Vortech experience

[kkiel02]

Ok with the group buy going and all I wanted to let everyone know what has happend as of late with my mp40. I recieved it in september 2009 reading all the what I would call tunze lovers saying how the vortech breaks alot. I wrote it off and went ahead and made the purchase. It ran like a champ up until november. Now it will run fine until I turn it on a slower speed(feeding mode or just turning down the power) at this point the pump quits on me and starting it up again is tough as I have to spin the blade at the right moment to get it going again. This process is a huge pain. I have contacted vortech and left a message but havent gotten a response back. I have resorted to just leaving it on and trying to feed with it pumping. Again it will work until the power is reduced to it then it quits and wont start again. If I had to do it again I would pick tunze or maybe a wave box after watching Ace's vid.

[Europhyllia]

That really stinks that they're not responding. Please bug them again. That thing is too expensive to not work correctly.
You said MP40. I am assuming though it was teh gen 2 MP40w since you just recently bought it?

[Mr Cob]

Let us know what kind of customer service you get and if they replace it.

It's making me think twice...definitely a lot of money for a pump...but I want some waves :)

[Europhyllia]

Yeah after Ace's video I wanted one too and asked some people that had sold their wavebox. Apparently those things have troubles too so I was focusing more on the Vortech product.
I heard that Vortech Tech support is awesome as long as it's about a purchased new product and not so awesome if it's for something that somebody bought used.

[kkiel02]

Yeah Im kinda disappointed at this point. I am going to give them a call tomorrow so we will see what happens.

[corruption]

I'm about to test out the waters here as well -- both my MP10's have failed on me within 2 hours of use... everything was assembled correctly, all appeared to be working fine.. Then a whiff of burned silicon later, they both stopped spinning, the power indicator LED went off, and neither will turn on any longer. Preparing everything to ship them off to be repaired/replaced... hopefully they'll impress me with their turnaround.

Sucks too -- the pumps are incredible little pieces of hardware -- the MP10 was pushing enough to make a nice little half-inch variable rock in the surface of my 75 gallon.. not quite to a standing wave range, but quite close.. :)

-Justin

[BSJF]

They will respond to you. I've had them on the phone before to help me troubleshoot an issue when I was in the middle of my move. I think mine just needed a good cleaning - take apart and soak in vinegar. Been working fine since. I love mine, the best part is the battery backup. It does need a good cleaning about every 4-6 months and their is one part that needs to be replaced periodically. I've had mine just over a year now and haven't had to replace it yet though.

[Europhyllia]

Great. Thanks BSJF. :) I've been having a really good week and am itching to order one...

Do you clean it in straight vinegar or diluted?

[J_G]

True Percula in Arlington has about 18 used ones for sale. They are ones that were returned and they sent back for repair. they still have a new warranty with them though. Im not a fan of Tunze (i was a die hard fan with $2500 worth of Tunze equipment) and too expensive for what you're getting. the ones i had the least trouble from is Korallia believe it or not. Ive never run Vortech but was always wanted to.

- John

[Europhyllia]

I can't find a True Percula member. It sounds interesting but I'd like to hear more about the warranty thing.

[FireWater]

True Percula is a fish store in the Dallas/Ft Worth area I believe. Do a search or go to DFWMAS web site

[J_G]

I can't find a True Percula member. It sounds interesting but I'd like to hear more about the warranty thing.



http://www.thetruepercula.com/

[Kristy]

Kevin -Not sure what the issue is for you for customer service. We had a very good response from them when we had a problem and they went above and beyond to make it right for us. I wonder if they are minimally manned for the holidays or something... has this been going on for a long time?

We just corresponded by email and they requested that we send photos of the parts in question along with serial numbers from the box so they could look up purchase info, batch info, etc. and they took care of it, sending all the stuff new at no charge and a couple of little bonus items to make up for the wait.

If you've been e-mailing, maybe try the phone? Also, EcoTech Marine (the company that makes Vortech) is a sponsor at Reef Central. You can read lots on their forum there about how they prefer to be contacted so that they can handle things and make it right. They really do pride themselves on excellent customer service, which is what makes their great product so much better.

I am confident that you will get a response and they will make it right.

Justin, how did you get in contact with them regarding your problem?

[Europhyllia]

OK True Perc in Arlington said they didn't sell anything like that.

[Texreefer]

There is a quick and easy fix to your vortech problem, the graphite barrel that the prop shaft slides through needs a slight sanding with some steel wool. I had the same problem once when I had mine. never did it again after.

[J_G]

OK True Perc in Arlington said they didn't sell anything like that.

I was just in there a couple weeks ago and they said they had 18 of them in the back. I asked for the price and he told me he doesnt have prices available yet and cant sell them till he gets the price.
Mark was suppose to call me with the price but never did. ask for Mark (the owner) and tell him i sent you.

