LFS that lie.

[Powertec]

It amazes me with the internet as a main source of info for marine equipment, that a LFS finds it ok to lie about a product they sell with no respect for the consumer.

If you dont know just say so, dont make up stuff in which you dont know.

When i buy equipment i find out all i can before i buy, but then to have someone from the store just lie about something to try to sound smart show no respect to me or the LFS itself.

I guess i am glad for mailorder anymore.

Sorry for the rant, i just cant believe this is still happening.

[ponokareefer]

I'd have to say that I totally agree. Nothing hurts this industry more than being lied to when purchasing something. I have become very untrustworthy of almost all LFS's that I have gone to, with the exception of a couple. It really ticks me off when I go into an LFS, there is person who is clearly new to the hobby asking for the LFS's help, and getting lied to so they can make a sale. I will tell the person after the salesman has left about the lie, but then they don't know who to believe.

[littlefish88]

agreed, I have been in the hobby for 7 years now and have heard it all. Going to the LFS I really enjoy chatting with the knowledge ones and exchanging ideas but for the ones that think they can BS you-better to say I dont know, especially ones that just want to sell their product.
My sister when she began, got swindled into buying a compact for $500 saying its the best thing in the market, few months down the line they stopped carrying the product. I was pretty upset for the money she spent on something crappy like that.

Oh well thats one of my many stories.

Littlefish88

[Powertec]

My favorite is the LFS who told my wife that she would be overdriving the t5 bulbs with the light fixture he was trying to sell her but it was not electrically possible, but little did he know that she already knew what she wanted researched it and knew he was full of it. If that wasnt enough she called me and asked.

I made me mad cause i have shopped there before, and i honestly think he thought because she was a woman she wouldnt know electrical info, in reality she knew more than him, and i was proud of her for it.

There is another lesson, woman are just as informed or more so as men in this hobby and the LFS better take note.

[Zoaelite]

Powertec any more interesting rants you would like to share, you all know we like hearing them :lol:! Larger chain locations tend to be pretty bad with this kind of thing, of course the best solution to this is researching everything you purchase, reviews are a life saver! I once had a live fish store sell me 15 red legged hermits and 1 large "Filter feeding crab". The guy placed them all in the same bag and said I would be good to go. By the time I got home the so called "filter feeding crab" had broken open and eaten 12/15 of the red legged. In the end though there loss, no repeat business on my behalf.
Levi

[Powertec]

I have one more rant, but i will save it for another day. :) also because i am doing this from my phone and the little keyboard sucks.

[Dez]

I once personally saw the owner of a local fish store tell a customer that a Derasa clam wouldn't get much bigger than it was at the store (the clam was only about 5"). So sad. It is supposedly one of the "reputable" stores here as well.

[animallover]

Hi!
I know exactly where you are all coming from, as I know we all have had one or two (or more) negative experiences with LFS, myself included. But on the other side of the pancake, I have to say I have had the most pleasurable and informative dealings with a couple of amazingly knowledgeable and generous staff members at Blue World Aquarium in Edmonton--THANKS AGAIN!!, Taylor and Cathy (hopefully I spelled your names right). If they can't answer your questions they will say so!! No lie!! Their prices are very good, too! I have had such good service and stuff from them that I will only support them and the only way I will go somewhere else is if they don't carry what I might be looking for. You have to check them out!!! In my opinion, they are the best LFS around !!!!! Kudos to Blue World!! Tracey :)

[justinl]

+1, I have to say, I am actually pleased to hear LFS employees say "I have no idea" and then go find another more knowledgeable employee to help. Unfortunately I don't hear that very often at some stores and as a result I give them a lot less respect and business.

[littlefish88]

Ditto Animallover,

I have had the same experience in particular with Cathy, down to earth and enjoyable to chat with, my kind of people. One pleasant LFS story for a change.

Littlefish88

[blacknife]

Hah.

I wonder if thats the same local store that sold me a pink gonoporia as the third coral i put in my tank telling me it is very easy to take care of.

