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Why does everything take so long?


KyleAwesome

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I dunno. I find it a bit selfish when people complain about FREE shipping. If you want it faster, pay the extra for expedited shipping and you'll get it faster. Am I missing something here? Kudos to MD for even offering free shipping. I remember when people on another forum were doing the same thing and complaining when BRS switched to free shipping as well. If you want it faster pay for it, don't complain when you're not.

 

My 2 cents.

 

 

it's the Amazon Prime Effect

 

 

Then they should fork over $100/yr to Marine Depot and get all the free 2 day shipping that they want... talk about entitled! :rolleyes:

 

 

My complaint is not, and has never been that UPS ground takes longer than next day air, or that MD offers free albeit slower shipping.

 

My complaint, in its entirety was that I made a purchase based on claims on the Marine Depot website, that the product I was interested in purchasing would ship from their Las Vegas warehouse, which is slightly longer than 1/2 a days drive from me. I ordered the items I did, from the vendor I did based on that claim. However, as this thread explains, that was not what ended up happening. (Yes also the processing time, but that again is based on the claim that 99% of shipments process same day or something to that effect.)

 

I could have made the drive to an LFS that carried the exact same items that just happened to be 2ish hours away, however I chose not to based on the above. So sure, call me impatient, call me a dick, or what have you. This is not a thread bitching about UPS, or the cost of MD's shipping or anything of that sort. Like I said in my last post, its purely an expectations game.

 

I applaud Jeff and the team at Marine Depot for taking that seriously, this is what I would expect any of my CSR's (and everyone else in my organization for that matter) to do. Failure is good, failure allows for understanding and growth. The company I run screws things up constantly, its unavoidable in complex systems, its only truly a failure if nothing is learned from the experience. Jeff, I appreciate what you have done thus far, no additional response is necessary to this post, I hope this incident was able to spark a conversation that will result in a better shopping experience for your customers.

 

So, to reiterate, I would not be complaining if when I went to check out the website told me it would be shipping from Georgia, thats fine because I would know that going into it.

 

Under promise and over deliver.

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I did read the whole thread. FREE shipping on the MD site clearly states up to 5 business days... nowhere does it say if we ship from a warehouse nearer to you you'll get it faster.

 

You started this thread to start bitching the very next day after you placed your order. That speaks volumes as far as I'm concerned. To say that you magnanimously sparked a conversation to help other customers!?! Sorry dude, I don't buy it.

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I think the original thread was started on the premise of not getting the order until 5-7 business days after the original order and then that grew into something else. I do applaud Jeff and the others at MD for taking a look into the issue of the algorithms for the shipping from the various warehouse. As mentioned, that'll save MD costs and benefit both the company and customer in the long run.

 

I have Amazon Prime and order a number of consumer goods online. With companies that have the free shipping option, I adjust my expectations accordingly since I do not expect them to deliver the same product on such a short time frame.

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A small local market has a saying printed on a sign, holds true no matter the business.

 

If you like our service tell a friend, if you don't, tell us.

 

A busted up box isn't Marine depot's issue, it's the carriers issue and you should call them up and cuss them till a fly wouldn't land on them. I do it all the time, I know FedEx probably cringes when they see my number, lol.

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MDs shipping has gotten worse. I used to order stuff and get it the very next day with no issues no matter if it was free shipping or what. I am in San Diego which is super close to their Nevada warehouse. I just ordered 3 small things and in the shipped email the item says shipped via fedex. Well when you plop the tracking number into fedex it can't be found. I call MD and the guy says my order was shipped USPS and DHL? Don't even know how that works. I guess he has a special tracking computer in front of him because he tells me that the order is scheduled to be delivered on the 4th when it was shipped out the 31st. 4 days to deliver something 5 hours away?

 

I can order stuff from BRS using their free shipping and I can get it faster than 4 days shipped from MN.

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MDs shipping has gotten worse. I used to order stuff and get it the very next day with no issues no matter if it was free shipping or what. I am in San Diego which is super close to their Nevada warehouse. I just ordered 3 small things and in the shipped email the item says shipped via fedex. Well when you plop the tracking number into fedex it can't be found. I call MD and the guy says my order was shipped USPS and DHL? Don't even know how that works. I guess he has a special tracking computer in front of him because he tells me that the order is scheduled to be delivered on the 4th when it was shipped out the 31st. 4 days to deliver something 5 hours away?

