Warning on Dr. Foster Smith

[KMitch]

So I recently placed a huge order (over $500) with Dr. Foster Smith online. It was all dry goods for my 110gal that I am redoing. I ordered 3 bags of sand, 6 flo water deflectors, a MH bulb, refractometer, etc, etc, etc. I knew that because there were 3 bags of 30lbs sand I would get more than one box, one would probably have the sand with the other having the rest of the stuff.

 

After waiting for 8 days (They ship from WI, I live in GA -- not that far) my boxes come. Well they could have screwed it up more, but it was bad. The boxes were poorly packed and one of the bags of sand was leaking sand out the side. When I got my goodies in the door I realized I was missing one bag of sand and all my flo deflectors. I checked the packing slip which said the flo deflectors were supposed to come in on 6/8 and the package was shipped 6/9. I figured surely the flos would just be a day or two behind the rest of the boxes. The packing slip didnt list the other bag of sand as missing (didnt list it at all) but since I knew I was still expecting more I decided to wait.

 

And wait

 

 

And wait

 

 

And wait.

 

Finally yesterday I got so fed up that I called them. Well the flo deflectors didnt get shipped until yesterday (6/20) and did they bother to ship them fast because they knew they f-ed up? Heck no. I am not expecting the flo deflectors until JULY! I also inquired about the bag of sand which they just lost. Never got onto the packing slip and never got shipped and never knew what happened. Now I work part time in sales and know that sometimes there can be glitches and something can get messed up, but usually we try to fix it when we screw something up. No attempts here. All they did was refund my credit card for the amount the sand cost.

 

I have ordered from them before and had good success, but 8 business days to ship (supposed to take a max of 7 business days) and screwing up a $500 order has put them wayyy down in my book. Marine Depot will be getting my business in the future. They are farther away but manage to ship better faster.

[doncb]

So you've ordered from them before and never had a problem and because they messed up once you write them off? Instead of waiting, when you received the boxes you should have called them right then and found out what the status on the missing stuff was and told them about the packing. You could have also asked that they ship the Hydor's faster than ground since the order was messed up (if ya don't ask...). And they did fix one mistake. They credited the missing bag of sand.

 

I've ordered lots from them and everything was well packed. The only time I had a problem was when I ordered a refractometer and it was back-ordered and the date kept getting pushed back. I simply canceled the order. And I always know what the order status is because of the tracking information. In fact, every order has been delivered a day earlier than scheduled!

 

Also, It doesn't matter that you're "-- not that far. Everything goes through a main sorting hub (Memphis I think for FedEX and Atlanta for UPS). FedEX or UPS doesn't pick up the package and take it directly to your door. It goes throug the main sorting hub (above) and then to another sorting facility near or in your city and then to your local office where it is put on the truck to your house. And if you've ever seen the sorting facilities you'd understand how boxes get messed up. And if it took 8 business days instead of 6, well, your beef would be w/ FedEX or UPS.

[Mini_GBR]

I have actually orderd twice from them, and while I like their lower prices on dry goods, it does take a fairly long time to get things. Both times I have ordered, the shipping price ended up being more than they had said on the website, and they had to call me and alert me I would be charged more, and then it took even longer for the packages to come then they said it would. I choose Marine depot now, they seem to have things figured out, and not in the middle of Northern Wisconsin, much easier to get things from a major city.

[bigbabich]

never bought dry goods from them... but my livestock orders always come great (except one dead spagetti coral that they gave me credit for no questions asked).

[KMitch]

They told me that the flos were going to ship on 6/8/06 and when they didnt come at a reasonable amount of time I called to find out they never shipped. When I spoke with the woman on the phone she said "oh yeah they didnt ship and we forgot to tell you." --- She knew they F-ed up and could have attempted to fix it before the box left. The stuff was shipped UPS, and I live in ATL, so I know theres no way it should have taken 8 days to ship. 8 Days from the time I placed my order before a single box left the shop. WTF.

