Looking for live rock? Stay away from AQUACON.

[jasontg99]

Hello everyone,

Just some advice here. Aquacon offers "free shipping" on their live rock and sand. The only reason I chose Aquacon over Foster and Smith was the shipping prices. I received my 50 lbs of rock yesterday, but was very surprised to see an additional $52 added to my purchase for fuel surcharge and packing fees. Maybe I just do not understand what free means, so I started to look around Aquacons website for these hidden fees. You have to dig into the shipping descriptions to these fees. Most places I went to had all shipping fees included in their shipping price. I feel this is a very shady practice to offer "free shipping" and then charge $50 in bogus fees. Maybe I am wrong. Just wanted everyone to be aware of Aquacons true "FREE SHIPPING" prices.

[snuggle2me]

I came across one like that yesterday where it says free shipping and then after you start to check out it says you have to have a min order in order to get the free shipping. It also adds a Processing Fee = $9.99 Temporary Fuel Charge = $9.99 So you end up paying double for the original purchase.. ill just stick to my lfs

[jasontg99]

Had I knonw this was going to happen, I would have stuck with my LFS also. Another thing, I never received a confirmation email after I placed the order on their website. I had to call them to verify that they had even received my order. Then it took them over a week just to get the rock shipped out. The rock I received looks nothing like what is pictured on their website. A pretty dissapointing experience all the way around.

[SeaView]

Make sure you post this in the vendor experience forum, although the mods will probably move this thread there.

[jasontg99]

Seaview,

Thanks for the info. New to RC.

Jason

[betat]

What kind of rock did you order and what did they charge per pound? I am curious because my LFS quoted me $9.00 per pound for Marshall Island rock and I was not sure if that was a good price.

[HBtank]

Not cool.

Yeh, they don't charge you for "shipping" but instead for every single itemized part of the shipping process.

Basically fraud IMO.

[jasontg99]

Betat,

I purchased Caribbean live rock. The pics Aquacon had of this rock were gorgeous. I received rock that looked more like everyday Fiji. $9 for Marshall Island is pretty much an average price for that rock. Marshall is a lighter rock than most, so oyu do get more rock for your money.

Jason

[jasontg99]

HBtank,

Agreed. I have already emailed them blasting them on what I think is a very shady practice. I will NEVER buy from them again. I let them know that I would be posting my experience on RC and my local reef club website. Looks like the message is getting out there!!!

Jason

[RTKBA308]

When you were checking out, they did not show the $52.00 "FEE"??

If not, that BS and I would call them on it! Get your money back. You should not have to search the entire website to find this fee.

[jasontg99]

RTKBA,

No additional fees shown during checkout. I have alredy sent them an email expressing my thoughts on this situation. I am waiting a day to see if they respond. Nothing received yet...imagine that. I will be calling them tomorrow morning to follow up.

Jason

[RTKBA308]

Yeah, I was just on the site. They have a goofy checkout. You have to enter all your info., including credit card # and you manually type in the quanity and a desciption of the item you want. Seems odd to me.

[jasontg99]

I tried to post it in the vendor experience forum, but I have not been a member long enough to post to that section. I figured I would just post here to get the word out.

Jason

[djperezo]

That is why they call themselves Aqua-CON! you just got conned buddy, I hope everything works out for ya though, good luck. Btw, I saw your post in HRRC

[jasontg99]

DJ,

You are exactly correct. Hindsight is always 20-20 huh? Oh well. I should have known better. At least something good has come of it....everyone else can learn from my mistake.

Jason

[kcbonsai_matt]

Check with your credit card company. You might be able to dispute the charge.

[jasontg99]

Ty Matt. Had not thought about that. I will look into it if aquacon does not refund me the money when I call them tomorrow. I will definitely be giving aquacon the web address of this thread. I want them to see that their shady practices are being broadcast all over the reef community. Hopefully this will open their eyes and they will be a little more truthful with their claims of free shipping.

[t-bone2]

thats funny its states on the shipping page about the fuel charges not being mixed in with the shipping charges

[t-bone2]

also if you pay atention to the pics alot of websites use the same pics

[SeaView]

Jason,

Sorry I didn't know there was a post count to meet to use the vendor forum. I also looked at the Aqua-Con site and was very put off by there practices. Free shipping on live rock but $50.00 handling, box and insurance fees. Give me a break.

