bad experience with Digital Aquatics - product and service

[debbythefowler]

Folks,

I would like to share an experience - for two reasons; one, to alert others to potential for similar challenges, and secondly to see if my experience is an isolated incident in the scheme of things.

I ordered directly online from DA a LIFEGUARD. I'd decided that I wanted the e-visibility and some alerting, but am not ready to let 'HAL' take action.

After a week (order on Sunday, receive on the following Monday) I opened the box.

First discovery was that the box and the unit were marked 'demo only, not for resale'! Next I see that there isn't a S/N on the unit (visibly or electronically). Then, i begin the setup only to see that it needs a firmware upgrade so I start that process.

I now place my second call to support, the first one when i left a message asking why they shipped me a 'demo, not for resale'. This time the phone was answered and I asked the tech:

1. Why did you guys send me a demo unit?
2. Why is it taking forever to do a firmware upgrade?
3. Why would you send out a unit with firmware that isn?t current?


He expressed surprise that I?d received a demo unit and explained that the firmware upgrade wouldn?t work on it. Said he?d speak to sales. I asked to have someone call me back and gave him my ##.

After several hours of no return call I sent an email to both sales and support, and as I write this have not received a response to either. I also called and called ? for several hours ? until someone picked up the phone ? in sales.

She told me that they?d already sent out a new unit, she didn?t have any tracking information and she claimed she?d been trying to call me.

I told her that I did not want a new unit. I wanted a shipping label so I could return the demo unit at no cost to me and that I wanted a refund immediately. She said she was going to shipping to stop the package and she?d get back to me.

Still waiting. I have no shipping label to return the demo. I?ve no idea if another unit is coming my way because I don?t have a tracking ##, so I cannot even ?reject the package? ? and I have no refund at this point.

Seriously, something wrong there at DA.

anyone else have this type of challenge?

 

[Josh]

I had an RKE and got rid of it because of similar issues. Tons of people have problems with this stuff, I don't know how the company is still in business.

Get an Apex.

 

[lnevo]

I dont understand...did they charge you for the replacement? Sounds like your getting a new unit sent and they probably dont care about the demo unit. Either way I'd way to return anything once you get the replacement...

I understand wanting to return it after the experience but seems like you jumped the guns bit. Either way I'd wait it out a few days...or i would have until you let them cancel the shipment.

 

[timberwolfny]

agree with inevo sounds like they are sending you another unit free of charge and they don't care about the demo unit. wondering how is that a problem sounds like good customer service to me. I have a DA and a neptune running 2 different tanks. Neptune is not that much better ever try calling tech support although they are helpful but not getting a busy signal is half the battle.

 

[oh207]

Get an Apex.

+1

Sorry to hear your troubles started so soon. Good luck.

 

[debbythefowler]

ordered the apex. and btw, they won't issue me a refund until they get their non-functional unit back. Go figga

 

[debbythefowler]

So, eventually I received a return shipping label. It took 5 days to get a response to my original email to support. In addition, DA won't refund my money until they get their unit back. Ironic since it was non-functional anyway.

MOnday the Apex arrives and my new journey begins.

 

[PhoenixOne]

Thanks for this write up Debby. This is certainly an eye opener. I was looking to invest in a controller sometime down the line and this may have swayed me to get an Apex instead of DA.

 

[Widdy]

Good, you're better off. Purchased DA's SL2 and Conductivity probe when they released it.
All their conductivity probes were defective and for over a year they couldn't figure out why. Signed up for a replacement when a functional model is released, never heard from them again, I hear a new one is out by now. I've given up on the company. Coincidentally, I still have my original ReefKeeper 2 running flawlessly from 6 years ago... they had their act together at one point. G'luck with your Apex!

 

[edd]

i bought a new ph probe from aqua cave a few weeks ago. ph was bouncing all over. called da they said they had some bad probes. they sent a new one with in a couple of days. i personally never had a problem with support.

 

[Weicowireman]

Customer Service

I have a RKE and recently had a issue with a sl1 module and one of there cables. They resolved it very quickly and sent it out ups overnight at there expense. Pretty sure they are a very small company. I have been looking into the reef angel.

 

[timberwolfny]

It is standard practice for them to return your defective unit first and than send you a replacement apex did the same thing to me for a salinity probe BTW I have a apex and a DA so I am not bias on either one except you can get a discount on DA products

 

[polywise]

I have a RKE with 16 channels, 2 PH probes, 1 orp probe, 2 temp probes, and a RD1

It's a bit technical to understand, so at first I can see people having some issues with it.
I have always gotten responses, and resolutions to what ever situation I was having -- just not same day or overnight answers.

System and company works well for me...

 

[BFITZ06]

I agree with polywise
Was a pain to setup but works great for me . Every email i sent da they got back to me quickly

 

[duke62]

I had a issue with their multi timer. Apparently when using a low voltage piece of equipment on one of the channels it resets the multi timer. Their fix for now is to either put the fuge light on a surge protector or remove the light and use a regular timer :-(. They said they are going to be fixing it with newer models but when they do old customers will have to buy the new pc4 which really don't seem fair since it's their design flaw. Pretty much the only issue I've had with the reef keeper