ComplaintsforInnovative Marine

• Initial Complaint

  01/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I placed an order on 12/22/22 for a Fusion Pro 2 20-gallon aquarium on sale for $339.00, a heater for $89.00 plus a $29.00 shipping fee. Upon opening the box but not removing it from the packaging, I realized that I had made a mistake and it was too large to fit on the shelf it was intended for, as I thought I had ordered a different configuration, which would have fit on the shelf. I emailed and called the company on 1/2/23 about my mistake and offered to cover return shipping in order to exchange the tank for the proper configuration. They said that they would waive the restocking fee and send me an RMA# (I didn't realize that a restocking fee applied to exchanges, I thought it was only for refunds) if I placed an order for the correct tank on their website immediately, which I did even though the price for the correct tank had gone back up to $399.00 from $339.00 (with the holiday sale ending) plus an additional $29.00 for shipping. I figured I'd just eat this cost for the penance of my mistake. Upon receipt of the RMA# over email, I went to set up the return shipping. Return shipping estimates were all over $200.00 via UPS, FedEx, and USPS. I called the company back on 1/3/23, asking if they could send me a shipping label via their shipping account if I paid for it, since their shipping fee was $29.00, but they said that they would not do this. I requested that they cancel the order for the proper tank, since I can't afford the cost of the correct tank and over $200.00 for return shipping of the incorrect tank. In addition, they were going to charge me a 5% fee for canceling this order. My desired resolution is for them to be clear that exchanges occur a restocking fee just like refunds, and that return shipping costs are much higher for customers than the $29.00 that they charged to ship the tank to me. I will not order from this business again unless their policies are made more clear. I've attached order info and the most affordable return shipping quote.

  Business response

  01/26/2023

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2023/01/10) */ ***********'s shipment was shipped free, as it met the threshold of the order being over $49. The $29 fee is applied to all desktop aquariums (including the 20 gallon) for the cost of the double boxing and foam insulation to ensure the safe arrival to its destination via UPS parcel service. We do not offer exchanges since the transaction must be completed together on one invoice at the time of return and sale. Returns do have a 25% restocking fee, which in this case, would be considered a return once the item is shipped back to our warehouse. We waived the restocking fee for *********** due to the circumstances of this order. Our Shipping/Return/Cancellation policy is listed on the bottom of our website, as well as at the time of checkout. The customer must check a box agreeing to the sale policies before they can proceed with the completion of the sale. This is the link to the policy on our website. https://www.innovative-marine.com/shipping-and-returns. The cost for the shipment to send ***********'s order to her was $100.66 using our UPS account (please see attached document). We apologize if your request to pay for the return shipping label was not answered but we do offer that service. Please let us know if you would like to purchase the shipping label from us. We hope we have cleared up any confusions regarding our stated policies. Please reach out to us if your have additional concerns. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2023/01/14) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) The $29 fee is listed as a shipping fee in multiple locations, so shipping was not "free," as per what Innovative Marine (IM) stated. In addition, there is no statement on the prohibition of exchanges on any of IM's policies. See attached documents. I will agree to purchase a return shipping label for $100.66 to return the Fusion Pro 2 20 AIO Aquarium (SKU ******) for a full refund of the $339.99 purchase price if IM agrees to sell me a replacement Fusion Pro 2 20 AIO Peninsula Aquarium (SKU ******) for $339.99, honoring the original price I paid. In addition, if the $29 fee is indeed to cover the cost of boxing and foam materials, then the $29 fee should either be waived for the replacement aquarium (SKU ******) or refunded on the returned aquarium (SKU ******), as I will be returning the boxing and foam materials with the returned aquarium. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2023/01/23) */ The reason it shows S & H on the checkout page is due to the default layout of our third party shopping cart feature on our website -we cannot change this. It is explicitly written after the $29 fee that this fee is for the double box and foam inserts. We will issue an invoice to *********** for the amount of $126.52 which covers the return label for shipping the 0305-p back to our warehouse ($97.52) and $29 for the ****** double boxing fee. It is imperative that she ships back the product in its original box and packaging, along with the outside box and foam packaging. Once the product is returned back to our warehouse (in new condition), we will send out the ****** to the customer. There will be no restocking fee assessed for this return since *********** is purchasing a different aquarium. Unfortunately, the $29 fee for the mew aquarium cannot be waived since this is a different box. In addition, the returned outside box and foam insets will be compromised during shipping, so we do not reuse previously mailed shipping materials. Please let us know if *********** would like to proceed with this agreement. Consumer Response /* (2000, 11, 2023/01/25) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) I believe that this is a fair response and thank IM for this explanation of fees. In the future, it would make sense to clarify this information further on the website. I agree to pay the proposed invoice amount of $126.52 (assuming this fee includes shipping insurance)to ship the aquarium in my possession in exchange for a Fusion Pro 2 20 AIO Peninsula Aquarium (SKU ******). I understand that the $29 included in this charge will include new packaging materials for the new aquarium.

• Initial Complaint

  03/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  Bought a innovative marine wavelink mid size wave maker on 12/19/21, brand in factory sealed box, (from 3 party seller) wires on power head are exposed to saltwater in my tank which gives a electrical shock not safe to use ( removed from tank as it's unable to be use) Innovative marine will not stand behind there 1 year warranty on defected item . This is clearly a factor defect and company should replace said power head, this is a health issue! Company said seeing that I bought from 3 party they will not cover the factory warranty. A warranty is a warranty regardless of were it's purchased from (ie Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Target, LFS or any other company.) I provided all information they ask for.

  Business response

  06/30/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/04/18) */ Hello BBB, **. **** purchased the Wavelink wave maker from an unauthorized seller on Ebay. We informed her that we gladly warranty our products to the original purchaser from our website (www.innovative-marine.com) or our authorized resellers (retail aquarium stores, online wholesalers, distributors and our Amazon and Ebay store (Innovative Marine-seller). However, the Ebay seller (***********) **. **** purchased the item from is not an authorized seller for Innovative Marine. Since it was purchased from an unauthorized seller, there is no warranty offered by our company for **. ****'s product. Innovative Marine cannot prevent customers from reselling our products due to the First Sale Doctrine. However, due to this unauthorized reseller sales channel, we have these rules in place to control the quality of our products. Innovative Marine is unable to oversee or control the quality of its products sold by unauthorized sellers. Innovative Marine's warranty is not available for products purchased from unauthorized sellers. Innovative Marine's warranty extends only to the original purchaser of products purchased from www.innovative-marine.com or authorized sellers that are subject to Innovative Marine's quality controls and have agreed to follow its quality controls. We do sell and warranty factory recertified products on Ebay under our company name only, Innovative Marine (seller). Our website clearly states our terms and conditions, as well as our warranty information. Below is excerpt from our warranty page on our website, under the Warranty claims link: "These products are warranted to the original purchaser against defective material and workmanship from the date of original purchaser...A proof of purchase from Innovative Marine or an authorized dealer must be provided when making a warranty claim." Consumer Response /* (3000, 10, 2022/04/22) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Do see why new unopened in factory sealed box but I'll make sure never to buy their products in the future or recommend them. Noway to treat old people who live on fixed income and just wanted some thing nice for there saltwater tank. This is clearly a factory defact. I have had products from other sellers on ebay from 3 partie never had a warranty problem before.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