[jasontg99]

T bone. I agree. However, if you are making a purchase online and something says free shipping, do you think you should have to dig into their shipping policy section to find the hidden fees? Free shipping should mean exactly that...free shipping. Had aquacon clearly stated that their shipping was free, but they charged $50 for a fuel surcharge and packing fee I would have bought my rock elsewhere and we would not be having this conversation.

[jasontg99]

T bone,

Sorry. That came off a little rude. I am just frustrated that aqaucon's free shipping claims are very misleading. Again, sorry for how rude my last post came off.

[t-bone2]

i understand your frustration im not trying to bust your balls its just any time i see an astrick next to something free there is always something that goes with it its kind of like the guy at the end of a commercial that talks so fast you cant understand him it does suck that they do it that way unfortanetly i think almost everyone does ive learned some lessons the hard way also and it sucks

[jasontg99]

T bone,

I did see the asterick before I ordered the rock. Normally an asterick is for additional information...so I scrolled down to the bottom of the page to see what the asterick was for.
Here is what it was (right off their web page):
Notes:
-The weight listed is the total weight of just the live rock, it does not include the packaging materials, and the box and foam container it is shipped in. Most competitors of ours add the packaging weight as part of the rock weight you are charged for, we do not.

It says nothing about fuel surcharges or packing fees. The only place that is stated is their shipping policies section. Why would I look over that if specifically states FREE SHIPPING on all live rock???
Again, I started this thread not to argue the fact that I should have taken three hours to read every word on their webapge to figure out that they are screwing you over on the "free shipping." I simply want everyone to not fall into the same trap I did. Just trying to look out for everyone else.

[reefshadow]

Free should mean free, period. Thanks for the heads up.

[RTKBA308]

Another thing:D , if it was not advertised as "FREE SHIPPING", that would mean, you would have to pay heavy shipping charges PLUS the extra $52.00 "FEE".

Ridiculas!:mad2:

[Abynum1]

I ws considering an order from their site, I'm glad I read this thread!

[jasontg99]

bump

[lat0403]

Free should mean free, but it never does. I make it a habit to read shipping terms on every website I'm considering buying from. At least for live animals, since the shipping is expensive.

[Village Idiot]

Save all of your receipts, all e-mails, and call your credit card company. Send your credit card company a link to the order page. I've disputed charges in the past and as long as all your documentation agrees with what you're saying, your card company will credit your account.

PS -- you may want to send Aquacon a link to this thread.

[reefshadow]

Free should mean free, but it never does.

In this case at least, lol.

There are many reputable companies out there that really do ship for free though, if there is a catch it is prominently displayed such as "$200.00 minimum order, packing fee applies" or something of that nature.

I think he got scammed, plain and simple. Not the first time I have heard very negative reviews about this company. If there was a feul charge, box charge and insurance charge, what part of the shipping was free??? I can't think of anything that's left. Maybe they left out the scam charge by accident.

Jason, I would also recommend contacting the BBB in the businesses city and filing a report.

[SptfireXIV]

Buyer beware, always try to find feedback from the company you're purchasing from. Aquacon has a TERRIBLE reputation.

[bllfish]

Do a search on RC before you buy. AquaCON has quite a history. From some of the things I have read about aquaCON you should probably be happy you got anything. :rolleyes:

[HBtank]

I read their page. They use the old * trick, and not even on the boldly written "free shipping", instead they put it in an odd place where it would not catch your attention.

I love the small print explanation "because of recent high fuel prices.. yadda yadda" Recent? You mean the last 5 years???? Like fuel prices will "drop" and they will remove the charge... lmao, sure...

[CaptRon]

Thanks for the tip-off T. I'll be sure to read up on any new companies I deal with and read the fine print.

[jasontg99]

Thanks for the comments and advice everyone. I will definitely do some asking around RC before buying anything online. TY again.

Jason

[jasontg99]

bump

[Icefire]

called your credit card issuer yet?

