Petco Sucks!

[Boomstick]

At the risk of getting shut down, please do not support petco as a salt water supplier - see my email to them below - they suck!!!!!

I am very very dissapointed in the Salt water fish part of the huntersvile store - there were 6 dead fish, 8 that looked very sick, 6 that were underfeed (skinny) and the tanks were over run with green Alge and 3 out of 9 crabs were dead. Also, only one associate knew anything about salt water and 1/2 of her opinions were wrong (i have been involved in Salt water for years) also when she finished work, no one else knew anything - (i have done my research on this store) - Reef aquariums are preciuous things - screw up the supply chain and reefs will die out. I expect more from petco - i am taking this up with Peta / NWF and going to protest your store unless u do sometihng to help the dying reefs.

I am also close to a race car driver her in Charlotte and we will use the influence to tell as many people as possible (TV included) as we can unless you guys chage some things.

[TheBimbo]

good luck with that letter. I doubt they care- a buck is a buck and that's the bottom line... s/w tanks will have people more than likely stop in to see "nemo and dory" and then try to set up a tank of their own, which is a buck or two for them


Christy

[jpfelix]

businesses rarely take complaints seriously when they are misspelled.

[Boomstick]

Agreed, problem is they not only had Nemo - who can be tank raised, they had small lion fish, harliquin sweetlips that change dramatically when they grow up - and a few others that are NOT reef safe.

Think of your joe Blow going in and WOW!!!! S/W tanks look cool!!! and now another reef in Fiji is doomed.

I know reef keeping is not 100% the best thing ever, but if people are educated then at least we can have responsible hobby and in the end actually help reefs if we do it right.

Petco is just straight exploiting the hobby! I ask every single person on RC to contact them and tell them what A-holes they are.

http://www.petco.com/content/contact...are&nav=17#top

http://www.petco.com/content/contact...any&nav=17#top

http://www.petco.com/content/contact...cts&nav=17#top

and if you have one in your area

http://www.petco.com/content/contact...res&nav=17#top

[Aliie]

I totally understand your anger but it would take something more than a few e-mails to make a difference.

[dwd5813]

sending a bunch of emails and/or going into a store and telling them about how they are doing everything wrong is unfortunately going to achieve only one thing: you getting banned from the store. it's happened to many people before. no business wants customers coming in all hot headed spouting off things that they are doing wrong and making threats about media exposure, even(especially?) if that customer is right. your best bet is to somehow educate the people in your area about the mistakes that a certain business is making, unfair practices or what have you, and hit them where they will notice. chain stores exist for one reason: MONEY. hit them where they will notice by affecting their bottom line and not shopping there. you can educate anyone who will listen about what you dislike about the store(s) but do so carefully, lest you end up in a bad legal situation.

[Sk8r]

The more people we can get into RC and into reef clubs, the more we can educate people.
I have no choice but to shop in Petco for one item, because they have the only catfood in town that my very allergic avatar can eat. [Corn allergy.] But I will drive literally ten miles to get a fishnet from my faithful reef shop in the Valley rather than buy the same item from the Petco 2 miles away.

[Boomstick]

OK - So i just got off the phone with the Regional Animal Coordinator from Petco - He just called me to follow up on my email I sent about my concerns with regards to their store.

(So for all those that say emailing will get you no where - in this case it seems to have done something)

He said all the right things, took all my criticism well, told me what they were planning to do to correct them, and how alarmed they are that this things were happening and that they take this sort of thing very seriously. He has been intouch with the District Manager for that store who is going in today to check the store out, has talked directly to the Staff in question and outlined Petco's stance on animal health and specifically with respect to salt water fish, personal training, company buying habits and responsible animal care.

I was very impressed and they are taking my complaint very seriously - i am sure that there will be people who will say they are just trying to please me blah blah but they are doing a hell of a lot more that some of my local fish stores ever did when i called then out on sick or malnourished fish.

I am not by any means saying that this is a good place to buy Salt Water fish however what i am saying is that i am very impressed that they are taking the time to contact me, hear out my concerns and are taking action to remedy the situations as best they can - i feel it is only fair to give credit where credit is due, if i am quick to criticize, i should also be quick to acknowledge their follow-up and action plans to address the situation.

