Insane Reefer Posted October 17, 2007 Author Share Posted October 17, 2007 Well, I'll be. I woke up this morning to the dogs going crazy at the door. A UPS Next Day Air driver was standing there with a manila envelope and in the envelope were two ballasts. The extra ballast was sort of unnecessary, but a nice gesture (and a bit of added peace of mind). Guess I lit a fire under someone posterior... But I am also guessing that they are still out as these do look like they came from a retail boxed 'cube, not in a box or anything and the guy said he was taking them out of inventory. And thus ends my 5 month quest for warranty service. Link to comment
bubbles3660 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 And thus ends my 5 month quest for warranty service. Glad to hear you *finally* had a happy ending. (Wish I could get them to cough up a new splash guard for the BC14.) Seems like the bigger those companies get, the less time they have for warranties. --bubbles Link to comment
TUDIZZLE Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Well, I'll be.I woke up this morning to the dogs going crazy at the door. A UPS Next Day Air driver was standing there with a manila envelope and in the envelope were two ballasts. The extra ballast was sort of unnecessary, but a nice gesture (and a bit of added peace of mind). Guess I lit a fire under someone posterior... But I am also guessing that they are still out as these do look like they came from a retail boxed 'cube, not in a box or anything and the guy said he was taking them out of inventory. And thus ends my 5 month quest for warranty service. How about going back and editing the thread title to better reflect Oceanic and their practices. They should have the correct number and contact info in their manual. It sounds like you may have never contacted the right people in the first place. Link to comment
Insane Reefer Posted October 17, 2007 Author Share Posted October 17, 2007 Why would I do that Tadizzle? I accurately portrayed my experiences with this company - those experiences didn't change just because I finally got my warranty product. And no, the number in the book takes you to a secretary who transfers you to the department you need - every-time I called I was transferred to John Schmidt, the Oceanic Warranty guy. The number in the manual is good, but the email is defunct and isn't listed on any of the new sites. Link to comment
TUDIZZLE Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Some people don't bother to read into a thread and just look at titles. Just seems weird that when you actually sit down and follow thru on your ballasts they show up x2, just like they have for every other person who had problems. But as is the beauty of the internet....just my 2c's Link to comment
seahorsedreams Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 It was a happy ending but a rough road to get those ballasts. They still showed poor customer service. The title can be a warning not for their customer service but it seems for faulty ballasts. Link to comment
evilc66 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 I ended up having the same issue with my ballast on my 14, but I was trying to deal with the LFS that I bought it from. They did mention that there was a whol distribution takeover deal that was preventing them from getting any stock in. I ended up doing the DIY ballast trick to get back up and running. The tank is actually running 2-3deg cooler now with the new DIY ballast which is IN the hood. Go fig Link to comment
Insane Reefer Posted October 17, 2007 Author Share Posted October 17, 2007 Some people don't bother to read into a thread and just look at titles. That was why I left the title a bit ambiguous - folks will have to read it if they want to know why I posted a warning. I'm not changing my post because some people might be lazy a not read the whole thing. Just seems weird that when you actually sit down and follow thru on your ballasts they show up x2, just like they have for every other person who had problems. It is odd, but IMO a clear sign that this guy at least felt the company had not done well by me. I don't appreciate your slant, Tudizzle - you are making it sound like I was the one at fault or something. I was not. I bought a product that developed a problem that was covered under warranty. I called the company and talked to the Warranty Service Dept. I was promised a replacement would be sent out. I waited. Nothing came. I called. I was told it was back-ordered, it would come. I waited some more, and called yet again. This time the guy was a jerk and basically told me I'd get it when I got it. So I waited. Finally, I posted in the forums to let others know what had happened to me. It was suggested I email, and since I hadn't tried that method, I did. And had the email kicked back at me. So I tried another address after having to search and search the Oceanic site to find it, and get a auto-reply, saying that person would be gone from exactly the day I sent the email until sometime in February. I break down and try the "Comment and Suggestions" feedback form on the site, and Finally, I get a reply. And the next day I get ballasts that were pulled from a retail 'cube because they obviously don't have any at this time. Three phone calls (PHONE CALLS) isn't enough follow through? Email is ok for initial contacts, but in an instance like this, the proper response is still to CALL the Manufacturer, which I did, in spades. If you are insinuating that I have in some way misrepresented or exaggerated my issue, please feel free to call 1-800-255-4527 and when asked, tell them to transfer you to Oceanic Warranty Dept. You can then see that a John Schmidt is the contact. While you have him on the line, mention you are calling about a Biocube 8 ballast that hasn't arrived and see what he has to say to you. Here are images just taken - please feel free to check the tracking number, if you would like - wouldn't want anyone to think I was making this up or anything... Link to comment
lanceleaderx Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 i didnt bother to call the company when my odyssea MH died lolz Link to comment