[hurtback]

why doesnt everyone that reads this post send a brief email telling them that and you wont be buying from them---i just did
i WAS thinking about ordering lr from them, till i read whats here
sorry for your bad experience, but THANKYOU!!!! for letting other buyers know
steve---nj---DEVILS

[hurtback]

hey---this is funny---i have sent and resent my email to them and i keep gettin a delivery failure notice---go figure!!!
steve---nj---DEVILS

[jasontg99]

I know it sounds bad, but I have not had time to do that. I am getting ready for a seven month deployment and trying to get the 150g saltwater tank set up (I am building my own stand and canopy), as well as trying to get the honey do list done. Hopefully I will remember to do this before I leave.

Jason

[jasontg99]

Hurtback,

I emailed them expressing how unhappy I was with the extra charges as well as the rock itself. I told them I would never buy from them again, and that I would be posting my experience on RC as well as my local reef club website. I NEVER received a reply. Just goes to show what kind of customer support you can expect from aquaCON. Definitely stay away from them!!!

Jason

[DaveBien]

Jason, be careful on your deployment. Been there, done that, just a different time and place. And THANKS for your service.

[JeffMW]

Thanks for giving us a heads up. While it sux for you at least the community it more aware now as to what this company is up to. Someone has to take the fall to draw out the shadiness of people. Thanks for posting.

[leebo_28]

absolutely...ditto on the heads up jason! ,I will be looking for rock soon...ugg!

[jasontg99]

I am just glad that I can get the word out there. Hopefully everyone who sees this spreads it on to their friends.

[Brad Rogers]

Interesting!! I just looked over their site and found something else a little shady, IMO.

<i>Aquatic Connection 30 Day Livestock Guarantee
If live stock received doesn't survive during the 30 day guarantee period Aquatic Connection will replace it for free, on a future live goods order.</i>

If your live stock dies, you still have to make another purchase from them, and only then do they replace. AND it has to be 'live goods' before they honor their "guarantee"

They only guarantee to honor their own policy if you guarantee to continue to support them.

I wonder??? when they do replace something for "free" if you still have to pay extra fuel costs... :strooper: :rollface:

[Beemo]

aquacon is just what their name says, "CON"
i knew awhile back that this company has a horrible history and is often referred to as aquaCON
they have another name they go by too, i wish i could remember it, maybe someone here knows.
if the total wasnt on your checkout or in your email before they shipped then you can call our credit card company and tell them you were falsely charged and billed an extra amount that you werent notified about.
stick to liveaquaria, they are the only 100% honest vendor

[serpentman]

Its disappointing to see a vendor stoop to a level like this. They are better off raising their price .50-.99/lb and truly ship for free than to employ a bait and switch technique like this. I'll mark them on my "Don't do business with" list.

[cdangel0]

Couple of points to think about:

When dissatisfied with a vendor - NEVER tell them you won't do business with them again. They have no incentive to make you happy at that point - they figure they have already lost you as a custumer "why bother".

CC Disputes: You are limited on how long you have after you get your bill to dispute a charge. The floor limit (the amount in which the dispute needs to be for before the CC company will even look at it) is $50. Looks like you're good there.

Write in to your credit card company as well as calling them. They will contact the merchant and review your complaint - if they feel it is not valid and was not disclosed properly prior to the charge being put through they will chargeback (bill the company for the $52) and give you the credit on your credit card. If the company does not respond - and it does not appear that AquaCON likes to respond to things - within 30 days it will automatically be resolved in your favor.

Wow - 15 years in the credit card industry and it's finally become useful :rollface:

[jasontg99]

Thanks for the info angel. I will look into it.

Jason

[vr697getta]

saltwaterfish does the same thing with fish
the fine print gets ya everytime

[jasontg99]

bump

[reefnetworth]

www.premiumaqautics.com sells by the pound and charges are UPS only.
JDM...:cool:...:p

[jasontg99]

Thanks for the info. I may be buying more LR when I get back from deployment. See you guys in six months!!! Hopefully we can keep the internet up during the deployment.