 

I can order stuff from BRS using their free shipping and I can get it faster than 4 days shipped from MN.

 

Sounds like it was shipped FedEx SmartPost which is FedEx taking it to the USPS and they deliver it. and is always slow UPS has a similar service. If my BRS order ships UPS ground I get it in 2 days, if it ships UPS SurePost I get it in 3, unless UPS is coming to my house with something else on day 2, then I usually get it that day. Anytime any company including MD has shipped me something FedEx SmartPost it takes way longer than it should.

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Sounds like it was shipped FedEx SmartPost which is FedEx taking it to the USPS and they deliver it. and is always slow UPS has a similar service. If my BRS order ships UPS ground I get it in 2 days, if it ships UPS SurePost I get it in 3, unless UPS is coming to my house with something else on day 2, then I usually get it that day. Anytime any company including MD has shipped me something FedEx SmartPost it takes way longer than it should.

 

It wasn't smartpost because the agent on the phone said that it wasn't shipped Fedex at all. He said that it sent to Los Angeles via USPS and then DHL took the package instead of the other way around. UPS and Fedex will both ship an item and then have it delivered by USPS and that's common. Doing it the other way around is not. Regardless of the situation the package arrived the same night it was shipped to Los Angeles which was the 31st. You telling me it takes 4 days to deliver something to a city that is 2 hours away? Did they put it on a backpack and give it to a guy who was walking from LA to SD?

 

I have shipped stuff to LA using the cheapest form of shipping USPS has which is media mail and it has always been delivered next day.

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MDs shipping has gotten worse. I used to order stuff and get it the very next day with no issues no matter if it was free shipping or what. I am in San Diego which is super close to their Nevada warehouse. I just ordered 3 small things and in the shipped email the item says shipped via fedex. Well when you plop the tracking number into fedex it can't be found. I call MD and the guy says my order was shipped USPS and DHL? Don't even know how that works. I guess he has a special tracking computer in front of him because he tells me that the order is scheduled to be delivered on the 4th when it was shipped out the 31st. 4 days to deliver something 5 hours away?

 

I can order stuff from BRS using their free shipping and I can get it faster than 4 days shipped from MN.

 

Thank you for shopping with us and for your feedback! We are grateful that you pointed out the incorrect shipping courier was listed in the email you received. We'll be sure to get that updated!

 

Our free economy shipping uses a mix of USPS First Class Mail, SurePost and UPS Ground. Shipments with this level of service are going to take up to 7 business days to arrive.

 

The shipping method most of our customers use (and are accustomed to) is UPS Ground. With our two warehouses, nearly 90% of our customers are receiving orders within 2 business with this level of service. We'll upgrade you from Economy to Ground automatically for orders $199 & up, but you can also just pay $4.99 for Ground to receive your order faster.

 

If you require your products before a specific date, I would always encourage an expedited shipping method to guarantee your stuff gets there in time.

 

We plan to put up a map soon that will help shoppers more easily determine when they can anticipate delivery depending on their proximity to our warehouses using the various shipping methods we offer.

 

Jeff @ Marine Depot

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I love living in the middle of the USA. Free (5-7 day) shipping arrives in 2-3 days. :-)

Thanks MD for the free shipping. It helps in purchasing the small stuff I need for my Biocube. I will be ordering my Chemipure and filter items exclusively from you all now!

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I love living in the middle of the USA. Free (5-7 day) shipping arrives in 2-3 days. :-)

 

Thanks MD for the free shipping. It helps in purchasing the small stuff I need for my Biocube. I will be ordering my Chemipure and filter items exclusively from you all now!

 

Thank you so much for shopping, my friend! Fellow Chemi-Pure (Blue) user here. ;)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Maybe its just me but I'd like to take a moment to bitch about my experiences with Marine Depot.

 

Why does everything take so friggin long?

