!BUYER BEWARE!
***International Marine Fish***
I just received an order from them, and their product is shameful.
I have a request back to them for some kind of recourse.
Here's my letter to them dated Jan. 30th 2009
"To whom it may concern,
I’m very disappointed in the shipment I just received. Not just in the lack of quality of rock, but also the manner of shipment. The product I received was shameful to say the least.
The shipment I ordered:
(2) Boxes of extra large Vanuatu “show pieces” and (2) boxes of “Premium Live Rock” were delivered as scheduled to Seatac International Airport SW Air Cargo last night. I tracked the shipment as it left Ft. Lauderdale to Orlando, and then from Orlando to Kansas City where it apparently had a 6 hour lay over before leaving for Seattle. I don’t know if this is unusual.
Upon arrival I noticed that the boxes were too small to be what I asked for, and that the boxes didn’t contain any Styrofoam for insulation, no wet newspaper, no heat packs…<more concerning>
Once I got home, I removed the rock from the garbage bags they were packed in, and apparently all the water had leaked out damaging the bottom of the boxes to where I had to carry them from the bottom so the bags wouldn’t fall through. I set the boxes down and slowly un-wrapped the bags and immediately noticed that the rock was nearly frozen to the touch, and had zero remains of any life (past or present) as if they’d been taken out of the ocean months ago. There should’ve been sponges and macro-algae present, lots of colors like green, yellow, purple and orange if this was indeed uncured live rock that was recently taken from the ocean.
I asked for:
(2) Boxes of Vanuatu Show Pieces 17” - 24” in length, and
(2) Boxes of large “Premium Live Rock”
I received:
(4) Damaged boxes containing smaller sized (8” – 10”) bare, colorless, lifeless rock stored in garbage bags that were dry, near frozen, and lacking any remnants of life, and I question whether this is live rock at all.
I’ve started the curing process, but have questions regarding your business practices.
(1) Do you try to fulfill special requests? And, if you don’t have what the customer wants, do you normally let them know before ordering/shipment?
(2) In your procurement process, does your live rock come by barge or in some other manner that would explain the quality of your rock?
(3) Are the pictures of live rock on your website of actual rock that you sell?
(4) Do you have a return policy?
Regards,
-David A. Brown"
I will update this post if there's some kind of response back from them.
I mainly wanted to get the word out to anyone and everyone that they do not ship what they promise you on the phone, and they don't ship you anything resembling what's on their website. I believe (having purchased Vanuatu LR before from another company) that IMF is the puppy mill equivilent of LR distributors.