Jason

[jpitch]

Consider your story a GOOD ending. I attempted to purchase MH lighting from them a little over a year ago. They charged my card, didn't send any type of invoice, and claimed they shipped the product. I was all dumb and happy waiting for my lights for nearly 2 weeks. I learned eventually that they lied about shipping the product, DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE PRODUCT IN STOCK, and that the CC company that I tried to dispute the cliam with didn't believe that a company wouldn't send any type of invoice. This is Visa, mind you. I had to fight with my CC company, fight with Aquacon, and fight with my bank because noone would step up to help me. I finally got nasty and dug deep into research and found the owner's name, home address, phone #, and a club he's a member with and basically threatened to kick the living crap out of him if he didn't give me my refund. Needless to say, he's not as dumb as his company would lead you to believe. There are so many people in this hobby he can afford to **** off anyone they want to and still get new business. It's sad that the internet doesn't have any safeguards against morons like this. Do yourself a favor and just let it go. Eat the 50 bucks and hope you helped a few people avoid this scammer. It'll save you months of frustration.

[jasontg99]

TY for the advice pitch. I am not too concerned with the $50. I am just trying to get the word out there to stay away from aquacon. Thanks for your story. Hopefully people are reading all these replies and see you horror story, and never do business with aquacon.

Jason

[Brad Rogers]

I recommend American Express, they are great with disputes. They immediately remove the charge from your account and start their own investigation. I have a had a couple of disputes over purchases, and they always came through for me. Costs a little each year, but they really work hard for their customers.

[jasontg99]

I guess the lesson learned is you get what you pay for.

[barbra]

From a legal standpoint if a company calls it "Shipping and Handling" or something like that they can charge what they want, but they should tell you. If they just call it "Shipping" or "Freight" they are only allowed by law to charge the customer what it cost them. If other fees are involved they are required to say so.

[lertanze]

i got nothing against saltwaterfish.com. but this really cracked me up about them. i live about 4 hours from there shipping warehouse. they charge a 9.99 fule charge for the jets they use to ship across the country. they wouldnt be using jets to ship to me they would use trucks. i email them and ask if they could wave the 9.99 fee since they wouldnt even be using jets to ship to me. first there reply was

"sorry you can not pick up the products from our warehouse. they must be shipped by fedex"

so i thought gee maybe they didnt understand my email. i emailed them again this time being even more detailed. i get another email

"sorry you must use fed ex to ship with"

after this i figured they are either to dumb for my busines or they are trying really hard to avoid the bogus 9.99 fee

[kingnai]

try rockinreef.com

[motlot77]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9750651#post9750651 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lertanze
i got nothing against saltwaterfish.com.


are they good for product? their message boards are a little scary. no one is allowed to talk about other sites, other links, etc. if it's not swf.com, it's no good.

[jprebirth]

thanks a lot buddy i was about to get myself some stock form them ..i will certainly never do ...i'll also say it to evryone so then they will nerver be "conned" ...i guess you learned the hard way but i'm sure you never have to do again ...thanks i will not have to learn that way myself ...
but again they are all ******* i think...you should realy call them, give them a hole bunch of problems with your credit card compagy and get your money back ...its awfull:mad2:drive me crazy all these F*ckers that to fool us

[lertanze]

i havent heard anything bad about saltwaterfish.coms products or livestock. they are actually the cheapest place as far as overnight shipping goes that i found even with the 9.99 fule charge. im just a principle kind of guy so that turned me off about them. they did answer my emails quickly and were polite.

[JeffSBCA]

Thanks for the info! I was considering Aquacon for a live rock purchase but I will cross them off my list.

I am looking to buy some uncured liverock for a new 18g nano setup. I am looking at Marshall Island or some other high quality uncured premium live rock.

A few places I'm considering are:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=876
http://www.exoticfish.com/details.cfm?cat=0|1977|1690|0|0&id=37621&
http://www.aquatictech.com/livestock.html
http://livestockusa.org/ROCK.html

Does anyone have experiences with these places? I could potentially drive to exoticfish and hand pick my rock but the rock does look really good at the other three places. It would really help to get some feedback about this.

[d4a2n0k]

I see Aquacon is doing what they do best and thats to shaft as many people as possible. They have also opened up another online site under a different name although I forgot what it was.

There are many unhappy customers of SaltWater Fish, me included. Just look at the vendor experiences forum, there are a number of people complaining about their service on the first page alone!

