Cautionary tale about new tanks

[Hanuman]

So after a few years of dedicated and loyal service, I sold my 90cm tank over a month ago. It had some nasty cratches that were really annoying me and the left panel was shorter by ~2-3mm than the rest of the panels.

So I was on the market to find a new one. I wanted to stay with normal glass instead of LID as I don't really see the point in spending nearly double the price for just having the edges blue/white instead of green. Oh boy didn't I know that quality control was down the drain so much with these tank.

1st tank I received took a good 6 weeks to deliver as it was shipped from China. It was actually the same manufacturer that I bought from a few year back. This time though the tank build was honestly sketchy. Silicone bleeding everywhere and major horizontal scratches all around the panels edges caused by the rollers when cutting the panels was two of the most obvious defects. So I decided to return it. I got my money minus the expense to ship it back to the seller. Right.

Then decided perhaps I should step up my game a notch and go for a higher end tank. So I did. I went for an LID tank, against my better judgement, with another seller. He had some units in stock so it only took a few days to get the tank. I asked for him to properly inspect the tank before sending it to me to avoid any unnecessary back and forth shipping. Oh boy x2. This times the silicone job was pretty much near perfect but then I noticed all these nicks and chips on the chamfered edges of the tank. No way I am accepting this. The seller very kindly proposed to take it back while also expressing the fact that was not acceptable. He proposed to bring another tank.... I accepted, and this time I insisted heavily on him inspecting the tank properly. Well ladies and gentleman, I received the new tank yesterday, and the owner himself brought it to me, just to be greeted with the same defects. Nicks all over the chamfered edges on all 4 sides. He said he inspected the tank but didn't see any defects prior bringing it to me 🤔. Right. This looks to me like a dull blade while cutting the chamfer. Seller proposed to either take it back and give me my money back or give me a heavy discount. I am pretty much leaning towards asking my money back + some compensation for wasting my time with all this shenanigans . Seller also claimed none of the customers to which he had sold tanks from the same batch noticed any defects. I'll be honest, but some people are either blind or just don't care about safety plain and simple.

Here is a beautiful picture of what it looks like. I could count over 25 nicks all around the tank.

So my question is, WTF is going on with quality control and people accepting this?

 

[Wookii]

Sounds like a run of bad luck mate! I've bought quite a few tanks in recent years - had some questionable silicone work, but never had chips in the glass, even on the very cheap ones!

 

[Hanuman]

This is now my third tank that I will be returning. Maybe the gods are telling me I should not get a tank?

 

[Aqua360]

On your point about float glass vs low iron density, to each their own preference, but to me personally the difference in quality/visibility is night and day!

 

[Hufsa]

Seller also claimed none of the customers to which he had sold tanks from the same batch noticed any defects.

This is the bad customer service favorite slogan 🙄 They should put it on a T-shirt at this point.
"Nobody else has complained other than you"
First of all, doubt. Second, and if so what?
Its not your fault others might not know or have lower standards.
I especially like the slogan's best part that insinuates that you're in fact the actual problem and not the product itself.

Wish you the best of luck getting a nice new tank @Hanuman
Dont let them drag you down to their level 😅

 

[Hanuman]

On your point about float glass vs low iron density, to each their own preference, but to me personally the difference in quality/visibility is night and day!

My opinion is I honestly see no difference whatsoever between the two when you have the lights on other than the edges turning green instead of blue. I would need a spectrometer in place of the eyes to see the actual difference. The tint difference is indeed perceptible to the naked eye if the tank is empty and you have ambient light around or that the light on top of the tank are off. You will definitely see some greenish tint on the normal glass. Once filled and the lights on top are on, I challenge anyone to tell me which glass is which without looking at the edges.
A lot of these perceived differences have been implanted by resellers and social media in people's mind through years of marketing just so they can basically mark up the price. Some resellers also introduced a difference between LID and ultra-clear. Yet another way to mark up the price. If you take small samples of glass and compare them, sure you can see they are different, but IMO not when the tank is lite and filled, unless you are literally an eagle.

As for quality, LID or ultra-clear glass also scratch more easily.

This is the bad customer service favorite slogan 🙄 They should put it on a T-shirt at this point.
"Nobody else has complained other than you"
First of all, doubt. Second, and if so what?
Its not your fault others might not know or have lower standards.
I especially like the slogan's best part that insinuates that you're in fact the actual problem and not the product itself.

Wish you the best of luck getting a nice new tank @Hanuman
Dont let them drag you down to their level 😅

Yeah pretty much my thoughts. He quickly understood I was not the one to blame when he delivered the second tank to me, by himself, and I immediately spotted just as many nicks as on the tank he had shipped to me a day prior. At that point he couldn't reiterate that slogan and I told him that his customers either had visual impairment or just couldn't care less for this defects, which I find astonishing as this is a safety issue. He was fair though and always willing to return the money so can't hammer him.

 

[hwscot]

Maybe the gods are telling me I should not get a tank?

In that case you've got the wrong gods.

 

[Hanuman]

In that case you've got the wrong gods.

One thing is for sure, I got 3 wrong tanks.