Sad but True
Tony,
I'm sorry to hear of your loss, but regrettably, you have little to no recourse in this situation.
The only thing you can do, you already have done, and that is post with your story here. Everyone reads this board and takes note.
The LFSs in the BRS spehere of influence area are a rarity in these days of Monopoly. The local LFSs, all small businesses, must compete in a consumer-driven economy. What I mean by that is that there are multiple, competing sources of supply in the region and we are a very educated, intracommunicative source of demand. Moreover, being small bisinesses, the management is not that far out of earshot. They read these boards too. The bottom line is that no one can really make a long term business of s***ing you over here. If they do, they might as well give up on selling saltwater fish. Once you get a reputation on this board, it is hard to change. I definitely try to support my LFS and avoid buying online from large businesses or from the big chains as much as possible, even if it means paying more.
As for the future, well, first, Cindy is absolutely right. We all should quarentine our fish. Whether we do or not is entirely up to us, but failure to quarentine puts the blame solely on us.
Second, be very skeptical of LFS clerks. If you feel like a clerk is giving you the hard sell, then that is the biggest warning sign to stop what you're doing and go somewhere else. He or she shouldn't have to sell you a fish, you should want to buy him. There are plenty of other LFSs.
Third, never make an impulse buy. If you really want the fish but are uncertain of his health, put a deposit on him and ask them to hold him for you. Most LFSs have no problem doing this, especially if the fish has just come in and is not eating. Tell him you're concerned about health, so you'd like to come back in two weeks. I have done this. If a LFS refuses to do this, then simply leave and go somewhere that will.
Fourth, ask questions. Lots of questions. Ask how long they've had the fish, where was he captured from and/or was he cyanide caught (the location of capture can infer cyanide capture), is he eating, can you see him eat, what food are they feeding him, and so on.
Then, if everything checks out, go ahead and buy the fish, but realize that in this business, once you walk out the door, there is no recourse. Although the lack of recourse seeminlgy helps the business, it really helps the fish. Saltwater fish are much harder to care for, and having a no refund policy, while certainly originated to help the business, warns people away from getting into saltwater fish.
And sometimes, fish just die even from the best of sources with the best possible care.
Matt
