LFS Lying, Justifed?

[Nemesis of Pistol Shrimps]

Hello, I would like to see your views on LFS (not some bigbox store like petco/petsmart) when they lie/give false information to a hobbyist, in an attempt to sell fish, especially when they claim to be beginners. For example, saying that a juvenile emperor angelfish would do fine in a 75 gallon for its entire life.

Justified Reason:
-It may be hard to sell fish these days

Not justified reasons:
-Misinformation

-Unethical for the livestock

 

[skydirt]

There is never a good reason to lie about anything like that. It's terribly un-professional and just bad quality altogether. Misinformation is one thing, not a good reason, but if you truly believe something i can see repeating but if you don't know then say " I'm not sure but i can try to find out" then make a effort to learn and share. Just my opinion.

 

[Nemesis of Pistol Shrimps]

Ok. So far a few minutes in and it’s already 100% no. That is why another suggestion that we should give to new aquarium hobbyist is that you should not always trust what your LFS has to say, even if they have high ratings.

 

[BlennyTime]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen flat out lying at a LFS, but there are certainly people who are mis-informed. Even the experienced employee won’t know everything about every fish, so it’s important to do your own research before you buy.

But that’s hardly unique to the world of reef aquatics either.

 

[Tamberav]

Never seen one lie but the purchaser should do research as information is sometimes wrong. Even on sites like Live Aquaria.

Most people probably own a smart phone these days so really what is the excuse? It's not like how it used to be where all you had the LFS and maybe some books.

 

[Jedi1199]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen flat out lying at a LFS, but there are certainly people who are mis-informed. Even the experienced employee won’t know everything about every fish, so it’s important to do your own research before you buy.

But that’s hardly unique to the world of reef aquatics either.

I agree with this... I think the majority of LFS employees tend to just not know. That said, if you ask them for advice, they should TELL you they don't know, and not just give advice. Honestly, whenever I go to a LFS anymore, all I ask an employee is "What is this fish called" and then I whip out my phone and start reading.

In answer to the actual question, my opinion is this. It is absolutely unethical, unprofessional, and flat unacceptable for ANY business to knowingly lie to a consumer. No matter what the product.

Lying is wrong. Period!

 

[NowGlazeIT]

I’ve gone through a few LfS till I found one I could trust. I don’t like relying on the internet while shopping in small stores to make a purchase. I like to count on the guy running a business selling me livestock. They should have the information I need to make a decision if the fish is right for my tank. Places that can’t answer my questions or give misinformation I don’t do repeat business there. Took a few tries to find a trustworthy lfs.

 

[kzenoni]

Luckily I have an awesome LFS but it’s my experience to just google the livestock myself before making a purchase