Don't buy inverts from Drs. Foster and Smith!

[Dr.eclipse]

and pay 1000$ for somthing that cost 300? i think not.

[sogreedy23]

By cost I'm assuming you mean "worth", which is subjective considering I never fear getting a virus or product compatibility (regarding my sound cards, graphics, etc). Battery life on my lappy is unreal and it kinda, sorta just "works". Apple haters are just as cliche as Apple fanboys. People just want to hate them because they think Macs are just the "in" thing and they want to be anticonformist. unless you're busy playing Crysis or in an office that is windows dominant, cool, don't even consider it. Other than that, no reason to dismiss it. Mac mini isn't even that much:)

 

To the OP, I have NO idea where you plan on putting three fromias, so I really hope they weren't all for your own tank, but that's a separate issue that you refuse to accept. Read the fine print and don't deem LA crap or speak down about it, your service and experience isn't over yet. Give them a chance to defend the great reputation that they've earned in our hobby.

[Dr.eclipse]

why pay 1000$ for something you can get for more then 1/2 the price? its just stupid. i mean if you have the money and you only want to surf the web then buy it. and i build my ALL my computer myself. so i dont have a problem with the things you listed. and if your not retarded you dont get viruses. and yes i was a serious gamer so i needed the best. (11-15 hours a day. but i stopped that haha... and replaced with reefing XD)

to simply put it, build a tower, install linux. save ~400$

last post in this topic, sorry for junking your thread mate.

[Asureef]

not the same starfish. even with the color difference.

 

 

Agreed. I remember they messed up my first order. I ordered a blue mushroom but got a green, ordered a GSP, got a BSP. Unless it's from DD, I don't order corals from them anymore. I find it's better to get it locally, often for much cheaper to.

[nor_cal_nano]

Definitely a valid complaint...but at least give them a chance to make it right. Like wombat said, keep it calm and professional. Don't get all hysterical.

 

Then, post back here and let us know how it goes. No reason to shoot down their reputation just yet. Everyone slips up sometimes...

 

Hope it goes well for you.

[dickie52]

Definitely a valid complaint...but at least give them a chance to make it right. Like wombat said, keep it calm and professional. Don't get all hysterical.

 

Then, post back here and let us know how it goes. No reason to shoot down their reputation just yet. Everyone slips up sometimes...

 

Hope it goes well for you.

[cchardwick]

Agreed. I remember they messed up my first order. I ordered a blue mushroom but got a green, ordered a GSP, got a BSP. Unless it's from DD, I don't order corals from them anymore. I find it's better to get it locally, often for much cheaper to.

 

Wow, that's not a good sign. Looks like they just ship whatever and get away with it as long as the people don't complain, I bet it works 99% of the time. In the legal world I believe that call that 'Bait and Switch'. It's illegal. If they took the time to photo each specimen and to post it on their website I bet they would get more business in the long run. I'm sure they sell more with 'Bait and Switch' short term because how many people would buy a dirty brown starfish vs. a bright orange one. Not many. By doing that they are tarnishing their reputation and losing long term customers. I know they lost one today.

[Bamboo]

Try sending them an email and filing the complaint, they're usually good with their customer service.

[nate82]

Wow, that's not a good sign. Looks like they just ship whatever and get away with it as long as the people don't complain, I bet it works 99% of the time. In the legal world I believe that call that 'Bait and Switch'. It's illegal. If they took the time to photo each specimen and to post it on their website I bet they would get more business in the long run.

 

The logistics of doing this on the number of orders that they process would destroy their profits. Just think about how many orders they get, and the difficulty of photographing live animals through water. If you want WSIWYG gotta go with divers den or another site.

[StevieT]

Drs. is a huge company up in the north woods of Wisconsin. Why not give them a call first and then give a review?

[d9hp]

I can't see this staying unresolved.

 

I'd consider going with Blue Zoo again as well...I had a great experience with them.

 

I do believe that LA.com and Blue Zoo are the best high volume etailers in the hobby though. Diver's Den is fantastic but they don't do nearly the volume I wouldn't imagine (could be wrong)

[cchardwick]

They just sent me a reply, this is what they said:

 

The Marble Sea Star you ordered was the assorted variety and they may come in orange, red, or tan colors. The photo you sent with your e-mail shows a tan Sea Star. We apologize for any inconvenience with this Sea Star, however it appears that the photo you sent shows the correct item, in the tan color.

 

The website said nothing about assorted variety. I did see some really tiny print in italics below the photo that you can hardly read that says, "Due to variations within species, your item may not look identical to the image provided." and the font color is almost the same as the background so you can't hardly see it. Check it out for yourself, this is the same as the scams on e-bay, they put important details in small print that's nearly impossible to read:

 

Marble Sea Star

 

They also said this:

 

The Red Sea Stars were not available at the time of shipping for your order. We hope this will explain why we may place an item on back order, even though it did show the specimens available when you had placed your order. We will try to ship this specimen over the next 2 weeks if it becomes available. If the specimens does not become available within this time we will cancel these specimen from the order.