 

I have only interacted with MD on two occasions so I'm willing to accept the excuse that maybe its just a busy time or year or what but my first order we placed after Christmas, 48hrs went by without so much as a notification that my order had processed or shipped. The item was fairly cheap and after not hearing back about my order (other than the auto generated email confirmation the order was received), I ordered the exact same product from amazon. Amazon shipped it same day, it arrived at my door a day later. MD took an additional 5 days to get me the product. Maybe its small potatoes but 1 week to send something from Las Vegas to Portland OR is pretty lame. I live 15hrs away from their West coast distribution center and a little bit further from their corporate headquarters. I could have driven there and back 3 times in the span it took them to deliver a 1lb box.

 

Fast forward a month and I figure I'll give them another shot, ordered approximately $600 worth of equipment over 24hrs ago, I received my initial order confirmation email, however the website has not updated with any status information nor has it shipped. I'm anticipating another 48hr processing time and 5 business days to get to me.

 

MD, I'm not looking for an apology, I'm not looking for a discount, or anything, I simply would like to relay my frustration with your process. Please know, I understand how this works, I run a company who is a front line IT provider/systems integrator for many manufacturing, wholesale and retail organizations ranging from a $3-5 million run rate to some exceeding $50 million. My job is automation, packaging and shipping solutions. I know the struggles you're probably facing with your ERP/SCM/CRM whether that be Microsoft GP, SAP, Syspro, NetSuite, Worldship, what have you. I sympathize, I do, however being in this industry for as long as I have I also know that there are hundreds of other organizations waiting to take advantage of complaints like mine. In this day and age, with the plethora of options at ones disposal, these types of delays and process issues will drive customers to other vendors.

 

Get things moving or Amazon, BRS, DrsF&S, whomever will continue to eat into your market share, because I do like you guys.

 

EDIT: the word "of" is useful

 

So, just ordered with marine depot, first time in two years.

 

And its being shipped from Nevada when I am in Florida. I purchased on Friday the 10th and my order will not be here until the 20th. Kind of annoyed especially after reading the whole "since we opened the second warehouse" statement... That is a very long time compared to other companies (like BRS or Amazon). Pretty annoyed...

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So, just ordered with marine depot, first time in two years.

 

And its being shipped from Nevada when I am in Florida. I purchased on Friday the 10th and my order will not be here until the 20th. Kind of annoyed especially after reading the whole "since we opened the second warehouse" statement... That is a very long time compared to other companies (like BRS or Amazon). Pretty annoyed...

 

Thank you for giving us another try. We'd be happy to take a closer look at your order to see what occurred. What is your order #?

 

Jeff @ Marine Depot

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Thank you for giving us another try. We'd be happy to take a closer look at your order to see what occurred. What is your order #?

 

Jeff @ Marine Depot

Jeff,

I just PMed you the order number :)

Thanks.

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Posting this as a follow up for anyone following or any future persons reading this thread and wondering if Marine Depot resolved the issue:

 

I just wanted to thank Jeff for taking time to look into my issue which was the same as OP's. It is an IT issue that is in queue to get fixed so it wont happen in the future. While it sucks for the delay, I am happy with how the situation was handled and the customer service provided. I am looking forward to my future purchases with Marine Depot. Thanks!

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Now if every shipping company could not treat your package like a ball in the middle of a scrum, we'd have it made, lol. Looks like I ordered a kilo of blow.

 

 

coke.jpg

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Marine Depot sucks. I bought 6 brand new T5 bulbs from them during black Friday. Like a dumbass I didn't open them until Januaryish. They were destroyed. I messaged them and within hours they sent me new ones. For free. Bunch of jerks.

 

 

 

Seriously if you think I hate them you are wrong. I love Marine Depot. I never have an issue with them when I order and I will continue to do so. I also LOVE free shipping even if it takes a week or two. You won't see me complain about that ever.

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55 minutes ago, braaap said:

Marine Depot sucks. I bought 6 brand new T5 bulbs from them during black Friday. Like a dumbass I didn't open them until Januaryish. They were destroyed. I messaged them and within hours they sent me new ones. For free. Bunch of jerks.

 

 

 

Seriously if you think I hate them you are wrong. I love Marine Depot. I never have an issue with them when I order and I will continue to do so. I also LOVE free shipping even if it takes a week or two. You won't see me complain about that ever.