[corruption]

I havent contacted them yet, I intended to fill out their no-RMA required paperwork, ship them off, then call/email.. Since they're not technically in use yet, and is far from necessary for the survival of my tank, I figured I could wait a week or 3 :) Based on what you report, Kristy, I think I'm gonna call first :)

-Justin

[joelb]

it kinda stinks that all of us have had a problem with vortech. i have also had that happen to me and after talking to a steve i think, i ended up mailing it in and they repaired it for me for free. its best to never take apart the propeller! it never goes back on right! they do keep their resale value pretty good.

[Europhyllia]

I am going to try one (just ordered it at a great discount) and if it works out well I'll join the group order with another one in January :)

[CoryDude]

+1 on the a+ customer service. I've called them before and have gotten ahold of tech support with very little wait of hold time. Kevin is the person I've dealt with before and he's very nice and helpful. Try calling them. That's the best way to reach them.

They have the fastest turnaround on service repairs also. They shipped the repaired unit the same day it was received. Even cut me a deal on a non-warranty related repair.

[ErikH]

Thank God y'all are having good response. This thread was depressing me. :)

[wesheltonj]

I have nothing but positive experience with Eco-tech Marine. From the upgrade kit to warranty and non-warranty repair. Telephone response can be slow or poor when there is a trade show they are at, but they post those date on Reef Central. I own 3 of these pumps and am very happy.

[corruption]

Kevin -- definitely give them a call. They're very willing to work with you, but as Kristy mentioned, I do believe the phone is their preferred contact method. In my situation (a bizarre one -- 2 identically dead MP10's), they were prepared to drop-ship me a new power supply to test with, to ensure we weren't barking up the wrong tree. When I told them my brother had an MP10 as well, from the same order, that is functioning perfectly, they encouraged me to test his power supply, as this would expedite the situation, and its known working. I'll be contacting them again today after work, and seeing what the next step in rectifying the situation is -- but based on my conversations, I have no doubt that they will make the situation right.

-Justin

[kkiel02]

I have called and emailed quite abit this week. Sounds like a rare incident but this is getting ridiculous. Gonna call again today on our lunch break. Hope I can get ahold of them.

[corruption]

I have called and emailed quite abit this week. I'm never getting another. Sounds like a rare incident but this is getting ridiculous. Gonna call again today on our lunch break. Hope I can get ahold of them.

Strange.. I called around 10a yesterday, and got ahold of someone in less than 2 minutes.. Are you calling the toll-free number from Ecotech's customer support page?

-Justin


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kkiel02]

Just got ahold of them. They were helpful. Now I have to send them photos of it.

[Europhyllia]

Just got ahold of them. They were helpful. Now I have to send them photos of it.

I'm glad. Hopefully you'll get it resolved now! :thumbs_up:

[Goofball310]

I have nothing but praise to say about eco and hope that they resolve your issue as fast as they did me. GL

[Jarob]

ooooooo I've been wanting an mp10 since they came out UGH! I cant get myself to spend that kind of coin on a pump though

[kkiel02]

Yeah I emailed them the photos they needed today but Im sure it was after they closed. Hopefully I will hear back tomorrow when they open. Everything looked fine with the wet side to me though. Thats what they think the issue is.

[CoryDude]

You should receive a response tomorrow. I'd even bet your parts will be shipped tomorrow as well. Please let us know how it turns out.

[kkiel02]

Well I am in another lull. I had good contact with them for a day or two but now I have sent them 2-3 emails without a response again throughout the week. I don't understand what the deal is.

[J_G]

Well I am in another lull. I had good contact with them for a day or two but now I have sent them 2-3 emails without a response again throughout the week. I don't understand what the deal is.


i have notice that after the economy is in the slump now over the past year that companys dont seem to care about our business and have started ignoring complaints and in the process have also gone way up on prices. I am right now having a ton of trouble with Bank Of America and in the process of cancelling all my accounts with them. Bank of America has been added to my "worst banks" list. Bank of America is a very good bank as long as you dont have to call them for ANYTHING!! I had similar trouble with my Chase credit card and also cancelled it. Im not puting up with these idiots any more!! Guys/gals we have to get strong with these guys that think they are bigger than we are when we are the ones providing their income!!

- John

[kkiel02]

Yeah I have been very nice thus far but if I dont hear anything back on monday the nice will stop. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and maybe something came up but this is ridiculous and I encourage other to second think their purchases as the customer serviceI have received is lacking to say the least. Right now I have the pump apart and have sent them pictures of the parts they requested pictures of.

On a side note I will be selling this pump if/when it gets fixed. Maybe trade for a tunze or even a koralia and cash at this point.

[corruption]

Call during their business hours -- its the best bet right now. They're swamped, and they've got a customer ticketing system upgrade underway right now. According to my conversations with Steve this last week, essentially they gutted all of the systems they were using for ticketing over the weekend last week, and its been chaos trying to get everything sorted since then. Calling is by far your best bet to get ahold of them right now, IMO.

