UK only,anyone deal with AC Aquatics?

[spwd]

Hi guys i may post a similar thread elsewhere as we have not got a uk based section to post anything and everything in(mods,any chance?)anyway,i recently had a quote from said company for my new all glass aquarium and they have given me a very very good quote but sometimes it can be too good to be true so i was wondering if anyone has had any delings with them in the uk good or bad,where else would you guys recommend posting this?

Steve

 

[cichlid2006]

well i havent dealt with them personally but when i asked my lfs who they recommend out of a list of custom tank manufacturers they told me to avoid:

BOSS even though they are only 30 miles away from us. apparently their build quality is atrocious.
AC Aquatics as they are probably the most expensive out there and their build quality is only slightly better than BOSS. they have the most expensive delivery rates as far as i could find.

ND aquatics was recommended because of build quality but because i wanted a sump they put me into the marine set ups which increases the price a lot because the cabinet is higher. the freshwater cabinets would have been high enough for the sump height i wanted but they wouldnt listen to what i wanted even though i was the one spending a grand. they were only interested in extorting as much money as possible from me. so i promptly went elsewhere.

im using www.aquariums.ltd.uk and their customer service is great. they listened to what i wanted and told me what they could do. they even looked at my sump design and took the time to get back to me with any mods to it. when i told them i would rather the pipework be mostly assembeled because i dont know what im doing they said that was fine, no extra charge either.
they arent the cheapest but they arent the most expensive either but they have been brilliant with me. my tank is due for delivery next week apparently so i can comment on the build then.

 

[spwd]

Thanks for the info mate much appreciated.

Steve

 

[cichlid2006]

Thought I would do an update of my dealings with Aquariums Ltd.
I would like to retract my statement about their cutomer services being great, this was premature.

Their customer service is in fact quite terrible. I ordered the tank in November 2009 but did not receive it until feb 2010, longer queue for tanks and terrible weather meant delays for delivery which is fine but they did not even deliver the pipework with the tank so I had to wait a further month for those parts to arrive and even then the kit was not partially assembled as I had requested and they agreed to, nor were there instructions as this was my first sump.
The plumbing kit was also missing the 2 non-return valves that I had paid for and after a phone call it turned out they were out of stock, which is fine as that is nobody's fault.
However, now comes that terrible service. After repeated phones calls almost every week or two for these valves I eventually told them not to bother at the start of June 2010 and to just issue a refund for the £20 as I have done my plumbing in such a way that non-return valves are not needed even in the event of a power outage.

On every call I was told they would ring back that day with the info I needed but they never would and when I would ring back they would say that the valves were not sent because the manager forgot, constantly hearing "He has a note on his board but it must have slipped his mind". No stock was also a common excuse. Obviously this guy is the worlds greatest manager.

It is now the 18th September 2010 and after speaking to them on the phone, yet again, I have been informed that the refund was denied back in July on the grounds that the card number is no longer the same and that a new card was issued. I informed her that the card runs out in the coming months and that it has not been re-issued and that it is just an excuse. She stuck to her guns and the credit card is obviously brand new and i am unable to read the date on it.
This happened, yet even after giving them my number on every call, almost 20 of them, they did not bother to inform me. Today I was informed that they will send a cheque out, which I expect will never arrive.

They have been warned this time though, give me my money or I get the credit card company involved who will be less forgiving than myself and less generous with time. They will also charge per letter and they will also add interest and any collection agency fees. There crappy excuses and crappy manager forgetting could eventually cost them a lot of money.

A combined 7 months and over 20 calls to get the £20 refund or the 2 valves is beyond crappy service. The manager needs sacked and the secretary needs some serious training on customer care and the company as a whole team needs to be reminded that just because it is only £20, it doesn't mean that a customer is going to give up and go away.
I realy hope one of the staff or the manager, Ray, inparticular because then he may get an idea of how crappy their service is, how bad a manager he actually is and that the constant excuses do not do them any favours.

My advice with aquariums Ltd is to stay away. They can't even refund £20 quickly and without fuss, how fast do you think they will respond if your tank pops withing the 3 year guarantee and they have to pay to fix your sitting room and replace the tank or give a refund?!