 

I'm guessing they won't be able to fill the order for the last two stars which means I basically paid $55 for a small brown starfish.

 

 

Looks like I've been had again.

 

Anyone wanna buy a small brown starfish? I'll make you a deal, only $20 bucks.

[theplatypus]

The website said nothing about assorted variety. I did see some really tiny print in italics below the photo that you can hardly read that says, "Due to variations within species, your item may not look identical to the image provided." and the font color is almost the same as the background so you can't hardly see it. Check it out for yourself, this is the same as the scams on e-bay, they put important details in small print that's nearly impossible to read:

 

 

 

You really need glasses

[cchardwick]

The logistics of doing this on the number of orders that they process would destroy their profits. Just think about how many orders they get, and the difficulty of photographing live animals through water. If you want WSIWYG gotta go with divers den or another site.

 

Actually it wouldn't be that hard to take some more photos. They don't have to take a photo of each specimen per say, but at the very least they should post photos of the red, brown, and tan starfish and in the description it should be advertised as ASSORTED STARFISH. That way the customer knows what other forms and colors he may get going into the deal. It's like buying a red truck on e-bay and then having them deliver a brown truck to your house, it's just not right.

[Pickle010]

The website said nothing about assorted variety.

 

 

Due to variations within species, your item may not look identical to the image provided.

 

 

QUICK STATS

Care Level: Moderate

Temperament: Peaceful

Reef Compatible: Yes

Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.023-1.025

Max. Size: 6"

Color Form: Orange, Red, Tan

Diet: Omnivore

Supplements: Iodine, Trace Elements

Compatibility: View Chart

Origin: Indonesia, Maldives, Papua New Guinea

Family: Ophidiasteridae

 

Still sucks that you don't know which one you would get but I guess that's what makes WSIWYG so popular.

[cchardwick]

I posted some negative feedback in their 'Testimonial' section for that item saying 'Buyer Beware: You get an assorted starfish from some random tank, not the red one in the photo.'. Looks like they review them before it gets posted. I'm hoping they actually post it so other people will know about this when they purchase the starfish.

[montipora]

You have to call them up and explain they sent you the wrong item. If you did not order off the wysiwyg divers den page, you should have read the fine print. Their customer service is unmatched, if your willing to work with them and not berate them in their forum. Stop bashing them and get a hold of them already, they will make it right IF they are in the wrong.

[carbon-mantis]

A quick google search of Fromia nets you a whole host of possible color patterns. Including the fact that they made two different annotations referring to the possibility of you not receiving what was pictured, you really can't put much blame on them in the end.

 

When putting custom orders through the local shops, whenever something mentions something like "an assortment of colors" you can almost always expect a majority of the specimens to be drabber that what was pictured on the site.

 

Looking at it though, even if the starfish was the color pictured, $30.00 is kinda pricey for a Fromia. The local shops around here have them from time to time and even with the huge mark-up they're never more than $20.

[montipora]

'Due to variations within species, your item may not look identical to the image provided'

 

Right there in the fine print. You should have read it more carefully.

[lakshwadeep]

Your feedback only reiterates what they stated. They called it Fromia sp. because they don't have exact taxonomic information. Moreover, it may be true that one species has different color forms. Neither the name itself nor the short description claim the color is always red; the "marbled" appearance is what groups these stars.

[cchardwick]

'Due to variations within species, your item may not look identical to the image provided'

 

Right there in the fine print. You should have read it more carefully.

 

That's some variation, in fact to me it looks like a different species all together.

[matty0206]

You paid $20 (a fair price for a fromia) for a star that they clearly state may be different than the one pictured and $35 for shipping. I see no problem with the transaction and would say you need to read the fine print next time.

 

On a side note. Are you experienced in caring for this species and is this going in your 6 gallon?

[montipora]

That's some variation, in fact to me it looks like a different species all together.

 

That is why you should have gone with the wysiwyg section.

[montipora]

On a side note. Are you experienced in caring for this species and is this going in your 6 gallon?

 

Oh wow, I don't know anything about caring for these guys, But I hope he is going in a bigger tank than that.

[violinist]

I"ve been scammed way too many times, the last time was the tarantula scam from Nigeria. Not sure why but I guess I'm just a sucker for scams.

 

I guess I just have a little shell shock from all the scams I've been through. Lets see, it started with the $3,000 camera scam, the Nigerian Tarantua scam, the multitudes of e-bay scams, the 'totalled my truck' insurance scam, etc, etc... Now when I get scammed it brings back old memories I guess.

 

Lmfao.

 

Do yourself a favor and throw your cable modem in the fish tank.