City Pets

[nitty]

I was coming back from nw Houston and thought I'd stop in and buy a new fish for a 20 gal. I just cycled. I called them 5 miles away at 7:30 and they said they close at 8pm. I got there at 7:45 to find the door was locked. I told the guy that was at the door I just called 15 minutes ago and was told 8pm. With a mean-mug and very rude tone, he said "well come in then"(exact words). 2or3 minutes inside the store I found 2 fish I wanted. ...And then it happen. Every single light in the freshwater section turned off. Some guy with a very bad case of acne told me I should get there earlier next time. Then he said that I couldn't even get the fish I wanted either. I actually made it back to my car before their closing time at 8pm. Fish Ranch would have never did that. So from now on, I'll give all my business to Mike over at Fish Ranch.

[newb]

+1 agreed. the acne guy...I guess thats what you would call him...is extremely rude. I will not go back there unless it is a last resort for something. I have seen multiple times them be rude to many customers. I was there once when I was first starting out and asked one of the guys working for some help in the FW section and his words were, "I dont work in the FW section" and just left it at that...didnt even go find somebody that did. They are a very firm believer in offering the "asian love" discount...which I totally understand(I guess), but dont do it when Im the next customer in line and then try and charge me the full price. Like I said, unless they are the only ones with an Eheim part that I need...I will not be returning to this store.

[stevenallenbarnard]

i've been in there a couple of times. the prices were decent although the store didn't look very nice. Last time I was there, though, it was impossible for me to get any help and I walked out without making a purchase. oh well, sucks for them, I was trying to buy 5 of their giant clown loaches (the 35.99 ones). Last time I was in there, they also had some HUGE honkin fish in what looked like a 175 bowfront. the fish was so big it couldn't even turn around or move in the tank, and they had a bunch of rock and other fish in there as well. It was a "display" tank at the very fron of the store by the windows. this was several months ago of course

[nitty]

I really wanted 2 of their German Red Peacocks(and some powerhead sponges). They were the cheapest I have ever seen for that size, 6.5" and $19.99ea After this, I'll pay 10-15 dollars extra at another store.

[wvgdiscus]

Personally I have great experiences there. The prices are always good. Even gotten discounts on large purchases.

Oh I am not Asian either

[Gene D]

I have only visited City Pets once. I wandered the entire without an offer of assistance. I had called earlier that day about Eco-Complete Cichlid substrate. I foud the two bags I had been told they had carried them to counter and paid all without ever interacting with anyone who worked there except the cashier. In my experience for cost, service, and selection I will stick with Fish Ranch II

[geoff_tropheus]

Anyone can have a bad day, but what did happen to you was terribly rude and I dont blame you for not wanting to go back.

One thing good about City Pets though, is they have the largest selction of Eheim parts in all of Houston. They also are open to negociation on pricing on big ticket items as long as you got cash. They also have a large selection of dry goods and livestock.

Even with one bad experience, you will find yourself in there again.

[imagirlgeek]

I've got to add my 2 cents.

The first few times I went to City Pets, it was either hit or miss on whether I'd get good service or not. But to be fair, most of the time I don't want anyone hovering while I'm browsing, but it was a little irritating when I needed help and couldn't get someone. I kept going back though because they carry every single kind of frozen food that I buy regularly. Even stuff I can't find anyplace else. I'm in there once every 10 days or so, and they are really friendly to me now. They even order stuff if I ask them to. I don't buy stuff 1 or 2 at a time...I'm more of a 6 slabs of krill, 10 slabs of bloodworms, 8 - 10 bags of frozen clams...and if something is low, they order it for me and let me know when to come pick it up. Overall, my experience started out rocky, but has been stellar in the last few months.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience...it's unfortunate because they really do have a large variety of products.

[fshfrk]

Bulkhead city with great prices.

[CichlidFan]

You can expect this kind of reaction from time to time from just about anyone, we are all human and we can't always be at our best, sometimes the stress and hassels of interacting with one another will dampen the spirits of even the nicest people you would ever want to meet.....

City pets is Okay in my book, even though I personally feel their prices are a bit higher than they should be....but that's just me....

CF

[myjohnson]

family ran business.

get to know them and they love you.

you don't even have to be Asian but it helps.

Nice SW and PT stuff. No tropheus or petros so I don't buy live stock there.

Cheapest prices around. They even beat the internet some times.

[nitty]

I've got to add my 2 cents.

The first few times I went to City Pets, it was either hit or miss on whether I'd get good service or not. But to be fair, most of the time I don't want anyone hovering while I'm browsing, but it was a little irritating when I needed help and couldn't get someone. I kept going back though because they carry every single kind of frozen food that I buy regularly. Even stuff I can't find anyplace else. I'm in there once every 10 days or so, and they are really friendly to me now. They even order stuff if I ask them to. I don't buy stuff 1 or 2 at a time...I'm more of a 6 slabs of krill, 10 slabs of bloodworms, 8 - 10 bags of frozen clams...and if something is low, they order it for me and let me know when to come pick it up. Overall, my experience started out rocky, but has been stellar in the last few months.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience...it's unfortunate because they really do have a large variety of products.

This is just my opinion, but shouldn't every costumer be treated the same wether it's my 1st visit or my 10th. I just don't see myself giving hard earned money to someone that's treats me as if I'm not important. The costumer is the reason these businesses stay open. I hope an employee from the store reads this and think twice about being rude to paying costumers. I rather spend my money with a store that knows without me and hobbiest like me, they wouldn't have a store.

[myjohnson]

It's human to have a bad day. You been nice to everyone you meet or deal with your whole life?

[imagirlgeek]

This is just my opinion, but shouldn't every costumer be treated the same wether it's my 1st visit or my 10th. I just don't see myself giving hard earned money to someone that's treats me as if I'm not important. The costumer is the reason these businesses stay open. I hope an employee from the store reads this and think twice about being rude to paying costumers. I rather spend my money with a store that knows without me and hobbiest like me, they wouldn't have a store.

I agree with you. In a perfect world, this is how it would be. I don't condone the way they treated you by any stretch of the imagination, but I also felt it was beneficial to share my experience as well.

For me, it was worth it to deal with the bad moods or less than great service in order to get the items I needed. I think of it like the Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld. If the product is worth it, you deal with the pain. )

[imagirlgeek]

It's human to have a bad day. You been nice to everyone you meet or deal with your whole life?

Nitty is allowed to be angry. You can't really compare the average person on an average day being nice (or not), to a business being rude to a customer. It's not the same thing.