atlantisjw
In Memoriam
that's cause your a girl lol
Question about Local Fish Stores?
- Thread starter nikonosis
- Start date
robwsup
Premium Member
Without having read the whole thread, here's my answer. Just for fun, we made a count on Tuesday. We had 57 phone calls, and 12 customers. I also had 34 emails and 17 pm's. All were answered.
Probably the reason other stores have not answered or are slow to answer goes something like this: You (nik) needed a heater. You PM'd me four or five times, until I lowered my price by 10-25%. After all the time I spent typing out PM's, you went and bought the heater somewhere else. I know this, because you had a thread in here asking about how to use a heater. IF you had bought the heater from me, I would have made about $5.
Other LFS, correct me if I'm wrong.
Probably the reason other stores have not answered or are slow to answer goes something like this: You (nik) needed a heater. You PM'd me four or five times, until I lowered my price by 10-25%. After all the time I spent typing out PM's, you went and bought the heater somewhere else. I know this, because you had a thread in here asking about how to use a heater. IF you had bought the heater from me, I would have made about $5.
Other LFS, correct me if I'm wrong.
Bennihanna
New member
Nikonosis=Troll
reelfreak
New member
Doesn't this forum allow the original poster to delete their first post and the whole thread goes away ??? That would be the best way to truly "take back" what has been said since APPARENTLY WE ALL misinterpreted what this assinine post was all about....If I lived that far out I would want to make sure I had "adequate and reliable" communications myself....but I make money making sure I am in constant communication w/ the "outside world"....
Let's get back to Reefkeeping here, Trolling is best done from boats not behind computer screens!!
Let's get back to Reefkeeping here, Trolling is best done from boats not behind computer screens!!
PelagicMagic
New member
you cant delete a post unless you ask the mods, However once a post gets this big it may not be deleted but I can be wrong
ReefNeck
New member
I wish it really was as easy as me sending an email to LFS#1 & LFS#2 then sitting back and getting my answers. I too use a cell phone for most everything and the signal stinks inside my metal 22 year old trailer! I integrated the best of both worlds, I signed up for Vonage! Phone that goes through the internet! Cost me a whole $25 a month and I get unlimited minutes, Unlimited long distance to anywhere in the U.S.A. and most importantly, Free & Unlimited Long Distance to Canada since my wife is Canadian and her family and friends are all there.
I call around a lot for pricing & trades. I almost always talk to the Owner or senior employee at every one of the LFS's except for Ocean Reef. When I call there I always ask for Mike because I prefer someone I trust over the younger people that work for him. This is not to say the younger people he has are not any good. I have listened to them talking to customers a few times to see how wrong their advice was and they are usually correct. Surprised me from such young people but I still feel more comfortable talking to Mike.
If I call Rob's, About 80% of the time he answers himself. If not and it's a general question (Like I just now called to ask if they had a specific fish) then I'll ask whoever answers. If it's more detailed then that, I'll ask for Rob.
Everytime I have called Atlantis it's John or Robert that answers and I trust both of them to have accurate answers to my questions.
When I call Dan Co, Dan answers about 90% of the time. If not it's Ian and he tells me when Dan will be available.
Calling Bio-Reef will get John about 70% of the time and Jack the rest of the time, Both I trust for accurate info.
Did I leave anyone out?
I have yet to do any business with Brian at fishmaniac. Not for any particular reason. In Fact, Since I just thought of that I'm going to call him and see if he has the fish I am looking for. Don't know who will answer there.
Point is (If you read this far) If I have a question I try to call whoever I have pestered the least recently. Calling is MUCH easier than email because if I email and ask about a heater I might get an email back asking what size tank, I answer then get another saying if I want submersible or...... It takes ten times as long as a quick phone call even if I have to walk outside and walk around to get a good signal on my cell phone.
As a side note, I do call around and compare prices often. If (for example) Rob tells me something is $25 & Ocean Reef says $15 for the same Item, I'll call Rob back and tell him. Usually he will try to match it and I don't spend what I saved in gas driving to the beach from the westside. Given a chance, All our LFS's will do their best to match other local prices without putting themselves out of business doing so.
Whew, My fingers are tired now. lol
EDIT: Just called Fishmaniac to ask about the fish I was looking for and Brian answered and we talked for about 5 minutes. Good guy there too. Didn't have the fish though
I call around a lot for pricing & trades. I almost always talk to the Owner or senior employee at every one of the LFS's except for Ocean Reef. When I call there I always ask for Mike because I prefer someone I trust over the younger people that work for him. This is not to say the younger people he has are not any good. I have listened to them talking to customers a few times to see how wrong their advice was and they are usually correct. Surprised me from such young people but I still feel more comfortable talking to Mike.
