Very disappointed in Pentair. Next step?

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L

linzjane88

0
May 23, 2014
77
SW Washington
Pool Size
14500
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
SWG Type
CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
In leiu of a string of angry smilies, I will attempt to calmly explain my predicament. :D Given this is my first filter maybe I am just overreacting and this is no big deal?
I ordered a Pentair SD80 from Amazon. It showed up today in absolutely, unequivocally the worst product packaging I have ever seen in my life. The filter head was not secured in any fashion and was allowed to move freely within the box during shipping. The plastic parts to the head were damaged on arrival. The rest of the parts (bag of screws, clamp assembly, pressure gauge, etc) were also loose so I am unsure if I have everything. All the laterals (except for one ) were screwed onto the piping assembly within the tank so it rolled around during shipment. Because I had one free floating lateral in the box I was concerned it had been screwed on to begin with but came off during the shipping process. When I tried unscrewing the rest to take the whole assembly out and inspect for damage I couldn't get one unscrewed because the blue glue used on the piping had run over in excess and seeped around one lateral so it is permanently stuck. Is any of this normal?

Do all Hayward filters show up like this? Should I care that I can't remove that one lateral? I really don't want to have to send this back and I know Amazon would take it no questions asked but assuming I buy another Hayward is it going to show up like this again?











My helper- the small box the head was sitting on looked like the head started out inside it at one point but it was never taped so it came out and rolled around.
:rant::thumbdown::rant:
 
I'm not sure Pentair is to blame for this. It's more a shipping issue of bad handling.

You have no idea what happened after it left Pentair and went through all the channels before it reached you.
 
True, but I would never expect to throw 60 pounds worth of loose equipment into a box big enough to fit a small family and assume it would show up as I sent it. Even if FedEx is partially to blame for the damage to the box I think if Pentair routinely packages items like this it shows a lack of attention to detail. And I am not thrilled with the lateral being inadvertently glued in either.

Oh well, this is exactly the reason I wanted to order things plenty early. I hope the rest of the shipments are trouble free.
 
Tell Amazon to take it back. Unbeknownst to you, Amazon will hold the shipper accountable for the costs associated with this damage. Unbeknownst to the Amazon, the shipper will hold the seller/manufacturer accountable for the damage if they determine that improper packaging was used. The US B2B system is very efficient and the responsible party will end up paying the bill. If Pentair is ultimately responsible and this happens frequently enough, they will have to address this issue.
 
JayBauman said:
Tell Amazon to take it back. Unbeknownst to you, Amazon will hold the shipper accountable for the costs associated with this damage. Unbeknownst to the Amazon, the shipper will hold the seller/manufacturer accountable for the damage if they determine that improper packaging was used. The US B2B system is very efficient and the responsible party will end up paying the bill. If Pentair is ultimately responsible and this happens frequently enough, they will have to address this issue.
Click to expand...

I think that was what I needed to hear :D I was worried I would send it back and the ultimate problem would never get fixed. I did see on the reviews that one person had the same problem I did with the shipping but their items didn't get damaged (luckily). I am not usually one to complain or want to get into it with customer service but this flipped a crazy switch in me. I think because it seems so painfully avoidable!
 
There's also a nuanced take on the scenario I outlined above. While you purchased your filter from Amazon, you didn't say who actually fulfilled the order. If the actual seller buys a lot of these units, they might come to him as a palletized shipment...which would be meant for his use and not for re-sale. The pallet and associated packing materials allow for robust shipping with actual product boxes that may not be so tough. If he then sells you one of these boxes (which would not really be suitable for direct shipping), then I can envision the situation you have described. In this case the seller (and not Pentair) would be liable.

Regardless of the situation, the right party will be held to account for the damaged equipment and you'll eventually get a new, working filter.
 
JayBauman said:
There's also a nuanced take on the scenario I outlined above. While you purchased your filter from Amazon, you didn't say who actually fulfilled the order. If the actual seller buys a lot of these units, they might come to him as a palletized shipment...which would be meant for his use and not for re-sale. The pallet and associated packing materials allow for robust shipping with actual product boxes that may not be so tough. If he then sells you one of these boxes (which would not really be suitable for direct shipping), then I can envision the situation you have described. In this case the seller (and not Pentair) would be liable.

Regardless of the situation, the right party will be held to account for the damaged equipment and you'll eventually get a new, working filter.
Click to expand...

Thanks for talking me off the ledge. You have a great insight on the inner workings of online shopping :D We have a few big box stores close to us but that's about it so I do probably 90% of my shopping online for non-grocery items. Although I guess I did just buy cheese online the other day....Anyhow, I have come to expect my daily visits from UPS to bring my pretty little Amazon boxes all buttoned up and pillow-packed so nicely.

Well, given the opportunity to 'do-over' would everyone still recommend a filter that size for a 12k gallon above ground pool? That was **huge**! Any other brands/models that would do better?
 

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I am so reluctant to re-order the same thing and have the problem again. A little part of me is holding some resentment towards Pentair. Hhhh! Decisions.
Pentair SD80 3.5sf, 75gpm $346
Sta-Rite Cristal-Flo II, 3.15SF, 70GPM $299
Hayward S244T, 3.15SF, 62GPM, $290
Jacuzzi Laser L250, 3.3sf, $339

*or* I could do something crazy and get a cartidge filter Hayward C1200 $319 :confused:

I promise, if I just get a smidge more advice I will be done asking things for at least the next two hours :mrgreen:
 
I was wondering who wrote that review! I appreciate the feedback. It has kept me from going through with the purchase of this very same filter despite its low price of $329.99... Great news is you purchased from Amazon and they have awesome customer service. Most likely they will email you a shipping label and send someone out to pick it up for you. If you end up getting a replacement SD-80 from Amazon please update, I would love to know how it looks. I slept on the Hayward 27" S270T when it dropped in price and has since shot up to $407. Keep holding on to hope that the price on 4.9 sq ft units will drop here soon but I doubt it.
 
As an update I re-ordered the same pump but instead of going through Amazon directly as the shipper I chose one of their sellers. I have no clue if I will have the same problem but I figured it would be a little experiment to see if they all shipped in the same packaging. I think I was about $348 for the Pentair SD80 after taxes (free shipping). Heres to hoping!

Also, is 12.99$ a decent price for 50lbs of pool sand? Our Lowes and Home Depot don't carry any filter sand but I see Ace Hardware does. It is HTH brand if that makes a difference.
 
linzjane88 said:
As an update I re-ordered the same pump but instead of going through Amazon directly as the shipper I chose one of their sellers. I have no clue if I will have the same problem but I figured it would be a little experiment to see if they all shipped in the same packaging. I think I was about $348 for the Pentair SD80 after taxes (free shipping). Heres to hoping!

Also, is 12.99$ a decent price for 50lbs of pool sand? Our Lowes and Home Depot don't carry any filter sand but I see Ace Hardware does. It is HTH brand if that makes a difference.
Click to expand...

That's a good price, and about norm for here. It's #20 sand and that's what you need. It's just as good as anything else pool sand wise. Good luck on the shipping. If it's broken, they'll make good on it.
 
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