good stores in Tampa ?

[forddna]

Church, I'm planning on making a trip there soon! I will report back when I do.

[Sponsors]

[Church]

Please do!

[Church]

I just thought I'd make a post here about my recent experience with the Fish World, on Waters ave...

For anyone who's read this entire thread, it's obvious I've always recommended this place to anyone in the area who needs fish or even plants... but that has unfortunately changed with a little "minor" experience I had this past weekend. I bagged up all six of my glowlight tetras, in perfect health, and brought them into the store, hoping for store credit. Not so much for the store credit (which isn't much anyway), but more for the safety of the fish. I was only getting rid of them because they don't really blend in well with the rest of the tank, and I definitely wanted to keep the fish alive and well.

So I brought them to the Fish World, because it's the closest fish store to my house, even though I had actually bought the tetras at the Marine Warehouse. This is something I had always done in the past, and they were always accomodating of this. Only this time, there was some different guy working behind the counter. It wasn't the two usual women that I see working there. One of which I know is the owner. No, this time it was some guy I'm not familiar with.

So I bring the fish up to the counter and say "Hey I was hoping I could drop these guys off with you for some credit or something? I just don't want them to die or anything, and I've had to change my tank around..."

And he says, "Did you call before bringing them in?"

So I said, "No... I've never called before bringing in fish. I just bring them in, they go into quarantine, and a few days later I get a few bucks credit, no big deal."

Well he tells me, "No, we don't do that. You have to call first to make sure we have room for them. It's been this way for 6 months now."

(That is an absolute lie. I hate being lied to, ESPECIALLY by a business. I go to that shop very frequently, usually when that guy isn't there, apparently, and I can think of at least two separate occasions in the last 6 months where I brought fish in to them, and wasn't questioned about anything.)

So at any rate, I then say to the guy, "But I don't want them to die!" also thinking at this point how I don't care about the dollar and a half store credit or whatever, I just don't want the fish to die, plain and simple.

Yet he absolutely does not care. He didn't even check to see what kind of fish I was bringing in, he didn't check to see if there was room anywhere, he just simply, and RUDELY, stared blankly at me, as if to say, "Why are you still here, bothering me?! Please get the %*#@$ out of my store so I can go back to smoking my cigarette that you interrupted me from..."

So at that point, I resolved to never go back there again if I can help it. It's unfortunate, too, because the owner of the store wasn't there, and she has always been very helpful, but the truth is her employees are an extension of her, so for her to hire someone who would rather let fish die because he's too bothered to ask me what kind of fish I'm bringing in and checking to see if there's room for them, that reflects poorly on the business as a whole.

And to think of all the money I've spent there, on overpriced fish and plants, just so that I could put money back into my community and support the small local guys... with a smile on my face...

Well no more. Fish World, I hope you're reading this, since I'm pretty sure in my dealings with you all I probably mentioned this message board, and I hope you understand that word of mouth spreads like wildfire. I'm not upset that I couldn't get store credit, since it literally would have only been about 2 dollars. I'm upset about the way I was treated when I went in there. I'm upset about the fact that the employee was more concerned about trying to prove to me that this sign behind the counter is the Word As Law, and that it had been posted for 6 months, so there was nothing he could be bothered to do about it, without ever even checking to see if there was room for the fish. I was completely prepared to just give the fish to them for FREE, since ultimately I just simply didn't want the fish to die. But the d!ck behind the counter didn't care. That marlboro burning away outside was way more important to him.

So, I took the fish FAR out of my way, to the Marine Warehouse, where I originally purchased them. And they happily took them. When they were offering me the store credit, I declined it. Simply based on principle alone. It made me feel good knowing that the Marine Warehouse was getting some seriously HEALTHY fish for free, and that Fish World was NOT. So I was told I would just get some extra plants thrown in for free whenever I came back for my next purchase.

THAT's the way a good business is run. Fish World, it's a shame to go out this way, over a handful of tetras. And I know I'm no one special in terms of customers. But principles are being forgotten in the world today, and I feel the need to re-assert them whenever I can.

I don't expect anyone to follow my lead or anything, but for those of you who can see where I'm coming from, and find it disturbing that a shop would allow innocent fish to die all because of some brand new store policy that came out of nowhere... let this be food for thought.

That is all.

[Orlando]

Man that stinks, maybe go back and let the owners know that you had such a negative experience with the new guy. I tell ya, customer service is getting worse and worse these days. Sorry to hear about this.

[Church]

Originally Posted by Orlando

I tell ya, customer service is getting worse and worse these days.

I know. Sad isn't it?

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I had my girlfriend go in there the following day, just to check their glowlight tetra tank out, and sure enough, it was virtually empty. In other words, there was plenty of room for them.

Sigh.

[Orlando]

In that case I would definitely notify the owners of what happened. I know that if somebody was acting out of place in our shop we would want to know about it. That only the tip of the berg. Who knows what else he does to other customers.

[cah925]

Whenever I go to Tampa, I always stop in to see what they have and pick up some snails for my puffers. Usually I see the two ladies you refered to and they are always happy to assist me with anything I need. My last trip about a month ago went down similar to your experience. When I asked for snails, the man behind the counter gave me the impression that they don't sell snails anymore. I had to press the issue to get him to move his ass off his stool and actually do some work. I may stop back in the next time I'm in town, but if the same guy is there, I plan on walking right back out.

[forddna]

Honestly, every time I go there, I'm just disappointed with selection, or their horrible prices, or SOMETHING. I *always* end up at Marine Warehouse. And it takes me 45 minutes to an hour to get there, so that tells you something! I drive by dozens of LFS on my way there..

You should let the owner know what happened. She may not even be aware that he's like to customers, and you could be the first person to ever speak up about it.

[Me813]

Anyone know where I can find some nice driftwood from? I want a nice big piece for my 90g and small one for my 10g.

[forddna]

Marine Warehouse has a ton of driftwood. Some gorgeous pieces, too. Big and small. All of it is anchored.

[Me813]

I have to keep the piece of slate that comes with it on the driftwood in order for it to stay down?

[forddna]

No, but you'll have to wait for it to become waterlogged. I just put mine in the dishwasher (no soap) and put them right in the tank, with the slate. .

[forddna]

How big is the tank? I'm picking up a nice, long, branch of driftwood this afternoon, and I'll be selling it. It was in a 90g.

[Me813]

Want to put one in my 90g. Let me know about it.