Why I will not use Dr. F&S again

[Allowin]

Ordered several items from them on the 2nd of January. Heaters, temp sensor and some other things. Total order was about 130.00 after shipping. I paid instantly with my credit card. Now here is the shipping info I just checked on 5 minutes ago.

Please remember I placed this order on 1/2/09 and it is now 1/20/09.

January 17, 2009 9:55 AM Entry GARDENDALE, AL
January 17, 2009 12:37 AM Sortation Center Departure ATLANTA, GA
January 17, 2009 12:07 AM Electronic Shipping Info Received GARDENDALE, AL
January 17, 2009 12:00 AM Electronically Notified GARDENDALE,AL
January 15, 2009 8:04 PM Sortation Center Arrival ATLANTA, GA
January 14, 2009 11:26 PM Sortation Center Departure NEW BERLIN, WI
January 13, 2009 9:44 PM Sortation Center Arrival NEW BERLIN, WI
January 12, 2009 10:21 AM Sortation Center Departure Rhinelander, WI
January 9, 2009 12:11 AM Sortation Center Arrival Rhinelander, WI
January 6, 2009 9:19 AM Billing Information Received

Gardendale, AL is my home city. It's been sitting there for 3 days already?

Poor customer service on the phone and all she would say is that they would be willing to give me 5.00 off my next order because the shipping did not fall within their 7 day window. Great... 5.00 off? The same 5.00 discount that anybody who orders a catalog gets? The same 5.00 off anybody who does a Google search for "Dr. F&S coupon code" can get?

No thanks...

[Mr. Tang]

I order from them all the time and I have to tell you that this is not their normal operation... You shouldn't be so negative... If the package gets their early, it won't go out for delivery until the expected date.. And that's not F&S fault... That's shipping company.. I recently had a $300 order delivered on time but 50% DIA.. I called them up and without any hassle 100% credit and I even reordered everything plus more...


So I would say give them another try before you dismiss them

[CarmieJo]

I agree that this is not the norm for them in fact their customer service is normally above and beyond! The delay at your home town sounds like a shipping company issue.

[saltaddict]

I too order from them at least once a month and always rec. within 4-5 days from order date.

[Seahorsedreams]

I've had excellent service from them. They sent me out frozen food and it had melted. One of theitems was an expensive brick of frozen cyclopeez. They promptly sent it out again without question.

[Carty]

I have also never had a problem... once it leaves their warehouse it is no longer Dr. F&S but UPS or FEDEX or whoever that is screwing up

in fact, I know with UPS if you order normal 7 day, it usually gets to your city withing 2 days but they hold it until the 7th because you didn't pay extra for the 2 day (pisses me off)

[PhotoJohn]

i have never had a problem with dr foster and smith but i am not surprised a big company overlooked you...i wonder if they are owned by walmart or disney?

[Allowin]

My father always told me, First impressions are the most lasting impressions.

This was my first dealing with Dr. F&S. I can only hope that in the future, if I decide to deal with them again, that the outcome will be different.

[Lightsluvr]

I have had just opposite experience from the OP. No complaints with Drs F & S or Marine Depot.

Sorry it was such a bad experience for you...

LL

[CarmieJo]

Hi George and to TR.

[Lightsluvr]

Hi George and to TR.

Appreciate the welcome...

LL

[jim t]

I order from them alot. They have been great. 6 weeks ago I ordered a 5 gal
bucket of salt, the bottom of the bucket was broken but the bag was still sealed.
When I got home and opened the bucket the salt was hard. I called the next day
and they shipped me a new one(no cost no ?'s asked). 4-5 days later I received
the new bucket of salt...opened it... the salt was hard again!!! I called the next day
They offered me a new bucket but I asked for a credit. "NO PROBLEM" the customer service lady said. She didn't need to talk to a manager, she just gave me my $ back no questions asked.
FYI I have switched salts and ordered from DrFS.
I also use marinedepot.com

[ryandlf]

I think for all of you out there who are part of a small business can agree that you just can't please everyone...you can just try to get as close as you can. Sorry to hear about your shipping disaster, there is nothing worse than waiting, and waiting, and waiting...

[Amphibious]

January 17, 2009 9:55 AM Entry GARDENDALE, AL
January 17, 2009 12:37 AM Sortation Center Departure ATLANTA, GA
January 17, 2009 12:07 AM Electronic Shipping Info Received GARDENDALE, AL
January 17, 2009 12:00 AM Electronically Notified GARDENDALE,AL
January 15, 2009 8:04 PM Sortation Center Arrival ATLANTA, GA
January 14, 2009 11:26 PM Sortation Center Departure NEW BERLIN, WI
January 13, 2009 9:44 PM Sortation Center Arrival NEW BERLIN, WI
January 12, 2009 10:21 AM Sortation Center Departure Rhinelander, WI
January 9, 2009 12:11 AM Sortation Center Arrival Rhinelander, WI
January 6, 2009 9:19 AM Billing Information Received

This is a SNAFU of the shipping company NOT Drs. Foster and Smith. They are, in my humble opinion, the best at filling and getting orders out on time. Delays or errors in shipping are totally out of their control.

i wonder if they are owned by walmart or disney?

Drs. Foster and Smith is solely owned by the Drs. Both are veterinarians.

I've been using them for 10 years and have never had a problem. Don't judge them by the poor service you're getting from the shipping company. Give them the benefit of another chance.

Dick

[Allowin]

Am I just destined to never use them again?

