Aqua Zoo

[myjohnson]

Both positive and negative comments are welcome.

Personal stories of why a store is good or bad is welcome.

That's the point of a "discussion" forum.

[SunnyHouTX]

Thank you Thai. Some of us apparently don't get that gem of a concept.

[barberking12]

Thank you Thai. Some of us apparently don't get that gem of a concept.

+1

[danielp]

Whoa-nelly Daniel.

Having not shopped there yourself, I don't take kindly to being told to withhold commenting about my bad experiences at Aqua Zoo as a shopper who actually used to spend money there. I'm pretty sure that most of us here don't have money growing on trees and just as Shannon and Prosper might work hard for their dollars, so do we. So I'll be damned if I don't get good customer service from any store I walk into if they are supposedly working hard for their money and being asked to keep my negative comments about it to myself.

It's only fair to expect negative feedback along with positive feedback so your request to withhold commenting on negative will only promote a biased outlook on the business, which might not turn out too well for future customers there if their business practices haven't changed.

I've been in there recently. Looked around and moved on.

I'm not against sharing opinions.

What gets to me anymore is how we dwell on for multiple pages about things that could and should have been said and done long before they are.

[barberking12]

this thread aint even old if you dont like it dont open it

[SunnyHouTX]

What gets to me anymore is how we dwell on for multiple pages about things that could and should have been said and done long before they are.

LOL Daniel, you can't let these things get to you like that

For being a young grasshopper, barberking12 does speak the truth though

[wesleydnunder]

He speaks his opinion as he sees it. I find it a little humorous that at least one of the folks doing the degrading was personally taken under Shannon's wing when he first started getting into African cichlids. She spent a long time educating him; answering questions, helping with compatibility and stocking suggestions. Now he runs 'em down every chance he gets.

This thread was started when the OP asked why he couldn't contact them. Some of you chose the opportunity to vent. This thread didn't start as a dicussion thread on the merits of the store or its owners. Again, some took the opportunity to attack. In that vein, those posts are off topic, as are the reply posts exhalting the store and its owners.

If you like the store, shop there. If you don't, don't. Whining about it every chance you get is getting a little tiresome.

Mark

[SunnyHouTX]

If that In that case most what gets posted on this forum as a whole is off topic , including your post above and this post I think you're the only one considering negative feedback as "attacks" and take personal offense to such (in essence, whining at other people whining ). That's getting plenty tiresome as well.

Again, this is an open forum where good AND bad reviews are to be expected.

About your first statement in the post above, if you can't name the individual, then it's pointless and not needed. Also, just because they might have spent a some time telling somebody about fish, what makes that person forever indebted to AZ? It's called doing their job as fish salespeople and I'm not about to give them extra credit for doing their job.

[wesleydnunder]

If you wish to be called out, fine.

No one's saying they get extra credit or that someone owes them for life for doing their jobs. When Shannon was getting you squared away with cichlids, you had plenty of good things to say. When you gave them the wrong dimensions for the top that they had to have custom-made for you, and it didn't fit, your opinion changed.

I've known Prosper since the 80s. As stated earlier, the man forgot more than most of us will ever learn. They are surviving in one of the toughest business there is. Dozens of mom and pop stores go out of business daily in this country. Aqua Zoo has endured.

Prosper and Shannon are my personal friends, You're right, it pisses me off to see you continually running them down, Just as, I'm sure, you'd feel offense if I was running friends of yours down for BS reasons.

At the end of the day, if we need to take this to a more personal level, just let me know.

Mark

[myjohnson]

Touchy....

Why don't you tell AZ to be like city pets. Get on the box and give their side of the story or right a wrong? It would only make sense. If they don't care to than I assume it doesn't matter to them.

[barberking12]

all i can say is yall need to quit knocking the negative comments unless you tell the people posting positive things to stop if you want to hear positive you got to be able to take the negative as well and your the one taking it to a personal level and thats your problem how about you help them fix the problems with them since your such good friends and just because its a mom and pop type store does not give them the right to not have good customer service like i would expect from a mom and pop store

[Darbex]

All lets not get hostile over this. And just a note that it didnt get into views about the service at the store until a person brought up that they thought it was a great place and worth the wait for the move thats when others chimmed in about their experiences. Lets all take a quick breath and not get mad on either side of this discussion. I think both sides are worth posting and I will be the first to praise a good store and the first to provide negative feedback. I think it helps so people know what they are getting into and I like to know before I go but in the end I will make my own decisions and allow other peoples thoughts to be a notation.

I would recommend moving this thread to retailers section because it never really related to the current section.

[SunnyHouTX]

Mark, seeing that you're personal friends with them explains why you formed an opinion about my experiences at AZ solely based on what you heard from Shannon and Prosper. It also explained why you take offense at people posting negative feedback about AZ. Of course, if the only POV you have is theirs, then I'd expect nothing less from you.

Now that we have established that the bean under your mattress about all this is me, let's get to the meat and potatoes about why I have negative feedback for them. And since it is now warranted, I will explain my side.

I had progressively worsening service at AZ since before the lid incident you speak of. I have no idea why. Yes, they answered a few questions and sold me fish, but again, that's what you expect from a salespeople. Nothing special about that and I'm not going to swear allegiance to AZ just because they did what they're supposed to do. I still went there because it was the closest to me and also because I'd much rather not shop at the big box stores that are not far. The last straw that made me decide to refrain from AZ was the lid incident you know of. It was an order for a two piece glass top for my 90. I measured the opening exactly, wrote it down on my note pad. Then I subtracted 1/8" from the width and length for the required lid measurement, wrote it down as well. Went to AZ and asked which measurement they wanted and I was told to give the measurement of the opening and that the person making the lids will subtract the appropriate amount to make the lid fit nicely. I gave the first measurement I took. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I get a lid that's exactly the size of the opening and it won't even drop into the opening. Took it back and I was told that they made it according to the measurement that was given. When I reminded them about the bit about the fabricator taking off the appropriate amount, I was told that if that was the case, they would have written down that on the order sheet in the first place and that it was not written down. Again and again I was told that I gave them the wrong info. Wow, in essence, I was called a liar. In the end, they offered to take out some material from the lids so that they will fit but the damage was already done for me.

So that's was the last of several instances of bad service I got there and I see it fit to balance out all the positive feedback by telling about my experiences since my opinion is not based on just one incident about a glass lid.

[wesleydnunder]

Always two sides to every story, Sunny. You aren't the only one I was referring to. I'm gonna shut up now. The horse is dead, further flagellation is pointless.

Mark

[Outofexile86]

I purchase 95% of my fish from Aqua Zoo Love the place. The prices tend to be a little high but I never have a sick fish and they help me out. They took care of all my fish in my 125 gallon when it cracked for like 3 weeks and did not charge me. They are both really great people when you get to know them. Prosper is very silent person but once he gets to know you he is a really great person and his wife. I highly recommend them.