[pastout]

The funniest thing I find about this whole rant is how we rant about this like a fish store is the only place of business that does this. You can go to an electronics store a car dealership you will get the same crap. I think this should be broadened to just sales representatives for the most part are a joke do your research before most the time they are not any good. I took a car for a test drive once in a car and the car was full of cigarette ash's and burns in the seats and had a joint in the cup holder and I told the guy anyone who took care of there car like this makes you wonder how they took care of it he told me I had no idea what I was talking about and can't judge it by that. Then when the car wouldn't go into gear he told me it wasn't the cars fault it was clearly that I am just new to driving a standard and don't know how to drive one. Even though before that I told him I had never owned an automatic and always standards. Then told me ok lets go inside and start up the paper work. I mean like it doesn't just happen with saltwater stuff. And if someone refuses to do there research before they go in or use some common sense. You should just stay out of any retail store.

This is why forums like this are created to educate people and help them to make the right decisions and if they choose to ignore everyone's advice you deserve the consequences

[albert_dao]

Hah.

I wonder if thats the same local store that sold me a pink gonoporia as the third coral i put in my tank telling me it is very easy to take care of.

It is easy to take care of....

[Zoaelite]

It is easy to take care of....

In a proper system anything is easy to take care of :lol:. Encrusting gonoporia has always done really well in my tank, the branching stuff is a different story all together.

[mark]

Not just LFS where sales people lie...

[sharuq1]

It is just one of those things that sucks about shopping. [rant] For example I was helping a family member do some construction work for this one lady. She showed me her tank and proceeded to tell me how a LFS sold her a coralife t5 light with only one bulb (worth $50-$150 max) and 2 small in tank fluval filters (worth $40-$60 max each) for $1000 saying that was enough light for coral and told her she had to do 100% water changes every week. They also told her a seahorse would do fine in her 13g, 3" wide tank. Lying is one thing but this took it to a whole new level. There are lies and then there is getting completely hosed.[end rant]

Well I guess that's my addition to the rant, thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Edit: All the stores I shop at are fantastic and I don't think they would ever lie for a sale. There is a balance to this sort of thing. Great customer service begets loyal customers. I believe this was an isolated incident.

I think naturally bad LFS weed them selves out as people will always need supplies. Good service is rewarded by return business, which in turn is profit. Keep up the good work

Absolutely +1

[blacknife]

It is easy to take care of....

so you would gladly give pieces of it away to noobs and expect them to live eh?

oh well .. but just think of all the $$ i have spent trying to make things better in my tank to keep it alive.. hah.. thats what the salesperson is thinking..

[brickwood]

I have been told many times by my LFS that certain things should not be put in my tank. I have also been told many times that they would have to go ask someone else because they weren't sure about something. I also believe that sometimes we don't hear what they are telling us and only hearing what we want and then tell everyone we have been lied to. I personally do not believe that these LFS's are intentionaly trying to pull one over on us. Here in the Lower Mainland we have many fish stores to go to. The ones I go to all have knowledgable staff and I have never been lied to. It just realy ticks me off when we throw all these stores under this category that they are out to rip us off. I also work in retail and deal with people all day long and it just drives me up the wall when someone accuses me of ripping them off. Yes, the stores are trying to make a buck. Yes, the stores are going to try what they can to get a sale, but intentionaly telling someone a lie to make a sale in such a tight knit hobby just doesn't make sense. Most people who go to these stores generaly know what they are talking about or have already researched their purchase. Maybe I'm just ranting for nothing. I support my LFS fully. If we keep bashing these stores and driving new people and old away, they will not exist. Then where are you going to go? Instead of hating, try supporting. Times are tough. Lets keep them alive so I can continue to hang out at these places. Keep up the good work guys!

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I guess one of the advantages of knowing most of the people who work at the LFS in the Lower Mainland is that they know NOT to try to BS me about fish stuff. Of course, I'm referring to the independent ones, not the chain stores.

I LOVE going to LFS and hanging out for hours, just talking fish stuff with the staff if its not busy & maybe helping to bag some fish/corals if it is.

Still, it is OUR responsibility to do the research first. If I'm not sure, I ask, but I also look it up myself. Lots of these shops carry good reference books that you can ask to look through. Worse comes to worse, I put the coral/fish on hold and go home to surf the net about the species I'm interested in. While the salesperson may help me make the decision on whether to buy or not, ultimately, it is MY responsibility on how I spend my money and what I put in my tanks.

Anthony

[BlueWorldAquatic]

I thought I would respond to this thread as someone that is on the other side of the fence. As an owner of a LFS I can tell you we are not all out to make the big money.

