Looking for advice on Red Sea Max S-500 damaged by movers.

[Ryanv]

Apologies if this isn't the correct section.

I guess this is somewhat of a cautionary tale but I’m looking for advice on what to do next after movers chipped my tank.

I had moved out my dream tank, a Red Sea Max S-500, into a storage unit when my girlfriend moved in. Unfortunately I live in a condo so I can’t fill up a tank of that size just yet so keeping it in storage freed up much needed space and kept me from filling the urge of setting it up.
My now ex-girlfriend broke with me while on our Mexico vacation, moved out, and cancelled our storage unit so I decided to move it back home instead of continuing to pay storage fees. From previous times moving this tank, I know it takes four people to handle it properly so I had to quickly find three guys and a truck to help out.

I first looked at U-Haul for movers but noticed they outsource the labor anyway so I instead looked to Kijiji and found Done Right Movers (How ironic). Mistake #1


I found a moving team that would do the move quickly and they met up with me at the storage facility.
They loaded the S-500 frame onto their cart but the frame isn’t flat underneath because it has feet to stabilize it and that meant the frame wasn’t sitting right. No big deal, they tilted the frame on its side on their wooden cart. Mistake #2, which I didn’t clue into at first.


So as they were loading up the truck, I was given the paperwork to read over and sign. I did read everything over that the guy scribbled in but I didn’t realize or question why they wrote “job has no insurance” when I wasn’t asked about insurance or even the value of the tank. They just wrote “Amount Recoverable” as $189. Mistake #3


Anyway, they made it to my place not far away and, as they mentioned earlier, they required payment before unloading the truck. Mistake #4


As they were unloading the tank off the truck’s ramp, they were lowering it slowly and carefully but the tank hit the ground and we all heard it. I didn’t see anything right away until we got to my steps a minute later where there was more light. They pointed it out to me that two edges were chipped. I was clear to them that this tank has never touched the ground but they insisted they didn’t damage it. Maybe I should have just refused things right then and there? Mistake #5


We got the tank inside and on the stand and in the light I could see the front and larger sections of glass looked ok, I think. It was a chip so I think it should be fine.
I’m more worried about the back corner and I’m not quite sure how the chip goes up due to the black backing.
While looking over the glass I noticed the side panels of the stand/cabinet are scratched/rashed up, likely because of them setting the stand on its side on the cart. I may be able to use wax or something to buff that out but I’m really concerned about the tank itself, let alone the hit to resale value now.


The movers were back at their truck ready to leave and I asked for a copy of the paperwork. They wrote up a copy for me and I told them I really hope the glass isn’t ****ed because I don’t even want to guess the replacement cost for this tank. The boss then apologized for that, finally admitting their mistake.


Upon reviewing the paperwork, it states “No claims allowed unless reported within 48 hours” The tank was moved tonight so I have almost two days to think this over.
I realize I should have done many things differently. The time crunch I was put in got the better of me and now I’m stuck with my damaged dream tank.


What advice can you wonderful reefers offer me at this point?

1. What can I do to repair the glass?
2. What can I do to get rid of the scratches on the panels? I think its melamine with a pearl coating.
3. Can I do anything to get some sort of reimbursement from the idiot movers?

Here's the front left edge:


Back left:


Some small grooves on one of the cabinet side panels:

[The Codfather]

That hurts.
I know its too late, but.....
Post and ask for help. I've helped a lot of guys over the years, as well as received a lot of help with moves, and there are a lot of us in the area that can help. It usually only cost you pizza and maybe a couple beers., which in the long run is cheap. The benefit of doing this? Everyone that shows up knows the value of the equipment and livestock being moved. Also you get to meet the reefers in your area.
Just a thought, let us know what the outcome is. I hope with the visible damage shown that the seals are still intact. Trim can be replaced.
Thanks,
Bob

[The Guy]

Wow that's an ugly chip, I would go after the movers to cover the repairs to the tank and the cabinet. They should have insurance for damages if they are a good company.
Good luck, hope it works out for you.

[sphelps]

As far as I am concerned the tank appears to be write off, repairing it will cost more than replacement value. An option might be to price out a custom tank replica from a local builder as it might be cheaper. As far as the stand scratches go there isn't much you can do beyond replacing the panels.

I would put a claim into the movers regardless, it's worth a shot but I doubt you'll get anything out of it beyond perhaps a refund.

[gobytron]

Originally Posted by The Guy

Wow that's an ugly chip, I would go after the movers to cover the repairs to the tank and the cabinet. They should have insurance for damages if they are a good company.
Good luck, hope it works out for you.

