Pet co ??

katara

Member

Originally posted by dreeves
This by no means either demonstrates my dislike or like of *****...
Lochi...it wasn't their responsibility to advise or otherwise inform or educate you...that is your sole responsibility...the salesperson probably couldnt even understand the fish in tank idea prior to working there...that person probably just needed a job and that is where they got it...the entire research issue falls solely upon you....same with the LFS...they are there to make money..nothing more, nothing less...if they were completely honest in the dealings with people...they probably wouldnt make to much money...business is business...you make money and continue on...or you lose money and sell out...
If you hit the man versus the deer...I think getting sued would be the easier of the problems you could face...

I think your attitude about business is exactly the reason most business' don't make it.People enjoy good customer service,not someone out for the buck.
Especially in a specialty business the workers should have an affection for the subject(pets).
Should I open a child care service if I were to dislike small children,just to make a buck??Make my money and continue on?
 
dreeves,
I disagree that a salesman is not responsible for educating or advising a potential customer regarding requirements of a particular item they are selling. When it comes to live animals, a salesman that does not even have the basic fundamental knowledge as to how to properly maintain the animal in question...that salesman is a direct cause for animal cruelty.
A man wants to buy a saltwater tank and add a few fish, the salesman gives him horrible advice and the end result is the customer buying a tank and tossing a few fish in before a cycle or anything and the fish die. Who is to blame? I would say the customer should have done more research but the salesman is where the primary blame falls IMO.
 
Katara,
btw..that IS a darn cute doggie. :)
Also, I noticed you are from Southern California. I'm from Carlsbad and moved here 2 years ago. In San Marcos there is a LFS that has a HUGE selection and the entire staff are highly skilled in the SW business. In case you have never been there (and are close to it) check them out....they always have a unreal selection.
 

janelle

Member
FWIW, I havent observed any cases of animal cruelty or neglect at the ***** in fort collins, colorado, or in north austin, where I currently live. The one time I did see a mandarin dragonet in a tank which looked skinny, I looked in the other tanks to see if I could spot any pods he could eat. I found a tank with some bugs in it and advised the employee, who was busy at the time, that the pods were his natural diet and he should probably move him over to the other tank. I was lingering looking at the other fish, thinking that the poor mandarin (who was a great deal at 15 bucks) would probably not get moved and was debating whether to buy him just to save his life. The employee came over to me and asked me to explain to him again about the dragonet, and then he said thanks, and proceeded to catch the mandarin and put him in the tank with the pods, which made me happy.
I think that the general concensus (that ***** and their employees either are ignorant on animal care or just dont care) is probably not too far off the mark, at least in cases where it is directly observed, which is sad. Im just glad that I havent run into it as bad as some others have. I will probably think twice before I choose ***** for my next purchase, though....
 

lochi

Member
I agree with dreeves to a certain degree. Yes, now every decision I make in regards to my tank is my responsibility and you will never hear me complain about a choice I made that didn't work out as I hoped because I was poorly advised. BUT when you first start out I don't think the new hobbyist has any idea where to begin looking for answers. The newbie finds themselves forced to rely on retailers to give them enough direction to atleast find the answers whether it be online or books. IMO the retailer should atleast be able let you know what basic equipment you need and what types of of tanks are possible(FOWLR, Reef, Species Etc.) so you can begin to decide what your end goal is. They have no right to being doing what they do for a living if they can't give you that basic info or be able to tell you where to find the answers
Yes the goal of business is to make $, but if my LFS was liar I sure as heck wouldn't be doing business with him. Having people who know how to handle and care for livestock which limits fiscal losses due poor environments and dead fish has got to be a better business plan than killing half of what comes in and lying to customers.
Just my Opinion.
 

cdubbs

Member
well i dont have a ***** here in NYC but i have just as bad.Petland Discounts..its a chain around here and not all of them have SW fish but one by me does and the fish are just horrible looking..some look good but then some are just miserable looking..they too had the central filtration..i would never buy an animal from them.Bad experience not with fish but reptiles.
 

