- Location
- Brooklyn, NY
I'm limiting this to livestock only, not dry goods...
Well, although I've only been in this hobby for 2 years and have a 95% survival rate with livestock that enters my tank that being said I feel that there are some terrible misconceptions of the responsibility it takes to doing business here at MR.
These Vendors seem to think that we are here to make them money with little or no regard for the us, the buyers. They take money for livestock and raise their collective hands when something dies and say its not their problem (or some of the more VENDOR common excuses, like "it was eating here" or "it was fine while i had it" B.S). I'm sure there are many instances when a buyer is irresponsible with the care and or poor acclimation efforts of livestock, but when everything is done by the numbers ie; proper acclimation, why is it they still insist on not doing the right thing with adequate replacement or refund.
I have friends who are vendors here @ MR, and I will continue that relationship as friends but i will NEVER purchase another piece of livestock from them again...none have any responsible return or replacement policy, which is VERY convenient for them, us, we have to take it up the proverbial butt and mark it as a loss. Talk about hypocrites, there is a vendor who is selling purple queen anthias, a fish that possibly has a 5% success rate in an aquarium and he has the audacity to sell them to any and all who are unsuspecting or without any knowledge of this fact, in hopes that maybe the buyer wont look for a refund or replacement, that's insane and wrong and still insist there doing the right thing, these are the types we are doing business with in this our tight little reefing community
Why is this different than any other business on this planet...hello! CUSTOMERS MAKE UR BUSNESS GO...not the other way around. When a client of mine is unhappy, whether its my fault or not, whether it was my responsibility or not I HAVE TO MAKE AMMENDS. If it requires a full refund, or a job re due. If i want that customer to return to do business with me again ill have to eat crow and take a LOSS, yea take a loss, because his/her money has value to me. AND, if its a great client one who has been with me for years and or spends a good amount of money i should split in half to make him/her happy. Vendors that sell livestock here devalue your money by disregarding and disrespecting these basic business principles. Why the hell is it my/our responsibility to make a vendor financially whole when a fish or coral dies...WTF?
I could not in good conscience sell something to someone without knowing whether it will survive in there tanks. I take pride in knowing that it is successful and flourishing in their system, some don't give a crap, just show me the money. By not being either educated enough or not giving a **** they are selling inferior livestock to us who look to them for guidance and a honest sell and SHOULD be held to a higher standard.
So, who is responsible?
Do your homework, double check for replacement or discount policies, before traveling to these vendors and make sure you actually see the livestock healthy and in the case of fish eating without deformities, ask where and when fish were caught. Be aware of dead or uneaten food in the holding tanks and make sure they have been there for an adequate time because whether it be fish or corals they could be already dieing for a couple of weeks before u get them from disease. If any or some of these things are witnessed run as fast as you can outta there, because in most cases you will get a screwing.
When Michael Stern essentially told me after the flame wrasse lasted only 2 days, that i had to pay an additional $70 after i had paid an initial $120 for the fish (which to be fair was discounted i was reminded) to get a replacement and bemoaned i was being unfair and unreasonable....seems to me some people need a wake up call on who has purchasing power on this earth.
He will receive my first ever negative feedback and with very good reason.
Some guidlines need to be set for the vendors that call this home, but I doubt that will happen, it takes guts and difficult desisions to make that happen and I dont think anyone with the ability to do so has the nuts to do it.
If i have offended or showed no respect to anyone too freak'in bad, now you know how i feel...
my dead $120 flame wrasse
Well, although I've only been in this hobby for 2 years and have a 95% survival rate with livestock that enters my tank that being said I feel that there are some terrible misconceptions of the responsibility it takes to doing business here at MR.
These Vendors seem to think that we are here to make them money with little or no regard for the us, the buyers. They take money for livestock and raise their collective hands when something dies and say its not their problem (or some of the more VENDOR common excuses, like "it was eating here" or "it was fine while i had it" B.S). I'm sure there are many instances when a buyer is irresponsible with the care and or poor acclimation efforts of livestock, but when everything is done by the numbers ie; proper acclimation, why is it they still insist on not doing the right thing with adequate replacement or refund.
I have friends who are vendors here @ MR, and I will continue that relationship as friends but i will NEVER purchase another piece of livestock from them again...none have any responsible return or replacement policy, which is VERY convenient for them, us, we have to take it up the proverbial butt and mark it as a loss. Talk about hypocrites, there is a vendor who is selling purple queen anthias, a fish that possibly has a 5% success rate in an aquarium and he has the audacity to sell them to any and all who are unsuspecting or without any knowledge of this fact, in hopes that maybe the buyer wont look for a refund or replacement, that's insane and wrong and still insist there doing the right thing, these are the types we are doing business with in this our tight little reefing community
Why is this different than any other business on this planet...hello! CUSTOMERS MAKE UR BUSNESS GO...not the other way around. When a client of mine is unhappy, whether its my fault or not, whether it was my responsibility or not I HAVE TO MAKE AMMENDS. If it requires a full refund, or a job re due. If i want that customer to return to do business with me again ill have to eat crow and take a LOSS, yea take a loss, because his/her money has value to me. AND, if its a great client one who has been with me for years and or spends a good amount of money i should split in half to make him/her happy. Vendors that sell livestock here devalue your money by disregarding and disrespecting these basic business principles. Why the hell is it my/our responsibility to make a vendor financially whole when a fish or coral dies...WTF?
I could not in good conscience sell something to someone without knowing whether it will survive in there tanks. I take pride in knowing that it is successful and flourishing in their system, some don't give a crap, just show me the money. By not being either educated enough or not giving a **** they are selling inferior livestock to us who look to them for guidance and a honest sell and SHOULD be held to a higher standard.
So, who is responsible?
Do your homework, double check for replacement or discount policies, before traveling to these vendors and make sure you actually see the livestock healthy and in the case of fish eating without deformities, ask where and when fish were caught. Be aware of dead or uneaten food in the holding tanks and make sure they have been there for an adequate time because whether it be fish or corals they could be already dieing for a couple of weeks before u get them from disease. If any or some of these things are witnessed run as fast as you can outta there, because in most cases you will get a screwing.
When Michael Stern essentially told me after the flame wrasse lasted only 2 days, that i had to pay an additional $70 after i had paid an initial $120 for the fish (which to be fair was discounted i was reminded) to get a replacement and bemoaned i was being unfair and unreasonable....seems to me some people need a wake up call on who has purchasing power on this earth.
He will receive my first ever negative feedback and with very good reason.
Some guidlines need to be set for the vendors that call this home, but I doubt that will happen, it takes guts and difficult desisions to make that happen and I dont think anyone with the ability to do so has the nuts to do it.
If i have offended or showed no respect to anyone too freak'in bad, now you know how i feel...
my dead $120 flame wrasse
Attachments
Last edited:
$120 wrasse....i guess i'd be *issed off too..sorry for your loss dude...I'm sure the vendors do care about satisfying there customers (us), well at least I hope so....if the livestock from a certain vendor is always defective per say then maybe they should give a refund pending water parameters or refund half or one can just not buy from them anymore and you can proceed to leave a negative feedback so others can know...but if this is the first time that you loose a fish from a certain vendor then maybe it really wasn't his/her fault...maybe it was that fishys time to go..or it didn't do well in the shipping process...i feel you though vendors should have a policy with rules...like the online one's...but we buy from them on our own accord knowing they don't have those policies...maybe if we talk to the vendor on the side in this type of situation something can be worked out ya know...just my 2 cents....
