bio spira discontinued

[tidioute06]

So i called drsfostersmith.com this morning to order some bio spira for my new 200g tank. They told me the product has been discontinued. So i got on the phone and contacted marineland and yup the discontinued the product because of the massive amount of complaints from folks who bought it and it wasn't handled correctly. They were actually losing money because of all the refunds. So much for instant cycling a tank eh..

 

[jpappy789]

Hmmm...suppliers fault or improperly handled by the stores? Seems like a company like marineland would have better control over a product like Bio-spira. A small part of me believes that a good majority of the complaints were from customers who didnt monitor the cycling process correctly and blamed marineland for their fish deaths.

 

[tidioute06]

handling by the stores the guy on the phone said orders placed through them and shipped overnight got very few complaints it was mostly store bought packages. Sad thing is th product worked well when handled properly.

 

[jpappy789]

Yes, which is too bad for them seeing as it is not their fault.

 

[Reddog80p]

Seems like Marineland should only sell the product directly instead of selling it to LFS. Anytime anything sensetive is handled by a middle man, the potential for damage is there. Seems odd that they would just say were not gonna sell it anymore, if it is in fact is a "instant cycle" when handled properly.

 

[aquapants]

Hmm, thats interesting. But if they really believed in their product, they could keep it going. They should have marketed the product themselves and sold it straight from the source instead of letting 3rd parties send it to the customer.

 

[Sarge_857]

ive never used the stuff but dang that sucks!:lipssealedsmilie:

 

[tonytheboss1]

:read: I'm not surprised in the least. I posted recently in reply to one member:

Be aware that the effectiveness of this product is highly dependent on proper 'handling' throughout the entire chain of transport. Temp. maint. is critical (mfgr. to shipper to wholesaler to shipper to retailer to shipper to you) Deviation could result in partial or complete destruction of the bacterial contents. "T"

Quote:
Warning someone that the effectiveness of the product is dependent on proper handling assumes that it has not been handled properly, and there's really no way a buyer could avoid such an unlikely situation so there's really no point in doing so.

I beg to differ. A little over 5yrs. ago (before this product became the 'rave' that it is now), Marineland only sold to a very limited & exclusive market of retailers. Most sales were direct (MarineLand to shipper to you). This minimized the risk of product damage. My first purchase yielded excellent results. (direct from MarineLand) It also limited the marketability of the product. Things have changed since Spectrum Brands acquired United Pet Group (former parent co.) Now, every & any local shop, chain outfit, on-line retailer ect. can carry the product as long as they assure MarineLand they have adequate refridgeration. This maximizes the risk of product damage!! All sources for purchase are not equal!! There are numerous complaints of disatisfaction by customers & although some of it stems from not following directions, the greater majority is due to what MarineLand refers to as "improper handling of the product in the chain of transport". $17/20 + overnite shipping in some cases, is a lot of money for a pouch of dead bacteria. So YES, there is a point, "LET THE BUYER BEWARE" !!
__________________

 

[H3D]

I think there is more to this story than what Marineland is telling you.

While Marineland's product may be discontinued, it may have more to do with [FONT=Verdana,serif]Dr Timothy A. Hovanec, the inventor of Bio-Spira, starting his own company.

The new Bio-Spira product:
[/FONT]
http://drtimsaquatics.com/productguide/oneandonlyFW/oneandonlyFW.html

 

[Mgamer20o0]

hum maybe he figured out a way to get it to work with out keeping it cold.....

problem with direct sales its prob going to be a lot more for the over right shipping vs mark up of the lfs. i am sure there are a whole list of places where it can go wrong. i bet a bunch were user error and shipping errors.