Ugh!!! Good to Bad

[Tank2379]

Well today was a good day... I left work early to surprise my wife with Flowers and to go out to lunch and dinner later for our 7 year anniversary... Well this is were it gets bad... I look over to my Tank and notice my Ecotech Smartwave Driver was not where it was suppose to be, come to find out it fill into my auto topoff bin :headwallblue:. I have a cover for it and normally have it covered but last night I filled up some RO water and forgot to cover it.:debi:.

I called up Ecotech to see if they would do something for me since the sticky part of the Velcro gave away that they provide. They didn't really do anything but say it's not under Manufacture warranty which I can understand, so now I have to buy a replacement EcoSmart Drive.... Does anyone know if they offer replacement warranty for this type of stuff?

[WillM]

That sucks. As much as they charge for their stuff they should have had one hand couriered to you within 12 hours, but I think they are more into making money than spending the money to deliver on all the promise that spending that kind of money should guaranty.

[Fishbulb2]

That sucks. As much as they charge for their stuff they should have had one hand couriered to you within 12 hours, but I think they are more into making money than spending the money to deliver on all the promise that spending that kind of money should guaranty.

Yes and no. I mean, I don't want to come off as an Eco-tech fanboy but no matter how much a company charges for any electronic device, you can't just throw it into the ocean and just expect them to overnight you a complete new one free of charge. Why would anyone expect a company to just willy-nilly send you a replacement when the user clearly broke the product themselves and totally submerged an electronic device. It's actually that attitude that keeps prices sky high on some products. Everyone just expects the manufacturer to send them freebies no matter what they do. :hmm3:

To the original poster: Sorry to hear that happened to you. What a bummer. You know, if it was strictly in RO/DI water and you caught it early enough, you can completely dry it out a bag of desiccant or rice and see if it will still work. The salt itself often does more damage to electronics then the water, and since it was your ATO, maybe you can salvage it? I hope they do work with you to get you a low cost replacement, but unfortunately, I think it will be a long shot and certainly not something you are "entitled" to no matter what premium you paid for the pump.

FB

[Tank2379]

Yes and no. I mean, I don't want to come off as an Eco-tech fanboy but no matter how much a company charges for any electronic device, you can't just throw it into the ocean and just expect them to overnight you a complete new one free of charge. Why would anyone expect a company to just willy-nilly send you a replacement when the user clearly broke the product themselves and totally submerged an electronic device. It's actually that attitude that keeps prices sky high on some products. Everyone just expects the manufacturer to send them freebies no matter what they do. :hmm3:

To the original poster: Sorry to hear that happened to you. What a bummer. You know, if it was strictly in RO/DI water and you caught it early enough, you can completely dry it out a bag of desiccant or rice and see if it will still work. The salt itself often does more damage to electronics then the water, and since it was your ATO, maybe you can salvage it? I hope they do work with you to get you a low cost replacement, but unfortunately, I think it will be a long shot and certainly not something you are "entitled" to no matter what premium you paid for the pump.

FB

In no way I'm I looking for a free bee I worked in the retail industry for 10 years and I understand the Manufacturer warranty very well. I just wish with all the waterproof coating thats on the market now, you think they would make these drivers water proof since we are dealing with water and it's around water.

The bad part about it is that I only had this Pump for a month and now I'm out $235 which kina sucks. I'm just upset at myself... But then again it can happen to anyone... :blown:

[Dapg8gt]

I'm sure you don't need the entire unit. Just the board inside. I think they sell them on their website for like $80. Agreed I doubt they will do anything for you cause it was user error. Sucks the Velcro peeled off though gonna look at mine now LOL. Good luck..

[Fishbulb2]

Agreed, even some minimal splash protection would be a huge plus since it's something that will be used around an aquarium. Did they even give you a quote for a replacement part? Is it just the driver? I have an old MP10 and I thought the driver upgrade to the eco-smart driver was only $50-80 depending wether or not you needed the wireless set up. I might be wrong but that was my impression. You should still have a functional wetside and dryside, no?

FB

[Fishbulb2]

Check this out and see if it will suffice. Still sucks no doubt, but maybe you can combine the shipping with other stuff you might need. Just a thought.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/pumps/powerheads-1/vortechs/vortech-mp10-to-mp10-es-upgrade-kit.html

FB

[Tank2379]

Agreed, even some minimal splash protection would be a huge plus since it's something that will be used around an aquarium. Did they even give you a quote for a replacement part? Is it just the driver? I have an old MP10 and I thought the driver upgrade to the eco-smart driver was only $50-80 depending wether or not you needed the wireless set up. I might be wrong but that was my impression. You should still have a functional wetside and dryside, no?

FB

Yes it was just the driver that fell into the ATO I think next time I am going to use heavy duty Velcro instead of the cheap Velcro they gave me. It just boggles me sometimes with these manufacturers, as expensive these devices are they should offer some type of replacement warranty for accidents like this.... Just my opinion..

[jcw]

I had the wet side fail on a unit that was used for a little more than one year.

Called customer support and got no support. :(

A nearly $500 pump that ran for 1 year. That sucks, IMO. I ended up supergluing the nut that stripped off the shaft and so far all is well. But I'll never spend a dime on a vortech again...


BTW, happy anniversary. 6 years for me this past month. Feels like we've been together for much longer.

[Tank2379]

BTW, happy anniversary. 6 years for me this past month. Feels like we've been together for much longer.

Thanks... same here :)