Ordered a Gamma 40w UV, Mag 5 pump for my skimmer, several pieces of Mopani driftwood and 2 bags of sand for my cichlid aquariums.

Ordered on the 5th and had been watching the tracking numbers that were scheduled to be delivered on the 16th.... Yes 11 days. 2 packages shipped together from the same place (split up because of weight). Well the morning of the 16th I saw that the 2 packages were updated and said "On FedEx vehicle for delivery". I goofed off around the house waiting on him to show up. Around 12:30 that afternoon I hear the dog bark and look outside and see a yellow Penske/Ryder rental truck sitting outside my house. A guy gets out, walks around back and opens the door. He grabs one long skinny box and walks up to the door. I open the door and thank him for my package and then when he starts walking back to the drivers door, I said "What about my other package?" He says "I got no idea, I only have one for you". I told him I had just looked at the tracking number not 3 hours ago and it showed that they were both on vehicle for delivery. He said "Maybe another truck or something". I think, why would you deliver 2 packages going to the same house on the same day in 2 different trucks. I rush in and check the tracking numbers again..... "Delivery exception" is what I see. "Package damaged, handling per shippers terms." The guy on the truck must have done something while out delivering. Then he plays stupid. So I figure why not see whats in the box I did get. Open it up to find its my UV filter... Well kinda. It was my UV filter with a bunch of spare glass and quartz shards inside the box. Yup, the bulb and quartz sleeve were just little shards.

Yeah.. Not Dr. F&S fault. Their CS was about as helpful as the first time. She offered to find my original order and get it shipped back out. She asked me to ship the UV filter back for repair or replacement... I told her I would ship it COD and that I would not pay for having it shipped. She said "Well just tell me whats broke and I'll see if I can get somebody to send you those parts." OK. I can live with that. After 30+ minutes on the phone I asked her why do they still use FedEx when they are more expensive, slower and damage way more packages than UPS. She said "I don't know". But they offer UPS shipping for an additional charge if you want..... Wish I would have known that 2 orders ago. The lady was very nice and I told her I was sorry for being a jerk, but that I was sick and tired of bad shipping service. She said she understood and would forward my complaints to her supervisor and to FedEx.

[PhotoJohn]

just ordered some stuff, here within a week no problems

[rayme07]

I ordered a light fixture from them it took 3 weeks for it to get to me due to back order but I still got it in good condition. And it was well worth the wait. If I was you I would just pay the money for shipping with UPS or buy from somewhere else.

[Allowin]

Yeah. I think I'm just doomed to bad service from FedEx. Maybe a ex works there or something? lol

For my second, order I'll have to say I'll give them business again. Not to happy about the poor shipping but then again, that's not their fault. If you knew me you would know this is my every day luck.

What still really bugs me is why this driver was in a rental Penske/Ryder truck? Does FedEx not run their own fleet of trucks any more?

[Allowin]

I mean is this just me? Do none of you have problems with FedEx?

I've used UPS a hundred times and never had any problems other than a slightly dented box corner or maybe a extra day delivery. I've even had the driver miss a box and then come back 2 hours later to drop it off. But all of my FedEx packages have had problems in one way or another. Damaged, 10+ days delivery time.

[rayme07]

I have never had problems other than slightly crushed boxes but the item wasn't broken. It could be the office near you screwing up.

[Carty]

i use UPS... what can the brown do for you?

[THEJRC]

Coming from a small business standpoint and having dealt with logistics I can tell you that this is almost entirely the shipping company. I've seen SNAFU's with all shipping companies so digging on UPS or FEDEX wont really make much of a difference. Unfortunately on the part of Dr. F&S their hands are typically tied when dealing with shippers after the package leaves their building and is given that fancy tracking number.

The best course of action when you see a package sitting at a shippers station is to call the shipper with the tracking number and find out what's going on. Because there are a lot of options and angles to shipping (signature required, etc.) often the drivers will make assumptions or something will get goofed along the way. If it sat at your station for three days the best course of action would have been to call the station at the end of the first day to figure out what happened with delivery.

It seems a pain sometimes but typically if your expecting something good, your watching that tracking like a hawk in excitement, if that package hits my local station and doesnt get delivered during my drivers regular route, I'm on the phone wondering why pretty quick.

[stefalopod]

if that package hits my local station and doesnt get delivered during my drivers regular route, I'm on the phone wondering why pretty quick.

You know, that's really good advice. I'm used to thinking of shipping companies as the big bad (inaccessible) bureaucracy. It never occurred to me to call them! Thanks!

As for my experience with Drs Foster Smith. I've been buying from them for years. Their parrot section is the best one stop shop (short of feathered follies in Laffayette), and I used to throw in a toy for my dog too. Now it's all reef stuff. They have some of the best prices, they have spare parts, they have an accessible webstore, and LOTS of good information... but being in California, it takes DAYZ for anything to arrive...

[Skurvey Dog]

I'm thankful I've had no problems with them either and I've ordered several times. Frozen goods were received overnight as promised and dry goods only a few days. Sorry that happened to you.

[bbl_nk]

I believe Dr's F&S using a combination shipping solution to keep the overall costs down. That's why you get a flat fee shipping and can get huge heavy buckets of salt for cheap. They start with FEDEX I believe, once it gets in your home town it gets delivered to the US Post Office and is delivered that way, or at least that is what happened on my last order. I believe my shipping was right around $10 and it did take a few extra days compared to other online vendors where I have paid $20-30 shipping on comparable order totals. It's the payoff of getting the "cheap" shipping I guess.