He stated that he signed a form indicating no insurance.

You should be able to get that 189$ at least.

You definitely won't get more than that, if anything.

I had a similar experience with "2 small men with big hearts" years ago.

If you signed, they are covered, you are not.

I would fix it so it sits level, then fill it and see what happens.

You should try and send those pics to a custom aquarium place or even a glass repair shop....they might have some know how that will help.

[Ryanv]

Originally Posted by The Codfather

That hurts.
I know its too late, but.....
Post and ask for help. I've helped a lot of guys over the years, as well as received a lot of help with moves, and there are a lot of us in the area that can help. It usually only cost you pizza and maybe a couple beers., which in the long run is cheap. The benefit of doing this? Everyone that shows up knows the value of the equipment and livestock being moved. Also you get to meet the reefers in your area.
Just a thought, let us know what the outcome is. I hope with the visible damage shown that the seals are still intact. Trim can be replaced.
Thanks,
Bob

Yeah, that's a great point. I was in a rush but now I know for next time to rent a U-Haul and offer free food in exchange for extra hands.
I've met many of you in person and you're all great people so next time I'll ask for help from people I actually trust around an aquarium.


The seals look fine, though it's hard to tell on the rear corner how much damage there is.
I just have no idea if there are any fine or invisible cracks in the glass that may pose a problem later on.

Originally Posted by gobytron

He stated that he signed a form indicating no insurance.

You should be able to get that 189$ at least.

You definitely won't get more than that, if anything.

I had a similar experience with "2 small men with big hearts" years ago.

If you signed, they are covered, you are not.

I would fix it so it sits level, then fill it and see what happens.

You should try and send those pics to a custom aquarium place or even a glass repair shop....they might have some know how that will help.

I started reaching out to Red Sea to get an idea of how much the replacement cost is. I doubt the movers will reimburse me for anything, let alone the moving cost but, before I contact them, I want to find out the actual cost I'll have to cover to fix their ****up.

[iamfrontosa]

Sorry to hear about this. Many already brought up good advice. Personally, i think you are screwed. Sorry. These companies are not stupid. They put so many caveat on the paperworks that, basically, cover their ass for claims. I would still go after them though. Maybe if you post their contact info here, we all can start bitching ? Maybe you can get more than $189 ? I dunno.

I also wouldn't put any water in that tank. It already loses it structural integrity. You will have way more headache, if this tank , as is, starts leaking a few years down the road with a tank full of livestocks.

Damn man. This really sucks.

[sphelps]

If there's anywhere like yelp that you could post a negative review that would be worth while as well. Post the review then use it as a way to negotiation a settlement. In other words you'll remove the review if you receive fair compensation. That said you should decide what "fair" is related to previous condition of the tank as IMO asking for full replacement value given the circumstances would not be fair and demanding such will surely leave you with nothing. Obviously I'm not suggesting that would have been your strategy but just noting it none the less.

They may or may not care about a bad review but many companies rely on a good reputation and will go further than you might expect to protect it. Now if it's a nobody company from kijiji it's unlikely you can even review them but if it's actual company that advertises online you'd have a good shot of making an impact.

[Myka]

BBB is an option too if they are a BBB company.

[Ryanv]

Originally Posted by Myka

BBB is an option too if they are a BBB company.

I was looking over those last night. Unfortunately, that was after the fact. If I saw these reviews prior, I would have found a different option.

http://www.yelp.ca/not_recommended_r...oving-edmonton
http://www.bbb.org/edmonton/business...nton-ab-174355

I'll post a negative review before I contact them tomorrow.


So I decided to fill the tank up a bit just to make sure there's no leaks.
I should know better to have towels ready but I wasn't expecting water to be immediately pouring all over the floor.

Turns out, I missed covering the hold in the reservoir drain cover. I missed it because it normally has a nipple on it that a hose connects to that connects to a float in the sump. However, mine is now missing that nipple so I can no longer attach a hose to it. It looks like it snapped off, likely if someone grabbed onto that part during the move.
It's the piece in the bottom right of this pic I found online. I'll have to order a new cover now.



I plugged the hole and kept filling and so far no leaks, though I'm only testing with an inch or so of water.
Red Sea also suggested using a strong epoxy. I have a glass repair kit lying around that I bought years ago so I think I'll now be forced to use it.

I should be getting replacement pricing tomorrow from Red Sea and from one of their Canadian distributors.