killafins

Active Member
Dreeves, I completely agree with the idea of what your stating. If you are to go buy a fish it's your, and only your, responsiblity to researcha nd understand everything about them. Just like car shops... r u telling me u will go to a car dealership and say hmmm, i want this used car tell me about it. And they tellu everything good about it and leave otu the fact that there is no floor. Well guess what, who's fault is it to not notice that this model of a car is run by your feet?
I'm not stating that the things that happen in the back rooms of ***** are acceptable, and in fact i think it's wrong. Trust me, I haev made numerous arguments with management but you know what, every time i state a problem they do what they can to fix it. Want to know why that is? I do something about it logically, I make friends with the manager of the fish department and i help him. NO, this is not my job and in order to be a manager of the fish department he should have an idea but whatever. Bitching and complaining is going to lead to absolutely nothing in life and sadly i learned this the hard way.
If you want to make a difference, make one. Don't try to protect *****, don't try to ruin them. Because the long run doesn't matter... it's the fish that's there now that matters. If you are really heart felt about the problems at *****, get a job there. Get an inside scoop, m ake friends with them.. assist them when u see something's wrong. ANd no, don't hit them when they h ave a htousand customers to help... they will give u dirty looks cuz there job is to sell fish... that's there job.
As in the other stance, I do agree that people who work in fish department, bird care, etc... should have a certain specialty. They should try to progress on their job. IN a case situation... would u a chef wanna work in a networking hotline when u don't own a computer? Prolly not... so I see what your stating there. But you have to realize that you can make a difference, so do it. But do it logically. Dreeves, you have many good points....
 

saltfisher

Member
I bought a Clown and a Niger Trigger from there and they are doing great. A buddy bought a Emperor Angel from them that's doing good, too. All though a long time ago, I bought a fish from there that was sick and he wiped out everyone. I just started buying from them again. I was banned from the store for the scene I caused.
 

dreeves

Active Member
Katara...Business' go under because of poor management, economic pressures, castrophic loss and so on...the "customer is king" stuff went by the way side with Leave it to Beaver...
***** is there to make money and keep the shareholders happy...nothing more...nothing less...and you are a fool if you think and/or expect otherwise...and if you look at their stock..they are doing ok...
Something else...if you dont like *****...dont shop there...that means dont go there to buy your dog food, cat litter or whatever...it doesn't matter what section you spend your money in...it all goes to the same people...
 

katara

Member

Originally posted by dreeves
Katara...Business' go under because of poor management, economic pressures, castrophic loss and so on...the "customer is king" stuff went by the way side with Leave it to Beaver...
***** is there to make money and keep the shareholders happy...nothing more...nothing less...and you are a fool if you think and/or expect otherwise...and if you look at their stock..they are doing ok...
Something else...if you dont like *****...dont shop there...that means dont go there to buy your dog food, cat litter or whatever...it doesn't matter what section you spend your money in...it all goes to the same people...

Thanks Dreeves & my $400 gift card thanks you as well.Since it's only good at *****..I guess that's where I'll have to go.AND if they mistreat my dog or myself again..be assured,their shareholders and their corporate offices will be kissing my hiney again.Not everyone has to put up w/being treated 2nd class when spending their money at a specialty store,or anywhere else for that matter.
You are right about one thing and once my gift card has been used I will take my $$ elsewhere.BTW..Leave it to Beaver was before my time ;)
 

fireo1o

Member
also i just bought a shrimp from ***** and it enede up dyeing within 24hrs. i took it back to them and they told me know refunds, but after a talking i got my money back.
 

killafins

Active Member
Dragracer, that was extremely insultive.
I don't believe he said once that he supports the faulty things that ***** has done before but has just explained his reasoning. Re-read the posts before ur commentation.
 

ryebread

Active Member
True.......
Let's try to drop the topic if it can't get any better......if it can......fine, but I don't see it happening.
 
RyeBread...good point
Maybe instead of constantly bashing Pet Co (myself included), we could try to help instead. Even though I hate doing it, I do purchase various stuff from them due to the low cost. Maybe from now on instead of going in with the mindset of ripping into what I consider a moron...we could help educate them a bit. The common employee at Pet Co is either a high school/college kid who is working for the summer or whatever and others are simply people there for a paycheck. Obviously Pet Co does not require a certain knowledge of marine/fresh fish to work there so the employees have nothing to work with. I think from now on whenever I go in there and see/hear something that will result in the needless death of a fish, I will TRY to help them better understand the need of that fish. I know there is a world of information that I am not aware of but maybe there will be that occassional time when I actually DO know what the correct answer is and help the employee/potential customer out a bit.
Just my thought :)
 

killafins

Active Member
Marine Fanatic... very well sad *pat on back*...
katara, heh funny... don't get so defensive :rolleyes: ... neways... i wasn't aware of how old the post was, havn't been on in a while... sheesh...
 

fishy88

Member
my ***** is very good at taking care of their livestock. I have bought a neon dottyback and a purple tang that have lived for years now.
 
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