Client appreciation goes a long way, especially in this hobby....

[Original Fin]

Had you dealt with one of the owners, yes, I'd hope to have been somehow compensated for the trouble of their mistake and the honesty of you actions. If you just got one of the employees, well, most often they don't have the business savvy or perspective to know any better.
You may have done better to call ahead and offer a convenient time and place for you to return the goods, because as a previous poster noted, it can be considered a little crass to remind someone of your good deed. JMO.

 

[Whisperer]

well dont you get better health care in canada oppose to the united states??

Let's not go that far.:twitch:

 

[Fishfish0001]

Happened to me before. Except the LFS had some new guy fill up my salt water, except he used RO. So after about a month most of my stuff had died from the low salinity. All they offered was like $50 in credit for $250 in losses... But I still shop there.

 

[fcmatt]

I guess i am the only one who wheels and deals while at the LFS? If i buy one item i know
I will pay full price but once I get past that it is wide open for some bickering.
Mentioning your good deed that was doing the owner a favor and is rather interesting material
to bring up while trying to negotiate a better price in my mind.

Perhaps taking the high road makes you look like a swell person on this forum but when
it comes to hard earned money being spent.. business is business. I always shoot for the
best price and mentioning a past favor paid is a time honored tradition in bargaining.

But hey, that is just me. I would not act that way with a family member or what not.
But business? For sure. Life is a two way street in that area.

 

[Montreal Ray]

ray
sorry all but im with ray.id be PO'ed time is money so is gas.how bout if he called them told them if they want it to pick it up at his place? they would of paid an employee + gas to pick it up and and their time. i personally would feel like a jack @$$ reminding them of my good deed just to get a discount. if everyone showed a little appriciation the world would be a better place. goes to show about customer service, he's a customer and look how "THEY" made him feel

Exactly, I would never ask..."hey where is my discount". Not my place to ask.

Kindness is it's own reward. You did a good thing, and in some way it will come back to you. I firmly believe this. The owner could have been too embarassed or overwhelmed to do something for you right on the spot, but I bet he remembers you as the guy who went out of his way to do something he didn't have to do.

If you did this nice thing for this company you would like to succeed, and you came away with this attitude, you maybe need to look at yourself a little closer. We all would love a little reward for doing the right thing, and I think there is always a small hope for said reward, but to be upset when you don't get one is a character flaw on your part.

Kudos on returning the extra skimmer, bad form on the hissy fit.

I did not come away with attitude nor am I having a hissy fit. I'm simply expressing my feeling on this situation of complete lack of customer care and appreciation.

Character flaw? Probably, I'm surly far from perfect, My wife can attest to that lol

well dont you get better health care in canada oppose to the united states??

How did this turn political? lol

Had you dealt with one of the owners, yes, I'd hope to have been somehow compensated for the trouble of their mistake and the honesty of you actions. If you just got one of the employees, well, most often they don't have the business savvy or perspective to know any better.
You may have done better to call ahead and offer a convenient time and place for you to return the goods, because as a previous poster noted, it can be considered a little crass to remind someone of your good deed. JMO.

It is a family run biz.....



I can see how some of you are not agreeing with me. I guess it's one of those "had to have been there" to fully understand.

I appreciate everyone's views and comments.

Ray

 

[widmer]

Especially going out of your way after they assured you it was the correct skimmer when you were buying, instead of bothering to check themselves... Not to mention an hour of driving costs most people more $ in gas than the average water test kit. Your integrity definitely merits a free coral or fish etc.

Seriously, you went well out of your way to save them several hundred dollars for their own foolishness. You could just as well have called them and told them to send an employee over to pick up the extra skimmer at your place and you still would have deserved a big thanks.

The only thing I can imagine is that whoever was handling the return of the second one was some employee who didn't have the capacity to understand your generosity. If it were me at this point, I would probably contact the owner to let them know that in the future, it would really benefit their business to make sure the employees are well-equipped to pay attention to these things.

 

[Whisperer]

Ray, you are blessed with a kind and honest heart. That is your reward. Not very common in this hard economy. I just wish they have offered you a discount for your deed but they did'nt. How can we make yuou feel good? Please do tell.

 

[Montreal Ray]

Especially going out of your way after they assured you it was the correct skimmer when you were buying, instead of bothering to check themselves... Not to mention an hour of driving costs most people more $ in gas than the average water test kit. Your integrity definitely merits a free coral or fish etc.

Seriously, you went well out of your way to save them several hundred dollars for their own foolishness. You could just as well have called them and told them to send an employee over to pick up the extra skimmer at your place and you still would have deserved a big thanks.

The only thing I can imagine is that whoever was handling the return of the second one was some employee who didn't have the capacity to understand your generosity. If it were me at this point, I would probably contact the owner to let them know that in the future, it would really benefit their business to make sure the employees are well-equipped to pay attention to these things.

Yuppers

It's a family run place. Husband and wife i think.

Ray, you are blessed with a kind and honest heart. That is your reward. Not very common in this hard economy. I just wish they have offered you a discount for your deed but they did'nt. How can we make yuou feel good? Please do tell.

A kind and honest heart huh? Ok I will print your post and stick it on my fridge to remind the wife heh.