 

I agree they suck. They read my post that I missed the 10% site wide discount by two days on a large purchase and were disrespectful enough to apply 10% rewards to my account! ?

 

For or anyone who doesn't get the sarcasm, I'm lying. I really like marine depot. When you order something with free shipping, you assume that the retailer will use the cheapest method to get it to your door. How else can they not have a loss shipping a $5 order? If you want expedited delivery, pay for it.

 

i used the points to get more calcium and alkalinity solution. Which happened to arrive in 3 business days- sweet! My tank is really sucking it up lately. 

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1 hour ago, StinkyBunny said:

Now if every shipping company could not treat your package like a ball in the middle of a scrum, we'd have it made, lol. Looks like I ordered a kilo of blow.

 

 

coke.jpg

 

 

Man Marine Depot can't seem to get it together. On top of my horrible experience with getting the wrong shipment twice only to have me go pick it up myself locally almost 3 months after the original order I have noticed a number of other shipping related issues on various forums. I hope you got everything taken care of. Unfortunately they lost my business forever. 

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  • 3 months later...
mitten_reef

So, wondering out loud if anyone is having issues with delayed updates on Memorial day sale purchase? Got order confirmation immediately after placing order Monday morning, but haven't seen any progress since. Should it take days to "process" a small order?

Even talked to customer service on chat today, he said everything will be "ready and shipped out" by end of day. And.... still no update, no email, no progress on the online order history. 

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On 2/22/2017 at 5:04 PM, StinkyBunny said:

Now if every shipping company could not treat your package like a ball in the middle of a scrum, we'd have it made, lol. Looks like I ordered a kilo of blow.

 

 

coke.jpg

If you'd ever actually ordered a unit you'd know the packaging is much better. 

 

I'll stick with USPS for my money. The others always leave my shit at different neighbor's doors. 

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Just a tip for MD. You can use Amazon to fulfill all of your orders without selling your items on Amazon (but why you wouldn't to use their sales platform is beyond me). Costs 10 cents a pound to freight all of your inventory to Amazon and from there you can purchase some very cheap software that will automatically send your MD orders to Amazon for Amazon employees to pick, pack and ship. You get access to Amazon's discounted shipping rates (basically 2 day anywhere in the continental USA will be the same price you currently pay for UPS ground). OR just list all of your itmes and sell directly on Amazon and get access to their millions of Prime customers for even larger margins and a better customer experience.

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14 hours ago, micoastreefing said:

So, wondering out loud if anyone is having issues with delayed updates on Memorial day sale purchase? Got order confirmation immediately after placing order Monday morning, but haven't seen any progress since. Should it take days to "process" a small order?

Even talked to customer service on chat today, he said everything will be "ready and shipped out" by end of day. And.... still no update, no email, no progress on the online order history. 

thats interesting. is your item out of stock? we just ordered a battery back up two or three days ago and it arrived today (granted,  I am 8 hours from the east coast warehouse)

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mitten_reef
8 minutes ago, lkoechle said:

thats interesting. is your item out of stock? we just ordered a battery back up two or three days ago and it arrived today (granted,  I am 8 hours from the east coast warehouse)

They did say that the Memorial Day sale's "free gift" I chose was out of stock, that could have caused the initial delay. They could have given me a raincheck or something else. (or email to let me know that the item was out of stock?)  I wouldn't have known this was the issue if I didn't get on chat with them.

 

Got on chat with @Marine Depot again today, and they said that my order was "updated a little past the shipping cut off for 6/1 and is finishing processing today"..... So no, they didn't finish my order processing? 

 

For context, yesterday, I chat with them well before noon EDT....I know this, because I thought, "damn, maybe they won't answer my chat, it's before 9 am in CA". Apparently, that was too late for the day's shipping time.  And well, sh*t, I just chatted with them after Noon today, probably gonna miss the shipping cut off time again. 

 

If your business is about trying to process and ship things out ASAP (aka same day where possible), one would think before noon wouldn't constitute the shipping cut off point even if one would consider my order coming out of their east coast warehouse.  

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