Benefit of the doubt spent
My first order had a poor delivery with no heat pack, the octo had damaged fleshbands back to it's mouth and the WYSIWYG pavona was not in fact what I ordered. Got a refund on the panova. Gave them the benefit of the doubt and ordered more since and the following deliveries were came warm, but I paid for a double head on the next order and was only sent a single. Stevie did send out a replacement for the missing head which I appreciated. I won an acan in the raffles and it arrived full of barnacle pests that dipping wouldn't kill. The final thing that made me give up on DBME was buying a banana torch, once again arrived with damaged fleshband back to it's mouth and it's still struggling to recover, so pale in colouration currently that it looks nothing like the sale pictures. My message to Stevie about this was ignored so I've stopped giving them the benefit of the doubt and gone elsewhere.
Reply from Deep Blue Marine Emporium
Thank you taking the time to share your experience. We're genuinely sorry to hear that your orders did not consistently meet expectations, as that is not the standard we aim to provide.
We appreciate you acknowledging the steps that were taken to address some of the issues, including refunds and replacements when errors were identified. While we strive to ensure all livestock arrives healthy, shipping live coral always carries inherent risks, and we work hard to mitigate those through packing standards, heat packs when required, and prompt support.
That said, we recognize that repeated disappointments and missed communication can understandably lead to frustration. We regret that your final message went unanswered and that this contributed to your decision to shop elsewhere. This is feedback we take seriously and will review internally to improve both the quality control and customer communication.
We truly appreciate the opportunities you gave us and wish you the very best with your reef going forward.