[Anemone]

In my opinion, your email was fine, right up until this:

Originally posted by Boomstick
I expect more from petco - i am taking this up with Peta / NWF and going to protest your store unless u do sometihng to help the dying reefs.

I am also close to a race car driver her in Charlotte and we will use the influence to tell as many people as possible (TV included) as we can unless you guys chage some things.

Hitting them with threats like this in an "opening" letter is over the top and likely to get you labeled a hot-head.

Yes, they'll make pretty noises at you, but you've been "unreasonable" from the start, so who (in the corporate ladder) really cares if they placate you in the end or not?

IMO, the correct way to go about these things is to be "informational" in the first letter/email/call. Make the problems known, and even offer assistance in righting the problem. Demanding they do something "or else" up front, while not offering anything, is counter-productive.

Subsequent emails/letters/phone calls can make your threats, if nothing comes of the initial complaint.

FWIW,
Kevin

[dwd5813]

I'm glad to hear that they have placated you, but I won't be too impressed until you come back telling us all about the drastic restructuring that is going on in the store and all the steps that are being taken to ensure the health of their fish. Don't take that as an insult to your efforts, I sincerely applaud what you are trying to do, but i also agree with Kevin re your approach.

[TOURKID]

*sigh* i was having angry feelings today about a fish store too

I just moved to the country and theres only 1 place to get saltwater supplies and fish. (no coral)

1st time i went in there I dident know better, bought a beautiful copperband. By the time I left the store I had got in a huge yelling match with the owner over ick. (he says if u dont see it it aint there) whatever.

Today.. I havent bought fish food since I moved. Im down to brine and squid, so I have to go, or drive an hour.

I get in there..

Picture a cowboy/hick chewing a toothpoic (seriously now) and asks 'so this nemo isent gonna fight with my big maroon right?'

owner: No, no, only clowns that are mean are tomatos! I got one in by accident last week, well that thing dident last 2 days in here, i got rid of it!'

hmmm....

owner walks over to catch the nemo.. I jump in
"Hey look here!! A baby maroon! maybe your clowns will lay eggs someday if you get this maroon instead of er.. nemo'

sweet. he gets the maroon... and THREE tubes of red slime remover.

hmm...

then the owner proceeds to talk about how he killed the tomato clown!! (he has two tanks of salt so all the fish get mixed together..)

YUK. I was asking myself what I could do.. should I call peta ect. But to really make a difference, its just trying to pass on good information any time I can.

Me banning the store isent going to make a darn bit of difference to them. I bought my food. I wont need to go there agian for 6 months... i hope.

[Boomstick]

Originally posted by Anemone
In my opinion, your email was fine, right up until this:



Hitting them with threats like this in an "opening" letter is over the top and likely to get you labeled a hot-head.

Yes, they'll make pretty noises at you, but you've been "unreasonable" from the start, so who (in the corporate ladder) really cares if they placate you in the end or not?

IMO, the correct way to go about these things is to be "informational" in the first letter/email/call. Make the problems known, and even offer assistance in righting the problem. Demanding they do something "or else" up front, while not offering anything, is counter-productive.

Subsequent emails/letters/phone calls can make your threats, if nothing comes of the initial complaint.

FWIW,
Kevin

Fair Call, I was fuming by the time i got home and should have been much more diplomatic, i didn’t even bother checking my spelling or if it made sense. Lesson learnt and in future i will count to 10 before i go off on a rant. (and check my spelling and content)

[MarkS]

This is all old news... Anyone remember the big "BOYCOTT PETCO!" push when Finding Nemo came out a few years ago? I doubt it even put a dent in their bottom line.

Boomstick, good luck with this and all. However, a mounted effort by hundreds (possibly thousands) of hobbyists had little to no effect. The best thing you can do is to not shop there and hope that those that do get educated.

[firsthesitation]

I agree, the petco near us is the same way, I actually have a fellow saltwater aquarist and friend who works there, without him everything would be dead too and I doubt the people there would know a damsel from a lionfish if it weren't for the pictures on the labels. I guess when I'm in there I try to give advice in a nice way to try and save some of their livestock. or I ask for a deal!
It does seem almost inhumane though.

[Agu]

uhhhh, you don't want to get PETA involved , they aren't exactly supporters of the hobby.