echoofformless
Peat Advocate & Defender Of Snails
I just want to say I find that behavior to be disagreeable. Very Dark Side to lose your cool, no matter how much the idiots of the world might bother you.
Banned from the LFS
- Thread starter twig
- Start date
If i were you i would write 2 letters. One of them to the store in general apologising but justifying your actions but still try to make it look like you have done wrong (personaly i think you have done the right thing) and the second letter to the guy at the LFS saying sorry. Maybe you can go back there then.
But, in order to be considered slander, it has to be an untruthful statement that has some affect on a peron's reputation or livelihood.
If an LFS has a 24 hour guarantee on their fish and I stand around and say, "Don't shop here! They have no guarantees on their fish!" that's slander. If I say, "The owner is a communist traitor" and he's not, and can prove it, that's slander.
This case is totally different. Twig just went around informing people about proper fish care. The person buying the pacu was probably told it would be okay for a small tank, otherwise they wouldn't be buying it. It's not slander for twig to inform them otherwise. I'm not sure it's even in poor taste. LFS's are going to continue selling those fish as long as there is a demand...and the demand exists because of ingnorance of the proper way to keep these fish. That info isn't going to come from a store that sells them (otherwise they'd be stuck with a bunch of tankbusters). You can write letters to a small LFS all you want. You'll probably be ignored. Hit them in the cash register and they'll start paying attention.
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I think Twig herself acknowledges that there may have been a better course of action than what she took, when she said she "lost it".
Not only was the "fish guy" (owner or employee) mishandling the fish, AND misinforming or failing to inform his customers, he was also Rude to twig who was in fact a customer. Perhaps there are legitimate reasons for not letting a customer scoop out her own fish, I don't know. But there are certainly Appropriate and Inappropriate ways to deal with customers. I have had encounters with "fish guys" who are rude and insulting on top of being wrong, and it is pretty infuriating. (I know there are hard- to -deal- with customers, but that is no excuse.)
I fairly regularly share appropriate information with customers in fish stores when for instance they are about to buy a GF for their 5 G or similar. I try to do this in a polite manor that is respectful to the employee involved if there is one. Some employees are appreciative, some apologetic, and some are just ***holes, as the one in twigs case seemed to be.
Frankly, while it may be legal, I don't feel anyone has a right to make money mistreating fish any more than they do by mistrating any other animal, or by selling defective merchandise for that matter. I would interfere with that sort of "business" without qualms any day.
I can't resist adding that while people can bring suit for anything or nothing at all, and in this country too often do,there is no cause for slander action implied in the story of the OP.
Not only was the "fish guy" (owner or employee) mishandling the fish, AND misinforming or failing to inform his customers, he was also Rude to twig who was in fact a customer. Perhaps there are legitimate reasons for not letting a customer scoop out her own fish, I don't know. But there are certainly Appropriate and Inappropriate ways to deal with customers. I have had encounters with "fish guys" who are rude and insulting on top of being wrong, and it is pretty infuriating. (I know there are hard- to -deal- with customers, but that is no excuse.)
I fairly regularly share appropriate information with customers in fish stores when for instance they are about to buy a GF for their 5 G or similar. I try to do this in a polite manor that is respectful to the employee involved if there is one. Some employees are appreciative, some apologetic, and some are just ***holes, as the one in twigs case seemed to be.
Frankly, while it may be legal, I don't feel anyone has a right to make money mistreating fish any more than they do by mistrating any other animal, or by selling defective merchandise for that matter. I would interfere with that sort of "business" without qualms any day.
I can't resist adding that while people can bring suit for anything or nothing at all, and in this country too often do,there is no cause for slander action implied in the story of the OP.
so. . . . people at this lfs are rude and know nothing about fish. they treat both their products and their customers like crap, and yet you still handed your money over to them? ::eye roll:: the best way to show a business that you don't like them is to NOT spend your money there. complain all you want, but i think you were in the wrong. maybe if instead of acting all high and mighty with your Official Salesperson Voice, you could have held back a little, talked to the guy, and explained why you wanted it done a certain way.
"Well, i know it sounds weird, but i've heard this about puffers several times, so could you scoop the fish out please? i guess i don't want to take the chance just in case it's true. . . "
Now you've lost out, as have the other customers who visit that store. The shop owners didn't lose out - they got rid of some crazy person who harasses the customers, and dipped a hand into your pocket on your way out. If you'd have not freaked out, maybe you could have gotten friendly with them and actually made a good difference, instead of being the latest insane customer.
"Well, i know it sounds weird, but i've heard this about puffers several times, so could you scoop the fish out please? i guess i don't want to take the chance just in case it's true. . . "
Now you've lost out, as have the other customers who visit that store. The shop owners didn't lose out - they got rid of some crazy person who harasses the customers, and dipped a hand into your pocket on your way out. If you'd have not freaked out, maybe you could have gotten friendly with them and actually made a good difference, instead of being the latest insane customer.
Silly.
Do you own the store? No. When you run an LFS of your own then you can do things the way you wish.
He may not have been handling them properly, but the only thing he did very wrong was not acknowledging your wishes as a customer.
What you did wrong was to disrupt his business in his place of business, and you did it intentionally. Granted in hindsight you may regret that. It was wrong none the less. Your behavior is not excused just because of his lack of knowledge or professionalism.
Do you own the store? No. When you run an LFS of your own then you can do things the way you wish.
He may not have been handling them properly, but the only thing he did very wrong was not acknowledging your wishes as a customer.
What you did wrong was to disrupt his business in his place of business, and you did it intentionally. Granted in hindsight you may regret that. It was wrong none the less. Your behavior is not excused just because of his lack of knowledge or professionalism.
Agreed. Be a professional with your complaints and you'll be more likely to get a positive response.
