Banned from the LFS

twig

AC Members
Apr 28, 2006
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I had an awful experience yesterday at the LFS. I went there to look at the plants (i rarely buy fish from anywhere but the local big als) and they had d. puffers... so I HAD to get them =)

they were very young, starving but healthy beyond that (and are doing fine now).

I bought three for my 20 (one will be moved to a 5g when they get a bit bigger) and got into an arguement with the local bloak on how to fetch them. I told him in my most commanding sales voice (I am a sales person so I can be very assertive) that these fish were not to be netted. They were to be scooped up with a cup.

He told me I was crazy and I told him i knew what I was doing and offered to get the **** fish myself. He retorted with a "what do you know?!" under his breath and I heard him so I went around his store and started telling customers what they were doing wrong =(

one person was buying a pacu for like a 20 gal tank and i told them the fish gets huge and it will probably break the tank. ANother couple were buyign like 20 fish and i told them to keep ther eceit because they were going to die.. moving onto my third customer who was buying an expensive puffer fish (under the label fresh water when i know they are brackish) the guy finally got a cup and scooped them out and then told me not to come back. =\

I guess I finally lost it with regards to improper fish care. I see stuff like that on a daily basis but ive been looking for dwarf puffers forever (6 months about) and the fact he wanted to risk their lives out of laziness and stupidity just got me so upset.

Just thought i'd share with you guys.
 
LoL nice. Im looking for DP's 2....But if I find some I might want to go back to the store I found them at....you know incase they get more :D
 
What would be really good, is if a few of you who lived nearby this afore mentioned LFS all go in & do the same as twig lol

It would be like a mini protest... & would make the fish selling man incredibly unpopular :Angel:

Good on you...
 
The store owner may have a claim against you in slander if he's so inclined.

I personally think you overstepped a boundary when you started blaring your complaints around his shop. If I were the owner, I would not tolerate this.

I understand that some stores may not practice the best principles, however there are smarter ways to go about spreading responsible fish keeping than ranting around a store like a child.
 
I know the feeling. My LFS refuses to put the fish in an opaque bag right away. instead, they like to banter and argue while my fish freak out and I freak out. Well ive had it. Next time im in there im going to get the bags myself.

Matter of fact, id rather catch the fish myself too. They do this thing where once the fish is netted but still in the tank, they tap the glass to scare the fish deep into the net. how cruel is that?
 
I didnt see any slander in that story. She told the customers her opinion of what would happen to the fish, she didn't claim any wrongdoing on the part of the store --- from what she wrote.
 
I personally think you overstepped a boundary when you started blaring your complaints around his shop. If I were the owner, I would not tolerate this.

Obviously he didn't since he asked twig not to come back. He did it in a smart way....he completed the sale before kicking out a customer.

I don't think there's any slander involved here. Advice was given about how to keep fish in a proper manner (with regards to the pacu). Don't know what was going on with the 20 fish that were mentioned but I'm sure something similar transpired there. What is wrong is that this advice should have come from the LFS. A good one will usually have employees who ask about the final destination of fish that are purchased from the store. I find the employees in mine almost always ask about tank setups and tank mates, etc. That way they can help the customer make better decisions and they're more likely to get repeat business. If anything, twig just made the LFS employee look bad by pointing out a glaring lack of sales information that should have been given to the customer. Good job.
 
Liable and slander are not criminal offenses. they are however, civil offenses.

with this comes a different level of proof.

it would be up to a judge, jury and atty to actually make a determination.


I do believe if you have a complaint you move it up the chain of command..walking about the establishement and complaining to customers is not the proper way to go and does open you to possible legal action.
whether your guilty of slander:huh: that's why there are courts;)
if you protest..do so, but not on the property of the place you are protesting..there are trespass laws.

did you ever think that they don't let you get the fish yourself as there are liability issues?

I applaud your concerns, however.
I would have taken a different course of action..but we are all individuals.

(please keep in mind I speak in terms of issues that could happen in the USA):eek:
 
I think thats pretty funny, good for you! By the way, I don't know anything about puffers really, what harms them in the netting process?
 
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