You get what you pay for in this hobby. Finding the cheapest is not the best way.

[jasontg99]

This is AWSOME!!! Thanks to everyone for their input. That is excatly why I started this thread. I want everyone to be aware of all the shady businesses so we can get the word out to fellow reefers to avoid them. Thanks again everyone!

Jason

[jasontg99]

keep spreading the word

[jasontg99]

TTT

[Young Frankenstein]

I was ready to place an order for 125 lb of live rock from Aquacon. Thanks for the info.

[Deprecated]

Reading into the Aquacon 30 day guarantee I see they want a picture and a water sample mailed to them within 24 hours of the livestocks death. Not only that and what another poster said about your replacement will be shipped with you next order, they also state there is no guarantee on replacements.

Wow, thanks for the heads up!

[dead beat reef]

The vendor forum on RC is a great place to start your
online shopping. Lots of info. RC staff keeps a very good
eye on things. Vendors have to measure up or its
see ya time. So vendors that have long term time on
RC have earned it. On the flip side with respect. I went
to Aquacons web site. Yes on the home page is a big
FREE SHIPPING for live rock window. So I clicked on
shipping and its all there costs and fees in BOLD or
bright red letters small but bright red. Before you click
send on your c/c card be sure to read and understand
all the costs. Its up to you to protect yourself.

[trae]

I have searched every site i know exists on the web for cheap stuff. They are all cheats when it comes to shipping. All the sites i deal with happened to be sponsors for RC before i knew this place existed, stick with the name you can trust.

[jasontg99]

Dead Beat Reef,

As I have stated before, if a vendor states they offer "free shipping", why would I possibly dig into their shipping policies??? Free shipping should mean exactly that.....FREE. No hidden fees, no box fees, no fuel charges. Had aquacon specifically stated these fees upfront there would have been no issue. But they did not. That is why I started this thread. For everyone else to learn from my mistake.
Also, you speak of respect.....how about these companies having some respect for their customers. Companies like aquacon obviously do not count on repeat business. This practice makes no sense to me. Treat your customers with respect and you will have repeat customers. In turn those customers spread the word about how good a company is. I am doing the exact opposite. I am spreading the word about how shady aquacon is.

[serum153]

Live Aquaria was good to me, but I gotta try premium aquatics for the next batch

[sac-bobme]

I'm not giving you hell or not siding with you on this. Many people have **** about them and I would never use them.
however at the bottom of the page, its not hard to read, it says this

Aquatic Connection pays the actual Fedex shipping charges for all live rock shipments over 25 pounds. There is a packaging charge for live rock shipments and it is listed on the link here

People need to READ every thing before stepping out and buying from a new site.

[dead beat reef]

I do not side with Aquacon. The way they present
FREE SHIPPING for live rock is not as clear as it should be.
Just my view askiew. Before anyone pays for a product or
service understand all the fine print. You have to dig.
You have to research. Its up to you. I went back to Aquacons
web site and checked out the order form. Not as clear as
it should be about the shipping fees. Yet if you go down
the page in bright blue letters its all there fees costs.
It seems more of a misunderstanding than a rip-off.
Did you like the live rock you ordered? Was it in good cond?
Looks like you put a lot into this hobby. How about a few
pics. of your tank? My respect is to you jasontg99. dbr.

[jasontg99]

DBR,

I agree with EVERYTHING you said. In hindsight I absolutely should have dug more into the shipping. The reason I started this thread was for everyone to learn from my mistake, and to inform everyone of aquacons shady business practices. That is all. As far as the rock...it was nothing like the pics. I am very unhappy with my overall experience with aquacon.
I wish I could get some pics of the new tank up, but I am currently deployed. Luckily I was able to get the tank cycled, and get the livestock from the 75 moved over to the 150 the night before I left. If it was not for the last minute I would get nothing done. LOL.
I built my own stand and canopy, but I still have all the trimwork to complete. Right now it is basically a bare frame. Not much to look at, but it is functional. I will get pics up of the complete build as soon as I get back. Thanks for the interest.

Jason

[trae]

The name speaks for itself. I hope they go out of business soon.
These guys hide charges like it's Eblay.

[jasontg99]

Trae,

I do too.