My replacement control modules and dry side are en route for delivery by tuesday or wednesday.. I'd have some faith. :)

-Justin

[Europhyllia]

I noticed one of the new Vortechs was running hot compared to the other one which didn't generate any noticable heat at all. Both pumps work fine but hey I paid quite a bit for these and I didn't want the hotter one to experience more wear and then give me trouble a year from now when warranty is up.
So I called this morning, talked to Steve and he's sending me a replacement motor today. No probs getting customer service.
I hope you get yours worked out too soon.

[Mr Cob]

Just tagging along... I'm not trying to hate... but it seems these pumps have a lot of issues for such a pricey tag. Kind of beats the purpose of buying a high quality item.

Would any of you recommend something similar? I'm very curious because I really wanted an MP40...but not sure I want to go through all of this as it seems the chances are likely.

[Europhyllia]

I just sold my set of Seio Superflows with the controller and I felt they were very similar to how I use the Vortechs (flow increasing and decreasing, feeding mode etc.). Of course they don't have as many options, don't compare in price and the flow isn't as wide or low velocity as the Vortechs.
But the basic application was very similar.
Some of my corals that are very sensitive to getting just the PERFECT flow really seem the enjoy the Vortech flow so I am not regretting my purchase.
But I think I should have kept my Seios rather than sell them. Obviously they don't compare to Tunze or Vortech. They were bulky, flow less wide, less controller options but definitely a good value for the money and served me well when I had them

[Mr Cob]

thx for the info Karin.

[J_G]

Just tagging along... I'm not trying to hate... but it seems these pumps have a lot of issues for such a pricey tag. Kind of beats the purpose of buying a high quality item.

Would any of you recommend something similar? I'm very curious because I really wanted an MP40...but not sure I want to go through all of this as it seems the chances are likely.

Personally I like the Koralias. I had alot of Tunzes (5 to be exact) and many Koralias and the Koralias are much better reliably for the money than the Tunzes and after reading all these posts seems maybe the Koralias beat Vortec also. I had a Koralia 8 and several Koralia 4's and a Koralia 2. I would recommend the Koralia 6 or 7's though over the 8. the 8 was way too powerful for my 135G.

[Europhyllia]

See I didn't get the love for Korallias! I had one and definitely liked the Seio's much better. The bigger Korallias stuck so far into the tank too.

[J_G]

Rio Seio are ok but I had too much trouble with them leaking electricity. I got shocked twice and never went back to them.

[kkiel02]

I called ecotech twice today and got answering machine both times. I took a sick day to get everything working around the house again. At least my dvr works again. Ecotech needs to learn from Time Warner Cable.

[corruption]

I'm sorry you're having such a poor experience, Kevin... not sure what to say -- your experience was most certainly as polar opposite to my experience as could be. The only thing that they had me do, was verify components against a functioning pump -- and I'm quite certain thats because my failure was a one-in-a-million fluke failure (a pair of identically bad pumps).. Steve did seem overwhelmed every time I talked to him, but that didn't reduce his desire to help... Again, sorry your experience has been less than optimal.

-Justin

[CoryDude]

That's gotta be frustrating. This is not like ecotech at all.

[Europhyllia]

Rio Seio are ok but I had too much trouble with them leaking electricity. I got shocked twice and never went back to them.
I guess it means every pump has problem. I remember Ace's Korallia doing the same thing.

[kkiel02]

That's gotta be frustrating. This is not like ecotech at all.

After reading the reefcentral posts it seems to be happening alot. Maybe they got swamped from christmas but I tried contacting them way before that. I lost all faith in them to say the least.

[Europhyllia]

After reading the reefcentral posts it seems to be happening alot. Maybe they got swamped from christmas but I tried contacting them way before that. I lost all faith in them to say the least.
It seems like Steve is the only guy to staff that phone. And yes he does seem pretty overwhelmed. I gave him all of my info and then he called back a little later to get some more info from me. He'd forgotten to ask for my phone number and actually tracked me down via google so he did put in the extra effort.
Honestly don't bother leaving a message. I bet he doesn't even get off the phone long enough to go through messages. Call as often as you have to until he picks up.

[corruption]

It seems like Steve is the only guy to staff that phone. And yes he does seem pretty overwhelmed. I gave him all of my info and then he called back a little later to get some more info from me. He'd forgotten to ask for my phone number and actually tracked me down via google so he did put in the extra effort.
Honestly don't bother leaving a message. I bet he doesn't even get off the phone long enough to go through messages. Call as often as you have to until he picks up.

Agreed -- he is the service department. Service@ecotechmarine.com is his personal inbox, and he is indeed buried. Not just is he the only guy, and the call volume is constant, like I mentioned earlier, they're amidst a ticketing system change thats causing chaos from the engineering staff down to sales.. Again, sorry you're having a bad experience -- they were nothing but helpful for me..

-Justin

[kkiel02]

Well good news. I think. Today I got an email that said they need my shipping address. That is all it said though. Im guessing they are shipping me a part?