Have you ever been scammed or felt cheated?

[Rakie]

Yes, a couple times I have bought something that isn't what it was advertised to be.

 

[Brew12]

Yes, a couple times I have bought something that isn't what it was advertised to be.

Were you at least able to resell it to @mdbannister for a nice little profit?

 

[KrisReef]

A long time ago, long after any allegedly-applicable statutory limits would have been passed,.....
I worked at a LFS as the manager. When I started I was promised "a 25% raise" after a month of training when I'd be in charge. That gave me hopes that if I did a good job that the future could be pretty decent for a guy fresh out of school and ready to settle down and live a good life.
Turns out they gave me a $.25 raise, and expected me to take the rest from off the top before I made their bank deposits.
They were busy working another business on the other side of town and didn't care about the store profits that much.
I was kind of disappointed because I had hoped to finally go legit myself, and certainly a LFS gig was kind of a dream job, right?
I suppose I shouldn't tell the rest of the story, but I did get out unscathed and only a little more disenchanted with the fish business than before.

Pray for my soul @revhtree ,
and maybe we could work out some kind of wholesale situation with those fancy PT Barnum polyps; Lots of folks will be wanting those even after they get them.

 

[siggy]

Pray for my soul @revhtree ,

 

[MnFish1]

One of the first aquariums I bought when getting into the hobby was a 90g from somebody local. It was only $50, but when I got there it was missing a brace.

I asked why it was missing a brace and the seller said it was an old school style that didn't require one. Needless to say, I did a water test in the garage when I got home and the thing split like a banana peel.

I've heard this often - that those 'braces aren't necessary'. But - at Petsmart - all of the tanks have a sticker on them saying 'Do not use if center brace is missing'.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Yes
I was newer in the hobby. 1st online order. I did it and the other person made the comment. "Dang, not hurting over at the blahblahblahs house"....
Anyway i let it go. Like ya. Hahahaha. Or watever i said. Prob something like nope its not.
I ordered maybe 5-7frags. One was a rainbow or ultra acan lord...multi color watever...
I swear i ended up with 2 reds....we order3d red ones as well...each of us. I didnt say anything. Either did he.
That and a big ars fish tank i prob lost $1400 or so on. I dont tell that story.
D

 

[Rakie]

Were you at least able to resell it to @mdbannister for a nice little profit?

No.. I gave them to him back when I thought he could keep corals alive [emoji1787]

 

[Waynerock]

Boy oh boy I got one heck of a sweet deal today!!

 

[Matyas]

Check your tank seals before you buy and make sure you get from reputable source! I bought a used setup from a local reefer and he covered up a massive hole in the silicone. Tank could not hold water and i wasted a good amount of money, which is a bummer

 

[PugsAndFish]

Got a gold torch from a popular retailer here. The torch looked nothing like the picture.

1. Color was completely off. I was told it was my light but the torch looked like that from day 1. In fact, it looked bleached.
2. The coral was clearly freshly cut. The skeleton was opened and sealed with blob of superglue. Pay >$200 and you get a unhealed coral where 1/10 of the skeleton is missing and is told "it's fine". Of course none of this was shown in the "WYSIWYG" picture. I'm convinced that they just cycle the picture.

After customer service ignored my disappointments, it required a very angry email to get a new rep who pretty much did not help.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Sold a 302 aquatics scrubber on here. The day the person recieved it, he filed a dispute and claimed to return item. Sent me fake tracking numbers and I stupidly closed the case and he has the scrubber and im out of the scrubber and the money!!
Made me a Lot smarter to scams!

 

[mitch91175]

Can say that I never felt like I have been scammed in the hobby by a seller. A few pointers for those that have (knowingly):

1. If paying with PayPal, if you cannot trust the seller, do not pay friends and family.
2. Pay with a credit card that has your back like AMEX/Discover, etc.
3. If the deal is too good to be true, then 8/10 it likely is too good to be true.
4. Deal with locals when possible, at least you can see what you are getting prior to purchase.
5. Stop being cheap on every purchase. You are asking to be scammed.

Not everyone is out to take advantage, but there are a lot of vultures out there.

 

[Claire Austin]

I purchased an in-tank overflow kit which, when I received it, was much too big for my new tank. I shipped it back in unopened condition, in the original packing. The vendor charged a 25% "restocking fee" which I don't recall seeing any notice about.

