Sorry, but it appears that some people here don't realize how business is really done!
IMO, if you can't pay cash for a gem tang, then you probably shouldn't be buying it.
Aquarium cleaning company stole gem tang :O
- Thread starter Tripod1404
- Start date
Sorry, but it appears that some people here don't realize how business is really done!
IMO, if you can't pay cash for a gem tang, then you probably shouldn't be buying it.
windlasher
New member
The point is that businesses need receipts for many reasons, insurance proof for one. No insurance company is going to pay out just because you SAY you have $50,000 in livestock without being able to prove that you actually had the fish.
Having $5000 laying around proves nothing. Lots of idiots can pay cash for lots of things, but it doesn't mean they should or can even care for a Gem tang appropriately. Even if you did pay cash, you would get a receipt if nothing else, to prove ownership.
Let's say I stole a Gem tang from a clients tank and sold it to you for $5000. The client called the police and under pressure, I told them that I gave you the fish. They could come and get it and you would have NO recourse or could even be implicated in its theft if I decided to claim that no cash exchanged hands.
roli112
New member
exactly
But we're talking about an aquarium cleaning service, that had no idea that a gem tang is expensive...so I don't think that their paperwork is going to be the greatest.
Potatohead
New member
That's the point. A business needs to keep records of purchases, sales, and inventory, it is not debateable. They must keep these records for several years. This is why accountants exist, how taxes are paid and how insurance rates are calculated. If you have a fish you paid multiple thousands of dollars for, you will have an invoice from your supplier/importer for that fish.
windlasher
New member
I'm fairly sure they knew EXACTLY how expensive that fish was, which is why it went missing.
WiDataTech
New member
^ ummm NO. that is not the moral of this story at all.
sde1500
Active member
Cujo
New member
Sorry, but if you think a business would buy something that expensive without being able to show a paper trail for it then perhaps it's you who doesn't know how a business should be run, or at least one that is going to stay in business.
Err, no it's not.
Although it's a darn shame, I did chuckle a bit. A buddy and I have had this running gag about looking after each other's tanks: 'Gee Mark, really sorry but your [insert expensive animal name here] died while you were away' ..... he doesn't have a gem, of course, but still ....
vashawn
New member
Yes, I agree, I meant to say that 'they said that they had no idea' how expensive it was
For the record, I'm not the one that said it was bought for cash...
Again...
You'd be hard pressed to find a small business owner who'd pass up a 'cash deal'
And...
How a business should be run and is actually run is 2 different things, and YES, a lot of them DON'T stay in business...
roli112
New member
IF the business owner didn't pass a 'cash deal' without any paperwork (ID and all that) then it's not a legal transaction and no way can prove he owns that fish. The OP can easily claim it is his stolen/missing fish.
CrayolaViolence
New member
People who run a shady business are not going to keep a pristine paper trail. And face it, receipts can be manufactured. The only way this would ever be challenged is if they were audited by the IRS or there was enough evidence for a warrant which, I can guarantee you, there will not be over a fish. LFS buy stuff from customers all the time, cheap, or for store credit. All they really have to do is mock up something in a computer, for customer X, who traded in their gem tang cause it was being a jerk so we gave them 5 years worth of free maintenance...oh well look at that. They fell off the face of the planet....oh gee the address was fake? Darn, sorry about that. Yes, receiving stolen goods is still theft and yes they could go to jail (and would) but the problem is proving it. Remember--innocent until proven guilty. The ease at which people steal pets and claim them as their own is exactly whey people microchip them so they have some sort of "vin number" and a person can have paper work claiming the animal is theirs. Other than that, all you have is a piece of paper from the pound, or registration papers, that could belong to any dog. With fish, while you might have a receipt, if you bought it from a business, you probably will not have one if you bought it from an individual (put an ad in livestock for sale for a gem tang for 500 bucks cash and see how fast it you get pms.)
The point is paperwork, taxes, all the things a legitimate business do are exactly what someone running a business under the table or with shady ethics will not do. It's highly unlikely, if the company is guilty, that this is their first time doing it. I guarantee you they have covered their *** if they have any common sense. Yes oxymoron for a thief, but you get the idea.
The point is paperwork, taxes, all the things a legitimate business do are exactly what someone running a business under the table or with shady ethics will not do. It's highly unlikely, if the company is guilty, that this is their first time doing it. I guarantee you they have covered their *** if they have any common sense. Yes oxymoron for a thief, but you get the idea.
Potatohead
New member
I think some people fail to realize that there are a lot of people out there where $5k isn't very much money.
