My AZ Gardens experience.
- Thread starter Cypress
- Start date
a very easy and safe way to use paypal is simply to get a visa gift card from your bank. you just put the amount you need to use on the card, and use that for the paypal transaction. that way you cannot be charged more than you are paying, because there will be no more money on that card.
having read a lot about the evils of paypal (mostly in connection with ebay) and the evils of AZ gardens, i would still choose paypal.
I just called and they answered on the first ring. The owner is VERY friendly. If 70$ shipping is the main problem, or not getting cash refunds, I will have to turn the other cheek. I make orders from Jeff Rapps ALL THE TIME. The shipping is never less then 80$ The owner of AZgardens told me to cancel my order if I had the slightest insecurity in weather or not they would be able to fulfill my order. I think I will make this order and update if I got what I needed. If I loose every penny, so what lesson learned. If it is a success, we should start to wonder if mass hysteria is needed when it comes to AZgardens.....
Talked to the owner for 2 hours or so. I have NEVER been taken care of as a costumer so well....For me....So far so good. If anything dies Peter (the owner) said even without pictures to just call and I will get a store refund. I think that is almost a universal policy. Dr's Foster and Smith are pretty much the walmart of on-line ordering. They can afford to send dead loss at no additional shipping costs. AZ and ALL of the vendors here and MFK as far as I know can not afford such luxuries.....To be continued. My order will be here on Friday.
I ordered plants from AquariumPlants.com and they made a mistake on my order. (Instead of sending a pound of java moss, I got a small portion). I was told to make another order whenever I was ready and leave a note about the missing java moss and shipping would be free. That's not completely unheard of. 
I will say this and I believe it's undisputable considering the amount of people who have ordered from both. I received two boxes from AZ and they were essentially packed in a plastic bag, styrofoam pellets and a hot pack. Dr's Foster and Smith sent my purchase in a styrofoam ice chest with several hot packs and well packed with biodegradable pellets. Since you asked about feed back, in the cold weather my AZ fish came through mostly dead. I didn't lose a single Dr. Fosters and Smith fish, and it included 25 cardinal tetras, four rams and six killifish. Packaging means everything and it shows, especially during the winter months.
I'm glad you received decent service. I'll be the first to admit those that have negative service are usually the loudest to voice their opinions. Even though my experience is a fairly poor one overall, I'd like to hear those that are happy with AZ Gardens.
I will say this and I believe it's undisputable considering the amount of people who have ordered from both. I received two boxes from AZ and they were essentially packed in a plastic bag, styrofoam pellets and a hot pack. Dr's Foster and Smith sent my purchase in a styrofoam ice chest with several hot packs and well packed with biodegradable pellets. Since you asked about feed back, in the cold weather my AZ fish came through mostly dead. I didn't lose a single Dr. Fosters and Smith fish, and it included 25 cardinal tetras, four rams and six killifish. Packaging means everything and it shows, especially during the winter months.
I'm glad you received decent service. I'll be the first to admit those that have negative service are usually the loudest to voice their opinions. Even though my experience is a fairly poor one overall, I'd like to hear those that are happy with AZ Gardens.
Every experience is different. Dr's F and S Sent me a HORRIBLY packed shipment, also in a styro ice chest. Bags were double except my CRS. That bag leaked everywhere, rendering the single heatpack useless. All lived except all of the CRS. I called and they put me on hold for about 15 seconds and said they would replace and ship the lost shrimps without pics....Overall I would say I am happy, but still I stand by my statement that they are the walmart of on-line vending.
Also, Peter told me if I received a shipment of mostly dead fish he WOULD pay the shipping and replace the whole order with pics.
I also would like to hear some positive feedback on a BIG order. That is my only concern. 300 is not a big order, but it is not small either...
Also, Peter told me if I received a shipment of mostly dead fish he WOULD pay the shipping and replace the whole order with pics.
I also would like to hear some positive feedback on a BIG order. That is my only concern. 300 is not a big order, but it is not small either...
Don't believe the hype 
As promised, here is my experience......
Everything was well packed. There were a couple missing items and three dead shrimp total. I called Peter and he replaced all five shrimp in that bag(even though I told him only three died). The heatpacks were still warm. The loaches were VERY nice, and one is an oddball. He also is paying the shipping. All bags were double bags. I feel like he took care of me to the fullest degree and if I am the only one to get an order and be happy, I would be shocked! I must emphasize how professionally everything was packed. I recommend AZGARDENS.....
As promised, here is my experience......
Everything was well packed. There were a couple missing items and three dead shrimp total. I called Peter and he replaced all five shrimp in that bag(even though I told him only three died). The heatpacks were still warm. The loaches were VERY nice, and one is an oddball. He also is paying the shipping. All bags were double bags. I feel like he took care of me to the fullest degree and if I am the only one to get an order and be happy, I would be shocked! I must emphasize how professionally everything was packed. I recommend AZGARDENS.....
that's fantastic.
who knows, maybe he's been seeing all the bad stuff about his business online and decided to make a change. i'm glad you had a good experience.
who knows, maybe he's been seeing all the bad stuff about his business online and decided to make a change. i'm glad you had a good experience.
