ATM, Acrylic Tank Manufacturing, Warning!

[Kendall]

Back in the begining of Nov. 2002 I ordered a 565 gallon tank from ATM. The dimensions were to be 96"L x 40"D x 34"H. I was told the completion date would be around Christmass.

1. Tank was not completed until the end of Feb. 2003. I had to make several phone calls and e-mails during that time to find out where my tank was.

2. I was given an estimated shipping cost of $300.00. The actual cost was $700.00. I understand they could not give an actual amount, but more than double is unaceptable.

3. They built the tank to the wrong dimensions. They made it 32" high instead of 34" high. I ordered 34" high for a reason and 2" is a big difference on a tank this size.

Their response to this:

1. Their were working on bigger projects first, and they had a problem getting materials, and would let me know when it was done.

2. They said they are not a shipping company and have no idea how much it would cost. So why did they give me a price in the first place?? Now I have to pay an additional $400.00?

3. Send it back and they will build me another. So I have to re-crate the tank, bring it back to the shipper, pay for shipping, and wait another 3 months for the tank? Then pay for shipping again? $2100.00 for shipping for something that that costs $3000.00 and should have been done right the first time? I don't think so! I communicated 3 different times to them the dimensions of the tank, over the phone twice and once by e-mail.

Unless you don't care that you may not receive what you order, or how much you pay for shipping above and beyond what they estimate, don't care when the tank is completed, do not deal with ATM, Acrylic Tank Manufacturing

 

[anthem]

Is the tank 32" outside dimension or inside dimension ? Some tank manufacturers build tanks to outside dimensions (which is significant). Not sure why they would cut it off at 32" as most sheets of acrylic are 48" anyhow. Maybe they had a chance to make another tank at 16" rather than 14, but doubt it.

 

[O P Ing]

hi.
So you did not find out the dimension of the tank until you physically got it in your house? Or they had contact you for the discrepancy (size and shipping cost) before build and ship the tank?

 

[Kendall]

The outside measurement is 32" from bottom to top

I did not know it was wrong until I got it home. We had to remove the crate at the FedEx warehouse, because good'ol FedEx smashed it. No damage to the tank though. It was double wrapped in bubble wrap and we did not want to remove it till we got it off the truck and in the house. Then I measured because it did not look right.

 

[reefNewbie]

that ******* sucks. **** like that always happens to me, and i hate when that happens. sorry to hear about that.

 

[King Jason]

You are talking a lot of money here. This may be a circumstance where you get legal advice.

 

[Anonymous]

Do you have to ship it back via FedX?

I would check with some trucking companies. I have had a few items delivered to me personally via truck and they have been perfect. At the warehouse I work in we get stuff all the time and it's rarely damaged and usually handled on skids. That tank length is the width of two of our standard skids. So it's a bit oversized. But most companies that want your business will take reasonable care if they are wrapped properly.

They even have little indicators that mount to the packaging to indicate excessive shock and the possiblity of damage at a simple glance.

 

[Anonymous]

You know, another idea occured to me. Facing another possible $1400 I would arrange to borrow a friends trailer, haul back the old one and pickup the new. $1400 will pay for a lot of gas and motels.


Then you can have and eye-to-eye with the manager. 8)

 

[GSchiemer]

I had a similar thing happen to me and I know how you feel. In my case, they shorted me by 1 1/2 inches on the height of a 125 gallon sump. The company went out of business shortly after I recieved my tank, so I was glad I didn't send it back to them. I later learned that they were just using the acrylic they had in stock because they were facing financial issues. This was the reason my tank was late and the dimensions incorrect. If I were you, I would try to work out a financial settlement with them rather than sending the tank back, or hold onto the tank until a new one is built and sent to you. Even if they agree to this, I can assure you that it will take twice as long to replace as it did to get it in the first place. Personally, I don't have kind of patience.

Greg

 

[Anonymous]

I love visa, and small credit unions, I would be reversing the charges so fast...

 

[JRF]

HI,
I have a tank built by ATM as well. The tank is flawless and was built to my exact specs. But, they did get one over on me for the shipping as well. I was told at the time of order that the price quote was "to my door". Well. when the shipping co. called me they said they were ready to deliver and that I owed $300!! I was very upset so I called ATM, they were no help at all and said that if they didn't charge me for the shipping they would not make any money on the tank. I went 'round and 'round with them, they were very rude and I ended up paying the shipping. When I told the shipping co. about this they were very nice and reduced my shipping charges by half!!
ATM was about 2 months late on my tank as well due to "working on bigger projects first"!!
I must say, their craftsmanship is excellent but customer service dose not exist.
Tenecor gets my vote.
JRF
This is a pic of the ATM tank, 110 gal. cube

 

[GSchiemer]

I love visa, and small credit unions, I would be reversing the charges so fast...

In most cases you have to prepay for custom aquariums long in advance of receiving the tank, which makes reversing a charge impossible.

Greg

 

[clk2609]

that really bites, i feel for you. I say try submit a complaint to the Better Business Bureau. There has to be something you can do legally since you did have a contract with them, just not sure what. sorry

 

[steve F]

Sorry to hear that.

Thanks for the warning, I will steer people clear of them.


I recieved my tank from Tenecor. They included the shipping in with the price. I have no Idea how much freight cost. They also shipped it a week early.



Steve
_________________
Mercedes W123

 

[t gallo]

i hate company's like that , there full of *hit. i hope they go out of biusness and from the way they treated you i hope no one else puts a order in with them they have a small biusness mentality and what goes around comes around. :evil:

 

[clk2609]

please keep us posted of what happens

 

[Anonymous]

I would contact a lawyer before doing anything else. The "they are not a shipping company" doesn't let them off the hook to the tune of $400. Thats completely irresponsible and they should have been able to get a firm quote, it's not that hard to do. FedEx Ground? for something that big? Roadway is a big trucking company but I'm sure there are cheaper common carriers.

what a joke

 

[wombat1]

Just thought I'd chime in with a good acrylic tank maker: www.truvuaquariums.com I've been completely satisfied with their customer service, price, and quality. Sorry to hear you got jacked

 

[teevee]

the company i work for has sent skids of product from our location in western canada all the way to florida. we knew exact shipping cost in advance, it was cheaper than any of the big guys (UPS, fedex), and it only took three days. i would recommend doing extensive research into shipping methods. it can be done for a very reasonable price if you look hard enough.

 

[Timbo1]

Do you have a paper copy of them aknowledging your dimension requirements? If so you might consider a lawyer, that's a lot of money. As for the cost of shipping, that's just poor customer service but I don't know that I'd consider it as big an issue as them not meeting your specs.