KnaveTO

I agree with BryceM. Whenever I have received poor service I am sure to get the employee's name, the fish room manager's name, the general manager's name and then the Regional Manager's name and proceed to raise hell from there all the way up the chain. Works for me everywhere. Business Depot now gives me excellent service when ever I walk into the store and the Manager if he see's me is sure to make sure that all my needs are attended to at the store. Poor work ethics really tick me off, and on a few occasions (for the really lazy sods) I can testify that the employee that attempted to not serve me was subsequently fired. I am lucky in regards to LFS's. the best one in the city is down the street from me, as for the others, well I get to know the managers and as such the staff get to know that I am not one of the customers they can trifle with.

The only reason we get poor service is because we let it happen... Well I refuse to allow that to happen to me... after all it is my money, if they want it they HAVE to WORK for it!!

 

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Cavan Allen

It's worth mentioning that if you get really good service and feel that an employee or store in general has really gone above and beyond, say something then too. Voting with your wallet is often the most important thing, but saying something nice never hurts.

mikenas102

Any LFS I have ever been in is so incredibly overpriced that ordering something online AND paying for shipping is still cheaper than buying it in the LFS. The only time you'll catch me in the LFS is if I have an emergency and need something immediately. Usually I keep a list of the things I need and put in an order every couple months to Big Al's.

BryceM

That's a bit of a separate issue, but yeah, I've often felt the same way. Still, the LFS does have an important role. Without them, very few of us would have ever gotten started in the hobby. If you're lucky enough to have a good LFS nearby, it can be a very, very nice to establish a relationship with the owners & managers. I have one not too far away that will call me whenever they get certain unusual or hard-to-find fish. They're also a good place to trade extra cuttings & unwanted fish.

info scavenger

The closest LFS for me is a 45 minute drive. I call ahead to be sure they have what I need, most of the time this works. I've also learned to always get the name of the person I speak to.
Twice in row I've called in advance, was told what I needed was in stock, and arrived to find out they're out of it.
I explained to the manager politely, even tho I wasn't in a very polite mood, what had happen, how many times and the name of the employee I spoke to both times. He wasn't very friendly, but I haven't seen that B**** err employee again.

thefishmanlives

Thats funny cause my girlfriend said to just grab the plants I need and bring them to the front all wet and dripping, and next time they will be quicker to help me. She was actually shocked that I handled it so well. I was genuinely disappointed at that point, and knew nothing i said was going to get me the plants i wanted, which was odd for me. My g/f expected me to cause a bigger scene and get loud with the guy, especially after he basically laughed in my face. He was a real nerd too, luckily I didnt see him laugh, and didnt realize that till after she told me. Looks like Im going to have to go back in there and eff with these freeks.

thefishmanlives

This would drive me nuts. But like I said, although some people work there out of love, theres a reason most of these people are working in the pet store. This excludes specialty places, but the fact of the matter is most pet places do not pay employees too well. This opens up the field to a wide array of deadbeats.

bigstick120

That is a great point Bryce, something I need to start doing, not just @ the LFS, but any store. People, me included tend to complain more, and folks never get the positive feedback they deserve for a job well done.

footprint

Oookay! I confess my sin I work in a lfs here in the UK, not every assistant is bad and there are one or two of us who actually know what we're talking about. There are shops and assistants who give a bad service to their customers but that's not to say every lfs is the same, and likewise there are customers who can be awkward to deal with as well. At the very heart of this is knowledge and the ability to pass it on I got a real kick when a customer came and thanked me for the help and advice I gave her a few weeks before. She now understands how the filtratration works, why it needs to be cleaned and also why she can't grow plants successfully in her Bi-orb. There is always something new to learn when keeping fish even more when you include aquatic plants, and water chemistry. I enjoy helping customers, and I'm able to do this because I do my homework even the replies on this forum are useful at times. I understand that it must seem I am one of the ones from the darkside reading some of the comments on this thread, even so I think its interesting to see things from the customer point of view. Surely not every lfs in the US can be that bad, I don't really get this negative attitude on either side, a smile costs nothing and its also good for your facial muscles and helps with the wrinkles in the long term.

BryceM

footprint,

Good point. I think we would all be smart to remember the 95% of our interactions that go well at LFS's. Some of the most knowledgable employees in the world work very hard to help frustrated, clueless hobbyists with their problems. It's the bad experiences that stick with you though.

 

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