Bulkreefsupply.com Reviews

I spent a lot of money on a product from BRS. Through no fault of theirs, I got sent a part that didn't work with my equipment. I contacted the manufacturer (we'll call them Pen) and spent five days going back and forth about a part that cost under a dollar. Pen was unhelpful and made me jump through hoops to prove I got the wrong item. But here's the thing: BRS stepped in even though it wasn't their problem. They actually listened to my frustration and helped me out when Pen was being cold and dismissive. I honestly used to shop elsewhere because I thought I could do better, but their sale prices are tough to beat. Now that I know how much they care about their customers, this is definitely who I want to buy from.

I placed an order for local pickup. When I went to get it, they couldn't locate my order even with the receipt they printed. They told me they couldn't process it today. It doesn't make sense to have a pickup system if you can't fulfill orders with items sitting right there, especially with a customer ready to pay. The front desk person could have easily made this happen.

There was a miscommunication where the app didn't show that one of my lights was out of stock. Taylor from their support team went above and beyond to help me sort out the return and refund situation after part of my order had shipped. That's the kind of service that deserves recognition. Thanks Taylor.

BRS really needs to work on their star rating if they care about their online reputation. Their shipping leaves a lot to be desired, and the constant sales with different names are concerning. I got frustrated recently when they emailed me a promotion code for 25% off, but then discovered a massive list of excluded brands that couldn't be discounted. It felt like a fake promotion. During their holiday sale, they sold items they didn't actually have in stock and missed their own delivery dates repeatedly. When I asked about it, they blamed being too busy. If you can't handle the volume that comes with running a sale, you shouldn't run one until you can manage it properly. That's the real issue here.

I bought a six stage reverse osmosis filter system from BRS and it stopped working completely after the first filter change in July. I spent months trying to work with their customer service before finally asking for a refund, replacement, or repair. Their 365 day return policy sounds great until you actually try to use it. I got an RMA number and sent the unit back, but I've been waiting months for my refund. It's January now and nothing. They credited $480 to my account instead of refunding my money. I don't want to buy more stuff from them; I just want my money back. They claim the check got lost in the mail, but I'm not buying that. I think they're just stalling. I won't be shopping with BRS ever again.

I've ordered from BRS many times since there's no fish store near me, and I've been doing this hobby seriously for over 30 years. But I have real concerns about how the company operates. One example: I bought their reverse osmosis system with all the features. It came with basically no written instructions and their online guides are terrible. Customer service just told me to check YouTube, and those videos don't help either. When I called, they said my setup looked fine even though it doesn't work. That's $500 down the drain. Then I tried sticking to pre-packaged items, but that just meant getting three or four marketing emails a day with products I can't even buy. I saw a $150 item marked down to $136, but when they listed it they only had the cheapest version in stock. They wouldn't apply the sale price to the other sizes when they got them in. After decades of buying from them, this kind of thing really bothers me.

They advertise sale prices but then change the price when you try to add it to your cart. When you call them out on it, they won't honor what was posted.

I got really solid customer service from them. They weren't always super fast to respond, but when they did answer they were thorough and actually listened. They understood what I needed and gave me the information I asked for. Definitely worth recommending.

I'd give this less than one star if I could. I made a purchase on a certain date, and then three days later they had their Black Friday sale on the exact same item for $400 less. I had signed up for their text and email alerts but didn't get notified about the sale in time. When I asked if they'd honor the lower price, they refused. After being a loyal customer for so long, this was really disappointing. I'm taking my business somewhere else.

Used to really enjoy shopping here. Once the management changed and corporate moved in, the quality went downhill fast. It's pretty unfortunate.