Ask my staff, this is not my "day job", but an extension of my hobby. A hobby I love, I have found a passion in the few short years that I have been dabbling with marine aquariums.

I have always been taught you can't know everything but can surround yourself with people/resources to fill the gaps. There is never a need to lie or bullsh*t anyone to make a sale. I teach my employees the same principles, there is nothing wrong in asking for help from someone more knowledgeable.

None of my staff are on commission, nor will they ever will. If the store does well in a quarter they receive bonuses.

The problem arises from lack of training, or someone that “thinks” they know it all. It is mostly ego, from both sides also.

I can personally attest to a situation where the customer wanted a very docile fish for his aggressive tank and I refused to sell it. Now I am accused of not knowing anything because the customer didn’t get his way? and when the customer goes to another the LFS that ends up selling the fish (that dies or get killed), is that store accused of lying by omission to make the sale by not telling the customer that isn’t a good idea?

I can also cite an example where the customer would accept help from one of my staffers (Taylor) because he was a kid, that "Kid" is more knowledgable than most people I know.

If you want to avoid salespeople, you can always purchase by online, but that is not the best way to get livestock. As most of you know, just because someone carries a certain species of fish doesn’t mean that it’s “personality” will be the same as all the ones you see locally.

Please don't lump all LFS together, as with all stores, there will always be good and bad apples, you may have just had a bad salesperson too.

Remember, online/mail-order you are just a number to them (credit card), it may save you money in the long run but is it worth it when the LFS start disappearing? What are online stores? Not much different than the box stores most people hate already except no lazy or pushy salespeople.

Ken - BWA

[fishoholic]

I've been lucky in the fact that most of the workers in the LFS's in Edmonton know who I am and they know that I am knowledgeable in this hobby so they have been very honest with me. I've also noticed that for the most part they are fairly honest with others as well, more so about info on fish then equipment but over all I like to think they wouldn't out right lie just to make a sale, but obviously it does happen.

I will say though that the two main stores I support: Marine Aquaria and Blue World, have very knowledgeable staff and I can't see either store lying about anything just to make a sale.

[Haloreef]

I've been in this hobby a short time, (7+ years give or take) and I don't profess to know it all by any meens but to say LFS's all lie is a crapy statement to make. I live in the Fraser Valley and as already stated we have quite a few stores to choose from. I have purchased stock from all of them. I do tend to support one more than others ( because I have a good relationship) with not only the owners but the other customers that frequent the store. I do not feel that I have been lied to by any of thease stores. As a matter of fact when I was really new I had times when I was told certain things would not be sold to me because I (my tank) was not ready. It was hard to take at first but now I am thankfull for the advise. Nothing would have gotten me out of the hobby faster that putting out money for dead stock. With the way the economy is now it is a hard for them to stay afloat I think it will be a sad day in our hobby if/when we loose them. All you have to do is look on Canreef to see all of the tear downs going on.
Support your LFS. and Online vendors. I for one do not want to do all the CITIES doc's it would take to bring my own Acro's in.
And all those who know me know I read my Ass off before I purchase anything, do your home work and educate yourselves.
My 2cents
Keith.

[Zoaelite]

Ken you have good point,
No way on earth I would come on here and start bashing LFS in general as I help out at one ever so often (and there are tones of amazing ones in Calgary). It would be nice if all LFS conducted themselves in the manor that Blue World does but it is the sad truth that sometimes that line between service and profit is smeared. Going on your point though, I think naturally bad LFS weed them selves out as people will always need supplies. Good service is rewarded by return business, which in turn is profit. Keep up the good work :party:!
Levi

[albert_dao]

so you would gladly give pieces of it away to noobs and expect them to live eh?

oh well .. but just think of all the $$ i have spent trying to make things better in my tank to keep it alive.. hah.. thats what the salesperson is thinking..

Umm, yeah, I would actually, but I know that if they were MY customer, their tank would be kickass.

But I digress, I'm not trying to sell anyone any Goniopora...

[Slick Fork]

I have a bit of a hard time with the image of the big bad retailer picking on the poor sweet honest consumer.

Most of the bad advice I see in LFS's is just that. Bad advice from employees who have great intentions but limited experience. No single person can know it all and ultimately the onus should be on the consumer to check several sources and make an informed decision. I think the actual instances of something more sinister going on, like deliberate misleading of a customer, are very rare.

