lfs horror stories!!!

[johnanddawn]

i just don't agree with all the LFS bashing
sure all the things you mentioned happen and will continue, but with the information available thes days its noones fault but the consumer
people who do not research their purchases are the guilty ones
my daughter worked at one of these chain stores while going to college, and dispite her growing up around tanks her whole life, her knowledge level at that time was next to none
knowlege is freely available - if soone chooses not to access what can be done

 

[EliteReefs]

i just don't agree with all the LFS bashing
sure all the things you mentioned happen and will continue, but with the information available thes days its noones fault but the consumer
people who do not research their purchases are the guilty ones
my daughter worked at one of these chain stores while going to college, and dispite her growing up around tanks her whole life, her knowledge level at that time was next to none
knowlege is freely available - if soone chooses not to access what can be done

I wont FULLY agree but i will say you are very right for the most part. i hate people that always are so willing to pass the buck and say " well he told me" thats such crap. 30 years ago i would say ok since we did nto have the internet like we do today but with the amount of info right at our fingertips there is never an excuse for anyone to claim they did not know other then being lazy.

to me thats like starting a thread that says " what should my Salinity be" umm hello google is your friend lol. some people are just sooo lazy and want everything handed to them. its the american way. its always someone else fault. sad but true

 

[RBursek]

I agree the info is there, heck, I answer so many of the same questions on 3 different sites, and I bet 50% are right there in a stickie in the forum they posted a thread in. I did not know about these forums and sites when I started up my tank, but am a info juncky so asked alot at a local reef club.

 

[fab1971]

Granted there are some great lfs out there but isn't it their responsibility to inform the customer and gear them towards a healthy and long relationship with the hobby. Trying to make a quick buck, employees with next to no knowledge of their products and the selling of sick animals can destroy this relationship. There are many professionals + working parents that don't have the time to research products + animal care. That is the sole responsibility of the seller. It's like a patient walking into the hospital and not being warned the dangers of a procedure, or a sick person not being given the list of side effects from a pharmacist. The blame should definitely not be shouldered by the customer.

I

 

[Paul_N]

There are many professionals + working parents that don't have the time to research products + animal care. That is the sole responsibility of the seller.

I disagree 100%. If you don't have the time you should not be taking on the responsibility of ANY pet until you have the time to research. First and foremost it is the buyers responsibility. JMO..:bigsmile:

 

[viper1972]

I worked at a LFS for 7 years. When I started I knew nothing, but I learned a lot from seeing other people do dumb stuff. There are a lot of good stores out there. The ones that are not knowedgeable are the chains, Petland, Petco, Petsmart, etc. they are there to make money and only make money. The individually owned stores are there because they love the hobby.

 

[dtpollard]

The store in my story was a privately owned store. They are getting better though, they just hired me as a consultant to get the Saltwater room up to par and to make it profitable. I will get it into shape.

 

[inactive]

Man..... My boy Klep and I are always hitting up "Da Co" acting like newbs trying to start a tank for the first time.. It is amazing how much misinformation is given out... I usually ruin it because I can't keep a straight face, and I love to crush the knowledge of the unknowledgeable.

 

[_Alex_]

Yes but when you go in somewhere asking a question on howe to raise ph/alk and they just hand you a product and say "here use this" and walk away thats not customer service. That is them being lazy and wanting your money. And also proving they know nothing about the product they are trying to market


Just an example of what has happened to me when i first started i now use the net or just bug you all and pic k you r brains lol

 

[FishyFarr]

I have heard several of the above stories.
live rock with apitasia is healthy, (I was told this so I went and looked up apitasia LOL wow glad I only bought one rock and it got left in city water for a week then transferred to RO water for a week then into the tank)

I was just starting out and I had read 3 books and was on three forums. I bought the rock then before adding it to my tank I researched it.

Now I go everywhere with a list and prices of competitors as well as specifics. I have one amazing LFS "Fintastics" near me.
The store is practically a full blown aquarium fresh and salt. I have watched salesman refuse to sell people tangs because their tank was to small. I have also listened to their advice several times and researched what they told me.

buyer beware and product research are essential to having saltwater tanks I believe.

 

[Oiseau Reefer]

I am a big person to say if somebody comes and wants to buy corals/fish from me but they don't even know what it is they are buying I tell them they need to research what it is and make sure they will be able to make it live also I always refuse to sale anything to anyone who doesn't have the proper set up to maintain what they want but the said thing is the local petco will sell anyone anything mind you they haven't done a water change in over 3 years and boast about it the only other way to get aquarium service around here is through a guy that I wish I could be an a** and metion his name but for what little respect I have for the I will not do so he has an aquarium maintenance business that he gets people into contract then he does the bare minimum I'll use this for an example a guy I met with had a beautifu set 900g to systom volume except it has not had a water/vho bulbs changed in over 2 years and he just pawns fish off into the system that his other client don't want and this is one of his best tanks it hard to tell what's in it because of the damage to the acrylic and needless to say he's making a killing at what he does of scamming people who do not have the knowledge to know any different he is running a wrecking ball through the hobby in my area !!! So I'm working on changing this !

