So Annoyed

[Fishy_Fun]

I got my light today after a long hassle of shipping.He was suppose to ship priority and shipped UPS took so much longer.Was suppose to be delivered yesterday when it said we had adverse weather conditions (which we did not)so they delayed it till today.so when the ups guy rolled up i ripped open the box and unwrapped and only to plug it and not work:mad2:.I bought it off
ebay for half the price so i couldn't pass it up.The thing is it will turn for about half a second and turn off:headshake2:.Does anyone know whats wrong?:wall:

[Bk718]

what kind of light is it again? something could be wrong with the bulb or the ballast.. thats the risk you are taking ordering from ebay, they may say it works and in great condition but its the opposite when you get it

[Fishy_Fun]

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/204844/product.web

[Fishy_Fun]

heres the auction
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=280196055801&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=018

He states that the light works

[Bk718]

could be the wiring, bulb, ballast..
Guess the key words in that auction are "All sales are final"
You tried contacting the seller?

[Fishy_Fun]

i tried today after receiving.....with no response

[Bk718]

well good luck with it.. hope something works out, maybe you can get some electrician to have a look at it??
or you can try and bringing the fixture with you to say homedepot, and trying a bulb, if even the new bulb doesnt then you know its not the bulb.. and slowly rule everything out..

[Fishy_Fun]

well thanks for the help!:)

[Bk718]

keep us updated on whats happening

[The Zigman]

Have you let it warm up ( to room temperature) and try again?

[Fishy_Fun]

yes it was freezing cold when i first tried and i let it sit plugged in but off for a good hour and all it did was flicker on then off and thats all it will do.Anyways i got a reply back from the seller and he says he honestly couldn't tell me why the bulbs aren't working as he tested them before he listed.he stated that he sold another light on ebay and was truthful which i went and looked at feedback and sure enough there was feedback left for another light and he even stated in that auction that one of the lights didn't work so i don't think he would have ripped me off like that.He has 100% feedback and was even nice enough to tell me how to attach the legs to my unit.I don't know what to do know mybe i will buy a bulb tomorrow and see if that fixes it.Oh and one last thing i asked him how long he had the bulb to make sure it just wasn't old but im waiting for a response.

[Bk718]

dont buy a bulb yet, you dont want to spend more money and then having to go through the hassle of returning it.. Bring the fixture with you to where you will get the bulb and try it on there. Most of the time some stores have knowledgeable staff so they maybe will be able to help you out more..

[Cory Keeper]

And this is why I do not buy equipment off E-bay, unless the seller is right down the street. I prefer to be able to inspect the merchandise before I buy. If that means a little DIY or buying new, so be it.

[grannylvsfish]

give it another try, but move the bulb to see if its loose or not in right, i got one that will not work unless I fidget with the balast on it. I am sorry, I have had ebay burn, it sucks!

[Fishy_Fun]

ok i will look into that grannylvfish but i asked him how old the unit was he said at least a couple of years.So couldn't it really be the bulb?

[Bk718]

ok i will look into that grannylvfish but i asked him how old the unit was he said at least a couple of years.So couldn't it really be the bulb?

could be anything, after a couple of years anything could give way.. just start ruling things out..
wiring
bulb
ballast

[mellowvision]

I'd email the seller again, and if he doesn't reply, file a claim with paypal for a refund. even if it says all sales are final, if it doesn't work, then it's not as it was described. paypal should protect you in this case.

[Bk718]

i agree with mellow, im just confused how ebay will see the "all sales are final" as compared to "sold as is"..

[Fishy_Fun]

Well bad news i took it to a specialist and he said the ballast is going out...but i bought a new light while i was there and when i got home i emailed the seller telling him its going out so he agreed to take it back and give me my money back WOOHOO!!!! :P

[grannylvsfish]

Well bad news i took it to a specialist and he said the ballast is going out...but i bought a new light while i was there and when i got home i emailed the seller telling him its going out so he agreed to take it back and give me my money back WOOHOO!!!! :P

that sucks about the light, but great on the seller taking it back. also is a balest expensive? mine is acting funny to, I jiggle it and it works, but I would have no clue what a balast costs.

[Fishy_Fun]

i didn't ask but im sure it cost a good chunk of the lights worth.I was going to buy a bulb to test it but it was 45.00 sheesh thats how much i payed for the whole fixture

[Draal5]

that sucks about the light, but great on the seller taking it back. also is a balest expensive? mine is acting funny to, I jiggle it and it works, but I would have no clue what a balast costs.

ballast are relatively cheep compared to a new light if you get them at an electrical supply house not a pet store.

you just have to do it your self, take out the old one and bring it with you so they can match it.

Safety note: Unplug the light, pull the bulb out before you work on it

(legal disclaimer):grinyes:

Ps That is why t-5 are the best now $18.00 for a 48" bulb and they last longer

[root81]

Balests are usually fairly cheep from electrical supply shops. I think I paid about $30 to replace one on a regular florescent fixture in my shop last fall. Much cheaper than buying a whole new fixture every time one dies.

[Bk718]

You know its funny what i noticed at homedepot.. A ballast alone cost $20-30+, a 24" fluorescent light strip cost $10-15, simple thing you can do is just buy this 24" light strip and replace the ballast/plugs and your done..

Btw Fishy_fun its great to hear that he actually is willing to take it back..

[jmowryg]

Don't give up hope yet - I just bought 2 new lights today for my 75 gallon... both are flickering on and off for some apparent reason. They are obviously in working condition, and my balast is as well - I just pulled working lights out of it. I'm in your boat - a bit frustrated, but I know in my case its something I'm doing... not the equipment. I'll let you know when I get this figured out.

[amyjod2]

Hi,

I have the Sunpaq lights. It may be that the bulb is loose. You might try removing the bulb and reinserting. There are clips on the bulb just seperate and lift the bulb all the way out. Then try reinserting. It could be that it just is not tight in there. Of course if you have already tried that, then just ignore.
I purchase from this site http://www.aquariumguys.com
Their prices are pretty good and they do a great job with shipping.
As far as the seller on Ebay (I am a power seller) If you don't get a response from the seller, you can put in a claim with ebay that the item was received not as described ( since it says it works and it it not) Secondly if you paid by paypal then you can put in a claim with them for the item not as described. As a buyer you have more protection believe it or not than the seller. He can write all sales final til he is blue in the face, but if you did not get what you paid for....his loss.

Amy

[Fishy_Fun]

well i got the new lights today from a allright fish shop.i got home opened the box to find no mounting legs lol so im going later tonight to get the ones that were suppose to be in my box to begin with

[nano cichlids]

sigh classic e-bay scam you really gotta watch out

[Fishy_Fun]

funny i got there told a worker there about the legs and he said "Sorry they don't come with legs you have to buy them separately".i busted out the instructions and told him that they are.So he grabbed a light unit opened the box to find no legs in it either anyways i got my legs and there finally attached.the price tag on the legs that i got were marked at 10.50 thats alot for something your suppose to get free.

P.S. i thought i was finally done with this pet store nope they charged me too much for an item and i have to go back

[Rbishop]

Buyer beware.