So, do your own research... take everything ANYBODY says with a grain of salt because everybody has their own opinion even if it's not a particularly qualified one. Give the sales guys/employees the benefit of the doubt, 99 times out of a hundred they're just trying to be helpful and yes, they should know when to say "I don't know" but sometimes pride does get in the way. As for the rare occasions when someone is deliberately mislead, those are unfortunate, but the stores are digging their own grave.

And really, when we hear a story like Sharuq's about a woman who dropped $1000 on a strip light and cannister filter we all shake our heads and curse the LFS that sold it. But when you give it a moments thought, any waterhead who will drop that kind of money without doing even the most basic research, probably shouldn't be keeping fish in the first place. They should maybe stick to hamsters or sea monkeys or something like that.

[fkshiu]

I have a bit of a hard time with the image of the big bad retailer picking on the poor sweet honest consumer.

Most of the bad advice I see in LFS's is just that. Bad advice from employees who have great intentions but limited experience. No single person can know it all and ultimately the onus should be on the consumer to check several sources and make an informed decision. I think the actual instances of something more sinister going on, like deliberate misleading of a customer, are very rare.

So, do your own research... take everything ANYBODY says with a grain of salt because everybody has their own opinion even if it's not a particularly qualified one. Give the sales guys/employees the benefit of the doubt, 99 times out of a hundred they're just trying to be helpful and yes, they should know when to say "I don't know" but sometimes pride does get in the way. As for the rare occasions when someone is deliberately mislead, those are unfortunate, but the stores are digging their own grave.

And really, when we hear a story like Sharuq's about a woman who dropped $1000 on a strip light and cannister filter we all shake our heads and curse the LFS that sold it. But when you give it a moments thought, any waterhead who will drop that kind of money without doing even the most basic research, probably shouldn't be keeping fish in the first place. They should maybe stick to hamsters or sea monkeys or something like that.

+1

Two words: Caveat Emptor.

No one is putting a gun to head and forcing you to buy something.

[Aquattro]

Personally, I'd like to hear from all the vendors on the horror stories dealing with us customers!! :)

[BlueWorldAquatic]

Personally, I'd like to hear from all the vendors on the horror stories dealing with us customers!! :)

Honestly since I took over Blue World June 1st, I have had only 1 "customer" (not really a customer) that I would really not want to see again. Everyone else has been so open and accomodating it is amazing. I thank you for your patience in our time of crazyness and adjustment, we're just trying to get everything in place for the fall rush to server everone better.

As for the "Customer", I was suprised in the fact that she didn't want help from one of my employees since he was a "kid" (Taylor), this kid has more knowledge and heart than most teenagers I see know-a-days.

I was helping another customer, Shannon had her hands full with the Seahorse tank, and Taylor became avaliable. This customer asked Shannon for her help, but since she was preoccupied, and that she saw Taylor finishing up with someone else, she aske him to help the customer.

This "customer" demanded that Shannon help her, and didn't want a "Kid" to help her, and stormed out. Screaming that we just lost her sale. SHannon followed the "customer" out and tried to diffuse the anger to no avail.

Unfortunately we lost our fist "customer", but with "customers" like that, I don't care if you want to buy out the whole store, I can do without.

If this is the worst I see, I can see myself in this business for a long time.

Ken - BWA

[Aquattro]

Ken, give it a bit, your collection of stories will increase :). A friend of mine used to run a really cool little freshwater boutique type store, and one day this guy comes in with what is obviously a year old or more powerhead. He wanted his money back. Steve asks him what's wrong withit, guy say nothing, just don't need it anymore. lol But he won't accept the fact that he can't return the used PH for a refund and starts getting cranky about it. It took over 30 minutes to get this guy to leave.

But there are the customers that always want a deal, you're making too much, and the fish died that you sold me 6 months ago, I want a new one etc....And talk about lying...sir, how did your fish die? Idunno...(knowing full well that little Billy dumped dish soap in tank).
I've spent a lot of time in fish stores, and trust me, I've got more customer stories than employee stories :)

[muck]

Unfortunately we lost our fist "customer", but with "customers" like that, I don't care if you want to buy out the whole store, I can do without.

If this is the worst I see, I can see myself in this business for a long time.

Ken - BWA

Hmm. I haven't been to your store yet Ken...OBVIOUSLY. :razz: