i think many in the fish world are struggling economically and thus we are all looking for good deals and for opportunities to get what we want at a lower price. if things get (a lot?) worse many of us will need to sell off our entire aquarium to put food on the table. in that regard i do not like questioning people's finances, decisions, and employment status. although jim might be in a difficult economic situation, his decision to not refund your money may also be based on principle and not necessarily his financial status.
Lemmy- You need to decide what you want. Would you rather your money back or 'fresh' corals? before sending out nasty letters to your bank, paypal, etc, it may be a lot easier to request new corals sent at Jim's cost. Shipping costs on a few corals sent overnight with heating packs, etc, are certainly a lot less than having to refund the full $160.
If you go the bank route then you may be in for a long haul. Granted your bank may be comprised of reef aquarium hobbyists/experts but what if it is not and this turns into a he said/he said argument? how can the bank investigate and support a fraud claim when each party has a plausible story to the situation. Maybe all the corals came in looking horrible? Or maybe they came in perfect and you didn't acclimate them properly? Maybe the weather was supposed to be X degress and thus warm enough for the corals while in transit BUT suddenly a cold front came in after the items were shipped and the temperature was half of what it was forcasted to be?
Unless you are hardpressed for the money, or at least for the possibility of getting your money back, I would try and negotiate a reshipment. This should be a lot kinder on Jim's pocket and satisfy your original goals of receiving viable corals.
on a side note. are you using a Koral 5 in your tank? that looks like a crazy powerful magum.
Lemmy- You need to decide what you want. Would you rather your money back or 'fresh' corals? before sending out nasty letters to your bank, paypal, etc, it may be a lot easier to request new corals sent at Jim's cost. Shipping costs on a few corals sent overnight with heating packs, etc, are certainly a lot less than having to refund the full $160.
If you go the bank route then you may be in for a long haul. Granted your bank may be comprised of reef aquarium hobbyists/experts but what if it is not and this turns into a he said/he said argument? how can the bank investigate and support a fraud claim when each party has a plausible story to the situation. Maybe all the corals came in looking horrible? Or maybe they came in perfect and you didn't acclimate them properly? Maybe the weather was supposed to be X degress and thus warm enough for the corals while in transit BUT suddenly a cold front came in after the items were shipped and the temperature was half of what it was forcasted to be?
Unless you are hardpressed for the money, or at least for the possibility of getting your money back, I would try and negotiate a reshipment. This should be a lot kinder on Jim's pocket and satisfy your original goals of receiving viable corals.
on a side note. are you using a Koral 5 in your tank? that looks like a crazy powerful magum.