false advertising at LFS(s)

[SeymourFRESH]

i posted this on another topic awhile ago, but i was kind of getting off the subject so i'll repost it here so you guys can tell me what you think:

the sign displayed for their iridescent sharks said "maximum length: 8 inches" (they get to be up to 4 feet, i used to have one and i got rid of it, it was about 18 inches)

but that's not the only time i've seen that! i think iridescent sharks should not be sold, or if they are, they should be properly advertised! i have asked some petshop owners about the false advertisement, and they said "oh, well usually people kill them off before they ever have a chance to grow their full length"

so what that tells me is is that they're depending on the fish to die!

the issue at hand, however, is not just with iridescent sharks, but with other fish (especially catfish) as well. i saw at another LFS they had red-tailed cats, and they didn't have the length posted on the display, but these cats were about 6" and they were being sold for $50.00 8O but yet, irridescent sharks are sold for like $5.00 and they only turn out a tidbit smaller than redtailed cats...

might i add as well that my family had an irridescent cat for 15 years and it ended up being 18" when we got rid of it, and it was a VERY hardy fish and did not die at any point.

:x

 

[Jchillin]

One of the reasons forums like AA exist at all is because of what you are speaking of. There is far too much misinformation spouted by retail establishments. The reason? The industry considers fishkeeping a "hobby" and the livestock as "ornamental". The regulatory bodies have no interest at the moment to establish any guidelines, quite possibly due to the lack of concern.

 

[rollin_22]

what you both are saing happens where i am located as well, and it makes me angry alot of times.... it seems to be all about the money to them, and not the well being of the fish..... for this reason, that is why i am planning on opening my own shop......

 

[SeymourFRESH]

yes, well i am thankful that AA exists. i've been taking care of fish for a really long time, but i still consider myself relatively new to the hobby because there were quite a few years in between that i wasn't really into them. there is so much misinformation out there and it's just so hard to find the truth of any subject of aquarium keeping

i just wish something could be done...false advertising is against the law, after all

 

[rollin_22]

yeah but at the same time all of these corporations are giving sooooo much to the government that nothing will be done, law enforcement just looks the other way, as does everyone in higher power, because this is how they get their paychecks

 

[tropicfishman]

down with the LFS and there misinforming ways lol

 

[Jchillin]

yeah but at the same time all of these corporations are giving sooooo much to the government that nothing will be done, law enforcement just looks the other way, as does everyone in higher power, because this is how they get their paychecks

That's not exactly true. There is no enforcement because there are no laws governing the hobby. You can look through every state's administrative code or Penal code...you will find nothing. Like I mentioned above, this is because our "hobby" contains "ornaments". Until this is changed, no laws will exist. In regard to the truth in advertising, I would notify the BBB (or any local equivalent) and file a complaint. More than likely due to the amount of misinformation, it would take a lot to prove the case.

 

[rollin_22]

i know the laws.... im a cop....lol

 

[SeymourFRESH]

More than likely due to the amount of misinformation, it would take a lot to prove the case.

ehh what i'm kind of thinking is i had a one, and i can still get access to it (it's at our world aquarium at the city museum now). it's now 10 inches longer than that advertised price...that's living proof right there if you ask me!

who knows...life is bullcrap anyway lol
we'll see what happens i guess

 

[rollin_22]

good point

 

[tropicfishman]

i don't like laws, just because you wanna go to the zoo and ride the giant tourtises, theres always some kinda law preventing it from happening lol you know you have thought about hopping that fence and riding one, don't lie to me lol

 

[rollin_22]

oh yes i have, way back when i did do stuff like that as well....lol

 

[pwrflpills]

What I think is hard is when the 17 y/o employee who is on their rotation to the fish department in a place like Petsmart is standing there spouting off all of this garbage information to an 8 y/o little girl and her dad. It's so hard for me to keep my lips shut, and sometimes I've been "forced" to interject when the information is grossly incorrect and the fish in question would be sure to die within a day or two if I didn't step in with a correction. The other reasonto interject is to help the little girl or boy avoid the heartache of the new cherished pet dying after a couple days. You all know...

 

[rollin_22]

yea i usually will pipe in on a conversation when i hear wrong info being told...

 

[Meredith]

I have done that as well. What really got to me once is I was in a petco, and the girl there was telling these people who were getting a tank about cycling with just one or two fish. She was giving all the right information, telling them about the test kits and all that, and the people got MAD at her. They wanted their tank and all the fish right now. She told them that if they they did that, there was a good chance they would lose most if not all the fish and they said fine, we will go somewhere else. Its so frustrating that you just cant get through to some people.

 

[flipz]

my family had an irridescent cat for 15 years and it ended up being 18" when we got rid of it, and it was a VERY hardy fish and did not die at any point.

Sorry, it just made me laugh that you had to point out that it didn't die at any point. Like maybe you had revived it a couple times in it's old age.

ANYWAYS, I do know what you mean. I have a black-fin shark (columbian catfish) and I got her at about 2". 3 years later she's up to 6.5". She isn't growing incredibly fast, but she will reach up to 18". However I was lucky enough to know that already, plus the fact that my LFS advertises this. So not ALL are bad, but of course there is the majority. They have to do what they can to sell the product.

-flipz

 

[rollin_22]

i have two columbians, and love them to death... they are so fun to watch

 

[Skyrmir]

Just be happy, I'm a programmer myself, so not only do I have to cringe every time I walk into a pet store and see blatant lies, I get the same thing every time I walk into any chain computer store. Most hardware stores and home depots are just as bad too.

I think it's really a basic shift in culture. It's acceptable to lie to make a profit in the eye's of just about any corporation. When they can't get away with lies, they use half truths that are just as bad. And since there's no central distribution of knowledge about the lies, the customers don't learn to avoid the stores that do it, until they get so blatant about it, that they actually do break a law and get into the news.

Consider Wal-Mart, aside from the fish keeping nightmares talked about around here, there's been plenty of sex discrimination and other misconducts by the company. Yet their profits are still soaring and their stores still fill because people don't know about it or don't care about it.

Best suggestion is to name names, let people you know hear about it, and generally get the word out as best you can. Until something like the BBB has some teeth to it, that's our only recourse.