A bad day at Petco

[Larry Blanchard]

Right after Xmas, I bought a 5.5 gallon aquarium from a local Petco
store to use as a split tank for 2 bettas. I took it home, filled it
within a inch or so of the top, and let it sit. No leaks.

So I got out the silicone and the styrene and the plastic canvas and put
in the dividers. Let the silicone dry for two days and refilled the
tank. All the way to the top. You guessed it - it leaked in that last
inch.

I siphoned out about half the water, dried and cleaned the leaky corner,
put in some new silicone, and let it sit for another couple of days.

I filled it up again and let is sit a while - no leaks. So I put in the
gravel and the plants, hooked up the light, filter, and heater, and even
put in a little ammonia to start things cycling.

Eight hours later - it leaked - this time along a bottom edge. Enough
is enough. Two leaks in the same new tank spells defective tank. Back
to the store it goes.

The following is the approximate dialog that ensued - I can't swear it's
the exact words, I didn't record the conversation. But it's very close.

Me: This tank has had two leaks in two separate places. I'd like to
exchange it.

Clerk: We can't take that back - you've modified it (pointing to the
divider).

Me: Why not? You can't resell it anyway, it's defective.

Clerk: I'll have to get the manager.

- - - -

Mgr: Can I help you?

Me: This tank had two leaks .....

Mgr: We can't take that back ...

Me: Why not? ...

Mgr: Well, we closed out that brand. We were letting them go for $5.
I can let you have $5 towards a new tank.

Me: $5? I didn't pay $5. I paid $11 something.

Mgr: That's all I can let you have without a receipt.

Me: Here's the receipt.

Mgr: Oh. <pause> This is over a year old!

Me: Look at the date again.

Mgr: Oh. <pause> I read that wrong. OK, I'll give you what you paid
on an exchange but all we've got in that size is a fancy oak one.

Me: That's odd. What's this one? It's only $12 something.

Mgr: Oh. I didn't see that one. Ok, the difference is $1.96 with tax.


So after 5-10 minutes of the above the manager made an extra $1.96 in
gross revenue and I got a new tank and a bad attitude about Petco.

I'll have to be pretty desperate to ever enter that store again. And
with two PetsMarts, another Petco, at least 4 pet/fish stores and, at
last resort, Walmart, I doubt I'll ever be that desperate. Not to
mention Big Als for stuff I don't mind waiting for.

If that clerk, or the manager, had just said something like: Sorry to
hear that. We don't carry that brand (Island) any more but I can let
you have an AllGlass the same size.

With or without the $1.96 difference I would have been happy and the
store could have kept a customer. Oh well.



--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description

[NetMax]

"Larry Blanchard" > wrote in message
...
> Right after Xmas, I bought a 5.5 gallon aquarium from a local Petco
> store to use as a split tank for 2 bettas. I took it home, filled it
> within a inch or so of the top, and let it sit. No leaks.
>
> So I got out the silicone and the styrene and the plastic canvas and
> put
> in the dividers. Let the silicone dry for two days and refilled the
> tank. All the way to the top. You guessed it - it leaked in that last
> inch.

<snip>

I had to think about it for a moment, from when I sold aquariums.
Technically there would not be any return on a modified tank (or any
product), but it's still a no-brainer. For such a small purchase, I
would exchange the tank (throwing it in the garbage after you left) in
the interests of continued loyalty and future sales. I can recoup a $12
write off quite easily in sales of plants, fish-foods and other
peripherals (like the silicon you bought ;~).

So anyone's luck would depend on whether the clerk follows rules or
applies business sense, and business sense among untrained clerks cannot
be assumed. Stick around, we periodically compare notes on the various
chain stores and it's not encouraging.
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Billy]

"Larry Blanchard" > wrote in message
...
|
| With or without the $1.96 difference I would have been happy and
the
| store could have kept a customer. Oh well.
|


I also had a negative experience at Petco this weekend. I use Petco
much the same as PetSmart, just for supplies. However, that day I saw
in the sal****er section a beautiful anthias that just called to me.
To make a long story shorter, the clerk had no idea what "salinity"
was nor how to check it. I wanted to know some water specs before I
tried to acclimate it to my Qtank. I found a hydrometer, and checked
the tanks myself. It was under 1.014. I keep my tanks at 1.023,
pretty normal salinity for a reef tank. I told the clerk I was
surprised the fish weren't dying and made her dump the poor anthias
back in.