Insane Reefer Posted October 17, 2007 Author Share Posted October 17, 2007 Yeah, with a different company I may have gone the email route first, but I don't know. I'm a bit older, and in the "day", when you wanted something like this done, you called. Some may remember calling computer hardware companies before the 'net took off, to get a RMA to return a dead part. I'm used to operating that way. Email is so, ephemeral - there is no personal interaction, and emails tend to get lost. Some companies are completely up-to-date and have web sites designed to help the customer, making contact info upfront and easily found. Some companies are lagging behind in gearing up for the digital age. Oceanic does not have a site designed to be very helpful or useful, nor do they make digital contact easy; they posted no address and the only contact is to call, write via snail mail, or fill out a "Comments and Suggestions" form on the "Contact Us" page of the site, but from the form, you get the idea they were wanting to use it to get people signed up on the mailing list. They couldn't even be bothered to put a forwarder on the old customerservice@ address to redirect customer concerns. I did not think email would be the way to contact them, so I did it the old fashioned way. My bad Link to comment
Gvtv44 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 Glad to see my suggestion worked See, the thing about email is, it's in writing- it's not verbal, so it is more substantial than word of mouth. They can not say anything bad in an email- you have it in writing! You also have proof that you sent them an email, and that they read/ received it. And (s)he knows there is a problem- so he makes it like he went to all lengths to get you that ballast to make them look like they are doing their best to patch up the problem. Sending an extra was to shut you up Nice gesture, but if you didn't have him in a noose, he wouldn't have sent you two. Good Luck with them, and enjoy! Link to comment
Gvtv44 Posted October 17, 2007 Share Posted October 17, 2007 NP;) I accept frags as payment Now get some awesome coral growing! Link to comment
Insane Reefer Posted October 18, 2007 Author Share Posted October 18, 2007 I only have zoa's and 'shrooms right now Looking to stock now that I have my ballast I can offer you woMMLR if you'd like Link to comment
JimmySmash Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 Hi, I had my second ballast blow on me. I'm out of warranty, but I thought I would ping them anyway. I tried the email address above, but it bounced back to me saying it is invalid: This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently: customerservice@oceanicsystems.com Technical details of permanent failure: TEMP_FAILURE: Could not initiate SMTP conversation with any hosts: [oceanicsystems.com (1): Connection timed out] ----- Original message ----- I've tried several times over the last 4 days and am getting the same results. Anyone else having any problems, or can you offer an alternative method of contact? The information in my warrenty booklet is out of date, and the number is no longer valid. I used to have an alternative number for them that I used when my first ballast went, but I've lost it. Any help would be appreciated. Link to comment
peachie98 Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 I had the same problem with my BC8, but I didn't read this thread before going through ordering a new bulb (doh...delayed everything a couple weeks). I had bought my cube already set up and established from my LFS (was one of their tanks they set up for a customer who failed to buy it so they had it on display), so I took the top of the tank back to them and they gave me an entire new top. Hopefully this top will last..... Link to comment
whofeelsitknowsit Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 Try: dobrien@central-aquatics.com Oceanic is now owned by Central Aquatics. You can also just fill out the contact form here. I had the same thing happen to me. Also, they don't ask for any proof of warranty or when you bought it, so I wouldn't mention that the warranty has expired. Tell them that you just got the thing, and the ballast has gone bad. Mine went bad after a couple of weeks. Link to comment
Insane Reefer Posted October 25, 2007 Author Share Posted October 25, 2007 1800-255-4527 still works, just goes to a central operator who will transfer you. Good Luck Link to comment
shiveley Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 Oceanic is now owned by Central Garden & Pets - Aquatic Division Their contact information is as follows: info@central-aquatics.com CORPORATE OFFICE: 1340 Treat Boulevard, Suite 600 Walnut Creek, CA 94597 (925) 948-4000 Link to comment
Insane Reefer Posted October 25, 2007 Author Share Posted October 25, 2007 Yeah, we knew that, as well as all the other companies this company bought out - Kent, AGA, ESU, Coralife, etc. But where did you get that email? I could only find info@centralgp.com, which goes to a secretary who is away until Feb1... Oceanic is now owned by Central Garden & Pets - Aquatic Division Their contact information is as follows: info@central-aquatics.com CORPORATE OFFICE: 1340 Treat Boulevard, Suite 600 Walnut Creek, CA 94597 (925) 948-4000 Link to comment
basser1 Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 For future referrence, try this contact link: http://www.central-aquatics.com/contact-us/ I used this to get a replacemnet lens cover. BTW, it also has a 1-800 number listed. Link to comment
JimmySmash Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 Awesome everyone, I'll give that a try and let you know how it goes. Thanks! J. Link to comment
JimmySmash Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 Good news! Contacted them at dobrien@central-aquatics.com and they replied that a replacement is being shipped! I asked them if there was a design issue that is causing this problem, and if it has been corrected, and they ignored that question. I've sent a follow-up asking the same question again, but I haven't heard back from them yet. Thanks for your help! J. Link to comment
Darklyte24 Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 hey walnut creek is about 10 mins from me. Good to hear you got it replaced. I also recently had a balast die on me after about 5-6 months of use. they sent me one right in about 1.5 weeks great service, i left a msg with them and email, they emailed me back said its shipped. great service so far. Link to comment
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