 

[keith sprague]

its bad customer service and bad for the buisness. say that he's a hard core reefer like most of us on here we spend alot of $$$$. a meer lets say 10% off his next purchase would have had him on here saying ,maybe even with the stores name how great this place is. now he feels like a heel they loose a customer = loss of $$,and if he wanted to really smash them he could have said the stores name on here.whether a LFS struggles or not so do we. look at a couple vendor threads on here see what a little $#!* talk does. i agree very good deed ray, but they are all bout buisness, and appriciation is all about it too.

 

[zmckenzie]

Yuppers
A kind and honest heart huh? Ok I will print your post and stick it on my fridge to remind the wife heh.

This made me laugh so loud my wife asked "what!"

 

[Original Fin]

You did warn us that it would be a rant. The earlier poster's character flaw assessment is a bit of a character flaw on his part. Oh crap...now I've done it too!
So much for my positive affirmation note on the fridge...sigh.

 

[Floowid]

I will add this. If I was the owner of that store, and my employees or I had made that mistake, and you returned it, I wouldn't let you leave without picking out whatever single piece of livestock you wanted, up to the value of the skimmer. I believe good and kind actions SHOULD be rewarded.

I just don't think good and kind actions should be performed with the expectation of a reward.

 

[Floowid]

You did warn us that it would be a rant. The earlier poster's character flaw assessment is a bit of a character flaw on his part. Oh crap...now I've done it too!
So much for my positive affirmation note on the fridge...sigh.

To quote Ray then:
"Character flaw? Probably, I'm surely far from perfect, My wife can attest to that lol"

Me too Ray, me too. :lolspin:

 

[Montreal Ray]

I just don't think good and kind actions should be performed with the expectation of a reward.

I totally agree!

I did not return it because I expected a reward. I returned it because it was the right thing to do and I would do it agian in a heart beat.

Ray

 

[Rybren]

Ray,

Remember that no good deed goes unpunished. :jester:

In all seriousness, I'm with you on this one. Good business sense would call for some form of thank you that goes beyond mere words. In their defence, the owner may have just had a brain dump and didn't think things through. If it's a decent LFS with good stock and good prices, I'd probably head back there anyway. They may "reward" you then. If not, then you'll still be buying something worthwhile.

well dont you get better health care in canada oppose to the united states??

Having lived in the US for 5 years, I can say that ours is definitely cheaper (free), but I wouldn't say that it's better.

 

[hvacman250]

Not to side track this thread but all items you buy you have to pay sales tax on. If a vender doesn't charge you at the time of purchase you have to pay when tax time comes.

You're technically supposed to, but nobody does. Its called a use tax. Nobody claims at tax time that they would like to pay use tax on the $300 skimmer they got from Marine Depot tax free.
Just like if you cut your neighbors grass and he gives you $20, are you going to claim that as income on your tax return?

 

[cody6766]

I understand where you would feel a little...entitled (although that's not quite the word I'm looking for) for some sort of reward, especially as a business owner. I know I'm MUCH more likely to go back to a place that offers so much as a little $5 thank you, or even a free sample they got from a rep with a "hey, use this and tell me about it." If I saved them hundreds of dollars, I'd kind of expect a bit more than a thank you alone. I wouldn't ever ask for it or bring it up again, but I know I feel almost obligated to spend my money where someone goes out of their way to give me a small discount, even if it's a "thank you discount."
There is a store in Oklahoma that I went to when I lived there and they hooked me up with all kinds of stuff. It made me want to pop in, talk to the people there, even help unload a shipment or 2 with them and spend some money a few times a week. I didn't do it FOR the reward, but I did do it, in part, because of the reward. My patronage was a thank you for their appreciation. It was a viscous cycle that I enjoyed.

With all that said, I'd go back, mention your skimmer's performance, pass along a recommendation and pick up a few goodies. If they're friendly and offer more than another thank you (which could just be good conversation and time for me) then you may be working your way into a good relationship with the store. It could pay off in discounts or simply a good business arrangement. Either is a bonus.

 

[Ocean Mang]

It took a lot for you to do the good deed. You are commended. I can also understand wanting to be thanked a little better. In the end as many have already said, Karma is the operative word here. It all comes around eventually. The world would be a different place if everyone did the right thing all the time, that is for sure.

Help me understand how there were two skimmers in there? Was it a plain cardboard box with two final packaging boxes inside?

 

[scubasteve06]

I agree business is business, your good deed won't go unnoticed if it does, then I'd tell them that they won't be getting your business anymore and for what reason, politely.

 

[sanchoy]

Customer support is #1, because the customer is always right!!!

In your case you did the right thing, but in return you felt there business did not appreciate you doing the right thing. All factors may have come to play.

-maybe you were dealing with just an employee and not the owner, most people low on the food chain do have poor customer service, they are there just to collect their money.

-Next time ask to speak with the owner, and advise them of what occurred. like stated before, they will have the power to give.

-It could be the employee messed up by giving you the box, and they are embarrass and did not want the owner to know.

Either way, you can look yourself in the mirror and say you did the right thing. However, some places are notorious for bad service. I would rather pay a little more for good service, then less for bad service.