Got another reply from Francois:
- He will replace the panels that are damaged, but he needs them to be shipped from Italy (that's fine by me)
- He wants the existing stand back so he can try to repaint it, but I'm pushing for him to just order one that's already white from italy, since we'd be waiting for panels anyway, so we don't have to deal with repainting from someone who's already proven to not be great at painting.
- He says that every single tank is different, so that's why the overflow lid is so different. That makes no sense to me. Are overflows all different sizes? Is the drain a whole 3/4" to the right of some other drains when drilled into the tank? This is incredibly weird to me. I'm asking for clarification. Also, it's just a poor excuse. If he knew this, then why did he just send a random one without confirming?
- He has no response about the screws, so I have to again, ask about the screws
- He is completely avoiding talking to me about the overflow, GPH specs, etc. -- I don't know why. I have sent him a reply with just ONE subject: Please send me the overflow specifications and instructions.
He is assuring me that he wants to make things right. He is very nice about it, and not rude by any means. So I want to make that clear.
The substance, however, has been lacking. I think it could either be that he's incredibly busy and overworked, or he's simply tactically trying to do the least amount to get away with it. I don't know which is true, but it could also be somewhere in the middle. Like he says he'll send me a return label for the overflow lid so that he can match it perfectly and send me a new one, but he never sent me the label even after I asked for it twice. He keeps assuring me he will send me everything I need, yet doesn't give me a timeline nor what he's actually sending me.
I'm glad I started this process way ahead of time. I just might get my tank/stand fully by the time my home remodel starts and finishes haha.