Bow front 260g bottom shattered!!!

[newbiefish468]

Hey i just recently purchased my first aquarium. Its a fluval vicenza 260 gallon. I spoke to the shipping company so i was able to pick it up from them instead of waiting for them to deliver. I went with a uhaul cargo van to pick up the tank and did not open the box before they put it in the uhaul. I drove as careful as possible and did not drop it when it was transported to my house. When i opened the box the bottom glass was shattered. I called the shipping company and they said they did not cause the damage. I am awaiting a response back from the manufacturer because the tank was transported with nothing more than just cardboard to support it. I am definitely trying to get a replacement through the manufacturer but if i am told that because i picked up the item i am responsible for damage, what options do i have? I have called glass companies in nj and they said since it is bow front it is hard to replace the bottom glass. One guy said there is no one in the united states that could fix it! I love this aquarium and was so excited to finally have it and now its like trash! Any help would be greatly appreciated! I added pics as well

 

[Ian086]

Hey i just recently purchased my first aquarium. Its a fluval vicenza 260 gallon. I spoke to the shipping company so i was able to pick it up from them instead of waiting for them to deliver. I went with a uhaul cargo van to pick up the tank and did not open the box before they put it in the uhaul. I drove as careful as possible and did not drop it when it was transported to my house. When i opened the box the bottom glass was shattered. I called the shipping company and they said they did not cause the damage. I am awaiting a response back from the manufacturer because the tank was transported with nothing more than just cardboard to support it. I am definitely trying to get a replacement through the manufacturer but if i am told that because i picked up the item i am responsible for damage, what options do i have? I have called glass companies in nj and they said since it is bow front it is hard to replace the bottom glass. One guy said there is no one in the united states that could fix it! I love this aquarium and was so excited to finally have it and now its like trash! Any help would be greatly appreciated! I added pics as well

That is such a pity. I know the excitement of waiting and then receiving your first fish tank. It's a horrible start for you. I don't know if this will help and maybe you have considered it already. I know i'm from a different country but if i have an issue with any high value goods that are damaged(not my fault), i threaten to call Consumer Affairs, i'm sure you have an American equivalent. If i have no joy with that, i then threaten to take them to the Small Claims Court. This only costs 15euro and you don't need a lawyer. Basically, both sides sit with a judge(only) court and argue their sides, then the judge decides..I'm sure you have an American equivalent of both. The first option usually works and i haven't had to use the second option...yet!!!...
The tank is not adequately packaged anyway. It should be encased in thick polystyrene foam. I would pursue fluval first. It is their responsibility to make sure they're products are fit for purpose.. Not packaging something like glass securely is not very clever. Both Fluval and the transport company should have insurance to cover this and at the end of the day, you are paying part of this in the tank's price...
I hope this makes sense and is some help to you... Don't give up on it and annoy the hell out of them until they relent. You could even be cheeky and ask fluval to upgrade the tank size as a way of compo, for costs and stress caused to you!!!

PS.. I work in retail and trust me, it's a lot easier to just replace or refund the product then argue about who's fault it is..

 

[Link119]

That sucks!
There is no way that it was your fault, it was probably the shipping company but the manufacturer should take care of it because of a poorly packaged tank.

 

[Ian086]

Keep all your photo's, they could come in very handy...