~_~ Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 Here is my PSL adventure, starting from the beginning. Last month I ordered a 2x36 hood from PSL, but they sent me the wrong hood. X) I emailed them about it and they offered to replace the hood...which I accepted of course. The replacement hood they sent me was the correct hood, but it had a broken ballast or something. :*( Since this was 2 hoods that wen't wrong, and it was taking a while to get the hood and I was still looking around at reef stuff, I decided to ask them to change my order to a 2x55 hood, which they suprisingly agreed to do. So finally today I got the 2x55 lights in the correct hood and in working condition:woot:. It did take a while to get my order right, but I did eventually get what I wanted. & they were always willing to correct there mistakes & didn't give me any : about the hoods being incorrect or broken. I didn't even have to pay any fee's for all the shipping/handling going on. Link to comment
cmagallon Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 do you have their tel.# . i'm looking to buy a hood. i emailed them twice in the past 3 weeks. no response. thanks... Link to comment
BHRay Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 I've emailed them twice in the last week and got replies withn 2 days both times (from Bruce). Which email are you using? Link to comment
Inpha Posted February 1, 2003 Share Posted February 1, 2003 cmagallon... he just told you it took a month and 2 returns to get the lights he wanted.... and you want to buy from him? Dosn't make much sense to me but... whaterver.... Link to comment
LoneWolf02 Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 you read one post and you make your descision about a company??? Where do you do your shopping?? Link to comment
bgoode Posted February 3, 2003 Share Posted February 3, 2003 I ordered the 2X36 also except I didn't have any problems with it. I ordered it on a Monday holiday and it arrived the next evening. I didn't even think that it was going to be shipped by then. Everything arrived fine, right hood and bulbs no problems. Link to comment
reefriot Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 i too have ordered a custom pendant from them and it was here in like 2 days after i ordered it. emails were a bit slow but bruce always answered my questions in the end. if i'm right i think Bruce is the owner and sole employee so things would be a bit slow with all he has going on. all in all i had an excellant experiance and thought the price he gave me was very fair for the quality of the product. i plan on making another custom order in the future. not too many companys out there willing to sell parts or peices of there product for you to finish. CON: i know bruce is working on a new website as he asked for pictures of my setup so he may be pretty busy at the moment. Link to comment
BHRay Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 As of yesterday the new site was up. Bruce was very helpful responding to all (about 5) of my emails within 36 hours. I ordered a "solar" style hood last nite and he said that it would ship either today or tomorrow. SHipping will be up to 5 days, but then I did not ask to expedite (i'm cheap). Price was very reasonable. If quality is good, I think that I would return. Link to comment
justin699 Posted February 16, 2003 Share Posted February 16, 2003 I just finished my custom oak canopy for the retrofit kit I ordered from PSL, everything was prompt and pricing was very competitive, I received a followup e-mail asking how everything was and to make sure i was happy, I have nothing but good things to say about them. Link to comment
BHRay Posted February 16, 2003 Share Posted February 16, 2003 Same here. Got my 2x27 when he said I would. I am very pleased. I am hoping that it will help with the attack of red slime that I have acquired. Link to comment
kevnvan Posted February 16, 2003 Share Posted February 16, 2003 I ordered a 2x55 Solar from PSL a while back and can only say great things about them. I was a little wary considering I have had 1 ballast replaced twice on hood but Bruce has always answered my emails quickly and gotten me the parts needed quickly as well. Personally I would rather have a minor inconvenience (i.e. ballast death) and quick no hassle customer service than the typical crap from local dealers who pawn you off on companies that like to just run you in circles. Link to comment
Chevytrks Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I have 2 systems from PSL, one is for my 45 gallon corner, see my testimonial. and the other is a 4 x 96 watt pc retro with fans. Bruce calls me whenever I email him to try and make sure he provides exactly what I need. Quality is very good, and if there ever is a problem , the customer service cannot be beat. Kudos to Bruce Link to comment
Reefs1 Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Without going into complete detail I will say briefly. I had about the WORST experience with this company I have ever had. I can not go into specifics at this point (stay tuned) because it has resulted in a pending small claims lawsuit. But I would urge anyone thinking about purchasing a light system to avoid this company (which is really a basement operation) at all costs. There are too many choices out there of good vendors that want to sell you a quality product and service. As an aside, the build quality of these lights is very poor (read first thread for another example), all the parts are Asian which are notorious for not holding up well. Especially under salt water conditions. For the money they are charging for these lights you can get a top notch German system for a smidgeon more anyway and avoid these potential problems altogether...I wish you all the best in your searches and if I can save one person the agony I am going through then this board has served it's purpose. All the best to you! Link to comment