 

[Matta Simaan]

purchased used expansion card to my profilux .. paying via paypal.. and never get the product.. the seller provided non-trackable number.. informing him and he said: don't worry.. and never heard from him again.. after a 6 weeks i have opened a case in paypal .. but few days later the case has declined and they said: the seller provided a good tracking information .. emailed their manager again.. the issue haven't sold ... that's it .. i will never buy from private users again;

my suggestion is to expose all these cheaters so they cant sting again..

 

[michael giordano]

I bought a tank and stand from a local LFS. I asked him if I purchased the set up could he hold onto it for a month, because I was going to move. I had bought lots of stuff from him in the past. A month later I went to go get the tank and he had it hooked up running in his store. He then told me if I wanted the tank I would have to pay him additional for the holding fee. Something he did not disclose to me in the beginning when I purchased it in full. I would not pay him for the holding fee, so I could not get the tank. I did not have a bill of sale, so I fought the purchase on my Amex for months and ended up six months later settling for half my purchase amount. The store is out of business now and I still am upset about that ordeal.

 

[Sassifrass7]

The biggest lie I've gotten is being sold fish that don't eat anything; not live food, not thawed food, not Mastix, not copepods or anything! And telling me that they are eating well. It is just heartbreaking to watch them die slowly knowing that they never should have left the ocean at all.

 

[ca1ore]

1. Have you ever felt scammed or cheated and what are some details? (no names please)
2. What are some good tips to keep from being scammed or cheated?

Difficult to answer. I don't buy really expensive corals sight unseen (mostly don't buy them at all). Those I do buy, mostly WYSIWYG SPS, are usually disappointing initially, but as long as they survive almost always recover color - sometimes they are less than I had expected, sometimes more. I bought one colony, for example, that looked really pale initially but has become my favorite piece with pastel green and lilac. Another one, that was sold to me as strawberry shortcake is most definately not - it's nice, but principally brown and green. So I don't feel cheated, just need to manage expectations.

 

[Loggerhead]

So far I have been lucky in the past 16 or so years. I have been sold fish that I was told would do fine in my tank, but I can’t really say I was scammed any more than the person who sold it, and I, just didn’t know any better. Now whenever I buy any livestock I research it and ask questions I already know the answer to so I can find out if the person knows, is honest or just doesn’t know what they are talking about. LFS got a new guy in and he was feeding the fish one day. I asked him if the leopard wrasse was eating frozen to which he said yes that it was eating frozen Rod’s food. I watched it for a few minutes and it wasn’t interested in food at all so I asked someone else who I deal with all the time up there and he laughed and said “**** no that ain’t eating frozen.” I have never bought a single thing from the new guy. You have to protect yourself.

 

[rogersb]

Multiple sponsors on this forum are on my 'Never Buy From Again' list. I have halides, t-5's, and led's. If I can't find a fixture that makes the coral look close to what you were selling it as, you lied to me with either post editing or crazy white balance.

I was going to an LFS this weekend with a buddy and he reminded me of a time several years ago I did a chalice trade with a guy. I had a pic of the exact piece I was trading and he sent me a pic of his colony that he was going to frag. Thing was, he fragged off the back end that was completely turd brown and wasn't in the photo. I had a tank set up at that swap and didn't want to cause a scene so I took it. Now I only trade if I see the piece and then agree to the trade.

 

[Tamberav]

Been scammed a few times with corals but lucky with the used equipment I buy. I try to be careful but every once and awhile something not as advertised gets through. Coral is harder to judge. Overall most stuff has been good though....just a few rotten eggs and I won't buy from them again.

I just sold an item and the person sent me payment with gift and it makes me nervous for them! I can't believe people do that but I am an honest person so lucky for them this time around. It wasn't cheap either.

I bought a tank on Craigslist and so far everything is as described and he gave me way more extra stuff than advertised and there was random livestock in the tank. When I got home there was a yellow hammer and a gold torch I didn't even know I was getting so sometimes a person can get lucky in a good way too. The tank was up and running so that made it easier to make sure there were no leaks and all the equipment was up and turned on and running.

I am usually afraid to use Craigslist but the two things I ever bought on it were large purchases and both were wonderful but I asked a lot of questions.