Would you buy from an LFS that dodges questions?...****** Apology*******

[paddyob]

If a question is asked... why can't the LFS answer without becoming defensive and making crappy comments?

To clarify for some..... if you ask a retailer/owner a question, and they do not answer... or they choose to become defensive about your question... what would you do? What would this indicate?

Have you experienced this? Do you find it more with online retailers or the LFS?

[Ross]

Depends what the question is...

IE. Whats your markup?? Who are your suppliers and can I buy direct?? etc.


In my case it depends on the store, some yes I put up with it because of price, but others I don't.
Misinformation and question dodging stores, tend to run poor setups and product speaks for its self.

My favorite question to base a store off of is "What qt do you do to new livestock arrivals"

Store 1: Whats a QT?
Store 2: Fresh water dip 5 minutes then good to go.
Store 3: Not sure, can't get an answer.
Store 4: 2 step api meds 1-2 weeks
Store 5: A blend of meds and make sure they are eating well

I very seldomly buy from stores 1, 2, and 3 but frequently from stores 4 and 5
Oddly enough they are opposite ends of the price scale.
Store 1 and 3 are the highest priced and poorest quality livestock. (ie several yellow tangs with no fins for sale 30% off)

I'll put up with only so much BS before taking my money elsewhere.
Move on to better stores and dont look back.

[ponokareefer]

Depends what the question is. If the question is "When did you get that fish in?", they should be able to give you a reasonable answer. If your asking them a question like "I saw that cheaper online, why are you gauging me?", you might find they get a little defensive. I'm not saying it's right, but some might.

[paddyob]

How about direct questions on mortality and the practice of removing animals that have a high mortality rate?

When a dealer gets defensive... to me that says "Please buy something as all I care about is money."

[Parker]

I think mortality is subjective. Most people can't keep Moorish Idols alive, but there are plenty of people that can. The same holds true for many other species does that mean they shouldn't be sold? I don't believe so and most LFS are pretty good at being able to dissuade someone from buying a fish that they might not be ready for.

You have Chromis in your tank, they have a tendency to kill each other, does that make you any better or worse than the LFS?

I'm not trying to be confrontational here, most people tend to turn a blind eye to the rules they are breaking while pointing fingers at others. Myself included, I have fish I shouldn't have.
__________________

[paddyob]

I agree to a point... but if the specimen is known to have a high mortality rate why is it still sold?

Its an animal. Short of starting a "PETA" conversation, which I definitely will not get into.... an animal is an animal... regardless of what type of animal it is.

If a tiger is treated poorly everyone would start pointing fingers.... why not fish? They have a right to live don't they?


I am no expert in this hobby by far.... but don't we expect this from the people who are supposed to be?

[Parker]

It's really up to the purchaser to make a responsible decision. The LFS may ask you questions ( How big is your tank, how long has it been operational, what other fish do you have in your tank, etcetera ) but it's up to you to be honest with yourself and answers. If people are buying fish without educating themselves first….. aren’t they just as much to blame? You can’t simply blame the LFS.

To use your example. I agree if a tiger is being treated poorly it should be dealt with, on a case my case basis. Not paint everyone with the same brush as you're suggesting. There are people out there that are very versed in caring for Tigers, should they be forced to stop doing good work because of one bad egg?

Fish definitely have the right to live, I just don't believe it's as simple as your making it out to be. As mentioned before, mortality is subjective.

[sphelps]

Really you do have to remember a LFS is a business and therefore profits are important. If you want to think that this hobby has a positive influence on the wild that's fine but realistically it simply isn't the case. I've read studies that say over 90% of all important livestock dies within a year which isn't a good number but it's probably true. Also the way I look at it is as soon as something is taken from the wild the damage is done unless you plan on returning it which obviously isn't the case. Then you also have to consider perception, there is a line between what can and can't be kept but everyone has their own lines and it's not fair for one person to come in and say their line or opinion is the right one.

To be honest if someone off the street came in and tried to tell me how to do my job or how to run my business I wouldn't respond much differently. Quite frankly if you don't like it go elsewhere, you're not being a hero you're just being annoying and disruptive. Maybe it was just a question but I see it as more than that. But that's just how I see it and I don't mean any offense.

[BlueWorldAquatic]

The biggest issue with this is what is the LFS hiding?

Short of asking for our costs & suppliers, there are no unreasonable questions.

The problem is is they have the answers. Are the staff train well enough to admit they don't have all the answers.

I personally can attest to not knowing everything, and tell the customer i'll check or look it up for them.

What it all comes down to is,are you confortable with the store or their answers?

You hold all the cards, if you aren't then you don't need to shop there.

Just my experience.

Ken - BWA

[Ross]

Originally Posted by paddyob

How about direct questions on mortality and the practice of removing animals that have a high mortality rate?

When a dealer gets defensive... to me that says "Please buy something as all I care about is money."

Are you certain that the dealer ordered this fish in?
I've seen countless times that a LFS orders in a specific strain of Discus and the distributer substitutes another strain in its place because they were not instock at the time of shipping.

(Freshwater yes, but the point is the same if not worse for Marine as they are 99% dependant on the fish being located and caught)

If it wasnt ordered and many people question why they would bring it in, then I could see them getting annoyed.
Either way poor practice to bark at a customer.

Any business man knows without customers your store amounts to nothing so... "The customer is allways right"
Perhaps they were a special order for a naive customer that backed out of the deal?