Pet store Fraud???

Question

i bought an upside down catfish at my local petstore the otehr day and he died almost as soon as i put him in my tank (within 10 minutes)the petstore has a guarentee so i took him back to get another one and they said they will not give me another one untill my water is PERFECT. They said it was my fault the fish dies even though i have many more that are doing fine, They will not give it to me even when i spend countless dollars on gas money to drive there and back. Everytime i bring them a sample of my water, they come up with something new that is wrong with it and i treat it everytime. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!?!

Answer 1

Sounds like you are not doing water changes but instead are adding a bunch of chemicals to try and fix things. The more chemicals you add, the more things can go wrong with your tank. You don't need to buy more and more chemicals to make your water healthy.

The key to having a healthy tank is WEEKLY partial (25-30%) WATER CHANGES and gravel siphoning at least once a month. Fresh water is cheap and it is the best thing you can do for your fish. Do not change 100% of the water, ever. Also, change your filter cartridges once a month too.

If you have not been doing any partial water changes, your tank is a toxic soup that will probably kill anything you put in it. The upside down cats are kind of delicate when they are small, so that might explain why it died right away.

The fish that are doing fine may be just barely holding on as the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates slowly build and build. It is amazing what a fish can tolerate if the toxins build up slowly. If that is the case, the stress they are experiencing is huge. Sooner or later, your fish will start dying one by one as their immune systems shut down because of the chemicals and toxins.

Also, don't do a large water change now because a huge change in the water may shock your old fish even if it is a change for the better. Start with 20% every 2 days for a week and then every 4 days for a week. After that, you can go to the weekly 25-30% changes.

I do water changes every week on all my tanks (fry tanks every 4 days). The water is crystal clear and the fish are healthy and happy. They spawn regularly and the fry (babies) grow normally.

Feel free to email me if you would like to ask more questions, I would be glad to help.

Answer 2

If there is something wrong with the water, then they have that right. You could always ask for the manager and maybe they will give you a new fish if you point out your side of the situation.

Petsmart has a 14 day guarantee, but they do require that the water be tested bc they don't want to replace the fish to only have it die again. The store loses money and a fish dies. They are doing it to protect the fish, the stores fish loss count, and you. You don't want to have fish constantly dieing and that could long term affect your current tank. Just bc your fish now are okay with the water, doesn't mean the tank is ok. They are probably more acclimated to the water conditions and the water at the petstore is going to be different then your water.

Also, not sure if you are doing this...but when you buy fish, you need to sit the bag in your tank for 30 min. Then open the bag and add some of your water to the petstore water and then re-tie the bag and let it sit for another 15 min. This helps acclimate the fish. Then you add the fish, but do NOT add the water to the tank. You want to throw out the bagged water.

I would do one more test and if that does not work you have a couple choices...1. get the manager and raise a fuss and I am sure they will give you a fish to keep you happy or 2. go to a differnent store to buy your fish or 3. take the lose and lick your wounds for the lost cash on the fish.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Wow, that is REALLY bad customer service on their part. I can't believe they're requesting that you bring in water samples, that's insane. They should have just refunded you in the first place. I could see if someone kept buying more fish and they all died immediately, then something may be wrong with the owner's tank/water. How much did this fish cost by the way? I would think any store would take an animal or item back with no questions asked if it was under $50 or something. I've done that with items from Walmart, Home Depot, etc, they never gave me any trouble.

At this point I would just forget about getting the refund for the fish and count it as a loss with the money you've spent. Stop driving back up there. If this is a pet store chain you can always call or email upper management or customer service to let them know what's going on over there.

Answer 4

It could be a number of things going on. You could be dealing with inexperianced helpers at the store, or an incorrect prognosis on your water chemistry. P.h. also plays a big role on newbies in a tank. Pre existing fish would already be aclimated to P.h. differances.For example any scaleless or partially scaless fish like the synodotis upside down catfish are more sensitive to water chemistry like the P.h. level. So lets say your Ph runs at 7.2 but the petstores ph was running low that week and it was 6.2. That is a 10 point drop. So your cat would have to be acclimated into the new enviroment slowly by adding water from your tank to mix with the water from the store. Methods could be using the bag the fish came in, or drip acclimation( bucket with said fish and store water w/ airline tubbing running from your tank to bucket with small knot tied at end of tubeing to cause water to "drip" into bucket.) Fish internally hold water much as our bodys do, but they have the ability to change the water peramiters inside to match the water they live in. If the water is to differant, or acclimation is not long enough the internal organs cease to function. Of course their could be other causes to your fishes death, i have not personally tested your water,lol . so im just throwing out the more likely problems. Id say p.h. is the number one cause of returns, i work at a petstore and it is a two fold problem for both the customers and the employees need to share information on what the water chemistry is on each others tanks for the above mentioned reasons - acclamation time. I would sujest next time you are at the store, bring in your water to test and ask the employee to share their water test results for the stores tanks see if the ph is way differant. Good luck

Answer 5

I agree with MM here however, what is perfect water? I guarantee if you take your water sample to the same store and have 3 different people test it, you will have three different results.

Take your water to another store (preferably two different ones) and have it tested. Get a written result. If it matches what you find, take them all back to your fish store and show them. Also get a copy of their guarantee policy. If it doesn't state your water needs to match theirs or be PERFECT. Force the issue. Once you get what you want, I would suggest finding another store who stands behind their guarantees.

I would also report them to the Better business bureau and tell them you are doing so.

Unfortunately this happens quite a bit. There is an old saying, "Customer beware"

Answer 6

Get some home test kits. Test the water yourself. Bring a water sample to another pet store for a second opinion. And all your other fish are fine...?...huh...that's weird, but good.
Get a second opinion. Don't let them get the best of you...get the best of them!

Answer 7

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Answer 8

It's a fruad. Try going to another petstore and taking a sample of your water there and if they say there isn't anything wrong with that then you've got a scam. If not, you have bad water though I highly doubt it.

Answer 9

This pet store is fruad, when my fish died they gave me 4 free fish and only 2 died! My water was off with the pH, but they just gave me one thing, I suggest you go to a different store, or a lawsuit, but u didn't hear it from me:)

Answer 10

Sounds like this store is trying to get out of honoring it's guarantee. I would say you might need to vote for a different store with your money. Tell a manager or the owner about the problem and see if they are willing to help you, if not find and other store in which to spend your cash.

MM