank new. That’s not acceptable. I would definitely go after a new tank. The tank is clearly defected. Even if you have that email showing they said it should be fine and damages occur, they aren’t just going to hand you a cheque. It’s going to be a nightmare.
Red Sea should totally replace your tank

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Sorry about your troubles. You are right to get it replaced, as said even it is filled and fine you would always worry about it.

@ccombs said it well. Go thru the all the channels first. I am sure between the seller and manufacturer some one will handle it. If not then go nuclear

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

I’ve been in acrylic for 20 years. This crap makes me want to order another acrylic. Pain to clean, but never worry about leaks. That is unacceptable in my book. You paid a premium for the best name in prefab tanks.

 

[Mike.P]

I’ve been in acrylic for 20 years. This crap makes me want to order another acrylic. Pain to clean, but never worry about leaks. That is unacceptable in my book. You paid a premium for the best name in prefab tanks.

Pretty much... Before I even got the tank, I picked up an Apex, first and foremost for the leak detection modules, not its other benefits. lol. I'm pretty sure I have permanent emotional scars from my last incident.

 

[oldfishman]

No way would I put water in that tank I believe it will crack sooner or later. Something is differently wrong.

 

[Westside Guy]

I would call the credit card company and stop payment. Call RS and demand a new tank. It's as simple as that, you shouldn't have to deal with such imperfections if RS is trying to market themselves as a top quality brand.

I would contact the online company or LFS that you purchased the tank from and tell them it is not acceptable and demand a new tank & cabinet. They are who you should be dealing with. Worse case scenario is to file a disrupt with your credit card company.

 

[Westside Guy]

Sorry about your troubles. You are right to get it replaced, as said even it is filled and fine you would always worry about it.

@ccombs said it well. Go thru the all the channels first. I am sure between the seller and manufacturer some one will handle it. If not then go nuclear

Definitely contact the seller and demand a replacement!!!
This is a disaster waiting to happen!!! :mad:

 

[Mike.P]

So here's the latest and greatest... I spoke with the LFS owner, he said that his distributor told him that the final say on whether they can take it back is with Red Sea. Then he reached out to Red Sea, heard back, and supposedly their rep for Colorado will contact him in a few days. Because he's out at Aquashella. Which ended on Sunday. While I suppose they could still have business there, after the event itself, I'm skeptical. I'll still give them the benefit of a doubt, but I'm starting to approach the end of that.

Maybe the universe is telling me that I'm not meant to have a reef tank. lol (kinda)

 

[Westside Guy]

So here's the latest and greatest... I spoke with the LFS owner, he said that his distributor told him that the final say on whether they can take it back is with Red Sea. Then he reached out to Red Sea, heard back, and supposedly their rep for Colorado will contact him in a few days. Because he's out at Aquashella. Which ended on Sunday. While I suppose they could still have business there, after the event itself, I'm skeptical. I'll still give them the benefit of a doubt, but I'm starting to approach the end of that.

Maybe the universe is telling me that I'm not meant to have a reef tank. lol (kinda)

The universe is definitely telling you to have a reef tank but at the same time it is also telling you to only accept a tank that is without imperfections or any issues!!!

I suggest that you remind the owner of your LFS that if they refuse to replace the tank that you the consumer who used a credit card has the final say and not the LFS. If they say no to you I would immediately dispute the charge with your credit card company and also save all emails to backup and support your claim.

 

[undermind]

Mike said earlier that he payed with cash

 

[Westside Guy]

Mike said earlier that he payed with cash

OMG, you are correct, I overlooked that post. I always use my CC for large purchases just to have the added protection.

 

[undermind]

So here's the latest and greatest... I spoke with the LFS owner, he said that his distributor told him that the final say on whether they can take it back is with Red Sea. Then he reached out to Red Sea, heard back, and supposedly their rep for Colorado will contact him in a few days. Because he's out at Aquashella. Which ended on Sunday. While I suppose they could still have business there, after the event itself, I'm skeptical. I'll still give them the benefit of a doubt, but I'm starting to approach the end of that.

Maybe the universe is telling me that I'm not meant to have a reef tank. lol (kinda)

I used to loiter around my LFS while I was saving up for my 425 XL. I saw many other Red Sea tanks come and go. I also saw two come in with the absolute slightest blemish – such as a superficial crack on the plastic cover of the overflow. Once reported to Red Sea, these were replaced immediately. I've seen nothing but very generous return policies from RS. And your issue is actually legitimate.

