Reply from The iFISH StoreDec 11, 2022
Hello Dr. Mah;
We’re sorry you feel this way. We genuinely tried very hard to work with you from the moment you placed your order. We think it's only fair that we point out the timeline of events here so that anyone reading this review can make an educated decision about our business.
On 11/14, your Discus order was packed with warm packs; standard procedure for all shipments. We also check the temperature at shipment destinations to ensure we include the proper number of warm packs. In your case, the destination temperature was in the low 40s and we packed the appropriate number of warm packs.
At 2:17PM on 11/15, we received a FedEx delivery notification which included a photo of the box on your porch. At 10:19PM, you contacted us indicating that the Snakeskin Discus were black and sank to the bottom of your tank but all others were doing fine. We were a bit concerned that you contacted us 8 hours after receiving the fish. Per our policy, we kindly ask that customers notify us within 2 hours after delivery when there is a problem so we can immediately address it. Nevertheless, we extended our Live Arrival Guarantee on the two Snakeskins to see if they would recover.
On 11/17, you reported that the Blue Diamond Discus was now black and sinking to the bottom of your tank. You also conveyed the Snakeskins were barely alive.
On 11/18, we requested that you send your water parameters and photos of the affected fish so we could evaluate further.
On 11/20, you communicated that the Blue Diamond was flashing against the plants with damaged fins. This type of behavior in a fish is a sign of unacceptable water conditions. But without providing any specific water parameter readings per our request, we could not accurately assess the situation. We keep our Discus in very tightly controlled conditions and it’s critical to take a close look at the conditions they are transferred to on the customer’s end to try to root out the cause of the ill-health or distressed behavior. You also relayed that the Snakeskins perished the night before, that there were no warm packs in the shipping box and that the box was “freezing” when it was delivered. You stated that we needed to send replacements and do a better job shipping them. As is our policy, we requested photos of the perished and ill Discus.
On 11/22, we asked, again, for photos. On 11/27, we finally received pictures. Due to the poor photo quality, it was very difficult to come to any solid conclusion. Quite frankly, some of the fish in the photos didn’t appear to be perished. Also, one Discus appeared to have superficial burn marks which is typically a sign of poor water conditions.
As if all of this wasn’t challenging enough, you also kept insisting that you did not receive a Cobalt Blue Discus which we finally concluded was the “turquoise fish” you kept referring to in your emails. It’s quite common to mis-identify juvenile Discus since their coloring is still a bit muted. However, we repeatedly assured you that it was a Cobalt Blue as it was validated, twice, in our packaging/shipping systems and procedures.
By the first week in December, we decided that we needed to come to some closure and communicated that we would refund the cost of the two Snakeskins. But we would not ship a replacement Blue Diamond or any other Discus you claimed was damaged due to poor packing or that we believe you mis-identified. We simply didn’t believe that the packaging caused any of the health problems. We stand by our rigorous packing procedures. Even if faulty packaging was the case, we would have expected a much more immediate, consistent, and focused communication from you. Also, if ALL fish arrived perished, we would have replaced the order at no cost to you if you simply contacted us immediately and provided photos.
We tried our very best to work with you, Dr. Mah. We truly appreciate our customers and take great pride in our Customer Service. We’re sorry this was your experience with us.
