drsfostersmith slowest shipping
- Thread starter BigJay
- Start date
BigJay
Well-Known Member
the heavy items aren't a problem apparently. But there is a problem right now with items not leaving the warehouse for 48-72 hours instead of the 24 hours. Heavy items stay on a fedex truck lighter items get switched to USPS smartpaq which is basically fedex trucks it to a location and USPS takes it from there and that can easily ad 2-4 days to transit time.
so 3 days to leave warehouse. 2 days for fedex ground to get to USPS sortation center. 2-4 days for USPS ground to deliver. 7-11 days. Thats just not acceptable in my book.
I've recieved great service from the Dr's. Only problem I ever had was with several busted Aquapod 24's. And that was not their fault. They were gracious and relatively prompt with the refund after we finally gave up on FedEx ever getting one here in one piece. btw, I heard somewhere, to compensate for the high price of jet fuel and diesel, FedEx now uses a system of catapults to move most of its freight.
familiar1985
New Member
You got lucky! I ordered 40lbs of live sand from them and i got it atleast 8 days after and the sand was completely dry.
My other experiences have been good. Iv ordered a lot of stuff, shipping has taken anywhere from 3 to 10 days. Their customer service is great, and they have a good return policy.
Ive ordered alot through Dr Foster&Smith. usually its the Salt. Like stated above you cant beat their Shipping on heavy items like that. And usually i can throw little items in here and there and the shipping is only like $5.00 per order. Theyve been great to me. Shipping usually takes bout a week. But i usually pre plan and order stuff 1 week before i need it.
Limpits Reef
Member
I'll chime in on my experiences with the doctors.
I have from time to time experienced problems with them but those issues have ALWAYS been resolved 100% after I contacted BY PHONE customer service. There are too many details that can be left out when writing an email so I always choose to call.
Doctor F&S's customer service IMO is top notch. I ordered LR from them twice that had issues and both times they more than made me happy with their resolution to the problem.
Another time I found out with two orders that were slow to get here that both times they were sent USPS. After I contacted them about not being happy with the slow delivery (I'm only a 4 hour drive from their warehouse) they made a note in my file to never ship USPS. When they ship FedEx it only takes 1-2 days to get to my door.
They even gave me a $10 credit when a bucket of Red Sea salt arrived with a broken corner of the bucket. The salt in the bucket is still packed in a plastic bag so there was no loss but they gave me a credit anyway.
I also bought that bad Reef Crystals from them a couple of years ago but I contacted the manufacturer instead and received full replacement buckets (10 of them) after I sent the company a salt sample.
I have from time to time experienced problems with them but those issues have ALWAYS been resolved 100% after I contacted BY PHONE customer service. There are too many details that can be left out when writing an email so I always choose to call.
Doctor F&S's customer service IMO is top notch. I ordered LR from them twice that had issues and both times they more than made me happy with their resolution to the problem.
Another time I found out with two orders that were slow to get here that both times they were sent USPS. After I contacted them about not being happy with the slow delivery (I'm only a 4 hour drive from their warehouse) they made a note in my file to never ship USPS. When they ship FedEx it only takes 1-2 days to get to my door.
They even gave me a $10 credit when a bucket of Red Sea salt arrived with a broken corner of the bucket. The salt in the bucket is still packed in a plastic bag so there was no loss but they gave me a credit anyway.
I also bought that bad Reef Crystals from them a couple of years ago but I contacted the manufacturer instead and received full replacement buckets (10 of them) after I sent the company a salt sample.
rmlevasseur
Active Member
I can't speak highly enough of 2 Docs. They have replaced a salinity monitor and a refractometer of mine w/o a question asked. I have found their shipping to be very expedient, and their inventory numbers are always correct.
On the other hand, this is what I HATE. I ordered from Marine Depot once and I noticed some things weren't shipped. I called and they said the warehouse must have been out. I asked if they were going to send it when it was in. Nope, had to reorder it. Naturally they credited me, but wtf? I order stuff online in bulk to save on shipping. I wouldn't order if I knew it wasn't in.
And here's another one...
I order a light fixture and bulbs from Champion Lighting, chosing them over Marine Depot. I get the fixture soon enough but no bulbs. I call and they say they are coming directly from the mfg. Again, WTF? I would not have ordered the damn thing if I knew I wasn't going to get it all at once. What good is the fixture w/o the bulbs?? But do they tell me that on ordering it...nooooo.
Grrr, now I'm angry.
On the other hand, this is what I HATE. I ordered from Marine Depot once and I noticed some things weren't shipped. I called and they said the warehouse must have been out. I asked if they were going to send it when it was in. Nope, had to reorder it. Naturally they credited me, but wtf? I order stuff online in bulk to save on shipping. I wouldn't order if I knew it wasn't in.
And here's another one...
I order a light fixture and bulbs from Champion Lighting, chosing them over Marine Depot. I get the fixture soon enough but no bulbs. I call and they say they are coming directly from the mfg. Again, WTF? I would not have ordered the damn thing if I knew I wasn't going to get it all at once. What good is the fixture w/o the bulbs?? But do they tell me that on ordering it...nooooo.
Grrr, now I'm angry.
new reefer 03
Active Member
I have ordered from them twice. Both times the boxes came all beat up (which could be fedex), and they gave me customer returns. A product box was so worn out it looked like it may have been returned a couple of times, and something in plastic packaging that had been cut open with a razor blade. The packaging was terrible, the stuff was just thrown into the box with a handful of peanuts. Great way to send a refractometer. I am done with them.
alphasierra
Member
Sorry to hear about that joephys. I've ordered twice and thought they were great. I especially like the magazine that they throw in. It is excellent! Great stuff guys!
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/red-sea-max-owners-club/38832-rsm-adventure.html
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/red-sea-max-owners-club/38832-rsm-adventure.html
Jeremy0322
Active Member
I have ordered a bunch of stuff from the doctors and found the shipping to be awesome and the customer service was also very good. I ordered a pump that was too small and just called them and told them what had happened and they paid to ship the pump i bought back to them and then gave me free shipping on the right one. They are really the only place online i have ordered from.
michael_cb_125
Well-Known Member
For Livestock, there is no other place that can touch them. They are simply THE BEST IMO.
For drygoods, I think that it is a tie between them and marine depot. Both places have amazing CS, and will do anything in their power to resolve an issue. Both have very good prices, on all products, and stand behind everything they sell. I think with any company, there will be a few customers that feel as though they got jipped, but that is just the nature of business. You cant make everyone 100% happy 100% of the time. All you can do is strive for that goal, and IMO the doctors and MD do just that.
~Michael
For drygoods, I think that it is a tie between them and marine depot. Both places have amazing CS, and will do anything in their power to resolve an issue. Both have very good prices, on all products, and stand behind everything they sell. I think with any company, there will be a few customers that feel as though they got jipped, but that is just the nature of business. You cant make everyone 100% happy 100% of the time. All you can do is strive for that goal, and IMO the doctors and MD do just that.
~Michael