I know it's hard to walk into your LFS and start demanding things. We tend to want to develop good relationships with store owners. It creates a tough situation when something like this starts to feel as though it's not going your way. But it HAS to go your way. When you make your purchase [of a NEW item], you're entering an agreement that the item is cosmetically and functionally sound. You deserve nothing less for that much money. If you bought a Mercedes off the lot and notice that its hood is completely crooked, you don't accept that. This needs to be corrected. And unlike the car, this is something that needs to be replaced. You paid for something that's free of defects.

 

[Westside Guy]

Mike, tell your LFS to use your tank for a display in his store if he is so confident that it is ok.

Also demand to speak directly to the Red Sea rep and let him know you are actively posting about this issue on R2R I would say that the people reading about this online are shocked that Red Sea hasn't authorized a replacement yet and you hope that you are handled correctly in this matter.

 

[ccombs]

I still highly recommend not going out and demanding things quite yet. Things like this take time. For example, I once leased a car and when I turned it in at the end of the lease, the dealership didn't submit that, so my credit score dropped 400 points and took a year to resolve. I know this is totally different, but complex scenarios with purchases simply take time to straighten out.

You are still early in the process, wait it out, talk to Red Sea directly. I can almost guarantee they will be reasonable and make it right.

At this moment, there is nothing to stress about. You still have sales reps and their bosses that you can chat with. At the end of the day, these reps lose no money by making it right, so they don't really have a reason to not take care of you.

Best of luck, let us know what happens.

 

[azreeftank]

Not a chance In He$$ that tank would be filled with water in my house. I don’t care if my LFS or some emails says it will be fine. Guess what they will ALL be long gone if and when that tank fails. I would not care that RS takes responsibility, why risk that headache and loss of livestock. You paid and bought a new tank and you should expect and want that new tank. I see too many post people saying they would risk it and it “should” be fine. Not worth it man get a new tank or your $$$ back.

 

[Westside Guy]

I still highly recommend not going out and demanding things quite yet. Things like this take time. For example, I once leased a car and when I turned it in at the end of the lease, the dealership didn't submit that, so my credit score dropped 400 points and took a year to resolve. I know this is totally different, but complex scenarios with purchases simply take time to straighten out.

You are still early in the process, wait it out, talk to Red Sea directly. I can almost guarantee they will be reasonable and make it right.

At this moment, there is nothing to stress about. You still have sales reps and their bosses that you can chat with. At the end of the day, these reps lose no money by making it right, so they don't really have a reason to not take care of you.

Best of luck, let us know what happens.

We will have to agree to disagree on this approach as it isn't early in the process.
Mike has already received an email from Amanda at Red Sea's headquarters telling him her supervisor said the tank is ok.

 

[ccombs]

We will have to agree to disagree on this approach as it isn't early in the process.
Mike has already received an email from Amanda at Red Sea's headquarters telling him her supervisor said the tank is ok.

I have read the whole post and been following since it started. I am saying something like this will take a few months to resolve when you look at shipping logistics, etc.

If the OP continues to be kind, let Red Sea know that he is not going to fill the tank, and stand his ground, I am sure Red Sea will resolve the issue.

This process probably started 2 weeks ago, so it is still pretty early. I have dealt with these sorts of issues and going nuclear at this point will not get you as far as being kind and reasonable. Red Sea has to deal with enough people who are mad, they will make a priority out of someone who is nice but firm.

 

[Westside Guy]

I have read the whole post and been following since it started. I am saying something like this will take a few months to resolve when you look at shipping logistics, etc.

If the OP continues to be kind, let Red Sea know that he is not going to fill the tank, and stand his ground, I am sure Red Sea will resolve the issue.

This process probably started 2 weeks ago, so it is still pretty early. I have dealt with these sorts of issues and going nuclear at this point will not get you as far as being kind and reasonable. Red Sea has to deal with enough people who are mad, they will make a priority out of someone who is nice but firm.

What type of shipping logistics? Red Sea issues an RGA, Mike repacks the tank and returns it either to the LFS or the distributer at Red Sea's expense.
This is a black & white issue and there isn't any gray, the tank was not correctly made and personalities have nothing to do with it. You don't have to go nuclear to be polite but firm.