 

They fixed the sand, and I give them partial credit for fixing that, but when they know they have screwed up an order and choose to not tell the customer hoping the customer wont notice-- thats dishonest.

 

They treat my $50 orders better than my $500 orders!!

[doncb]

but when they know they have screwed up an order and choose to not tell the customer hoping the customer wont notice-- thats dishonest.

 

They treat my $50 orders better than my $500 orders!!

That implies that someone at Dr F&S intensionally decided to rip you off. Something you have no proof of and I doubt very much happened.

 

So someone dropped the ball and didn't notify you of a delayed shipment. It's not "dishonest", just a simple mistake. EVERYONE makes them. I'll bet even MD has done the same thing occasionally.

[deliboy]

All I can say is that their expedited shipping sucks. I orders 2 different things with different shipping methods. I ordered a few powerheads one day expedited and about 2 days later I ordered some chemicals via standard shipping. The chemicals arrived 2 days before the powerheads.

[adinsxq]

i had a crushed box once. drsfs replaced it immediately

[DementedLullaby]

I can understand your frustration but basing a site on one order is a bit shallow. You said they treat your 50$ orders better? That implies you've bought from them before and weren't dissapointed? Yeah it sucks but crap happens. They seem a lot better than some other mail order places lol....

 

BUT!

I haven't bought from them or anything since I'm from Canada so yeah =P

[icenine]

I've ordered from them a bunch of times, shipping was always quick... when things went wrong, customer service fixed it fast ...for me.

I'm a short shiping distance away, for what that is worth.

[pet_doc]

I've bought from fosters and smith several times without any problems, and always with fast shipping...stuff happens.

[yoshiod9]

i boycott drfosters since race foster is a complete jerk.

 

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...mp;pagenumber=3

[KMitch]

The babe told me they were supposed to notify me when the flo's didnt ship and ask me if I wanted to maintain my order with them for that. If they had done that, it would have been okay but to just leave my out to wait for 12 days on something that was supposed to ship? Come on!

 

The previous orders I got were so-so. Shipping was slow, and Marine Depot has always been faster and called me when my order was wrong once and it had yet to be delievered!

[doncb]

The babe told me they were supposed to notify me when the flo's didnt ship and ask me if I wanted to maintain my order with them for that. If they had done that, it would have been okay but to just leave my out to wait for 12 days on something that was supposed to ship? Come on!

 

The previous orders I got were so-so. Shipping was slow, and Marine Depot has always been faster and called me when my order was wrong once and it had yet to be delievered!

Like I said, someone dropped the ball. Stuff happens. It's not worth getting bent over. I wouldn't have waited almost 2 weeks before calling though. But that's just me.

[NEVER SATISFIED REFFER]

the prob i had was first, i thought they were dvm's. then why do they sell flea meds that anyother vet will tell u can kill ur cat???? and to make it worse, what i bought was the dr's choise...after hunderds in vet bills i never order anything. but yea my orders came in several deliveries...lol.

 

wonder how much money they throw away in boxes and packing?

[doncb]

the prob i had was first, i thought they were dvm's. then why do they sell flea meds that anyother vet will tell u can kill ur cat???? and to make it worse, what i bought was the dr's choise...after hunderds in vet bills i never order anything. but yea my orders came in several deliveries...lol.

 

wonder how much money they throw away in boxes and packing?

 

Mmm, looks like they ARE DVM's. BTW, any flea med can kill your pet if it's the wrong type, dose, etc. You could probably buy the same stuff at Petco or Petsmart.

 

 

Dr. Foster received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Michigan State University where he earned the 1983 Feline Medicine and Surgery Award for academic achievements in feline medicine. A member of the Michigan and Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Associations, Dr. Foster is the co-author of four books on pet health, care, and behavior, and has a special interest in consulting and working with professional dog and cat breeders, especially in the area of preventative animal health.

 

Dr. Marty Smith received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at Iowa State University and is a member of the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association.