 

[korndogg091]

Wouldnt going to a LFS (not being a chain) count as researching? I mean really, if you go to a specialist you expect them to give the proper advice. I dont think its people being lazy, they are doing what they should do and going to a LFS, those that go to a chain store are on their own. You cant really think that if you go to petco you are going to get good advice. Their is some common sense that needs to be had, but if you go to a real fish store then you should be getting good advice.

 

[jordan3548]

I believe if I am going to a LFS to buy something they should have enough knowledge of what there selling to help me I shouldnt have to research it thats what LFS's are for. Would you go to Mcdonald's if they didnt know what went on the sandwich's? They work there its there responsibilty to know what they are selling if they dont then they need to be trained properly.

 

[FishyFarr]

but in your above example
go to mcdonalds and ask where they get their buns from.
No one will know.
I agree a GOOD LFS should give you good advice and
petco is the bottom of the barrel
(anyone notice petsmart got out of saltwater, is that just here or everywhere?)

anyways you had best ask other reefers or Fishees in your area who is good and who is not.
sounds kinda like an angies list item does it not.

 

[Docstomper]

I am a big person to say if somebody comes and wants to buy corals/fish from me but they don't even know what it is they are buying I tell them they need to research what it is and make sure they will be able to make it live also I always refuse to sale anything to anyone who doesn't have the proper set up to maintain what they want but the said thing is the local petco will sell anyone anything mind you they haven't done a water change in over 3 years and boast about it the only other way to get aquarium service around here is through a guy that I wish I could be an a** and metion his name but for what little respect I have for the I will not do so he has an aquarium maintenance business that he gets people into contract then he does the bare minimum I'll use this for an example a guy I met with had a beautifu set 900g to systom volume except it has not had a water/vho bulbs changed in over 2 years and he just pawns fish off into the system that his other client don't want and this is one of his best tanks it hard to tell what's in it because of the damage to the acrylic and needless to say he's making a killing at what he does of scamming people who do not have the knowledge to know any different he is running a wrecking ball through the hobby in my area !!! So I'm working on changing this !

Whoa, that was hard to read. Put a comma in there or something lol.

 

[ZoAcan Princess]

My LFS was selling some live rock for a new setup and I heard them tell the customer "You can tell the live rock is healthy by all the aiptaisia growing on it."

HAHAHA!!!, this one is my favorite...they almost killed all of my zoos at one point... almost all LFS around here have them... like ginormous ones. i'm thinking to myself, are they trying to sell this thing??

 

[Dextereef]

I had a part time job working at Petco a couple years back. Need extra money. Well in the 6 months I worked there my manager received over a dozen complaints from people because I (to make it short) told them if they got that fish it would die in their tanks. But I will say this. I had alot more people go to the manager and thank him because I warned them first so they did not waste their money. Most of the people who complained thought they new more then me because I was young.

I can remember one lady who came in and wanted a baby Oscar for her 20 gallon that was full of neon tetras. She told me that oscars are nice and do not get big. She has had them before. I politely informed her they are mean and get Huge. She actually looked at me called me a liar and asked how I knew. I took my phone out of my pocket and showed her my two Oscars in the 120 I had that where both right at 15". She still did not believe me. I gave up.

You can't fix stupid

 

[Eienna]

I will say that whoever's "responsibility" it is, pushing people out of the hobby from frustration is not sound business practice XP

And you know...people should be able to come to you for sound advice if you work there. Think about it. You go to an electronics store, you ask if "this" will work with "that," and you get a (usually) solid answer, right? Why should it be any different here? Normal people ask questions...and you shouldn't be answering them if you aren't willing to be truthful or don't know the subject matter. That's just proper sense.

 

[Oscaror]

One of my LFS has a horrible coral tank (they take amazing care of their fish though). What happened was their only employee who knew saltwater (others know SW too, but their job isn't taking care of the tanks) got injured in a skiing accident and doesn't work there anymore. Well, at least there's always a job open for me there .

 

[Dextereef]

I agree people should have the "wherewithall" upstairs to do a bit of research before purchasing but that isnt the case with everyone, especially the young ones and the novices. It shouldn't always be "buyer beware" atmosphere at the LFS. It should be a place where the knowledgeable and the novice alike can get equal access to goods, services, and information. The government has actually passed laws prohibiting certain industries from perpetuating a buyer beware market (ex: mortgage industry, auto lemon laws, etc...)

I also agree that the internet is a valuable resource....a huge, freely available, unsourced, uncensored, any yayhoo can setup a website, resource. It's where I learned that cats can play the piano, mermaids actually exist, and its where I met my french model girlfriend...Bonjour!

I suppose it boils down to where do you wish to get your trusted information. From a warm body or from Al Gore's interwebs!