If I call Rob's, About 80% of the time he answers himself. If not and it's a general question (Like I just now called to ask if they had a specific fish) then I'll ask whoever answers. If it's more detailed then that, I'll ask for Rob.
Everytime I have called Atlantis it's John or Robert that answers and I trust both of them to have accurate answers to my questions.
When I call Dan Co, Dan answers about 90% of the time. If not it's Ian and he tells me when Dan will be available.
Calling Bio-Reef will get John about 70% of the time and Jack the rest of the time, Both I trust for accurate info.
Did I leave anyone out?
I have yet to do any business with Brian at fishmaniac. Not for any particular reason. In Fact, Since I just thought of that I'm going to call him and see if he has the fish I am looking for. Don't know who will answer there.Point is (If you read this far) If I have a question I try to call whoever I have pestered the least recently. Calling is MUCH easier than email because if I email and ask about a heater I might get an email back asking what size tank, I answer then get another saying if I want submersible or...... It takes ten times as long as a quick phone call even if I have to walk outside and walk around to get a good signal on my cell phone.
As a side note, I do call around and compare prices often. If (for example) Rob tells me something is $25 & Ocean Reef says $15 for the same Item, I'll call Rob back and tell him. Usually he will try to match it and I don't spend what I saved in gas driving to the beach from the westside. Given a chance, All our LFS's will do their best to match other local prices without putting themselves out of business doing so.
Whew, My fingers are tired now. lol
EDIT: Just called Fishmaniac to ask about the fish I was looking for and Brian answered and we talked for about 5 minutes. Good guy there too. Didn't have the fish though
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robwsup
Premium Member
Good post Keri.
Trust the young guys in some of the shops. Even thought they are young, they do pretty good. Most of you guys are advanced or advancing reefers, so you may be over their heads, but they are great for the average, "Can I put a shark in my 55?" and "I don't do water changes" customers.
Trust the young guys in some of the shops. Even thought they are young, they do pretty good. Most of you guys are advanced or advancing reefers, so you may be over their heads, but they are great for the average, "Can I put a shark in my 55?" and "I don't do water changes" customers.
TheFishManiac
New member
Hey Rob, how about the, will that clown fish do o.k. with my pleco's....
nikonosis
New member
The only reason we didn't get the heater from you was because you only had that 100w and we really wanted the 50w because its alot smaller than the 50w and we needed it right then. Sorry about that. We didn't really get it from a LFS, it was the dreaded petsmart because we were in there for something else (dog related) and just decided to pick it up because they had the 50w in stock.
nikonosis
New member
Thanks, thats really mature. Why do people have to say stuff like that? If I feel like I am being ignored or not treated fairly by a store or stores I feel like I have the right to say so on here or to them privately. That is a big reason alot of website now have a customer feedback section, isn't it? On here is like you can't ever complain or question anything without everyone thinking your a complete azz. I always thought with how all the LFS's around here complain about not making much money or that they are doing this for their customers, that they would do everything within their power to satisfy every customer. Instead if I ask something like, why aren't my pms and emails being answered, I basically get the answer, "They are too busy to answer your questions." I wasn't trying to start any fights with this thread, I just felt like I was being ignored because right now I am not a customer that comes into the store and spends $10,000 and never questions a single price on your shelves. I think most people feel the same way I feel and they are going to try and get the best price they can and still try their best to support whatever local fish store they prefer to go to.
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nikonosis
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6916771#post6916771 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefNeck
I wish it really was as easy as me sending an email to LFS#1 & LFS#2 then sitting back and getting my answers. I too use a cell phone for most everything and the signal stinks inside my metal 22 year old trailer! I integrated the best of both worlds, I signed up for Vonage! Phone that goes through the internet! Cost me a whole $25 a month and I get unlimited minutes, Unlimited long distance to anywhere in the U.S.A. and most importantly, Free & Unlimited Long Distance to Canada since my wife is Canadian and her family and friends are all there.
I call around a lot for pricing & trades. I almost always talk to the Owner or senior employee at every one of the LFS's except for Ocean Reef. When I call there I always ask for Mike because I prefer someone I trust over the younger people that work for him. This is not to say the younger people he has are not any good. I have listened to them talking to customers a few times to see how wrong their advice was and they are usually correct. Surprised me from such young people but I still feel more comfortable talking to Mike.
