Reptile Direct - Awful Customer Service

The following emails should give a pretty good run down on the situation I'm currently dealing with. A friend of mine recommended reptiledirect.com because they've gotten their bulbs from them previously without an issue and I wanted to test out the Mega-Ray MVB bulbs (bulbs that are $39.99 a pop). I was so excited when the bulb arrived! The light it threw off was amazing! I left for work not long after the delivery and came home 8 hours later to the bulb shut off. I thought maybe something was wrong with my fixture (which in itself would annoy, I just purchased the fixture the week before)...but after tries in 3 different fixtures, I realised the bulb was definitly broken. I had by chance tried it in a fixture above my head and noticed little pieces of wire lose in the bulb. It appears the Reptile Direct is giving me the run around. Blaming UPS for not picking up the damaged bulb and refusing to answer my questions on whether or not the will be sending a replacement or refund.

I put a complaint in with Paypal, but they evidently only cover Ebay purchases...

Purple = Me
Navy = Reptile Direct

From: Stephanie Kunder [mailto:info@triplemoonsexotic.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 10:26 PM
To: admin@reptiledirect.com
Subject: Order Number 20536


I purchased a single Mega-Ray MVB bulb from you on 09-25 and it arrived today. I hooked it up and it worked fine...I left for work about an hour later, came home just now and it is no longer working. I do not think this is a shipping issue. I think it is just a bad bulb...

Thanks,
Stef



From: admin
Date: 09/30/05 12:31:57
To: Stephanie Kunder
Subject: RE: Order Number 20536

Sorry for the problem but you may want to check the dome first.


From: Stephanie Kunder
Date: 09/30/05 12:35:24
To: admin
Subject: RE: Order Number 20536

I tried it in 3 different fixtures...

Their are broken wires lose in the bulb...

It is definitely broken.

- Stef

From: Stephanie Kunder [mailto:info@triplemoonsexotic.com]
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 10:26 PM
To: admin
Subject: RE: Order Number 20536


Please reply to me with a solution to this issue. Mega-Ray bulbs are very expensive and this is my first go at them. I was thrilled when I plugged it in and the heat/lighting it threw off. It was a big let down that a mere 8 hours later it was no longer working. I went through your company because a friend of mine recommended you (she purchases her tube bulbs from you).

Thanks,
Stef


From: admin
Date: 10/03/05 12:14:46
To: Stephanie Kunder
Subject: RE: Order Number 20536

Sorry for the problem. When can we have UPS come by to pick it up.

From: Stephanie Kunder
Date: 10/03/05 12:21:05
To: admin
Subject: RE: Order Number 20536

Tomorrow will work. Will I be receiving a refund or a replacement?

Thanks.

From: Stephanie Kunder
Date: 10/05/05 11:12:45
To: admin
Subject: RE: Order Number 20536

FYI, UPS did not come pick up the damaged bulb. Also, you never replied to my email if I'm getting a refund or a replacement. At this point, just provide me with a refund.

This poor customer service is not going to get your business very far.

From: admin
Date: 10/05/05 11:24:45
To: Stephanie Kunder
Subject: RE: Order Number 20536

Sorry for the problem but they get three days to pick it up. If they aren't there today let us know.

From: Stephanie Kunder
Date: 10/06/05 12:01:05
To: admin
Subject: RE: Order Number 20536

The package is still sitting on my porch...

From: Stephanie Kunder
Date: 10/09/05 22:04:06
To: admin
Subject: RE: Order Number 20536

Bulb's still sitting on my front porch.

I have never had a problem with FedEx retrieving a package for me, I think you might want to consider switching courier services.

This has been going on long enough. It's not my fault that your chosen courier service is not retrieving the bulb. I demand a refund immediately.

It's true that UPS does take 3 days to come out (and it seems like they wait until the end of the 3rd day). I ordered a protien skimmer for my reef tank. It was over $400 and it arrived broken. I went thru the same as you. No refund but waited 3 days for UPS to pick it up and another week to get the replacement.
It sounds like they are handling it the same way and you should be getting a replacement once UPS gets it back to them.

I've had the damaged bulb for 2 weeks now...3 days certainly isn't 2 weeks... *lol*

Have you called and talk to them in person? It is a better way to find out what is going on.

This is a touchy situation, in their Return Policy I see two statements that may conflict you:

Meg- Ray bulbs must be sent back by the customer

Do not send back used products

This is when a phone call is a deffinate to get proper instructions, their e-mail replies conflict with their own policy.

I agree...

I avoided putting a call in (and posting on the BOI) as long as I could...I had already decided I'm going to make an attempt at calling them tomorrow. Whether or not that resolves my issue or not, I do not know.

Also, a product that is used for 8 hours and then burns out really shouldn't be considered a "used product." The item was faulty.

Let them know about this thread too, it may open their eyes a bit.

I sell about 15 or so of these fancy uv heat lamps every week. I carry 4 different brands, and although I have found that one is better ie: longer lasting then the others, they are all pretty crappy in my opinion. Sure, they work great, and provide what they are supposed to.....for the short period of time that they work. Having one stop working within an eight hour period is not unusual at all. I replace about 4-5 of these bulbs every week. I can't be the only vendor with this happening to them. So, I do expect that these people, if they sell a lot of these bulbs, is having to replace a bunch also. Why they are stalling, I have no clue. I have not used the brand that we are talking about, so I don't know what the manuf. warranty is. I give a 6 month warrenty on all these uv bulbs I sell, and I bet I replace about a third of them before the warranty is up. Of course, some of my customers most likely break them with one month to go, just to get a new free bulb, but that's life. It's too bad though, that customer service hardly happens anymore.

We have had a lot of success with the Capture The Sun bulb from Big Apple Herp. Still have the same ones we put in a year ago. Haven't had any problems with Big Apple in general either. You might want to check them out.

Capture The Sun

We have stopped carrying them all together because of the because of the quality of the screwin type bulbs.. I dont liek for a customer to have to wait on an item to be returned to me and then me return the product back to them.. I have had some great luck with the ZooMeds though.. A few returns but none like the other brands...

I had been told the Mega-Ray was the best as far as combo UVA/UVB/Heat bulbs.

I had seen the ones from Big Apple, but do they really contain UVA/UVB?