shaddy or lazy you choose

[Chugger]

I ask this question, if i am willing to spend over a 100 dollars and sometimes over 200 hundred on fish from a fish shop, i belive they should 1st get back back to me in a timely manner, over a month is way too long if you ask me, and 2nd they should be able to provide a picture of those fish you r buying , for you upon your request, if they own this type of busniess, then , they should be able too provide these simple request, now r you with me or against me on this

 

[aquaticclarity]

Timely manner, yes. For a store on a special order item that may be as long as 6-8 weeks.

Provide photos of fish, no. They are in the fish business, not the photography business. If you referring to an on-line sale it makes good sense for the seller to have a picture of the fish available, but it's not an absolute must.

Am I understanding what you are asking Chugger?

Jeff

 

[eranu]

I guess it's a very different scale(no pun) of things in the US than the UK but I'm not really sure where I stand about buying livestock through the post anyway. I think I'd rather find a local(ish) shop that is willing to order 'special' fish for their own purposes first.

 

[tjudy]

I would also mention that $100 - $200 worth of fish, though not pennies, is not a lot of money to many fish sellers. Aquaticclarity and I have dropped $1500-$2000 on a few orders (each ordor) from one seller.

If you are buying from a retail store the markup on the fish will be 3X-5X.. good money. If you are talking about an on-line reatailer whose prices are a lot lower than the local store, the markup is probably closer to 2X... not as good money.

Unfortunately customer service is not a priority for most on-line fish mongers, and some have a tendancy to tell the 'squeaky wheels' to take a hike. If the person you are dealing with has great fish, good prices and what you want... it is probably best to be patient; but do not pay up front for fish they do not have in stock.

 

[Chugger]

Im talking about a reply, about fish they already have in stock, im sorry but 6 to 8 weeks for a reply is just bad busniess, as for the photo if the fish in question, like the african dwarf giraffe catfish,that get miss labled by almost everyone, a photo is not alot to ask

 

[Chugger]

i hear you

tjudy i came to your conculsion awhile ago, but it still bothered me, how different some people due business, so i wanted to see if it was just me or, if other thought that those practices where odd.

 

[Rey82]

Customer service is always a plus especially in timely shipping of live fish. I have found that if they do not have a picture posted I do the research myself and find a picture of that particular fish. Plus if apistos are your main interest the Aqualog books are also a good way of looking up certain species of apistos.

 

[Chugger]

I hear you, but some of these fish like the catfish i mentioned above, most of the times aren't the real fish as advertised, and when your just a hobbiest and you have wasted close to 300 on faith investmens, and get the wrong fish, you tend to want to make sure, i will say that there r those who will gp out of there way for people in this busniess., im not sure if people r getting what im saying

 

[aquaticclarity]

Im talking about a reply, about fish they already have in stock, im sorry but 6 to 8 weeks for a reply is just bad busniess, as for the photo if the fish in question, like the african dwarf giraffe catfish,that get miss labled by almost everyone, a photo is not alot to ask

Yes, if the fish is in stock 6-8 weeks is to long for a response. If you have had a store order a certain fish for you, more then once, and you have not purchased the fish because it was not what you ordered, don't expect the store to be quick to fill your future requests. (You not buying the fish is reasonable-I don't like to buy fish that aren't what I ordered either.) This is frustrating for sure, but for both parties. You are asking for a certain fish. The store is ordering a certain fish. The wholesaler is sending a different fish. Of course you don't want the fish. But now the store is stuck with a fish they may not want. This is made worse by the fact that there are most likely some mixed feelings about the true identity of the fish in question. Unfortunately many stores just aren't set-up to take photos and post them for fish identification. Unless the fishstore is a LONG way away you need to check it out yourself and see if it's what you want.

And always deal with Latin names first and common names second. It is the only way to be clear when trying to get commonly mislabeled/identified fish.

Jeff

 

[Chugger]

my prob is , the store will advertise a certain fish, but i know that it might not be the fish i want, because in the past when i have ordered and trusted the same people and it was the wrong fish, so if i see this fish on a list and it isn't one these 3 dealers , uncle neds, rehoboth, or dave's rare fish, i need a pic to be sure cause most dealers just can't tell them apart, as for getting back to me thats a seperate dealer.

 

[aquaticclarity]

So you are talking about an on-line/mail order source. Then yes, if it is a fish with questionable identification you should get a picture first. Unfortunately, as Ted stated, many on-line dealers don't have the same customer first attitude and most likely never will. The profit margin with selling fish on-line, at least selling imported stock, is very low compared to a retail store setting. It sounds like you are just going to have to keep looking for the fish and consider some different suppliers. Most likely you will have to wait until a "local" source has the fish and you can make a positive I.D. in person. But that's half the fun of fish...wanting something that you just can't find and one day stumbling across it when you least expect to find it.


Jeff

 

[tjudy]

Yeah... that's why Jeff drives around with a $100 bill folded into a secret compartment of his wallet. Just in case...

 

[aquaticclarity]

SHHH...don't tell my wife! And it's 2 bills.

Jeff

 

[Chugger]

So you are talking about an on-line/mail order source. Then yes, if it is a fish with questionable identification you should get a picture first. Unfortunately, as Ted stated, many on-line dealers don't have the same customer first attitude and most likely never will. The profit margin with selling fish on-line, at least selling imported stock, is very low compared to a retail store setting. It sounds like you are just going to have to keep looking for the fish and consider some different suppliers. Most likely you will have to wait until a "local" source has the fish and you can make a positive I.D. in person. But that's half the fun of fish...wanting something that you just can't find and one day stumbling across it when you least expect to find it.


Jeff

yep, i know your right, but atlest those three places i named , r usually dead on right, at least with the fish i have orderd from them