If I call Rob's, About 80% of the time he answers himself. If not and it's a general question (Like I just now called to ask if they had a specific fish) then I'll ask whoever answers. If it's more detailed then that, I'll ask for Rob.
Everytime I have called Atlantis it's John or Robert that answers and I trust both of them to have accurate answers to my questions.
When I call Dan Co, Dan answers about 90% of the time. If not it's Ian and he tells me when Dan will be available.
Calling Bio-Reef will get John about 70% of the time and Jack the rest of the time, Both I trust for accurate info.
Did I leave anyone out?
Point is (If you read this far) If I have a question I try to call whoever I have pestered the least recently. Calling is MUCH easier than email because if I email and ask about a heater I might get an email back asking what size tank, I answer then get another saying if I want submersible or...... It takes ten times as long as a quick phone call even if I have to walk outside and walk around to get a good signal on my cell phone.
As a side note, I do call around and compare prices often. If (for example) Rob tells me something is $25 & Ocean Reef says $15 for the same Item, I'll call Rob back and tell him. Usually he will try to match it and I don't spend what I saved in gas driving to the beach from the westside. Given a chance, All our LFS's will do their best to match other local prices without putting themselves out of business doing so.
Whew, My fingers are tired now. lol
EDIT: Just called Fishmaniac to ask about the fish I was looking for and Brian answered and we talked for about 5 minutes. Good guy there too. Didn't have the fish though
Every time I do that stuff, I really get the vibe that I am annoying someone... I feel like that im being a pest, so it makes me just want to buy the item from whoever had the cheapest price and to not even bother with asking someone to match it.
Bennihanna
New member
Definition of troll - Someone who fishes or trolls boards like this looking to offend people so they can argue and basically watch themselves write. I did not mean the kind that live under bridges. I thought that troll was an excepted internet term, my bad.
BTW as a longtime LFS employee, nothing sucks worse than the customer that wants all your time but won't buy anything to compensate you. Last time I checked Good Will was not running LFS, they are businesses. It has been said to you before but I will say it again, name another retail industry in town where you can get better service without buying anything. All LFS owners were hobbyist first so they know where you are coming from. You definitely need to try walking in their shoes sometime and then you may understand where they are coming from.
BTW as a longtime LFS employee, nothing sucks worse than the customer that wants all your time but won't buy anything to compensate you. Last time I checked Good Will was not running LFS, they are businesses. It has been said to you before but I will say it again, name another retail industry in town where you can get better service without buying anything. All LFS owners were hobbyist first so they know where you are coming from. You definitely need to try walking in their shoes sometime and then you may understand where they are coming from.
nikonosis
New member
Well since january, I have spent almost $700 at bioreef, $90 at atlantis, $500-700 at robsreef, and $100 at Tidal Wave. So don't say I don't spend any money at the LFS's. Since january I haven't spent a single dollar at an online store. I walk in their shoes every day by owning my own business, dealing with customers and I also sell alot of stuff on ebay. Its not that hard to make time for everyone and treat every customer, even if they are rude, like I want them to be my customer again.
Bennihanna
New member
If you have spent that much money in those stores then I take back what I said. My point was that they should cater to you, but their help is not free. By your tone and documented actions on this site it appeared that you pretty much avoid spending any money. If your figures are accurate, I am sorry for generalizing you.
Rob's Reef is the worst place in the entire world. He (Rob) even chased my wife and I out of the store once. :sad1:
Actually, we were going to make room in the car for a 90 gallon tank we were buying and he ran out after us. He wanted to make sure we had been taken care of and not just leaving the store without being helped by one of his guys. :lol:
Best service I've had in a LFS in a long, long time. :beer:
As soon as I get this silly refugium completed and the plumbing done, we will definately be going back.
I apologize if this was a bit off topic.
Actually, we were going to make room in the car for a 90 gallon tank we were buying and he ran out after us. He wanted to make sure we had been taken care of and not just leaving the store without being helped by one of his guys. :lol:
Best service I've had in a LFS in a long, long time. :beer:
As soon as I get this silly refugium completed and the plumbing done, we will definately be going back.
I apologize if this was a bit off topic.
Bennihanna
New member
BTW nikonosis, blasting LFS's on reefcentral probably is not going to help you get better deals when you shop them. Just my thought, but again you may want to work on your tact in the future. You are going to end up alienating yourself from every store sooner or later if you keep it up.
P.S. is your business selling used cars or something else that involves excessive haggling?
P.S. is your business selling used cars or something else that involves excessive haggling?