Xavier Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I know there are a few people that have similar experiences as I... I ordered a 3x55 hood from PSL while ago with a 10k, 50/50, and 03 bulbs. The first hood I received was the wrong size (the bulbs didn't even fit in the hood), the end caps of the hood were cracked from over tightening, and the bulbs were 3 x 03 bulbs. I sent the hood back, and two of the 03 bulbs. I received the proper hood, but two 50/50 bulbs (instead of a 10k and 50/50). I decided not to send the second 50/50 back in fear of what I'd get back. After two months the white in the bulbs turned gray, and the actinic bulb turned very dark purple. When replacing the bulbs with higher quality bulbs, I had a huge phyto explosion that I'm still fighting... Bruce was a nice guy, don't get me wrong.. but I don't think he does the packing and shipping of the products, and I can't say the bulbs were of the best quality (all three bulbs went bad after 2 months). If you get the hood or pendant from him, look into Hamiltons from MarineDepot, or plan to replace the bulb endcaps with the panasonic style bases so you can use CSL PowerCompact bulbs... Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Originally posted by Reefs1 Without going into complete detail I will say briefly. I had about the WORST experience with this company I have ever had. I can not go into specifics at this point (stay tuned) because it has resulted in a pending small claims lawsuit. But I would urge anyone thinking about purchasing a light system to avoid this company (which is really a basement operation) at all costs. There are too many choices out there of good vendors that want to sell you a quality product and service. As an aside, the build quality of these lights is very poor (read first thread for another example), all the parts are Asian which are notorious for not holding up well. Especially under salt water conditions. For the money they are charging for these lights you can get a top notch German system for a smidgeon more anyway and avoid these potential problems altogether...I wish you all the best in your searches and if I can save one person the agony I am going through then this board has served it's purpose. All the best to you! Your have posted slander against this company. 1.) They are not a 'basement operation'. Pet Supply Liquidator is a registered business, which also happens to not operate from a basement. 2.) Not all the parts of a Pet Supply Liquidator aquarium hood are made in Asia. Infact, not even the ballast is. Stating that 'Asian made parts' are quote, "Notorious for not holding up well." is an invalid generalization. The rules for posting in this forum are pinned at the top of the thread list, and clearly state: "This forum was also put in place to provide an area to give feedback about experiences with businesses catering to the hobby. Please share your experiences whether good or bad if you wish to do so, but please STICK TO THE FACTS." Link to comment
Reefs1 Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Chris I appreciate your position and your candor, however nothing I said was slanderous. So it is what it is, and we all know anyone can go to City Hall pay $25 and legitimize their business, thats the easy part. It is running it properly and building and servicing the product and customer with pride that really proves a business to be a business, not a registration. This is something that PSL failed to do in many respects. As far as the parts go, they are in fact Asian which I think many hobbyists would agree do not stand the test of time comparitively (IE Helios, Jali etc.) The bulbs are and OEM Asian brand and the spectrum and quality is terrible (as stated in two earlier posts). They use a variety of Ballust in their lights so INFACT they can be (and mine were) ASIAN and very NOISY. However I don't disagree that it may be possible to get something other than ASIAN from them. But Chris's point and mine only proves to show inconsistency in their production and products. I don't want to get sidetracked too much with this, aside from the quality,pricing and general inconsistencies there are larger (financial) issues which for me will be dealt with in court. I simply want fellow hobbyists to know that this is a company that all potential customers should use a BUYER BEWARE approach. Like I said before, there are too many other choices out there that take pride in what they sell and service. The ordeal I had with PSL is a classic example of a small business trying to carve a nitch for themselves in wrong fashion. As consumers we reserve the right to spend our hard earned money wisely, and maximize it's potentail to purchase a quality product backed by knowledgable business people. Hopefully hearing about my experience will help others to do this. Link to comment
cmagallon Posted March 12, 2003 Share Posted March 12, 2003 I bought a hood from Bruce, very nice guy , AAA+++ the hood is made from high end alum. very sturdy & solid. now I want one for all my tanks. got it in 5 days................great hood. love it! thanks Bruce Link to comment
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